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

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

Optimizing the storage and retrieval efficiency of a solid-state quantum memory through tailored state preparation

Matthew D. Eisaman, Sergey V. Polyakov, Michael Hohensee, Jingyun Fan, Philip Hemmer, Alan L. Migdall

Published Sep 9, 2007• 3 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We theoretically investigate the feasibility of using spectral hole burning in Pr3+:Y2SiO5 to prepare an ensemble of Pr3+ ions with a spectral distribution optimized for use as a quantum memory for single-photon states. We introduce figures of merit for the spectral distribution of the Pr3+ ions when used as a quantum-memory node in a Duan-Lukin-Cirac-Zoller-type quantum-repeater scheme. Finally, we describe progress toward optimizing the hole-burning sequence by using a computational model of the hole-burning process to calculate these figures of merit over a wide range of parameters.

DOI
10.1117/12.733951

Related papers

Spectral Hole-Burning for Solid-State Quantum Memory

Elizabeth A. Goldschmidt, Sarah E. Beavan, Matthew D. Eisaman +6 more

We report progress in using spectral hole-burning in praseodymium doped Y2SiO5 to prepare an ensemble of Pr3+ ions with a spectral distribution optimized for use in a Duan-Lukin-Cirac-Zoller-type (DLCZ) quantum-repeater scheme.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics•Jan 1, 2009•0 citations

Tailored State Preparation for Solid-State Quantum Memory

Elizabeth A. Goldschmidt, Sergey V. Polyakov, Sarah E. Beavan +2 more

We report progress in implementing a quantum memory scheme in Pr3+:Y2SiO5, including experimental and theoretical results using spectral hole-burning to generate narrow absorbing features and implement narrow spectral filtering.

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics•Jan 1, 2010•1 citation

Storage of multiple single-photon pulses emitted from a quantum dot in a solid-state quantum memory

Jian‐Shun Tang, Zong‐Quan Zhou, Yi‐Tao Wang +15 more

Quantum repeaters are critical components for distributing entanglement over long distances in presence of unavoidable optical losses during transmission. Stimulated by the Duan-Lukin-Cirac-Zoller protocol, many improved quantum repeater protocols based on quantum memories have been proposed, which commonly focus on the entanglement-distribution rate. Among these protocols, the elimination of multiple photons (or multiple photon-pairs) and the use of multimode quantum memory are demonstrated to have the ability to greatly improve the entanglement-distribution rate. Here, we demonstrate the storage of deterministic single photons emitted from a quantum dot in a polarization-maintaining solid-state quantum memory; in addition, multi-temporal-mode memory with 1, 20 and 100 narrow single-photon pulses is also demonstrated. Multi-photons are eliminated, and only one photon at most is contained in each pulse. Moreover, the solid-state properties of both sub-systems make this configuration more stable and easier to be scalable. Our work will be helpful in the construction of efficient quantum repeaters based on all-solid-state devices.

arXiv:1510.05358•Nature Communications•Oct 15, 2015•125 citations

Rare-earth-based spectral memories: material implications

Kent B. Hill, Alan E. Craig

Spectral hole burning material parameters that impact optical memory architecture and performance are investigated. Optical power budget analysis for the data storage process reveals that although narrow homogeneous linewidth can confer high data density, it does not optimally support high data rates. Trading narrow linewidth for higher oscillator strength would be desirable, if attainable. Experimental measurement of oscillator strengths, quantum yield into alternative hyperfine ground state levels, and persistence of the hyperfine level populations in Eu3+:Y2SiO5 and Pr3+:Y2SiO5 are presented and discussed. Quantum yield measurements of less than 25% indicate that spin projections are strongly preserved during excitation and relaxation processes. The hole depth consequently attainable from single π-pulse illumination requires trade-offs in memory system design.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Jun 30, 2003•0 citations

