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Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE

A quantum network with atoms and photons (QNET-AP)

Ronald E. Meyers, Patricia J. Lee, Keith S. Deacon, Arnold D. Tunick, Qudsia Sara Quraishi, Daniel T. Stack

Published Oct 17, 2012• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

Enabling secure communication, unparalleled computing capabilities, and fundamental nonlocality physics exploration, the development of quantum repeaters is the key quantum information processing technology advance needed for implementing real world quantum networks beyond the laboratory environment. Currently, components exist for intra-laboratory quantum networks but no system exists for connecting distant ( 1 km ) quantum memories in the real world. We present a physics analysis of quantum repeater network designs for intracity optical fiber connections between nodes based on atomic memories and linear optics. Long distances will necessitate the use of (1) two-photon Hong-Ou-Mandel style interference between atomic ensembles for entanglement swapping, and (2) photonic qubit wavelength conversion between atomic emissions and photons at telecommunication wavelengths in fiber. We report on our experimental progress towards implementing A Quantum Network with Atoms and Photons (QNET-AP), a quantum repeater network test-bed, between the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Maryland (UMD).

DOI
10.1117/12.974144

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Enabling secure communication, unparalleled computing capabilities, and fundamental nonlocality physics exploration, the development of quantum repeaters is the key quantum information processing technology advance needed for implementing real world quantum networks beyond the laboratory environment. Currently, components exist for intra-laboratory quantum networks but no system exists for connecting distant ( 1 km ) quantum memories in the real world. We present a physics analysis of quantum repeater network designs for intracity optical fiber connections between nodes based on atomic memories and linear optics. Long distances will necessitate the use of (1) two-photon Hong-Ou-Mandel style interference between atomic ensembles for entanglement swapping, and (2) photonic qubit wavelength conversion between atomic emissions and photons at telecommunication wavelengths in fiber. We report on our experimental progress towards implementing A Quantum Network with Atoms and Photons (QNET-AP), a quantum repeater network test-bed, between the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Maryland (UMD).
Abstract : The objective of our Director's Strategic Initiative (DSI) research is to help pioneer a quantum repeater network beyond the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) environment. The long-term goal is to achieve a quantum repeater network capability for the US Army. Initially, a quantum channel between ARL and the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI) at the University of Maryland - College Park was investigated. Quantum repeaters will allow secure quantum communications to extend to distances where photon attenuation normally becomes a limiting factor, and also allow quantum information to be transmitted and stored. The incipient quantum repeater network development is based on an architecture where nodes are entangled with their nearest neighbors through photon interference, and entanglement chains are established and purified through entanglement swapping. We established a dark optical fiber link between our quantum network laboratory and a quantum laboratory at JQI. We verified that the fiber link can carry entangled photons and quantum information. We constructed the rubidium (Rb) atomic memory magneto optical trap (MOT) cell and laser controls, and developed protocols, hardware, and software to control the secure teleportation of information between quantum memories at ARL and JQI. Notably, we performed successful in-laboratory proof-of-principle photonic teleportation experiments. In this report, we present initial progress in developing the scientific underpinnings towards implementing an expandable quantum network with atoms and photons (QNET-AP) to facilitate an intra-city quantum network connecting atomic memories.
First-generation long-distance quantum repeater networks require quantum memories capable of interfacing with telecom photons to perform quantum-interference-mediated entanglement generation operations. The ability to demonstrate these interconnections using real-life fiber connections in a long-distance setting is paramount to realize a scalable quantum internet. Here we address these significant challenges by observing Hong-Ou-Mandel (HOM) interference between indistinguishable telecom photons produced in two independent room temperature quantum memories, separated by a distance of 158 km. We obtained interference visibilities after long-distance propagation of V=(38±2)%\rm \boldsymbol{V=(38\pm2)\%}V=(38±2)% for single-photon level experimental inputs. This first-of-its-kind quantum network prototype connecting quantum laboratories in Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Laboratory is envisioned to evolve into a large-scale memory-assisted entanglement distribution quantum network, the basis for inter-city quantum communication.
