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:1509.03145 · Physical Review A

Spectral-hole memory for light at the single-photon level

Kutlu Kutluer, M. F. Pascual Winter, Julián Dajczgewand, Patrick M. Ledingham, Margherita Mazzera, T. Chanelière, Hugues de Riedmatten

Published Apr 8, 2016• 19 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We demonstrate a solid-state spin-wave optical memory based on stopped light in a spectral hole. A long-lived narrow spectral hole is created by optical pumping in the inhomogeneous absorption profile of a ${\mathrm{Pr}}^{3+}:{\mathrm{Y}}_{2}{\mathrm{SiO}}_{5}$ crystal. Optical pulses sent through the spectral hole experience a strong reduction of their group velocity and are spatially compressed in the crystal. A short Raman pulse transfers the optical excitation to the spin state before the light pulse exits the crystal, effectively stopping the light. After a controllable delay, a second Raman pulse is sent, which leads to the emission of the stored photons. We reach storage and retrieval efficiencies for bright pulses of up to $39%$ in a 5-mm-long crystal. We also show that our device works at the single-photon level by storing and retrieving $3\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{s}$-long weak coherent pulses with efficiencies up to $31%$, demonstrating the most efficient spin-wave solid-state optical memory at the single-photon level so far. We reach an unconditional noise level of $(9\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ photons per pulse in a detection window of $4\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{s}$, leading to a signal-to-noise ratio of $33\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}4$ for an average input photon number of 1, making our device promising for long-lived storage of nonclassical light.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.93.040302

Related papers

Solid State Spin-Wave Quantum Memory for Time-Bin Qubits

Mustafa Gündoğan, Patrick M. Ledingham, Kutlu Kutluer +2 more

We demonstrate the first solid-state spin-wave optical quantum memory with on-demand read-out. Using the full atomic frequency comb scheme in a ${\mathrm{Pr}}^{3+}\ensuremath{\mathbin:}{\mathrm{Y}}_{2}{\mathrm{SiO}}_{5}$ crystal, we store weak coherent pulses at the single-photon level with a signal-to-noise ratio $>10$. Narrow-band spectral filtering based on spectral hole burning in a second ${\mathrm{Pr}}^{3+}\ensuremath{\mathbin:}{\mathrm{Y}}_{2}{\mathrm{SiO}}_{5}$ crystal is used to filter out the excess noise created by control pulses to reach an unconditional noise level of $(2.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.3)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ photons per pulse. We also report spin-wave storage of photonic time-bin qubits with conditional fidelities higher than achievable by a measure and prepare strategy, demonstrating that the spin-wave memory operates in the quantum regime. This makes our device the first demonstration of a quantum memory for time-bin qubits, with on-demand read-out of the stored quantum information. These results represent an important step for the use of solid-state quantum memories in scalable quantum networks.

arXiv:1501.03980•Physical Review Letters•Jun 12, 2015•213 citations

Single-photon storage and retrieval in a solid-state atomic ensemble (Conference Presentation)

Kumel H. Kagalwala, Elizabeth A. Goldschmidt, Sergey Vladimirovich Polyakov +1 more

Atomic ensembles in the form of rare-earth-doped crystals offer significant potential for implementing a quantum memory due to their long coherence lifetimes, enhanced light-matter interaction, and the potential for integration. We use a double Lambda configuration based on hyperfine levels in praseodymium doped yttrium orthosilicate. In this scheme, a probabilistically generated collective excitation of the internal atomic states in the form of a spin-wave is signaled by emission of a Stokes-shifted herald photon via spontaneous Raman scattering. After a storage delay, a read field addresses the appropriate transition, mapping the spin wave back to a photon, resulting in the emission of an anti-Stokes shifted retrieved photon. Momentum conservation, as dictated by phase-matching conditions, ensure that the herald and retrieved photons are emitted in a well-defined spatial modes relative to the co-propagating write and read optical fields. Inhomogeneous broadening of the absorption profile precludes straightforward implementation of the above scheme, and we resort to spectral hole-burning techniques to prepare a sub-ensemble of atoms with a narrow range of optical transition energy in the ground state. Using a second identical crystal, we also implement an optical spectral filter that suppresses the powerful write and read beams, and spontaneous-emission noise, while transmitting the herald and retrieved photons. We report on the second-order optical correlations between the herald and retrieved photons that are the signature of generation and retrieval of a stored spin-wave excitation. Demonstration of such a quantum memory is an enabling step towards distributing entanglement for a quantum repeater scheme.

