Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1203.2328 · Physical Review Letters

Multipulse Addressing of a Raman Quantum Memory: Configurable Beam Splitting and Efficient Readout

K. F. Reim, Joshua Nunn, Xian‐Min Jin, Patrick Michelberger, T. F. M. Champion, Duncan G. England, K. C. Lee, W. S. Kolthammer, Nathan K. Langford, Ian A. Walmsley

Published Jun 26, 2012• 81 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Quantum memories are vital to the scalability of photonic quantum information processing (PQIP), since the storage of photons enables repeat-until-success strategies. On the other hand, the key element of all PQIP architectures is the beam splitter, which allows us to coherently couple optical modes. Here, we show how to combine these crucial functionalities by addressing a Raman quantum memory with multiple control pulses. The result is a coherent optical storage device with an extremely large time bandwidth product, that functions as an array of dynamically configurable beam splitters, and that can be read out with arbitrarily high efficiency. Networks of such devices would allow fully scalable PQIP, with applications in quantum computation, long distance quantum communications and quantum metrology.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.108.263602

Related papers

Multi-pulse addressing of a Raman quantum memory: configurable beam splitting and efficient readout

Klaus F. Reim, J. Nunn, Xian‐Min Jin +6 more

We address an optical quantum memory with multiple pulses, enabling unit efficiency readout and programmable beam splitting. The resulting coherent processor with built-in storage is universal for scalable photonic quantum information processing.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics•Jan 1, 2012•6 citations

Realization of a Programmable Multipurpose Photonic Quantum Memory with Over-Thousand Qubit Manipulations

Sheng Zhang, Jixuan Shi, Z.-B. Cui +4 more

Quantum networks can enable various applications such as distributed quantum computing, long-distance quantum communication, and network-based quantum sensing with unprecedented performances. One of the most important building blocks for a quantum network is a photonic quantum memory which serves as the interface between the communication channel and the local functional unit. A programmable quantum memory which can process a large stream of flying qubits and fulfill the requirements of multiple core functions in a quantum network is still to be realized. Here we report a high-performance quantum memory which can simultaneously store 72 optical qubits carried by 144 spatially separated atomic ensembles and support up to a thousand consecutive write or read operations in a random access way, 2 orders of magnitude larger than the previous record. Because of the built-in programmability, this quantum memory can be adapted on demand for several functions. As example applications, we realize quantum queue, stack, and buffer which closely resemble the counterpart devices for classical information processing. We further demonstrate the storage and reshuffle of four entangled pairs of photonic pulses with probabilistic arrival time and arbitrary release order via the memory, which is an essential requirement for the realization of quantum repeaters and efficient routing in quantum networks. Realization of this multipurpose programmable quantum memory thus constitutes a key enabling building block for future large-scale fully functional quantum networks. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

arXiv:2311.10292•Physical Review X•Apr 25, 2024•20 citations

Efficient, low noise, mode-selective quantum memory

Sarah E. Thomas

Photonic quantum information processing is a key element for scalable quantum technologies, and has applications in secure long-distance quantum communication and connecting nodes of a quantum computation network. However, logical photon-photon gates and state-of-the-art single photon sources rely on probabilistic processes. Quantum memories are devices that enable storage and on-demand recall of quantum states of light, and have been highlighted as a vital component in photonic networks to overcome the scaling problem by synchronising probabilistic processes. The Raman memory has a large storage bandwidth and high synchronising capacity, and is an ideal candidate for local synchronisation. However, previous demonstrations of the Raman memory suffer from four-wave mixing noise, which prohibits quantum level operation. In this thesis I investigate methods to increase the signal to noise ratio in the Raman memory. I investigate increasing the light-matter coupling strength to boost the memory efficiency, and then explore two different methods to suppress four-wave mixing noise. I demonstrate that operating the Raman memory in a cavity is successful in reducing four-wave mixing, but it is technically challenging to maintain a high memory efficiency. I investigate a new method of noise suppression by introducing an absorption feature at the frequency of the unwanted noise field. This technically simple method is successful in reducing the noise by an order of magnitude, and will be applicable to many quantum memory protocols. In the final section of this thesis I explore the temporal mode properties of the Raman memory. I demonstrate that the Raman memory is single mode and can be used to separate and manipulate temporal modes of light. This positions the Raman memory as a key device for enabling high-dimensional photonic quantum information processing, and enhancing light-matter interactions. These results pave the way towards an efficient, low-noise, mode-selective quantum memory.

