Quantum storage of entangled photons at telecom wavelengths in a crystal.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 37914741.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-023-42741-1 and PMC identifier 10620411.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Quantum storage and distribution of entanglement are the key ingredients for realizing a global quantum internet. Compatible with existing fiber networks, telecom-wavelength entangled photons and corresponding quantum memories are of central interest. Recently, 167Er3+ ions have been identified as a promising candidate for an efficient telecom quantum memory. However, to date, no storage of entangled photons, the crucial step of quantum memory using these promising ions, 167Er3+, has been reported. Here, we demonstrate the storage and retrieval of the entangled state of two telecom photons generated from an integrated photonic chip. Combining the natural narrow linewidth of the entangled photons and long storage time of 167Er3+ ions, we achieve storage time of 1.936 μs, more than 387 times longer than in previous works. Successful storage of entanglement in the crystal is certified using entanglement witness measurements. These results pave the way for realizing quantum networks based on solid-state devices.