686 research outputs found
Single-photon-level optical storage in a solid-state spin-wave memory
A long-lived quantum memory is a firm requirement for implementing a quantum
repeater scheme. Recent progress in solid-state rare-earth-ion-doped systems
justifies their status as very strong candidates for such systems. Nonetheless
an optical memory based on spin-wave storage at the single-photon-level has not
been shown in such a system to date, which is crucial for achieving the long
storage times required for quantum repeaters. In this letter we show that it is
possible to execute a complete atomic frequency comb (AFC) scheme, including
spin-wave storage, with weak coherent pulses of photons
per pulse. We discuss in detail the experimental steps required to obtain this
result and demonstrate the coherence of a stored time-bin pulse. We show a
noise level of photons per mode during storage, this
relatively low-noise level paves the way for future quantum optics experiments
using spin-waves in rare-earth-doped crystals
Analysis of a quantum memory for photons based on controlled reversible inhomogeneous broadening
We present a detailed analysis of a quantum memory for photons based on
controlled and reversible inhomogeneous broadening (CRIB). The explicit
solution of the equations of motion is obtained in the weak excitation regime,
making it possible to gain insight into the dependence of the memory efficiency
on the optical depth, and on the width and shape of the atomic spectral
distributions. We also study a simplified memory protocol which does not
require any optical control fields.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures (Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. A
Atomic frequency comb memory with spin wave storage in 153Eu3+:Y2SiO5
153Eu3+:Y2SiO5 is a very attractive candidate for a long lived, multimode
quantum memory due to the long spin coherence time (~15 ms), the relatively
large hyperfine splitting (100 MHz) and the narrow optical homogeneous
linewidth (~100 Hz). Here we show an atomic frequency comb memory with spin
wave storage in a promising material 153Eu3+:Y2SiO5, reaching storage times
slightly beyond 10 {\mu}s. We analyze the efficiency of the storage process and
discuss ways of improving it. We also measure the inhomogeneous spin linewidth
of 153Eu3+:Y2SiO5, which we find to be 69 \pm 3 kHz. These results represent a
further step towards realising a long lived multi mode solid state quantum
memory.Comment: 7 pages and 7 figure
Storage and recall of weak coherent optical pulses with an efficiency of 25%
We demonstrate experimentally a quantum memory scheme for the storage of weak
coherent light pulses in an inhomogeneously broadened optical transition in a
Pr^{3+}: YSO crystal at 2.1 K. Precise optical pumping using a frequency stable
(about 1kHz linewidth) laser is employed to create a highly controllable Atomic
Frequency Comb (AFC) structure. We report single photon storage and retrieval
efficiencies of 25%, based on coherent photon echo type re-emission in the
forward direction. The coherence property of the quantum memory is proved
through interference between a super Gaussian pulse and the emitted echo.
Backward retrieval of the photon echo emission has potential for increasing
storage and recall efficiency.Comment: 5,
Electric control of collective atomic coherence in an Erbium doped solid
We demonstrate fast and accurate control of the evolution of collective
atomic coherences in an Erbium doped solid using external electric fields. This
is achieved by controlling the inhomogeneous broadening of Erbium ions emitting
at 1536 nm using an electric field gradient and the linear Stark effect. The
manipulation of atomic coherence is characterized with the collective
spontaneous emission (optical free induction decay) emitted by the sample after
an optical excitation, which does not require any previous preparation of the
atoms. We show that controlled dephasing and rephasing of the atoms by the
electric field result in collapses and revivals of the optical free induction
decay. Our results show that the use of external electric fields does not
introduce any substantial additional decoherence and enables the manipulation
of collective atomic coherence with a very high degree of precision on the time
scale of tens of ns. This provides an interesting resource for photonic quantum
state storage and quantum state manipulation.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure
Quantum Storage of Photonic Entanglement in a Crystal
Entanglement is the fundamental characteristic of quantum physics. Large
experimental efforts are devoted to harness entanglement between various
physical systems. In particular, entanglement between light and material
systems is interesting due to their prospective roles as "flying" and
stationary qubits in future quantum information technologies, such as quantum
repeaters and quantum networks. Here we report the first demonstration of
entanglement between a photon at telecommunication wavelength and a single
collective atomic excitation stored in a crystal. One photon from an
energy-time entangled pair is mapped onto a crystal and then released into a
well-defined spatial mode after a predetermined storage time. The other photon
is at telecommunication wavelength and is sent directly through a 50 m fiber
link to an analyzer. Successful transfer of entanglement to the crystal and
back is proven by a violation of the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH)
inequality by almost three standard deviations (S=2.64+/-0.23). These results
represent an important step towards quantum communication technologies based on
solid-state devices. In particular, our resources pave the way for building
efficient multiplexed quantum repeaters for long-distance quantum networks.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures + supplementary information; fixed typo in ref.
[36
Quantum storage of polarization qubits in birefringent and anisotropically absorbing materials
Storage of quantum information encoded into true single photons is an
essential constituent of long-distance quantum communication based on quantum
repeaters and of optical quantum information processing. The storage of
photonic polarization qubits is, however, complicated by the fact that many
materials are birefringent and have polarization-dependent absorption. Here we
present and demonstrate a simple scheme that allows compensating for these
polarization effects. The scheme is demonstrated using a solid-state quantum
memory implemented with an ensemble of rare-earth ions doped into a biaxial
yttrium orthosilicate () crystal. Heralded single photons generated
from a filtered spontaneous parametric downconversion source are stored, and
quantum state tomography of the retrieved polarization state reveals an average
fidelity of , which is significantly higher than what is
achievable with a measure-and-prepare strategy.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, corrected typos and added ref. 3
Heralded quantum entanglement between two crystals
Quantum networks require the crucial ability to entangle quantum nodes. A
prominent example is the quantum repeater which allows overcoming the distance
barrier of direct transmission of single photons, provided remote quantum
memories can be entangled in a heralded fashion. Here we report the observation
of heralded entanglement between two ensembles of rare-earth-ions doped into
separate crystals. A heralded single photon is sent through a 50/50
beamsplitter, creating a single-photon entangled state delocalized between two
spatial modes. The quantum state of each mode is subsequently mapped onto a
crystal, leading to an entangled state consisting of a single collective
excitation delocalized between two crystals. This entanglement is revealed by
mapping it back to optical modes and by estimating the concurrence of the
retrieved light state. Our results highlight the potential of rare-earth-ions
doped crystals for entangled quantum nodes and bring quantum networks based on
solid-state resources one step closer.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure
Quantum Repeaters with Photon Pair Sources and Multi-Mode Memories
We propose a quantum repeater protocol which builds on the well-known DLCZ
protocol [L.M. Duan, M.D. Lukin, J.I. Cirac, and P. Zoller, Nature 414, 413
(2001)], but which uses photon pair sources in combination with memories that
allow to store a large number of temporal modes. We suggest to realize such
multi-mode memories based on the principle of photon echo, using solids doped
with rare-earth ions. The use of multi-mode memories promises a speedup in
entanglement generation by several orders of magnitude and a significant
reduction in stability requirements compared to the DLCZ protocol.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, to appear in PRL, accepted versio
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