QUROPE Quantum Information Processing and Communication in Europe

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.

Combining techniques of cavity quantum electrodynamics, quantum measurement, and quantum feedback, we have realized the heralded transfer of a polarization qubit from a photon onto a single atom with 39% efficiency and 86% fidelity. The reverse process, namely, qubit transfer from the atom onto a given photon, is demonstrated with 88% fidelity and an estimated efficiency of up to 69%. In contrast to previous work based on two-photon interference, our scheme is robust against photon arrival-time jitter and achieves much higher efficiencies.

Photonics is a promising platform for quantum technologies. However, photon sources and two-photon gates currently only operate probabilistically. Large-scale photonic processing will therefore be impossible without a multiplexing strategy to actively select successful events.

Storing information encoded in light is critical for realizing optical buffers for all-optical signal processing

We report on the experimental demonstration of an optical spin-wave memory, based on the atomic frequency comb (AFC) scheme, where the storage efficiency is strongly enhanced by an optical cavity. The cavity is of low finesse, but operated in an impedance matching regime to achieve high absorption in our intrinsically low-absorbing Eu3+:Y2SiO5 crystal.

We show how to use the radiation pressure optomechanical coupling between a mechanical oscillator and an optical cavity field to generate in a heralded way a single quantum of mechanical motion (a Fock state). Starting with the oscillator close to its ground state, a laser pumping the upper motional sideband produces correlated photon-phonon pairs via optomechanical parametric down-conversion.

We experimentally demonstrate that a non-classical state prepared in an atomic memory can be
efficiently transferred to a single mode of free-propagating light. By retrieving on demand a single
excitation from a cold atomic gas, we realize an efficient source of single photons prepared in a pure,
fully controlled quantum state. We characterize this source using two detection methods, one based
on photon-counting analysis, and the second using homodyne tomography to reconstruct the density

We experimentally demonstrate that a non-classical state prepared in an atomic memory can be
efficiently transferred to a single mode of free-propagating light. By retrieving on demand a single
excitation from a cold atomic gas, we realize an efficient source of single photons prepared in a pure,
fully controlled quantum state. We characterize this source using two detection methods, one based
on photon-counting analysis, and the second using homodyne tomography to reconstruct the density

We demonstrate feedback cooling of the motion of a single rubidium atom trapped in a high-finesse optical resonator to a temperature of about 160  μK. Time-dependent transmission and intensity-correlation measurements prove the reduction of the atomic position uncertainty. The feedback increases the 1/e storage time into the 1 s regime, 30 times longer than without feedback.

We propose a method to probe dynamical spin correlations of strongly interacting systems in optical lattices. The scheme uses a light-matter quantum non-demolition interface to map consecutively a given non trivial magnetic observable of the strongly correlated system to the light. The quantum memory is essential to coherently store the previously mapped observable during a time scale comparable to the many-body dynamics. A final readout of the memory yields direct access to dynamical correlations.