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Updated: Feb 8, 2026

Gradient Echo Quantum Memory in Warm Atomic Vapor
Published on: November 11, 2013
A single-photon switch and transistor enabled by a solid-state quantum memory
Shuo Sun1, Hyochul Kim1, Zhouchen Luo1
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics, and Joint Quantum Institute, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
Abstract:
Single-photon switches and transistors generate strong photon-photon interactions that are essential for quantum circuits and networks. However, the deterministic control of an optical signal with a single photon requires strong interactions with a quantum memory, which has been challenging to achieve in a solid-state platform. We demonstrate a single-photon switch and transistor enabled by a solid-state quantum memory. Our device consists of a semiconductor spin qubit strongly coupled to a nanophotonic cavity. The spin qubit enables a single 63-picosecond gate photon to switch a signal field containing up to an average of 27.7 photons before the internal state of the device resets. Our results show that semiconductor nanophotonic devices can produce strong and controlled photon-photon interactions that could enable high-bandwidth photonic quantum information processing.
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