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arXiv:2609.06399 · Laser & Photonics Review

Telecom-Integrated Photonic Memory Operating Near the Mechanical Ground State

Jindao Tang, Bo Jing, Liping Zeng, Peiqin Chen, Hengrui Liang, Yifei Zhang, Xinyao Xu, Qizhi Cai, Xueying Zhang, Qiang Zhou, You Wang, Haizhi Song, Guangcan Guo, Guangwei Deng

quant-phphysics.opticsSubmitted Sep 6, 2026• Announced Sep 8, 2026• 0 citations

Abstract

Scalable quantum networks require quantum memories that are chip-integrated, telecom-band compatible, and capable of flexible retrieval. Nanofabricated mechanical resonators meet these criteria. They offer independent tunability of optical and mechanical modes, long-lived phonon states, and design flexibility beyond atomic systems, making them strong candidates for practical integrated quantum memory. Here, we demonstrate an on-chip, absorptive optomechanical memory for telecom-band photons, based on optomechanically induced transparency (OMIT) and operating near the mechanical ground state. The device stores telecom-band photons, demonstrating compatibility with external photon sources at the few-photon level, while enabling on-demand retrieval. By placing the device in a dilution refrigerator at 20 mK and tailoring the control field to suppress optical heating, we achieve a remarkably low phonon occupancy of just 0.32 during the storage process. Our results lay the groundwork for scalable, phonon-based quantum memory devices and open new avenues for integrating mechanical systems into practical quantum network architectures.

DOI: 10.1002/lpor.202502677

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We demonstrate a memory for light based on optomechanically induced transparency. We achieve a long storage time by leveraging the ultra-low dissipation of a soft-clamped mechanical membrane resonator, which oscillates at MHz frequencies. At room temperature, we demonstrate a lifetime

T_1 \approx 23\,\mathrm{ms}

and a retrieval efficiency

η\approx 40\%

for classical coherent pulses. We anticipate storage of quantum light to be possible at moderate cryogenic conditions (

T\approx 10\,\mathrm{K}

). Such systems could find applications in emerging quantum networks, where they can serve as long-lived optical quantum memories by storing optical information in a phononic mode.

Optomechanics may be viewed as a light-mechanics interface to realize hybrid structures for (classical or quantum) information processing, switching or storage. Using the two-laser technique, in this paper, we theoretically devise a protocol for quantum light memory via a cavity optomechanical system composed of a Fabry–Perot cavity and a mechanical resonator. Due to the long-lived mechanical resonator, this quantum memory for light based on optomechanically induced transparency (OMIT) can serve as a long-term memory that can store the full quantum light contained in an optical pulse. It is shown that, with the tunable pump laser, the quantum signal light can be reaccelerated and converted back on demand. Our presented work could open the door to all-optical routers for light memory devices and have a guide to actual experiments.

Nanophotonic quantum memory is a vital component for scalable quantum information processing for quantum computing, networking, and sensing applications. We store single-photon-level telecom-band optical pulses for more than 1 μs using an atomic frequency comb in erbium-doped thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN), well beyond what is practically feasible via propagation in even the best nanophotonic devices due to propagation losses. We verify the quantum nature of this storage by demonstrating the phase coherence and subsingle-photon noise upon retrieval. We also show the flexibility of our platform by storing up to 20 temporal modes and demonstrating an acceptance bandwidth of up to 2.2 GHz. These results establish erbium-doped TFLN as a practical platform for on-chip quantum memory at telecom wavelengths, a key missing element for photonic quantum computing and quantum networking.

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We demonstrate a memory for light based on optomechanically induced transparency. We achieve a long storage time by leveraging the ultralow dissipation of a soft-clamped mechanical membrane resonator, which oscillates at MHz frequencies. At room temperature, we demonstrate a lifetime ${T}_{1}\ensuremath{\approx}23\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{ms}$ and a retrieval efficiency $\ensuremath{\eta}\ensuremath{\approx}40%$ for classical coherent pulses. We anticipate the storage of quantum light to be possible at moderate cryogenic conditions ($T\ensuremath{\approx}10\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{K}$). Such systems could find applications in emerging quantum networks, where they can serve as long-lived optical quantum memories by storing optical information in a phononic mode.

Coherent interfaces between optical photons and mechanical excitations provide a promising route towards phonon-state engineering and hybrid quantum information processing. Cavity optomechanical systems enable such interfaces via optomechanically induced transparency (OMIT), allowing coherent mapping between traveling optical fields and localized mechanical modes. However, previous implementations of OMIT conversion protocols were limited to classical input signals with large coherent state photon numbers due to room temperature operation and corresponding thermal mechanical noise. Here, we demonstrate efficient low-noise photon-phonon state transfer close to the single-quantum regime in an optomechanical crystal operated at Millikelvin temperatures. Using weak coherent optical input pulses at the few-photon level, we achieve a record-level photon-phonon conversion efficiency of

η=0.76

, a mechanical storage lifetime of

T_\mathrm{1}=7.3~μs

, and a tunable conversion bandwidth exceeding 4.5 MHz. Hanbury Brown-Twiss measurements of the retrieved signal demonstrate the coherent nature of the converted phononic state, evidencing low added thermal noise in the conversion process (

n_\mathrm{th}=9.0

). These results establish optomechanical crystals as efficient optical interfaces to GHz mechanical modes and provide a pathway toward deterministic single-quantum-level mechanical state preparation.