•Apr 1, 2019•0 citations

Engineering a noise-free quantum memory for temporal mode manipulation

T. M. Hird

An optical quantum memory, a device which can store and retrieve on demand an arbitrary quantum state at the single photon level, has been identified as a significant cornerstone of photonic quantum technologies. The development of such a memory would allow the creation and development of a large number of quantum technologies. These would range from the ability to synchronise processing steps in an optical quantum computer, to the construction of a quantum repeater which would allow faithful transmission of quantum states over arbitrarily long distances. In this thesis I investigate broadband light storage in a room-temperature Raman memory for purposes of quantum information processing with photons. During the course of this thesis, a novel scheme to suppress four-wave mixing noise is simulated, based on equations derived to describe the physics of the memory interaction. The experimental arrangement to test the suppression method is described and an original method using photon statistics is demonstrated. The results of these experiments prove the ability of the memory to retrieve and maintain the non-classicality of the state, given a single photon input. Following the affirmation that, using this noise suppression technique, the memory can function at the single-photon level, I go on to consider how the temporal-spectral properties of a pulsed mode of light may be manipulated using the memory. There are two primary reasons for this investigation: 1) Increasing the efficiency of the read-in process by carving the optimum mode of the memory 2) Using the memory as a device operating in a high dimensional quantum information basis. The restrictions of such applications are considered and a method to test the efficacy of transformations in this basis is devised and experimentally tested. I also perform demonstrations of light storage using conventional temporal modes using a novel method of velocity selection within warm vapour. Finally I detail further experiments that are achievable with the Raman quantum memory given the progress that has been achieved during my DPhil research. The results show that the Raman memory is a viable candidate for a practical route towards low-noise quantum storage and for manipulation of temporal modes of light.

•Jan 1, 2021•0 citations

Practical schemes for quantum memories

E. S. Moiseev

This dissertation is devoted to the development of quantum memories for light. Quantum memory is an important part of future long-distance quantum fiber networks and quantum processing. Quantum memory is required to be efficient, multimode, noise free, scalable, and should be able to provide long storage times for practical applications in quantum communications and beyond. Here I concentrate on solving particular problems of different quantum protocols and find ways for extending the performance of memories and adding new capabilities. I theoretically show that an array of whispering-gallery resonators is capable of being an efficient and noise-free optical memory with an adjustable storage time. The potential for on-chip realization at room temperature makes the scheme attractive for easy implementation. The effect of Raman scattering in echo memory was evaluated experimentally and theoretically. The noise performance of gradient echo memory in Λ configuration proves, that the developed theory is in a good agreement with an experiment. I proposed a mechanism for extending the bandwidth of impedance-matched memories via a white-light cavity effect. The introduced additional dispersion compensates a bandwidth decrease induced by the cavity and hence increases the spectral zone of impedance matching. Theoretically the scheme allows to increase the bandwidth of high efficient storage (>90%) several times without adding extra noise. Finally, I have proposed an architecture of quantum random-access memory for time-bin photons. The architecture consists from a memory unit and a strongly coupled three-level atom. Both of them are placed in their own cavities, which are coupled to each other. The protocol allows to achieve quantum addressing of quantum information stored in the memory with only a single control unit. This is useful for numerous tasks in quantum machine learning.

