Efficient on-chip platform for coherent light-matter coupling using bound states in the continuum.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 40279428.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/sciadv.adu0976 and PMC identifier 12024644.
- 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
Storing and retrieving photonic qubits are key functionalities in future optical quantum networks, and integrating scalable optical-memory units is crucial as these networks expand. However, attempts to combine silicon photonics and erbium ions for telecom memories, without losing the scalable and low-loss properties of silicon chips, face challenges because of limited light-matter interactions and potential extra decoherence. Here, we present an efficient silicon-chip platform using bound states in the continuum to overcome these limitations. In addition to a low propagation loss of 0.5 ± 0.5 decibels per centimeter, our experiments demonstrate an order-of-magnitude enhancement in light absorption compared to previous traditional silicon hybrid designs. Using these properties, we demonstrated photon echoes in our waveguide structures, revealing a coherence time of 2.6 ± 0.6 microseconds at zero magnetic field, closely matching that of bulk crystals. These characteristics make the bound state in the continuum platform a promising candidate for realizing integrated optical memories for quantum network applications.