Quantum memory protocols for photonic solid-state devices

Kutlu Kutluer

A photonic quantum memory (QM) is a device that has the capability of storing a quantum state of light and retrieving back after a controlled time. It is an important element in quantum information science and is, among other applications, a crucial device for quantum repeater architectures which have been proposed to overcome the loss and the decoherence issues in long distance transmission of photons. Rare earth ion doped solid state systems are promising candidates for QMs which combine the advantages of solid state systems, such as scalability and reduced experimental complexity, with the long coherence time typically found in atomic systems. In this thesis, I investigated three different QM protocols in a Pr3+:Y2SiO5 crystal. The first part describes here the first demonstration of the spectral hole memory (SHoMe) protocol which was proposed theoretically in 2009. This protocol relies on slowing down the light in a long-lived spectral hole and transferring the excitations to the spin state. We first prepare a spectral hole, then send an input pulse whose bandwidth is comparable with the hole and stop the compressed light in the crystal by transferring the off-resonant coherence to the spin state with an optical p pulse. Later a second p pulse transfers the coherence back and leads to the emission of the stored light. We reached a storage and retrieval efficiency of around 40% in the classical regime, and of 31% in the single photon level, with a signal-to-noise ratio of 33 ± 4 for a mean input photon number of 1. These results demonstrate the most efficient and noiseless spin-wave solid-state optical memory at the single photon level to date. The second part of the thesis describes new experiments using the well-known atomic frequency comb (AFC) protocol. It is based on tailoring the inhomogeneously broadened absorption profile of the rare earth with periodic absorptive peaks, which induces the re-emission of the absorbed light field after a certain time determined by the separation between the peaks. In this chapter I describe several AFC experiments. First I present the storage of frequency converted telecom photons into our crystal where we obtained a total efficiency of 1.9 ± 0.2 % for a storage time of 1.6 µs storage time and signal-to-noise ratio of more than 200 for a mean input photon number of 1. Then I discuss the results of improved excited state storage efficiency values for long storage times where we achieved 30% at short storage times and up to 17% at 10 µs storage time. And finally I present a spin-wave AFC experiment where we obtained a signal-to-noise ratio value of 28 ± 8 for a mean input photon number of 1, the highest value achieved so far for this kind of experiment. Finally, in the last part, I describe the first demonstration of a solid-state photon pair source with embedded multimode quantum memory. The aim of the protocol is to combine a single photon source and a QM in one ensemble as in the well-known Duan-Lukin-Zoller-Cirac (DLCZ) scheme however this time not in a cold atomic ensemble but in a solid-state crystal. The protocol takes advantage of the AFC protocol for rephasing the ions and obtaining efficient read-out. The use of AFC also makes the protocol temporally multi-mode. In the experiment, after the AFC preparation we send an on-resonant write pulse and detect the decayed Stokes photons which herald single spin excitations. At a later time a read pulse transfers the spin excitation back to the excited state and we detect the anti-Stokes photons. We show strong non-classical second order cross-correlations between the Stokes and anti-Stokes photons and demonstrate storage of 11 temporal modes. The results presented in this thesis represent a significant contribution to the field of solid-state quantum memories and an important steps towards the realization of scalable quantum network architectures with solid state systems. Una memòria quàntica (MQ) és un dispositiu que té la capacitat d'emmagatzemar l'estat quàntic de la llum i retornar-lo després d'un temps controlat.És un element important en la ciència de la informació quàntica i és un dispositiu crucial per a arquitectures de repetidors quàntica.Els sistemes d'estat sòlid basats en ions de terres rares són candidats prometedors per implementar MQs, ja que combinen els avantatges dels sistemes sòlids (escalabilitat i poca complexitat experimental) amb els llargs temps de coherència dels sistemes atòmics.En aquesta tesis he investigat tres protocols diferents de MQ en un cristall de Pr3+:Y2SiO5. La primera part descriu la primera demostració del protocol de memòria basat en forats espectrals (MFE), que va ser proposat teòricament el 2009. Aquest protocol es basa en disminuir la velocitat de la llum en un forat espectral de vida llarga i transferir les excitacions a un estat d'espín. Comencem preparant un forat espectral, després enviem un pols de llum amb una amplada espectral comparable a la del forat i aturem la llum comprimida en el cristall transferint la coherència fora de ressonància a l'estat d'espín amb un pols òptic.Seguidament un segon pols retorna la coherència i porta a l'emissió de la llum emmagatzemada. Aconseguim una eficiència d'emmagatzematge i recuperació de 40% en el règim clàssic i de 31% al nivell de fotons individuals, amb una relació senyal-soroll de 33 ±4 per un nombre mitjà de fotons incidents igual a 1. Aquests resultats demostren la memòria òtica operant al nivell de fotons individuals amb més eficiència i més lliure de soroll. La segona part de la tesis descriu nous experiments que utilitzen el protocol de pintes de freqüència atòmiques (PFA). Aquest està basat en modificar el perfil d'absorció eixamplat inhomogèniament dels ions de terres rares, creant pics d'absorció periòdics que indueixen la reemissió del camp de llum absorbit, després d'un cert temps que ve determinat per la separació dels pics. En aquest capítol descric varis experiments de PFA. Primer presento l'emmagatzematge en el nostre cristall de fotons amb freqüència convertida des de telecom, obtenint una eficiència total de 1.9 ± 0.2% per un temps d'emmagatzematge de 1.6us i una relació senyal-soroll de més de 200 per un nombre mitjà de fotons incidents igual a 1. Seguidament discuteixo els resultats obtinguts amb una millorada eficiència d'emmagatzematge en l'estat excitat per temps d'emmagatzematge llargs, on vam obtenir 30% per temps curts i 17% a 10us. I finalment presento un experiment de PFA amb ona d'espín on vam obtenir una relació senyal-soroll de 28 ± 8 per un nombre mitjà de fotons incidents igual a 1, el valor més alt assolit mai en un experiment d'aquest tipus. Finalment, en la última part, descric la primera demostració d'una font de parelles de fotons d'estat sòlid integrada amb una memòria quàntica multimodal. L'objectiu del protocol és combinar en un sol sistema una font de fotons individuals i una MQ, com té lloc en el conegut esquema de Duan-Lukin-Cirac-Zoller (DLCZ), però en aquest cas amb un cristall en lloc d'un sistema d'àtoms freds.El protocol agafa els avantatges del protocol PFA per refasar els ions i obtenir una recuperació eficient. Utilitzant PFA fa que el protocol sigui temporalment multimodal.En l'experiment, després de la preparació de la PFA, enviem un pols d'escriptura en ressonància i detectem un fotó Stokes que anuncia excitacions d'espín individuals. Un temps més tard, un pols de lectura transfereix l'excitació d'espín de tornada cap a l'estat excitat i detectem fotons anti-Stokes. Mostrem fortes correlacions de segon ordre no-clàssiques entre els fotons de Stokes i anti-Stokes i demostrem l'emmagatzematge de 11 modes temporals. Els resultats presentats en aquesta tesis representen una contribució significativa en el camp de les memòries quàntiques d'estat sòlid i un pas important cap a la realització d'arquitectures de xarxes quàntiques amb sistemes d'estat sòlid

