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Ultralong quantum optical data storage using an optical locking technique

Nature Photonics volume 3, pages 518–522 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Several types of quantum memory protocols have been presented over the last ten years, including photon echoes1,2,3,4, off-resonant Raman scattering5,6, ultraslow light-based quantum mapping processes7,8,9,10 and resonant Raman optical echoes11. These quantum optical memory protocols are limited by a storage time on a scale as short as milliseconds, determined by the spin phase decay time of the storage medium. For applications of long-distance quantum communications, a quantum repeater composed of quantum entanglement swapping and quantum memory must be used12,13. Achieving longer storage times in quantum memory therefore brings a definite advantage to applications of quantum repeaters for long-distance quantum communications. Here, we propose a quantum optical data storage protocol to extend the storage time by several orders of magnitude beyond the conventional limitation of the order of milliseconds. The present ultralong quantum optical storage technique is achieved by introducing an optical locking method to the resonant Raman optical echo protocol11.

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Figure 1: Numerical simulations of triple-bit quantum optical data storage based on reversible spin inhomogeneous broadening.
Figure 2: Ultralong quantum optical memory protocol using an optical locking method.
Figure 3: Population density variation after the first πR pulse.
Figure 4: Coherence retrieval efficiency.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Creative Research Initiative Program (Center for Photon Information Processing) by MEST via KOSEF, S. Korea. The author thanks M.D. Lukin for helpful discussions.

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  1. Center for Photon Information Processing and the Graduate School of Information and Communications, Inha University, 253 Younghyun-dong, Nam-gu, Incheon, 402-751, S. Korea

    Byoung S. Ham

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Ham, B. Ultralong quantum optical data storage using an optical locking technique. Nature Photon 3, 518–522 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2009.143

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