Quantum information technology has been developing rapidly in last two decades. Very recently, quite a few optical quantum key distribution networks have been reported, enabling preliminary practical applications in secure information transfer. Meanwhile, a number of significant progresses based on quantum network have also been made in the research of linear optical quantum computing, simulation and metrology. However, on the way towards large-scale optical quantum network serious problems occur. On the one hand, the distance of fiber-based quantum communication is limited, due to intrinsic fiber loss and decreasing of entanglement quality caused by the noisy environment. On the other hand, the probabilistic feature of single and entangled photon sources would also cause an exponentially increasing overhead for large-scale quantum network. To solve the above problems, quantum repeaters and/or transmission of optical quantum bits over free space channel can be efficiently exploited for future wide-area realization of quantum communication. In addition, memory built-in quantum repeaters would also enable scalable linear optical quantum computing, simulation and high precision measurement. In this talk I will present some recent experiments from our group, including eight-photon entanglement, topological quantum error-correction, quantum repeater and efficient and long-lived quantum memory, and entanglement distribution and quantum teleportation over 100km-scale free-space quantum channels. These experiments show the promising future possibility towards scalable quantum network with photons and atoms.
Quantum repeaters promise to enable quantum networks over global distances by circumventing the exponential decrease in success probability inherent in direct photon transmission. We propose a realistic, functionally integrated quantum-repeater implementation based on single atoms in optical cavities. Entanglement is directly generated between the single-atom quantum memory and a photon at telecom wavelength. The latter is collected with high efficiency and adjustable temporal and spectral properties into a spatially well-defined cavity mode. It is heralded by a near-infrared photon emitted from a second, orthogonal cavity. Entanglement between two remote quantum memories can be generated via an optical Bell-state measurement, while we propose entanglement swapping based on a highly efficient, cavity-assisted atom-atom gate. Our quantum-repeater scheme eliminates any requirement for wavelength conversion such that only a single system is needed at each node. We investigate a particular implementation with rubidium and realistic parameters for Fabry–Perot cavities based on CO2\hbox {CO}_2CO2​ laser-machined optical fibers. We show that the scheme enables the implementation of a rather simple quantum repeater that outperforms direct entanglement generation over large distances and does not require any improvements in technology beyond the state of the art.
Quantum information science and atom optics are among the most active fields in modern physics. In recent years, many theoretical efforts have been made to combine these two fields. Recent experimental progresses have shown the in-principle possibility to perform scalable quantum information processing (QIP) with linear optics and atomic ensembles. One of our main activities is to use atomic qubits as quantum memory and exploit photonic qubits for information transfer and processing to achieve efficient linear optics QIP. On the one hand, utilizing the interaction between laser pulses and ultra-cold atomic ensembles we experimentally investigate the potentials of atomic ensembles in the gas phase to build quantum repeaters for long-distance quantum communication, that is, to develop a new technological solution for quantum repeaters making use of the effective qubit-type entanglement of two cold atomic ensembles by a projective measurement of individual photons by spontaneous Raman processes.
Realization of long-distance quantum communication through the quantum repeater network requires a combination of some key elements, including a multiplexed quantum memory for storage of entanglement and a telecom photon for propagation of information through the fiber.Although impressive experimental advances have demonstrated the individual elements, combining these key capabilities together and realizing them in a single experimental system remains a significant challenge.Here, we report an experimental realization of long-distance entanglement between a multiplexed quantum memory with 49 individually accessible memory cells and a telecom photon after transmission in a 10-km optical fiber.Excitation of an atomic ensemble generates narrow-band polarization entanglement between a telecom photon of 1530-nm wavelength and another photon of 780-nm wavelength, which is then stored into a memory cell of a multiplexed atomic quantum memory and read out after a controllable delay.The entanglement is verified through quantum-state tomography after quantum storage in the atomic memory and fiber transmission of the telecom photon.This experiment demonstrates an important step towards realization of long-distance quantum communication networks.