•Oct 23, 2017•1 citation

Towards Efficient Quantum Memories in Rare-Earth-Ion-Doped Solids

A. Amari

This thesis describes experiments aimed at developing a key component in applications such as quantum networks and long-distance quantum communication systems: quantum memories. Quantum memories for light using photon-echo and coherent rephrasing techniques have been developed. The work is carried out on rare-earth-ion-doped inorganic crystals. Several properties are associated with these crystals such as long coherence times and long-lived ground state sublevels that are particularly interesting in connection applications in the area of quantum information science. It is demonstrated the preparation of optical inhomogeneous absorption profiles such that the light only interacts with a specific transition at a selected frequency. Narrow absorbing structures with widths of <100 kHz have been prepared with no absorption in the surrounding spectral interval. Most of the experiments were carried out using Pr3+:Y2SiO5. However, in our search for suitable a Λ-system in the material under consideration, we also performed spectral hole-burning spectroscopy in Nd:Y2SiVO4. As part of the search for host materials for Pr, Pr:La2(WO4)3 crystal was characterized using a variety of methods, such as, hole burning and photon-echoes. Electromagnetically induced transparency was also observed in this crystal. The most important criteria for evaluating quantum memory performance and the most important physical requirements are discussed. After investigating the standard photon echo techniques and controlled reversible inhomogeneous broadening (CRIB) for quantum state storage, we considered an efficient multimode quantum memory protocol; the atomic frequency comb (AFC) protocol. Combs with peaks of widths 100-300 kHz and an optical depth of~ 10 were created by optical pumping inside an emptied region of the inhomogeneous profile of Pr3+:Y2SiO5, allowing us to improve the efficiency of light storage. Light storage combining a photon-echo technique based on an AFC and spin-wave storage have been demonstrated, and an experimental AFC scheme for the storage of weak coherent light pulses in Pr3+:Y2SiO5 is presented. Finally, we have investigated superradiance and slow light effects. Both these effects occur in the high optical depth regime and can influence the memory performance. Under certain conditions superradiance results in the immediate re-emission of the stored light in a single burst of coherent radiation, and inside spectrally structured materials, slow light effects may result when storage is performed.

