Spin echo in nonlinear optics: Control of spins by spontaneous emission

Poul Jessen

Jing Wang, Ren‐Bao Liu, Bang-Fen Zhu +2 more

In coherent control, electromagnetic vacuum fluctuations usually cause coherence loss through irreversible spontaneous emission. However, since the dissipation via emission is essentially due to correlation of the fluctuations, when emission ends in a superposition of multiple final states, correlation between different pathways may build up if the ``which way'' information is not fully resolved (i.e., the emission spectrum is broader than the transition energy range). Such correlation can be exploited for spin-flip control in a $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$-type three-level system, which manifests itself as an all-optical spin echo in nonlinear optics with two orders of optical fields saved as compared with stimulated Raman processes. This finding represents a class of optical nonlinearity induced by electromagnetic vacuum fluctuations.

N. A. Dovator, R. A. Zhitnikov

Pierre Jobez, Cyril Laplane, Nuala Timoney +4 more

Long-lived quantum memories are essential components of a long-standing goal of remote distribution of entanglement in quantum networks. These can be realized by storing the quantum states of light as single-spin excitations in atomic ensembles. However, spin states are often subjected to different dephasing processes that limit the storage time, which in principle could be overcome using spin-echo techniques. Theoretical studies suggest this to be challenging due to unavoidable spontaneous emission noise in ensemble-based quantum memories. Here, we demonstrate spin-echo manipulation of a mean spin excitation of 1 in a large solid-state ensemble, generated through storage of a weak optical pulse. After a storage time of about 1 ms we optically read-out the spin excitation with a high signal-to-noise ratio. Our results pave the way for long-duration optical quantum storage using spin-echo techniques for any ensemble-based memory.

N. A. Dovator, R. A. Zhitnikov

Byoung Seung HAM

Quantum coherence control is reinvestigated for a new physical insight in quantum nonlinear optics and applied for a wavelength-convertible quantum memory in a solid ensemble whose spin states are inhomogeneously broadened. Unlike typical atomic media whose spin decays are homogeneous, a spin inhomogeneously broadened solid ensemble requires a counter-intuitive quantum coherence control to avoid spontaneous emission-caused quantum noises. Such a quantum coherence control in a solid ensemble satisfying both near perfect retrieval efficiency and ultralong photon storage offers a solid framework to quantum repeaters, scalable qubit generations, quantum cryptography, and highly sensitive magnetometry. Here, the basic physics of the counter-intuitive quantum coherence control is presented not only for a fundamental understanding of collective ensemble phase control but also for a coherence conversion mechanism between optical and spin states involving Raman rephasing.