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Quantum interfaces (QIs) that generate entanglement between photonic and spin-wave (atomic memory) qubits are basic building block for quantum repeaters. Realizing ensemble-based repeaters in practice requires quantum memory providing long lifetimes and multimode capacity. Significant progress has been achieved on these separate goals. The remaining challenge is to combine the two attributes into a single QI. Here, by establishing spatial multimode, magnetic-field-insensitive and long-wavelength spin-wave storage in laser-cooled atoms inside a phase-passively-stabilized polarization interferometer, we constructed a multiplexed QI that stores up to three long-lived spin-wave qubits. Using a feed-forward-controlled system, we demonstrated that a multiplexed QI gives rise to a 3-fold increase in the atom–photon (photon–photon) entanglement-generation probability compared with single-mode QIs. For our multiplexed QI, the measured Bell parameter is 2.51±0.01 combined with a memory lifetime of up to 1 ms. This work represents a key step forward in realizing fiber-based long-distance quantum communications. The quantum interface to generate entanglement between a flying photonic qubit and a stationary qubit is a key functionality for the quantum internet. The authors demonstrate a multiplexed quantum interface that stores three long-lived spin-wave qubits. A significant improvement in the rate of generating spin-photon entanglement has been achieved, opening a promising route toward large-scale, long-haul quantum networks.

In this paper, we report a generation of a spin-wave excitation (SWE) with a near-unity (0.996±0.003) probability in a given time (~730 μ s). Such deterministic generation relies on a feedback scheme with a millisecond quantum memory. The millisecond memory is achieved by maximizing the wavelength of the spin wave and storing the SWE as the magnetic-field-insensitive transition. We then demonstrate partial retrievals of the spin wave by applying a first read pulse whose area is smaller than the value of π. The remained SWE is fully retrieved by a second pulse. Anti-correlation function between the detections in the first and second readouts has been measured, which shows that the partial-retrieval operation on the SWE is in the quantum regime. The presented experiment represents an important step towards the realization of the improved DLCZ quantum repeater protocol proposed in Phys. Rev. A 77, 062301 (2008).

We report an experimental generation of polarization-entangled photon pairs in a cold atomic ensemble. A single Stokes photon and one spin-wave excitation are simultaneously created via spontaneous Raman scattering. The spin-wave excitation is then converted into an anti-Stokes photon via an electromagnetic-induced-transparency reading process. The measured cross-correlation functions between the Stokes and anti-Stokes photons for two orthogonal polarizations are ~75 and 74, respectively, at a generation rate of the photon pair of ~60/s. Based on such correlations, we obtain polarization-entangled photon pairs, whose Bell parameter is S = 2.77 ± 0.01, violating Bell-CHSH inequality by ~77 standard deviations. The presented polarization-entangled photon source has high entanglement degree and fast generation rate, which will promise us to apply it in future quantum repeater.

The storage and retrieval efficiency (SRE) and lifetime of optical quantum memories are two key performance indicators for scaling up quantum information processing. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a cavity-enhanced long-lived optical memory for two polarizations in a cold atomic ensemble. Using electromagnetically induced-transparency (EIT) dynamics, we demonstrate the storages of left-circularly and right-circularly polarized signal light pulses in the atoms, respectively. By making the signal and control beams collinearly pass through the atoms and storing the two polarizations of the signal light as two magnetic-field-insensitive spin waves, we achieve a long-lived (3.5 ms) memory. By placing a low-finesse optical ring cavity around the cold atoms, the coupling between the signal light and the atoms is enhanced, which leads to an increase in SRE. The presented cavity-enhanced storage shows that the SRE is ∼30%, corresponding to an intrinsic SRE of ∼45%.

We build a multiplexed light-matter interface and then demonstrate a ∼ sixfold (∼fourfold) probability increase in generating entangled atom-photon (photon-photon) pairs. The measured compositive Bell parameter for the multiplexed interface is 2.49±0.03 combined with a memory lifetime of up to ∼51 μs.

