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arXiv:2508.08439

Cold atomic ensembles as quantum antennas for distributed networks of single-atom arrays

Xiaoshui Lin, Yefeng Mei, Chuanwei Zhang

Published Aug 11, 2025• 0 citations
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Abstract

Single neutral atoms in optical tweezer arrays offer a promising platform for high-fidelity quantum computing at local nodes. Nonetheless, creating entanglement between remote nodes in a distributed quantum network remains challenging due to inherently weak atom-light coupling. Here, we design a distributed quantum network architecture in which cold atomic ensembles with strong atom-light interactions act as quantum antennas, interfacing single-atom qubits with flying photons to enable high-efficiency atom-photon entanglement generation -- analogous to the role of antennas in classical communication. Using realistic experimental parameters, we estimate an efficiency of $η\simeq 0.548$ for generating atom-photon entanglement, a probability of $P_{E} \simeq 6 \%$ for generating atom-atom entanglement, and a remote entanglement generation rate of $16.6 $ kHz. This performance not only surpasses that of state-of-the-art cavity-based or high-numerical-aperture-lens-based architectures but also offers notable advantages in simplicity, tunability, and experimental accessibility. Our scheme also integrates a long-lived quantum memory, providing a storage advantage for quantum repeater design. By leveraging the complementary strengths of single-atom qubits for local operations and cold atomic ensembles for networking, this approach paves the way for scalable distributed quantum computing and sensing.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2508.08439

