Realization of a Crosstalk-Free Two-Ion Node for Long-Distance Quantum Networking

Trapped atomic ions constitute one of the leading physical platforms for building the quantum repeater nodes to realize large-scale quantum networks. In a long-distance trapped-ion quantum network, it is essential to have crosstalk-free dual-type qubits: one type, called the communication qubit, to establish an entangling interface with telecom photons; and the other type, called the memory qubit, to store quantum information immune from photon scattering under entangling attempts. Here, we report the first experimental implementation of a telecom-compatible and crosstalk-free quantum network node based on two trapped ^{40}Ca^{+} ions. The memory qubit is encoded on a long-lived metastable level to avoid crosstalk with the communication qubit encoded in another subspace of the same ion species, and a quantum wavelength conversion module is employed to generate heralded ion-photon entanglement over a 12 km fiber. Our work therefore constitutes an important step toward the realization of quantum repeaters and long-distance quantum networks.