Quantum Storage of Frequency-Multiplexed Heralded Single Photons

Area of Science:

• Quantum Information Science
• Photonics
• Quantum Optics

Background:

• Quantum storage is crucial for quantum networks and computing.
• Storing multi-mode photons presents significant challenges due to spectral and temporal complexities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate quantum storage of a heralded frequency-multiplexed single photon.
• To utilize an integrated rare-earth doped waveguide and the atomic frequency comb (AFC) scheme for multi-mode storage.

Main Methods:

• Generation of a heralded single photon with 15 frequency modes via cavity-enhanced spontaneous down-conversion.
• Storage of the photon in a praseodymium-doped waveguide using the AFC technique.
• Preservation of spectral and nonclassical properties during storage.

Main Results:

• Successful quantum storage of a frequency-multiplexed single photon.
• Demonstration of approximately 130 total stored temporal and spectral modes.
• Preservation of the photon's nonclassical nature and normalized frequency spectrum.

Conclusions:

• Integrated rare-earth doped waveguides are suitable for multi-mode quantum storage.
• The AFC scheme effectively stores spectrally and temporally multiplexed quantum states.
• This work advances the development of quantum memories for quantum information processing.