Kluwer Academic Publishers eBooks
From Entangled Photons to Entangled Atoms
Eugene Simon Polzik, Jan Hald, Jens Lykke Sørensen
Abstract
Mapping quantum states of light on atoms opens up the possibilities for quantum information storage,teleportation of atoms, and quantum computing. We describe a novel approach to such mapping based on creation of pairwise atomic entanglement in a large macroscopic atomic ensemble. As opposed to the previously demonstrated methods involving strong coupling of a single two-level atom to a cavity field, our strategy utilizes a large sample of three- and more level atoms weakly interacting with a free propagating qua ntum field. Besides practical advantages offered by the new method (no high-Q cavities involved), it also allows for production of a large number of correlated atoms which can be spatially separated and trapped in magnetic or magneto-optical traps.