Abstract
Optical quantum memories are devices that store and recall quantum light and are vital to the realization of future photonic quantum networks. To date, much effort has been put into improving storage times and efficiencies of such devices to enable long-distance communications. However, less attention has been devoted to building quantum memories which add zero noise to the output. Even small additional noise can render the memory classical by destroying the fragile quantum signatures of the stored light. Therefore, noise performance is a critical parameter for all quantum memories. Here we introduce an intrinsically noise-free quantum memory protocol based on two-photon off-resonant cascaded absorption (ORCA). We demonstrate successful storage of GHz-bandwidth heralded single photons in a warm atomic vapor with no added noise, confirmed by the unaltered photon-number statistics upon recall. Our ORCA memory meets the stringent noise requirements for quantum memories while combining high-speed and room-temperature operation with technical simplicity, and therefore is immediately applicable to low-latency quantum networks.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 042316 |
| Journal | Physical Review A |
| Volume | 97 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 10 Apr 2018 |
Funding
We would like to thank R. Chrapkiewicz, M. Parniak, M. Beck, S. Gao, and J. Sperling for useful discussions. This work was supported by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council through Standard Grant No. EP/J000051/1, Programme Grant No. EP/K034480/1, and the EPSRC NQIT Quantum Technology Hub. We acknowledge support from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research: European Office of Aerospace Research and Development (AFOSR EOARD Grant No. FA8655-09-1-3020). J.N. acknowledges financial support from a Royal Society University Research Fellowship, and D.J.S. acknowledges financial support from an EU Marie-Curie Fellowship No. PIIF-GA-2013-629229. P.M.L. acknowledges financial support from a European Union Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Framework Programme Marie Curie individual fellowship, Grant Agreement No. 705278, and B.B. acknowledges funding from the European Unions Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 665148. I.A.W. acknowledges an ERC Advanced Grant (MOQUACINO). S.E.T. and J.H.D.M. are supported by EPSRC via the Controlled Quantum Dynamics CDT under Grants No. EP/G037043/1 and No. EP/L016524/1. G.S.T. acknowledges support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). E.P. acknowledges financial support from an EU Marie-Curie Fellowship No. PIEF-GA-2013-627372. K.T.K. acknowledges a Santander Graduate Scholarship from Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. O.L.-A. acknowledges Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia (CONACyT) for support from “Becas Conacyt Al Extranjero 2016” and Banco de México (BM) for support from “Fondo para el Desarrollo de Recursos Humanos” (FIDERH).
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics