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Optimizing Raman quantum memory with dynamic phase

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Abstract

Optical quantum memory is a key component of emerging quantum technologies and applications. One of the most promising protocols, far-off-resonant Raman memory, is still beset by its efficiency. Until now, the only effective method for enhancing its efficiency in experiments has been the intensity modulation method on the control field, while the experimental demonstrations still fail to meet the theoretical expectation. In this study, we experimentally demonstrate how to optimize the Raman quantum memory process using a new method called phase modulation; 52.7% total memory efficiency is realized by applying a phase modulation on the control field with a near-square intensity waveform of the control field, thereby resulting in an increase in efficiency of 13.3% compared to the best case of no phase modulation. Additionally, a hybrid method, combining the phase and intensity modulations, is demonstrated with 87.3% memory efficiency. Such high-efficiency results in 99.0% unconditional fidelity even at near single photon level. The unconditional fidelity is always higher than that of the intensity method as the input photon number of the signal increases and can still beat the nonclone limit, even at 128.1 photons/pulse. Our phase modulation method has great potential applications in quantum information processing due to the advantages of low experimental requirements but an additional degree of freedom and high performance, especially for the high speed and high photon number state manipulation.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Innovation Program for Quantum Science and Technology (Grant No. 2021ZD-0303200), Innovation Program of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission (Grant No. 202101070008E00099), National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2016YFA0302001), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11904227, 12104161, 11654005, 11874152, 12274132, 12204303), Fellowship of China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant Nos. 2020TQ0193,2021M702146), and Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Major Project (Grant No. 2019SHZDZX01). Weiping ZHANG also acknowledges additional support from the Shanghai Talent Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Physics and Astronomy, and Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China

    Sheng Ming, Jinxian Guo, Guzhi Bao, Shuhe Wu, Minwei Shi & Weiping Zhang

  2. Shanghai Research Center for Quantum Sciences, Shanghai, 201315, China

    Jinxian Guo, Guzhi Bao, Shuhe Wu, Minwei Shi, Liqing Chen & Weiping Zhang

  3. State Key Laboratory of Precision Spectroscopy, Quantum Institute of Atom and Light, Department of Physics, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China

    Yuan Wu & Liqing Chen

  4. Collaborative Innovation Center of Extreme Optics, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China

    Weiping Zhang

  5. Shanghai Branch, Hefei National Laboratory, Shanghai, 201315, China

    Weiping Zhang

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  1. Sheng Ming
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  2. Jinxian Guo
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  3. Yuan Wu
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  4. Guzhi Bao
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  5. Shuhe Wu
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  6. Minwei Shi
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  7. Liqing Chen
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  8. Weiping Zhang
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Correspondence to Jinxian Guo or Weiping Zhang.

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Ming, S., Guo, J., Wu, Y. et al. Optimizing Raman quantum memory with dynamic phase. Sci. China Inf. Sci. 66, 180505 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11432-022-3614-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11432-022-3614-7

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