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Single neutral atoms in optical tweezer arrays offer a promising platform for high-fidelity quantum computing at local nodes. Nonetheless, creating entanglement between remote nodes in a distributed quantum network remains challenging due to inherently weak atom-light coupling. Here, we design a distributed quantum network architecture in which cold atomic ensembles with strong atom-light interactions act as quantum antennas, interfacing single-atom qubits with flying photons to enable high-efficiency atom-photon entanglement generation -- analogous to the role of antennas in classical communication. Using realistic experimental parameters, we estimate an efficiency of η≃0.548η\simeq 0.548η≃0.548 for generating atom-photon entanglement, a probability of PE≃6%P_{E} \simeq 6 \%PE​≃6% for generating atom-atom entanglement, and a remote entanglement generation rate of 16.616.6 16.6 kHz. This performance not only surpasses that of state-of-the-art cavity-based or high-numerical-aperture-lens-based architectures but also offers notable advantages in simplicity, tunability, and experimental accessibility. Our scheme also integrates a long-lived quantum memory, providing a storage advantage for quantum repeater design. By leveraging the complementary strengths of single-atom qubits for local operations and cold atomic ensembles for networking, this approach paves the way for scalable distributed quantum computing and sensing.
Constructing a quantum memory node with the ability of long-distance atom-photon distribution is the essential task for future quantum networks, enabling distributed quantum computing, quantum cryptography, and remote sensing. Here we report the demonstration of a quantum-network node with a simple cavity-free cold atomic ensemble. This node gives an initial retrieval efficiency of approximately 55% and memory lifetime of 160 μs for atomic qubits. With the aid of a high-efficiency and polarization-independent quantum frequency conversion (QFC) module, the generated entangled photon in the node at 780-nm wavelength is converted to telecom S band at 1522 nm, enabling atom-photon distribution over long distance. We observe an entanglement fidelity between the atoms and telecom photon exceeding 80% after photon transmission over 20-km fiber with an end excitation probability of 0.2% and repetition of 1.7 kHz, the remaining infidelity being dominated by atomic decoherence. The low-noise QFC with an external efficiency up to 48.5% gives a signal-to-noise ratio of 6.9 for transmitted photons with fiber length up to 100 km, laying the cornerstone for entanglement distribution at a hundred-km level. This result provides a new platform toward the realization of a long-distance quantum network.
Distributing entanglement between distant qubits is a crucial element of scalable quantum computing. Here, we describe a scalable quantum interconnect that generates remote entanglement at rates approaching those compatible with two-qubit gates of current neutral-atom quantum processors. The proposed approach exploits the strong dipole-dipole interactions between atomic Rydberg states to generate entanglement between stationary qubits and propagating photons, without the need for an optical cavity. We provide a thorough description of the optimal conditions for the developed entanglement-generation protocol for realistic experimental parameters and demonstrate that entanglement-generation rates ≳3×105\gtrsim 3\times 10^5≳3×105 s−1^{-1}−1 can be achieved using Rydberg states of ytterbium atoms. Given the inherent scalability and design flexibility of the proposed interconnect, our results suggest a promising approach towards distributed networks based on neutral-atom quantum architectures.
Realizing large-scale quantum networks requires the generation of high-fidelity quantum entanglement states between remote quantum nodes, a key resource for quantum communication, distributed computation, and sensing applications. However, entanglement distribution between quantum network nodes is hindered by optical transmission loss and local operation errors. Here, we propose a quantum repeater architecture that synergistically integrates Rydberg-atom quantum processors with optical cavities to overcome these challenges. Our scheme leverages cavity-mediated interactions for efficient remote entanglement generation followed by Rydberg-interaction-based entanglement purification and swapping. Numerical simulations, incorporating realistic experimental parameters, demonstrate the generation of Bell states with 99% fidelity at rates of 1.1 kHz between two nodes in a local-area network (distance 0.1km0.1\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{km}0.1km), and can be extended to metropolitan-area (25km25\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{km}25km) or intercity (250km250\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}\mathrm{km}250km, with the assistance of frequency converters) networks with a rate of 0.1 kHz. This scalable approach opens up near-term opportunities for exploring quantum network applications and investigating the advantages of distributed quantum information processing.
Realizing large-scale quantum networks requires the generation of high-fidelity quantum entanglement states between remote quantum nodes, a key resource for quantum communication, distributed computation and sensing applications. However, entanglement distribution between quantum network nodes is hindered by optical transmission loss and local operation errors. Here, we propose a novel quantum repeater architecture that synergistically integrates Rydberg atom quantum processors with optical cavities to overcome these challenges. Our scheme leverages cavity-mediated interactions for efficient remote entanglement generation, followed by Rydberg interaction-based entanglement purification and swapping. Numerical simulations, incorporating realistic experimental parameters, demonstrate the generation of Bell states with 99\% fidelity at rates of 1.1\,kHz between two nodes in local-area network (distance 0.1 km0.1\,\mathrm{km}0.1km), and can be extend to metropolitan-area (25 km25\,\mathrm{km}25km) or intercity (250 km\mathrm{250\,\mathrm{km}}250km, with the assitance of frequency converters) network with a rate of 0.1\,kHz. This scalable approach opens up near-term opportunities for exploring quantum network applications and investigating the advantages of distributed quantum information processing.
The realization of a quantum network node of matter-based qubits compatible with telecommunication-band operation and large-scale quantum information processing is an outstanding challenge that has limited the potential of elementary quantum networks. We propose a platform for interfacing quantum processors comprising neutral atom arrays with telecommunication-band photons in a multiplexed network architecture. The use of a large atom array instead of a single atom mitigates the deleterious effects of two-way communication and improves the entanglement rate between two nodes by nearly two orders of magnitude. Furthermore, this system simultaneously provides the ability to perform high-fidelity deterministic gates and readout within each node, opening the door to quantum repeater and purification protocols to enhance the length and fidelity of the network, respectively. Using intermediate nodes as quantum repeaters, we demonstrate the feasibility of entanglement distribution over $\ensuremath{\approx}1500\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\text{km}$ based on realistic assumptions, providing a blueprint for a transcontinental network. Finally, we demonstrate that our platform can distribute $\ensuremath{\gtrsim}25$ Bell pairs over metropolitan distances, which could serve as the backbone of a distributed fault-tolerant quantum computer.
Quantum communication aims at generating and distributing qubits between distant sites, in order to implement quantum information protocols, such as quantum key distribution, quantum teleportation and quantum processing. For many quantum protocols, and especially for quantum repeaters, which make quantum communication over long distances much more efficient, storage and/or emission of photonic states is necessary and represents a crucial step towards the realisation of a quantum network. An outstanding challenge of quantum communication is to implement quantum memories for photonic qubits, combining long storage time with high fidelity between the input and output states, and good efficiency. Moreover, to be compatible with quantum network applications, such as quantum repeaters, these memories have to enable heralded storage and on-demand read-out. Cold atomic ensembles hold promise for satisfying both these prerequisites, and are therefore a good candidate as storage medium, offering a compromise between different benchmarks. We are setting up an experiment intended to map polarisation qubits onto an optically pumped cold atomic ensemble of rubidium serving as our quantum memory device. In a first development, our quantum memory device will be operated in the single photon emission regime so as to implement, together with an entangled photon-pair source based on guided-wave optics, the quantum teleportation scheme.