11 March 2004
Atom-photon entanglement
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Atom-photon entanglement, where atom and photon are physically separated but share unique properties, is known to occur, but has not been observed directly. It is an important goal. In a device based on an entangled pair, the atom (or 'memory') could be stored and manipulated while the photon (or communication channel) is sent to a distant receiver. A deceptively simple experiment reported this week (and represented on the cover) succeeds in both observing and quantifying quantum entanglement between a single trapped ion and a single photon released from that ion. This source of entanglement might be used in a range of quantum communication protocols. Cover images courtesy D. Stick (Univ. Michigan) and K. Schwab (Laboratory for Physical Sciences and Univ. Maryland).
Observation of entanglement between a single
trapped atom and a single photon
B. B. BLINOV, D. L. MOEHRING, L.- M. DUAN & C.
MONROE
Nature 428, 153–157 (2004); doi:10.1038/nature02377
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Quantum information: Flight of the qubit
EUGENE POLZIK
A trapped ion emits a photon. Ion and photon are entangled, so the photon
carries away information on the state of the ion. Now realized, this system
could become a communication link in a quantum network.
Nature 428, 129–130 (2004); doi:10.1038/428129a
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