Entanglement between light and an optical atomic excitation

Area of Science:

• Quantum Information Science
• Atomic Physics
• Quantum Optics

Background:

• Entanglement generation and distribution are key goals for quantum networks.
• Previous methods using spontaneous emission are probabilistic and slow, limiting networks to two nodes.
• Atom-photon entanglement protocols are improved by optical cavities or Rydberg states.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the generation of entanglement between light fields and atoms in Rydberg states.
• To overcome limitations of probabilistic entanglement generation for scalable quantum networks.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing an ultracold atomic gas confined in an optical lattice.
• Employing state-insensitive confinement for both ground and Rydberg atomic states.
• Inhibiting dephasing of optical atomic coherence.

Main Results:

• Successfully generated entanglement between light fields and atoms in Rydberg states.
• Demonstrated state-insensitive confinement in an optical lattice, protecting atomic coherence.
• Overcame probabilistic nature of spontaneous emission for faster entanglement generation.

Conclusions:

• The developed method enables functional, many-node quantum networks.
• Paves the way for deterministic quantum logic operations between atomic memories.
• Advances the development of scalable and robust quantum communication and computation infrastructure.