Quantum storage of entangled photons at telecom wavelengths in a crystal

Subjects: Optics >> Quantum optics submitted time 2023-02-19

Ming-Hao Jiang Wenyi Xue Qian He Yu-Yang An Xiaodong Zheng Wen-Jie Xu Wenjun Wen Yu-Bo Xie Yanqing Lu Shining Zhu Xiao-Song Ma

Abstract： The quantum internet -- in synergy with the internet that we use today -- promises an enabling platform for next-generation information processing, including exponentially speed-up distributed computation, secure communication, and high-precision metrology. The key ingredients for realizing such a global network are the distribution and storage of quantum entanglement. As quantum networks are likely to be based on existing fibre networks, telecom-wavelength entangled photons and corresponding quantum memories are of central interest. Recently, ${\rm ^{167}Er^{3+}}$ ions have been identified as a promising candidate for an efficient, broadband quantum memory at telecom wavelength. However, to date, no storage of entangled photons, the crucial step of quantum memory using these ions, has been reported. Here, we demonstrate the storage and recall of the entangled state of two telecom photons generated from an integrated photonic chip based on silicon nitride. Combining the natural narrow linewidth of the entangled photons and long storage time of ${\rm ^{167}Er^{3+}}$ ions, we achieve storage time of 400 ns, more than one order of magnitude longer than in previous works. Successful storage of entanglement in the crystal is certified by a violation of an entanglement witness by more than 12 standard deviations (-0.161 $\pm$ 0.012) at 400 ns storage time. These results pave the way for realizing quantum networks based on solid-state devices.

Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review

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