Quantum Communications and Quantum Imaging•Nov 6, 2018•0 citations

Cavity-Enhanced Spin-Wave Solid-State Quantum Memory

Leo Feldmann, Sören Wengerowsky, Antariksha Das +4 more

We report on the realization of an efficient solid-state spin-wave quantum memory, with on-demand readout, using the full atomic frequency comb (AFC) scheme in a Pr^{3+}:Y_{2}SiO_{5} crystal embedded in an impedance-matched cavity. We demonstrate operation at the single-photon level by storing weak coherent states with an efficiency up to (40±2)% and a signal-to-noise ratio of 14 for an input photon number of 0.42 photons per pulse. We also investigated the enhancement of the incoherent noise due to the impedance-matched cavity and characterized the quantum memory performance, showing a two-way transfer from excited to spin states and back of up to 83%. Finally, we confirmed the quantum nature of our memory by storing nonclassical states of light, i.e., a heralded single photon from a nondegenerate spontaneous parametric down-conversion source, and achieved nonclassical correlations between the heralding and the stored-and-retrieved photon. These results demonstrate that impedance-matched AFC spin-wave quantum memories with on-demand readout can be used for experiments involving the storage of photonic quantum states. They also open the door to solid-state on-demand quantum memories with very high efficiencies, serving as a key resource for quantum networks and quantum repeaters.

Physical Review Letters•Aug 6, 2025•7 citations

A long-lived and solid-state quantum memory for photons (Conference Presentation)

Mikael Afzelius

A major challenge in quantum technologies is to build an efficient and long-lived quantum memory, particularly using solid-state devices. I will here report on an experiment where we combine the AFC optical memory with spin-echo techniques to extend the memory time from a few microseconds to about 1 ms, using an Europium-doped crystal. In general the spin-echo technique allows one to control the inhomogeneous spin dephasing which often sets the storage-time limit both in solid-state systems and laser-cooled gases. However, theoretically it is has been argued that spin-echo techniques would be extremely difficult to apply without creating noise in the case of a single quanta stored in a large spin ensemble. We here show how this noise can be limited and demonstrate high signal-to-noise ratio in the output mode when storing pulses at the single-photon level. Furthermore we stored polarization qubits encoded onto weak coherent , with fidelities surpassing a classical storage scheme.

•Aug 3, 2016•0 citations

Minute-Scale Photonic Quantum Memory

You-Cai Lv, Yu-Jia Zhu, Zong-Quan Zhou +2 more

Long-lived storage of single photons is a fundamental requirement for enabling quantum communication and foundational tests of quantum physics over extended distances. While the implementation of a global-scale quantum network requires quantum storage times on the order of seconds to minutes, existing photonic quantum memories have so far been limited to subsecond lifetimes. Although $^{151}$Eu$^{3+}$:Y$_2$SiO$_5$ crystals exhibit substantially extended spin coherence times at the `magic' magnetic field, the concomitant weak optical absorption has until now prevented single-photon storage. Here, we overcome this challenge by integrating a noiseless photon echo protocol--which makes full use of the crystal's natural absorption for photonic storage--with a universally robust dynamical decoupling sequence incorporating adiabatic pulses to efficiently protect delocalized spin-wave excitation, enabling long-lived quantum storage at the `magic' magnetic field. At a storage time of 5.6 s, we achieve a time-bin qubit storage fidelity of 88.0 $\pm$ 2.1%, surpassing the maximum fidelity attainable via classical strategies. Our device reaches a $1/e$ storage lifetime of 27.6 $\pm$ 0.5 s, enabling single-photon-level storage for 42 s with a signal-to-noise ratio greater than unity. This work establishes photonic quantum memory in the minute-scale regime, laying a solid foundation for global-scale quantum network and deep-space quantum experiments.