A source that can generate atom-photon quantum correlations or entanglement based on a quantum memory is a basic building block of quantum repeaters (QRs). To achieve high entanglement generation rates in ensemble-based QRs, spatial-, temporal-, and spectral-multimode memories are needed. Previous temporal-multimode memories are based on rephasing mechanisms in inhomogeneously broadened media. Here, by applying a train of write pulses in time, with each pulse coming from a different direction, to a homogeneously broadened atomic ensemble to induce Duan-Lukin-Cirac-Zoller-like Raman processes, we prepare up to 19 pairs of modes, namely, one spin-wave mode and one photonic time bin. Spin-wave-photon (i.e., atom-photon) entanglement is probabilistically produced in these mode pairs. Based on the stored spin-wave modes together with feedforward-controlled readout, we build a temporally multiplexed source and then demonstrate an 18.8-fold increase in the probability of the generation of spin-wave-photon entanglement compared to the sources that use individual modes. The measured Bell parameter for the multiplexed source is $2.30\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.02$, and the memory lifetime is 30 \ensuremath{\mu}s.

The photon-atom interface is a basic component of quantum repeater, quantum network, and linear optical quantum computing. Different approaches have been tested in the last decade to develop quantum interface, such as quantum dots, single atoms and ions, color centers and cold atomic ensemble. In the cold atomic ensemble, a normal way to produce photon-atom interface is the Duan-Lukin-Cirac-Zoller (DLCZ) protocol. Used in the DLCZ protocol is an atomic ensemble that can emit single photons while creating a single atomic excitation, which is stored in the ensemble. The atomic excitation can be converted into a photon due to the collective interference. The influences of the retrieval efficiency on the atom-photon entanglement source have been studied in various experiments. But no one has studied the retrieval efficiency threshold of entanglement generation. In our experiment we study the retrieval efficiency dependence on read power and OD. Setting the power of the repump light beam to be 12.2 mW, 5.0 mW, 2.0 mW, 0.5 mW and 0.3 mW, OD of the cold atom ensemble is measured to be 20, 17, 10, 2, and 1, respectively. As we expected, the retrieval efficiency increases with increasing OD value and read power, the curve shows that the retrieval efficiency increases sharply with increasing the OD value and read power, then after a while slowly increases with increasing the OD values and read power. Then we measure the Bell parameter with increasing the retrieval efficiency by increasing the read power. It shows that the Bell parameter sharply increases for retrieval efficiency values ranging from 0 to 3%, but changes very small for retrieval efficiency values ranging from 3% to 18.3%. The maximum Bell parameter is 2.6. We further analysis the result, finding that the Bell parameter can be expressed as \begin{document}$S = \dfrac{{{S_{{\rm{MAX}}}}r}}{{(1 + 2\chi )r + 2B}}$\end{document}. Fitting parameters to the curve are \begin{document}$\chi$\end{document}= 1%, B = 0.073%. To avoid of multi-excitation the write power kept low that \begin{document}$\chi$\end{document} at 1% level. Then we can find out from the function that the signal-to-noise ratio is bigger than 6∶1 the Bell parameter will reach 2. The theoretical analysis and experimental results fit very well. So the further reason that alter the Bell parameter is the signal-to-noise ratio. We should decrease the noise while increasing the retrieval efficiency. This paper will help with rise the quality of entanglement generation through photon-atom interface.

We report an experiment in which long-lived quantum memories for photonic polarization qubits (PPQs) are controllably released into any one of multiple spatially-separate channels. The PPQs are implemented with an arbitrarily-polarized coherent signal light pulses at the single-photon level and are stored in cold atoms by means of electromagnetic-induced-transparency scheme. Reading laser pulses propagating along the direction at a small angle relative to quantum axis are applied to release the stored PPQs into an output channel. By changing the propagating directions of the read laser beam, we controllably release the retrieved PPQs into 7 different photonic output channels, respectively. At a storage time of δt = 5 μs, the least quantum-process fidelity in 7 different output channels is ~89%. At one of the output channels, the measured maximum quantum-process fidelity for the PPQs is 94.2% at storage time of δt = 0.85 ms. At storage time of 6 ms, the quantum-process fidelity is still beyond the bound of 78% to violate the Bell’s inequality. The demonstrated controllable release of the stored PPQs may extend the capabilities of the quantum information storage technique.

Spontaneous Raman scattering (SRS) in atomic ensembles provides a promising method to generate spin-wave--photon entangled states. In the past experiments, a spin-wave--photon entangled state was produced via SRS from an atomic ensemble. Here, we report a scheme of simultaneously generating two spin-wave--photon (atom-photon) entangled states in a cold Rb ensemble via SRS. Based on joint Bell-state measurements on the two photons coming from the two atom-photon entangled sources, respectively, we projected the two stored spin waves into a Bell state and then mapped the quantum memory into a polarization-entangled photon pair. Such a polarization-entangled photon pair can be released on demand and thus the presented scheme has potential application in the preparation of large-size photonic entangled states.