•Aug 1, 2020•0 citations

An Atomic Interface for High-Dimensional Temporal Mode Quantum Networks

Shicheng Zhang, Aonan Zhang, Ilse Maillette de Buy Wenniger +5 more

Temporal modes of photons are a promising encoding scheme for high-dimensional quantum networks due to their high channel capacity and fiber compatibility. However, realizing their full potential requires devices capable of synchronizing, processing and interfacing these modes across photonic and atomic bandwidths. In this work, we demonstrate a programmable high-dimensional temporal mode processor using a Raman quantum memory in warm cesium vapor. We exploit the single-mode nature of the Raman interaction kernel, dynamically shaping the control field to synthesize a tunable coherent filter that selectively addresses specific temporal waveforms. This mechanism enables on-demand storage, filtering, and conversion, providing a coherent interface between MHz- and GHz-bandwidth modes. We validate the platform's selectivity across a basis of 30 orthogonal Hermite-Gaussian modes and certify high-fidelity quantum operation via 5-dimensional process tomography. By combining deterministic mode conversion with bidirectional bandwidth interfacing, we establish the Raman memory as a critical active node for scalable quantum information processing.

quant-pharXiv:2603.06558•Mar 9, 2026•0 citations
Quantum memories are vital to the scalability of photonic quantum information processing (PQIP), since the storage of photons enables repeat-until-success strategies. On the other hand, the key element of all PQIP architectures is the beam splitter, which allows us to coherently couple optical modes. Here, we show how to combine these crucial functionalities by addressing a Raman quantum memory with multiple control pulses. The result is a coherent optical storage device with an extremely large time bandwidth product, that functions as an array of dynamically configurable beam splitters, and that can be read out with arbitrarily high efficiency. Networks of such devices would allow fully scalable PQIP, with applications in quantum computation, long distance quantum communications and quantum metrology.
Quantum networks can enable various applications such as distributed quantum computing, long-distance quantum communication, and network-based quantum sensing with unprecedented performances. One of the most important building blocks for a quantum network is a photonic quantum memory which serves as the interface between the communication channel and the local functional unit. A programmable quantum memory which can process a large stream of flying qubits and fulfill the requirements of multiple core functions in a quantum network is still to be realized. Here we report a high-performance quantum memory which can simultaneously store 72 optical qubits carried by 144 spatially separated atomic ensembles and support up to a thousand consecutive write or read operations in a random access way, 2 orders of magnitude larger than the previous record. Because of the built-in programmability, this quantum memory can be adapted on demand for several functions. As example applications, we realize quantum queue, stack, and buffer which closely resemble the counterpart devices for classical information processing. We further demonstrate the storage and reshuffle of four entangled pairs of photonic pulses with probabilistic arrival time and arbitrary release order via the memory, which is an essential requirement for the realization of quantum repeaters and efficient routing in quantum networks. Realization of this multipurpose programmable quantum memory thus constitutes a key enabling building block for future large-scale fully functional quantum networks. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
Photonic quantum information processing is a key element for scalable quantum technologies, and has applications in secure long-distance quantum communication and connecting nodes of a quantum computation network. However, logical photon-photon gates and state-of-the-art single photon sources rely on probabilistic processes. Quantum memories are devices that enable storage and on-demand recall of quantum states of light, and have been highlighted as a vital component in photonic networks to overcome the scaling problem by synchronising probabilistic processes. The Raman memory has a large storage bandwidth and high synchronising capacity, and is an ideal candidate for local synchronisation. However, previous demonstrations of the Raman memory suffer from four-wave mixing noise, which prohibits quantum level operation. In this thesis I investigate methods to increase the signal to noise ratio in the Raman memory. I investigate increasing the light-matter coupling strength to boost the memory efficiency, and then explore two different methods to suppress four-wave mixing noise. I demonstrate that operating the Raman memory in a cavity is successful in reducing four-wave mixing, but it is technically challenging to maintain a high memory efficiency. I investigate a new method of noise suppression by introducing an absorption feature at the frequency of the unwanted noise field. This technically simple method is successful in reducing the noise by an order of magnitude, and will be applicable to many quantum memory protocols. In the final section of this thesis I explore the temporal mode properties of the Raman memory. I demonstrate that the Raman memory is single mode and can be used to separate and manipulate temporal modes of light. This positions the Raman memory as a key device for enabling high-dimensional photonic quantum information processing, and enhancing light-matter interactions. These results pave the way towards an efficient, low-noise, mode-selective quantum memory.