quant-pharXiv:2511.12537•Nov 18, 2025•1 citation

Spectral hole burning for stopping light

Romain Lauro, T. Chanelière, J.-L. Le Gouët

We propose a protocol for storage and retrieval of photon wave packets in a $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$-type atomic medium. This protocol derives from spectral hole burning and takes advantages of the specific properties of solid-state systems at low temperature, such as rare-earth ion-doped crystals. The signal pulse is tuned to the center of the hole that has been burnt previously within the inhomogeneously broadened absorption band. The group velocity is strongly reduced, being proportional to the hole width. This way the optically carried information and energy are carried over to the off-resonance optical dipoles. Storage and retrieval are performed by conversion to and from ground-state Raman coherence by using brief $\ensuremath{\pi}$ pulses. The protocol exhibits some resemblance with the well-known electromagnetically induced transparency process. It also presents distinctive features such as the absence of coupling beam. In this paper we detail the various steps of the protocol, summarize the critical parameters, and theoretically examine the recovery efficiency.

arXiv:0902.2663•Physical Review A•May 1, 2009•23 citations
We demonstrate a solid-state spin-wave optical memory based on stopped light in a spectral hole. A long-lived narrow spectral hole is created by optical pumping in the inhomogeneous absorption profile of a Pr3+:Y2SiO5{\mathrm{Pr}}^{3+}:{\mathrm{Y}}_{2}{\mathrm{SiO}}_{5}Pr3+:Y2​SiO5​ crystal. Optical pulses sent through the spectral hole experience a strong reduction of their group velocity and are spatially compressed in the crystal. A short Raman pulse transfers the optical excitation to the spin state before the light pulse exits the crystal, effectively stopping the light. After a controllable delay, a second Raman pulse is sent, which leads to the emission of the stored photons. We reach storage and retrieval efficiencies for bright pulses of up to 3939%39 in a 5-mm-long crystal. We also show that our device works at the single-photon level by storing and retrieving 3\ensuremath−\ensuremathμs3\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{s}3\ensuremath−\ensuremathμs-long weak coherent pulses with efficiencies up to 3131%31, demonstrating the most efficient spin-wave solid-state optical memory at the single-photon level so far. We reach an unconditional noise level of (9\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi1)\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi10\ensuremath−3(9\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}1)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}(9\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi1)\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi10\ensuremath−3 photons per pulse in a detection window of 4\ensuremathμs4\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{s}4\ensuremathμs, leading to a signal-to-noise ratio of 33\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi433\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}433\ifmmode±\else\textpm\fi4 for an average input photon number of 1, making our device promising for long-lived storage of nonclassical light.
We demonstrate the first solid-state spin-wave optical quantum memory with on-demand read-out. Using the full atomic frequency comb scheme in a ${\mathrm{Pr}}^{3+}\ensuremath{\mathbin:}{\mathrm{Y}}_{2}{\mathrm{SiO}}_{5}$ crystal, we store weak coherent pulses at the single-photon level with a signal-to-noise ratio >10>10>10. Narrow-band spectral filtering based on spectral hole burning in a second ${\mathrm{Pr}}^{3+}\ensuremath{\mathbin:}{\mathrm{Y}}_{2}{\mathrm{SiO}}_{5}$ crystal is used to filter out the excess noise created by control pulses to reach an unconditional noise level of $(2.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.3)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ photons per pulse. We also report spin-wave storage of photonic time-bin qubits with conditional fidelities higher than achievable by a measure and prepare strategy, demonstrating that the spin-wave memory operates in the quantum regime. This makes our device the first demonstration of a quantum memory for time-bin qubits, with on-demand read-out of the stored quantum information. These results represent an important step for the use of solid-state quantum memories in scalable quantum networks.
Atomic ensembles in the form of rare-earth-doped crystals offer significant potential for implementing a quantum memory due to their long coherence lifetimes, enhanced light-matter interaction, and the potential for integration. We use a double Lambda configuration based on hyperfine levels in praseodymium doped yttrium orthosilicate. In this scheme, a probabilistically generated collective excitation of the internal atomic states in the form of a spin-wave is signaled by emission of a Stokes-shifted herald photon via spontaneous Raman scattering. After a storage delay, a read field addresses the appropriate transition, mapping the spin wave back to a photon, resulting in the emission of an anti-Stokes shifted retrieved photon. Momentum conservation, as dictated by phase-matching conditions, ensure that the herald and retrieved photons are emitted in a well-defined spatial modes relative to the co-propagating write and read optical fields. Inhomogeneous broadening of the absorption profile precludes straightforward implementation of the above scheme, and we resort to spectral hole-burning techniques to prepare a sub-ensemble of atoms with a narrow range of optical transition energy in the ground state. Using a second identical crystal, we also implement an optical spectral filter that suppresses the powerful write and read beams, and spontaneous-emission noise, while transmitting the herald and retrieved photons. We report on the second-order optical correlations between the herald and retrieved photons that are the signature of generation and retrieval of a stored spin-wave excitation. Demonstration of such a quantum memory is an enabling step towards distributing entanglement for a quantum repeater scheme.