The light-matter quantum interface that can create quantum correlations or entanglement between a photon and one atomic collective excitation is a fundamental building block for a quantum repeater. The intrinsic limit is that the probability of preparing such nonclassical atom-photon correlations has to be kept low in order to suppress multiexcitation. To enhance this probability without introducing multiexcitation errors, a promising scheme is to apply multimode memories to the interface. Significant progress has been made in temporal, spectral, and spatial multiplexing memories, but the enhanced probability for generating the entangled atom-photon pair has not been experimentally realized. Here, by using six spin-wave-photon entanglement sources, a switching network, and feedforward control, we build a multiplexed light-matter interface and then demonstrate a $\ensuremath{\sim}\text{sixfold}$ ($\ensuremath{\sim}\text{fourfold}$) probability increase in generating entangled atom-photon (photon-photon) pairs. The measured compositive Bell parameter for the multiplexed interface is $2.49\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.03$ combined with a memory lifetime of up to $\ensuremath{\sim}51\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{s}$.

The enhanced-generation of entanglement between one atomic collective excitation and a single photon (atom-photon) is very important for practical quantum repeaters and quantum networks based on atomic ensembles and linear optics. We present a feedback-loop algorithm based on field programmable gate array (FPGA) to obtain 21.6-fold increase of the generation rate of atom-photon entanglement at the storage time of 51 μs comparing with no feedback protocol. The generation rate of the atom-photon entanglement is ~3190/s (2100/s) for the excitation probability of 1.65% at the storage time of 1 μs (51 μs). The Bell parameter and the fidelity of atom-photon entanglement at the storage time of 1 μs are 2.40 ± 0.02 and 85.5% ± 0.6%, respectively. The detailed FPGA-based feedback-loop algorithm can be flexibly extended to the multiplexing of atom-photon entanglement, which is expected to further increase the generation rate of atom-photon entanglement.

We report an experimental demonstration of storage of photonic polarization qubit (PPQ) protected by dynamical decoupling (DD). PPQ's states are stored as a superposition of two spin waves by electromagnetically-induced-transparency (EIT). Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) DD sequences are applied to the spin-wave superposition to suppress its decoherence. Thus, the quantum process fidelity remains better than 0.8 for up to 800 μs storage time, which is 3.4-times longer than the corresponding storage time of ~180 μs without the CPMG sequences. This work is a key step towards the storage of single-photon polarization qubit protected by the CPMG sequences.

Long-lived and high-fidelity memory for photonic polarization qubit (PPQ) is crucial for constructing quantum networks. Here we present an EIT-based millisecond storage system in which a moderate magnetic field is applied on a cold-atom cloud to lift Zeeman degeneracy. PPQ states are stored as two magnetic-field-insensitive spin waves. Especially, the influence of magnetic-field-sensitive spin waves on the storage performances is almost totally avoided. The measured average fidelities of polarization states are 98.6% at 200 us and 78.4% at 4.5 ms, respectively., 37 pages, 6 figures, 1 table

We experimentally demonstrated a fast manipulation of two orthogonal spin-wave excitations in an ensemble of cold 87 Rb atoms. The spin-wave manipulation is realized by transferring the excitations between two collective states, and a π rotation between the two spin waves is accomplished on a time scale of ∼100 ns. The multiple π rotations are completed based on the single π rotation. The results show that the retrieval optical signal from the manipulated spin waves gradually decreases along with the increasing of π-rotation numbers. The loss mechanism of spin waves caused by a Raman π rotation is simply analyzed, and the possible methods to mitigate the loss are discussed. Using multiple π rotations, one can implement the dynamical decoupling to protect the qubit memory in an atom ensemble from the influence of environmental noise.

We report an experimental study of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT)-based light storage in a cloud of cold atoms loaded into a magneto-optical-trap (MOT). After the MOT is turned off, the retrieval efficiencies of right- and left-circularly polarized signal light fields each as a function of storage time are measured for different time delays between MOT off and the storage event, respectively. The results show that in the delay ranging from 0.015 ms to 3.5 ms, the retrieval efficiency for a zero-storage time (0.2 μs) and the storage lifetime can exceed 15% and 1.4 ms, respectively. The measured results will provide important help for optimizing the storage of the polarized entanglement photons in cold atomic ensembles.