An optical quantum memory, a device which can store and retrieve on demand an arbitrary quantum state at the single photon level, has been identified as a significant cornerstone of photonic quantum technologies. The development of such a memory would allow the creation and development of a large number of quantum technologies. These would range from the ability to synchronise processing steps in an optical quantum computer, to the construction of a quantum repeater which would allow faithful transmission of quantum states over arbitrarily long distances. In this thesis I investigate broadband light storage in a room-temperature Raman memory for purposes of quantum information processing with photons. During the course of this thesis, a novel scheme to suppress four-wave mixing noise is simulated, based on equations derived to describe the physics of the memory interaction. The experimental arrangement to test the suppression method is described and an original method using photon statistics is demonstrated. The results of these experiments prove the ability of the memory to retrieve and maintain the non-classicality of the state, given a single photon input. Following the affirmation that, using this noise suppression technique, the memory can function at the single-photon level, I go on to consider how the temporal-spectral properties of a pulsed mode of light may be manipulated using the memory. There are two primary reasons for this investigation: 1) Increasing the efficiency of the read-in process by carving the optimum mode of the memory 2) Using the memory as a device operating in a high dimensional quantum information basis. The restrictions of such applications are considered and a method to test the efficacy of transformations in this basis is devised and experimentally tested. I also perform demonstrations of light storage using conventional temporal modes using a novel method of velocity selection within warm vapour. Finally I detail further experiments that are achievable with the Raman quantum memory given the progress that has been achieved during my DPhil research. The results show that the Raman memory is a viable candidate for a practical route towards low-noise quantum storage and for manipulation of temporal modes of light.
This dissertation is devoted to the development of quantum memories for light. Quantum memory is an important part of future long-distance quantum fiber networks and quantum processing. Quantum memory is required to be efficient, multimode, noise free, scalable, and should be able to provide long storage times for practical applications in quantum communications and beyond. Here I concentrate on solving particular problems of different quantum protocols and find ways for extending the performance of memories and adding new capabilities. I theoretically show that an array of whispering-gallery resonators is capable of being an efficient and noise-free optical memory with an adjustable storage time. The potential for on-chip realization at room temperature makes the scheme attractive for easy implementation. The effect of Raman scattering in echo memory was evaluated experimentally and theoretically. The noise performance of gradient echo memory in Λ configuration proves, that the developed theory is in a good agreement with an experiment. I proposed a mechanism for extending the bandwidth of impedance-matched memories via a white-light cavity effect. The introduced additional dispersion compensates a bandwidth decrease induced by the cavity and hence increases the spectral zone of impedance matching. Theoretically the scheme allows to increase the bandwidth of high efficient storage (>90%) several times without adding extra noise. Finally, I have proposed an architecture of quantum random-access memory for time-bin photons. The architecture consists from a memory unit and a strongly coupled three-level atom. Both of them are placed in their own cavities, which are coupled to each other. The protocol allows to achieve quantum addressing of quantum information stored in the memory with only a single control unit. This is useful for numerous tasks in quantum machine learning.
Temporal modes of photons are a promising encoding scheme for high-dimensional quantum networks due to their high channel capacity and fiber compatibility. However, realizing their full potential requires devices capable of synchronizing, processing and interfacing these modes across photonic and atomic bandwidths. In this work, we demonstrate a programmable high-dimensional temporal mode processor using a Raman quantum memory in warm cesium vapor. We exploit the single-mode nature of the Raman interaction kernel, dynamically shaping the control field to synthesize a tunable coherent filter that selectively addresses specific temporal waveforms. This mechanism enables on-demand storage, filtering, and conversion, providing a coherent interface between MHz- and GHz-bandwidth modes. We validate the platform's selectivity across a basis of 30 orthogonal Hermite-Gaussian modes and certify high-fidelity quantum operation via 5-dimensional process tomography. By combining deterministic mode conversion with bidirectional bandwidth interfacing, we establish the Raman memory as a critical active node for scalable quantum information processing.