We report on the realization of an efficient solid-state spin-wave quantum memory, with on-demand readout, using the full atomic frequency comb (AFC) scheme in a Pr^{3+}:Y_{2}SiO_{5} crystal embedded in an impedance-matched cavity. We demonstrate operation at the single-photon level by storing weak coherent states with an efficiency up to (40±2)% and a signal-to-noise ratio of 14 for an input photon number of 0.42 photons per pulse. We also investigated the enhancement of the incoherent noise due to the impedance-matched cavity and characterized the quantum memory performance, showing a two-way transfer from excited to spin states and back of up to 83%. Finally, we confirmed the quantum nature of our memory by storing nonclassical states of light, i.e., a heralded single photon from a nondegenerate spontaneous parametric down-conversion source, and achieved nonclassical correlations between the heralding and the stored-and-retrieved photon. These results demonstrate that impedance-matched AFC spin-wave quantum memories with on-demand readout can be used for experiments involving the storage of photonic quantum states. They also open the door to solid-state on-demand quantum memories with very high efficiencies, serving as a key resource for quantum networks and quantum repeaters.
A major challenge in quantum technologies is to build an efficient and long-lived quantum memory, particularly using solid-state devices. I will here report on an experiment where we combine the AFC optical memory with spin-echo techniques to extend the memory time from a few microseconds to about 1 ms, using an Europium-doped crystal. In general the spin-echo technique allows one to control the inhomogeneous spin dephasing which often sets the storage-time limit both in solid-state systems and laser-cooled gases. However, theoretically it is has been argued that spin-echo techniques would be extremely difficult to apply without creating noise in the case of a single quanta stored in a large spin ensemble. We here show how this noise can be limited and demonstrate high signal-to-noise ratio in the output mode when storing pulses at the single-photon level. Furthermore we stored polarization qubits encoded onto weak coherent , with fidelities surpassing a classical storage scheme.
Long-lived storage of single photons is a fundamental requirement for enabling quantum communication and foundational tests of quantum physics over extended distances. While the implementation of a global-scale quantum network requires quantum storage times on the order of seconds to minutes, existing photonic quantum memories have so far been limited to subsecond lifetimes. Although 151^{151}151Eu3+^{3+}3+:Y2_22​SiO5_55​ crystals exhibit substantially extended spin coherence times at the `magic' magnetic field, the concomitant weak optical absorption has until now prevented single-photon storage. Here, we overcome this challenge by integrating a noiseless photon echo protocol--which makes full use of the crystal's natural absorption for photonic storage--with a universally robust dynamical decoupling sequence incorporating adiabatic pulses to efficiently protect delocalized spin-wave excitation, enabling long-lived quantum storage at the `magic' magnetic field. At a storage time of 5.6 s, we achieve a time-bin qubit storage fidelity of 88.0 ±\pm± 2.1%, surpassing the maximum fidelity attainable via classical strategies. Our device reaches a 1/e1/e1/e storage lifetime of 27.6 ±\pm± 0.5 s, enabling single-photon-level storage for 42 s with a signal-to-noise ratio greater than unity. This work establishes photonic quantum memory in the minute-scale regime, laying a solid foundation for global-scale quantum network and deep-space quantum experiments.
We propose a protocol for storage and retrieval of photon wave packets in a $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$-type atomic medium. This protocol derives from spectral hole burning and takes advantages of the specific properties of solid-state systems at low temperature, such as rare-earth ion-doped crystals. The signal pulse is tuned to the center of the hole that has been burnt previously within the inhomogeneously broadened absorption band. The group velocity is strongly reduced, being proportional to the hole width. This way the optically carried information and energy are carried over to the off-resonance optical dipoles. Storage and retrieval are performed by conversion to and from ground-state Raman coherence by using brief $\ensuremath{\pi}$ pulses. The protocol exhibits some resemblance with the well-known electromagnetically induced transparency process. It also presents distinctive features such as the absence of coupling beam. In this paper we detail the various steps of the protocol, summarize the critical parameters, and theoretically examine the recovery efficiency.