Lund reports on atomic physics•Jan 1, 2010•0 citations
We theoretically investigate the feasibility of using spectral hole burning in Pr3+:Y2SiO5 to prepare an ensemble of Pr3+ ions with a spectral distribution optimized for use as a quantum memory for single-photon states. We introduce figures of merit for the spectral distribution of the Pr3+ ions when used as a quantum-memory node in a Duan-Lukin-Cirac-Zoller-type quantum-repeater scheme. Finally, we describe progress toward optimizing the hole-burning sequence by using a computational model of the hole-burning process to calculate these figures of merit over a wide range of parameters.
Quantum repeaters are critical components for distributing entanglement over long distances in presence of unavoidable optical losses during transmission. Stimulated by the Duan-Lukin-Cirac-Zoller protocol, many improved quantum repeater protocols based on quantum memories have been proposed, which commonly focus on the entanglement-distribution rate. Among these protocols, the elimination of multiple photons (or multiple photon-pairs) and the use of multimode quantum memory are demonstrated to have the ability to greatly improve the entanglement-distribution rate. Here, we demonstrate the storage of deterministic single photons emitted from a quantum dot in a polarization-maintaining solid-state quantum memory; in addition, multi-temporal-mode memory with 1, 20 and 100 narrow single-photon pulses is also demonstrated. Multi-photons are eliminated, and only one photon at most is contained in each pulse. Moreover, the solid-state properties of both sub-systems make this configuration more stable and easier to be scalable. Our work will be helpful in the construction of efficient quantum repeaters based on all-solid-state devices.
Spectral hole burning material parameters that impact optical memory architecture and performance are investigated. Optical power budget analysis for the data storage process reveals that although narrow homogeneous linewidth can confer high data density, it does not optimally support high data rates. Trading narrow linewidth for higher oscillator strength would be desirable, if attainable. Experimental measurement of oscillator strengths, quantum yield into alternative hyperfine ground state levels, and persistence of the hyperfine level populations in Eu3+:Y2SiO5 and Pr3+:Y2SiO5 are presented and discussed. Quantum yield measurements of less than 25% indicate that spin projections are strongly preserved during excitation and relaxation processes. The hole depth consequently attainable from single π-pulse illumination requires trade-offs in memory system design.
A photonic quantum memory (QM) is a device that has the capability of storing a quantum state of light and retrieving back after a controlled time. It is an important element in quantum information science and is, among other applications, a crucial device for quantum repeater architectures which have been proposed to overcome the loss and the decoherence issues in long distance transmission of photons. Rare earth ion doped solid state systems are promising candidates for QMs which combine the advantages of solid state systems, such as scalability and reduced experimental complexity, with the long coherence time typically found in atomic systems. In this thesis, I investigated three different QM protocols in a Pr3+:Y2SiO5 crystal. The first part describes here the first demonstration of the spectral hole memory (SHoMe) protocol which was proposed theoretically in 2009. This protocol relies on slowing down the light in a long-lived spectral hole and transferring the excitations to the spin state. We first prepare a spectral hole, then send an input pulse whose bandwidth is comparable with the hole and stop the compressed light in the crystal by transferring the off-resonant coherence to the spin state with an optical p pulse. Later a second p pulse transfers the coherence back and leads to the emission of the stored light. We reached a storage and retrieval efficiency of around 40% in the classical regime, and of 31% in the single photon level, with a signal-to-noise ratio of 33 ± 4 for a mean input photon number of 1. These results demonstrate the most efficient and noiseless spin-wave solid-state optical memory at the single photon level to date. The second part of the thesis