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Chinese Physics B

Quantum storage of single photons with unknown arrival time and pulse shapes*

Yu You, Gongwei Lin, Ling-Juan Feng, Yueping Niu, Shangqing Gong

Published Apr 27, 2021• 4 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We present a scheme for the quantum storage of single photons using electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a low-finesse optical cavity, assisted by state-selected spontaneous atomic emission. Mediated by the dark mode of cavity EIT, the destructive quantum interference between the cavity input–output channel and state-selected atomic spontaneous emission leads to strong absorption of single photons with unknown arrival time and pulse shapes. We discuss the application of this phenomenon to photon counting using stored light.

DOI
10.1088/1674-1056/abfbd3

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Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•May 23, 2005•1 citation
We present a scheme for the quantum storage of single photons using electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a low-finesse optical cavity, assisted by state-selected spontaneous atomic emission. Mediated by the dark mode of cavity EIT, the destructive quantum interference between the cavity input–output channel and state-selected atomic spontaneous emission leads to strong absorption of single photons with unknown arrival time and pulse shapes. We discuss the application of this phenomenon to photon counting using stored light.
We theoretically studied the implementation of a quantum memory and an optical transistor in a system composed by a single atom trapped inside a high finesse cavity. In order to store and map the quantum state of an input pulse onto internal states of the single atom (quantum memory) we employ the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) phenomenon (which can work out as an optical transistor) where the information can be transferred to the dark state of the atom modelled by a three-level system in a Λ-type configuration. In our model we consider a suitable temporal shape for the control field that ensures the adiabaticity of the storage process and retrieval of the probe pulse. The dynamic of the field inside the cavity was obtained by master equation approach, while the outside field was calculated by input-output formalism. We have analysed two different setups: i) two-sided and ii) single-sided cavities. While the first setup is the most appropriate and commonly used to observe cavity-EIT in the transmission spectrum, thus the best configuration for the optical transistor, the maximum quantum memory efficiency can not reach reasonable values, being limited to 50% for symmetric cavities. On the other hand, with single-sided cavity the quantum memory efficiency increases considerably and can reach values close to 100% in the strong atom-field coupling regime. However this specific setup is not favourable to observe the cavity-EIT effect in the transmission spectrum and then it is not appropriate to control the transmission of light pulses.
Electromagnetically induced transparency is a promising approach to implement quantumcommunication in quantum system. In this study, quantum coherence and interference in theexcitation pathways of a three-level Λ atomic system leads to the formation of new states of matter(i.e. the dark state). This state decouples itself from the excitation beams leading to phenomenasuch as coherent population trapping (CPT), electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT).Taking into account quantum coherence and interference in an optically dense electromagneticallyinducedtransparent medium, we investigate the non-destructive storage and retrieval of singlephotonquantum states in the dark state of this dense ensemble of gas phase medium. The storageand retrieval process is based on the intracavity electromagnetically induced transparency by whichproperties of a cavity filled with three-level Λ-type atoms are manipulated by an external control field.We demonstrate the peculiar case for the storage and retrieval of time-entangled periodic input pulses(a soliton train) in the dark state by adiabatic photon transfer under conditions of dynamicalimpedance matching. These multiplexed photon states are expected to allow sharing quantuminformation among many users, and are currently of very high demand for applications in longdistanceand multiplexed quantum communication.
Electromagnetically induced transparency is a promising approach to implement quantumcommunication in quantum system. In this study, quantum coherence and interference in theexcitation pathways of a three-level Λ atomic system leads to the formation of new states of matter(i.e. the dark state). This state decouples itself from the excitation beams leading to phenomenasuch as coherent population trapping (CPT), electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT).Taking into account quantum coherence and interference in an optically dense electromagneticallyinducedtransparent medium, we investigate the non-destructive storage and retrieval of singlephotonquantum states in the dark state of this dense ensemble of gas phase medium. The storageand retrieval process is based on the intracavity electromagnetically induced transparency by whichproperties of a cavity filled with three-level Λ-type atoms are manipulated by an external control field.We demonstrate the peculiar case for the storage and retrieval of time-entangled periodic input pulses(a soliton train) in the dark state by adiabatic photon transfer under conditions of dynamicalimpedance matching. These multiplexed photon states are expected to allow sharing quantuminformation among many users, and are currently of very high demand for applications in longdistanceand multiplexed quantum communication.
Optical quantum memories are important components in the long-distance quantum communication based on quantum repeater protocol. To outperform the direct transmission of light with quantum repeaters, it is crucial to develop quantum memories with high fidelity, high efficiency and long storage time. Recently, we demonstrate that it is feasible to achieve a high storage efficiency of 92% for electromagnetically-induced-transparency (EIT)-based memory with weak coherent signal pulses in cold atomic ensembles [1]. To realize the highly-efficient memory with quantum light, we have built a bright and narrowband photon-pair source which can be locked to atomic transition based on the cavity-enhanced spontaneous parametric down conversion [2]. Here, we present our results on the storage of single photons generated by such a source in EIT-based memories. A storage efficiency of 36% is obtained in initial runs. Future improvements toward a high efficiency are discussed. Such a development paves the way for the applications of photon-pair-based quantum repeater and multi-photon synchronization.
We theoretically analyze the efficiency of a quantum memory for single photons. The photons propagate along a transmission line and impinge on one of the mirrors of a high-finesse cavity. The quantum memory is constituted by a single atom within the optical resonator. Photon storage is realized by the controlled transfer of the photonic excitation into a metastable state of the atom and occurs via a Raman transition with a suitably tailored laser pulse, which drives the atom. Our study is supported by numerical simulations, in which we include the modes of the transmission line and we use the experimental parameters of existing experimental setups. It reproduces the results derived using input–output theory in the corresponding regimes and can be extended to compute dynamics where the input–output formalism cannot be straightforwardly applied. Our analysis determines the maximal storage efficiency, namely, the maximal probability to store the photon in a stable atomic excitation, in the presence of spontaneous decay and cavity parasitic losses. It further delivers the form of the laser pulse that achieves the maximal efficiency by partially compensating parasitic losses. We numerically assess the conditions under which storage based on adiabatic dynamics is preferable to non-adiabatic pulses. Moreover, we systematically determine the shortest photon pulse that can be efficiently stored as a function of the system parameters.
We describe proof-of principle experiments demonstrating a novel approach for generating pulses of light with controllable photon numbers, propagation direction, timing, and pulse shapes. The approach is based on preparation of an atomic ensemble in a state with a desired number of atomic spin excitations, which is later converted into a photon pulse by exploiting long-lived coherent memory for photon states and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). We discuss our progress toward applying these techniques to transmit quantum states between atomic memory nodes connected by a photonic channel.