We demonstrate the potential of semiconductor quantum dot nanomaterials for solid-state based controllable quantum memories in which losses may be compensated by gain. The dynamic photonic quantum-coherence present in a quantum dot ensemble and generated by a coherent signal pulse is influenced and controlled by disorder, spectral detuning and the power of the pulse. We show that the high coupling of spatial and temporal degrees of freedom is a key requirement for coherence transfer and/or storage.
Storing and delaying optical signals plays a crucial role in data centers, phased array antennas, communication, and future computing architectures. Here, we show a delay scheme based on cascaded Brillouin light storage that achieves multi-stage delay at arbitrary positions within a photonic integrated circuit. Importantly these multiple resonant transfers between the optical and acoustic domain are controlled solely via external optical control pulses, allowing cascading of the delay without the need of aligning multiple structural resonances along the optical circuit. (c) 2018 Optical Society of America.