describes new experiments using the well-known atomic frequency comb (AFC) protocol. It is based on tailoring the inhomogeneously broadened absorption profile of the rare earth with periodic absorptive peaks, which induces the re-emission of the absorbed light field after a certain time determined by the separation between the peaks. In this chapter I describe several AFC experiments. First I present the storage of frequency converted telecom photons into our crystal where we obtained a total efficiency of 1.9 ± 0.2 % for a storage time of 1.6 µs storage time and signal-to-noise ratio of more than 200 for a mean input photon number of 1. Then I discuss the results of improved excited state storage efficiency values for long storage times where we achieved 30% at short storage times and up to 17% at 10 µs storage time. And finally I present a spin-wave AFC experiment where we obtained a signal-to-noise ratio value of 28 ± 8 for a mean input photon number of 1, the highest value achieved so far for this kind of experiment. Finally, in the last part, I describe the first demonstration of a solid-state photon pair source with embedded multimode quantum memory. The aim of the protocol is to combine a single photon source and a QM in one ensemble as in the well-known Duan-Lukin-Zoller-Cirac (DLCZ) scheme however this time not in a cold atomic ensemble but in a solid-state crystal. The protocol takes advantage of the AFC protocol for rephasing the ions and obtaining efficient read-out. The use of AFC also makes the protocol temporally multi-mode. In the experiment, after the AFC preparation we send an on-resonant write pulse and detect the decayed Stokes photons which herald single spin excitations. At a later time a read pulse transfers the spin excitation back to the excited state and we detect the anti-Stokes photons. We show strong non-classical second order cross-correlations between the Stokes and anti-Stokes photons and demonstrate storage of 11 temporal modes. The results presented in this thesis represent a significant contribution to the field of solid-state quantum memories and an important steps towards the realization of scalable quantum network architectures with solid state systems. Una memòria quàntica (MQ) és un dispositiu que té la capacitat d'emmagatzemar l'estat quàntic de la llum i retornar-lo després d'un temps controlat.És un element important en la ciència de la informació quàntica i és un dispositiu crucial per a arquitectures de repetidors quàntica.Els sistemes d'estat sòlid basats en ions de terres rares són candidats prometedors per implementar MQs, ja que combinen els avantatges dels sistemes sòlids (escalabilitat i poca complexitat experimental) amb els llargs temps de coherència dels sistemes atòmics.En aquesta tesis he investigat tres protocols diferents de MQ en un cristall de Pr3+:Y2SiO5. La primera part descriu la primera demostració del protocol de memòria basat en forats espectrals (MFE), que va ser proposat teòricament el 2009. Aquest protocol es basa en disminuir la velocitat de la llum en un forat espectral de vida llarga i transferir les excitacions a un estat d'espín. Comencem preparant un forat espectral, després enviem un pols de llum amb una amplada espectral comparable a la del forat i aturem la llum comprimida en el cristall transferint la coherència fora de ressonància a l'estat d'espín amb un pols òptic.Seguidament un segon pols retorna la coherència i porta a l'emissió de la llum emmagatzemada. Aconseguim una eficiència d'emmagatzematge i recuperació de 40% en el règim clàssic i de 31% al nivell de fotons individuals, amb una relació senyal-soroll de 33 ±4 per un nombre mitjà de fotons incidents igual a 1. Aquests resultats demostren la memòria òtica operant al nivell de fotons individuals amb més eficiència i més lliure de soroll. La segona part de la tesis descriu nous experiments que utilitzen el protocol de pintes de freqüència atòmiques (PFA). Aquest està basat en modificar el perfil d'absorció eixamplat inhomogèniament dels ions de terres rares, creant pics d'absorció periòdics que indueixen la reemissió del camp de llum absorbit, després d'un cert temps que ve determinat per la separació dels pics. En aquest capítol descric varis experiments de PFA. Primer presento l'emmagatzematge en el nostre cristall de fotons amb freqüència convertida des de telecom, obtenint una eficiència total de 1.9 ± 0.2% per un temps d'emmagatzematge de 1.6us i una relació senyal-soroll de més de 200 per un nombre mitjà de fotons incidents igual a 1. Seguidament discuteixo els resultats obtinguts amb una millorada eficiència d'emmagatzematge en l'estat excitat per temps d'emmagatzematge llargs, on vam obtenir 30% per temps curts i 17% a 10us. I finalment presento un experiment de PFA amb ona d'espín on vam obtenir una relació senyal-soroll de 28 ± 8 per un nombre mitjà de fotons incidents igual a 1, el valor més alt assolit mai en un experiment d'aquest tipus. Finalment, en la última part, descric la primera demostració d'una font de parelles de fotons d'estat sòlid integrada amb una memòria quàntica multimodal. L'objectiu del protocol és combinar en un sol sistema una font de fotons individuals i una MQ, com té lloc en el conegut esquema de Duan-Lukin-Cirac-Zoller (DLCZ), però en aquest cas amb un cristall en lloc d'un sistema d'àtoms freds.El protocol agafa els avantatges del protocol PFA per refasar els ions i obtenir una recuperació eficient. Utilitzant PFA fa que el protocol sigui temporalment multimodal.En l'experiment, després de la preparació de la PFA, enviem un pols d'escriptura en ressonància i detectem un fotó Stokes que anuncia excitacions d'espín individuals. Un temps més tard, un pols de lectura transfereix l'excitació d'espín de tornada cap a l'estat excitat i detectem fotons anti-Stokes. Mostrem fortes correlacions de segon ordre no-clàssiques entre els fotons de Stokes i anti-Stokes i demostrem l'emmagatzematge de 11 modes temporals. Els resultats presentats en aquesta tesis representen una contribució significativa en el camp de les memòries quàntiques d'estat sòlid i un pas important cap a la realització d'arquitectures de xarxes quàntiques amb sistemes d'estat sòlid
This thesis describes experiments aimed at developing a key component in applications such as quantum networks and long-distance quantum communication systems: quantum memories. Quantum memories for light using photon-echo and coherent rephrasing techniques have been developed. The work is carried out on rare-earth-ion-doped inorganic crystals. Several properties are associated with these crystals such as long coherence times and long-lived ground state sublevels that are particularly interesting in connection applications in the area of quantum information science. It is demonstrated the preparation of optical inhomogeneous absorption profiles such that the light only interacts with a specific transition at a selected frequency. Narrow absorbing structures with widths of <100 kHz have been prepared with no absorption in the surrounding spectral interval. Most of the experiments were carried out using Pr3+:Y2SiO5. However, in our search for suitable a Λ-system in the material under consideration, we also performed spectral hole-burning spectroscopy in Nd:Y2SiVO4. As part of the search for host materials for Pr, Pr:La2(WO4)3 crystal was characterized using a variety of methods, such as, hole burning and photon-echoes. Electromagnetically induced transparency was also observed in this crystal. The most important criteria for evaluating quantum memory performance and the most important physical requirements are discussed. After investigating the standard photon echo techniques and controlled reversible inhomogeneous broadening (CRIB) for quantum state storage, we considered an efficient multimode quantum memory protocol; the atomic frequency comb (AFC) protocol. Combs with peaks of widths 100-300 kHz and an optical depth of~ 10 were created by optical pumping inside an emptied region of the inhomogeneous profile of Pr3+:Y2SiO5, allowing us to improve the efficiency of light storage. Light storage combining a photon-echo technique based on an AFC and spin-wave storage have been demonstrated, and an experimental AFC scheme for the storage of weak coherent light pulses in Pr3+:Y2SiO5 is presented. Finally, we have investigated superradiance and slow light effects. Both these effects occur in the high optical depth regime and can influence the memory performance. Under certain conditions superradiance results in the immediate re-emission of the stored light in a single burst of coherent radiation, and inside spectrally structured materials, slow light effects may result when storage is performed.