Quantum Storage and Retrieval of Light by Sweeping the Atomic Frequency

TL;DR

This paper introduces a quantum memory protocol that uses adiabatic sweeping of atomic resonance frequencies to reversibly store and retrieve light, combining features of EIT and GEM techniques.

Contribution

It presents a novel quantum memory method based on dynamic atomic frequency sweeping, expanding the toolkit for quantum information storage.

Findings

The protocol enables reversible photon storage via adiabatic frequency sweeping.

It provides a unified description linking EIT and GEM-based quantum memories.

Potential implementation in hollow-core photonic crystal fibers is discussed.

Abstract

We propose a quantum memory protocol based on dynamically changing the resonance frequency of an ensemble of two-level atoms. By sweeping the atomic frequency in an adiabatic fashion, photons are reversibly transferred into atomic coherences. We present a polaritonic description for this type of storage, which shares some similarities with Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT) based quantum memories. On the other hand the proposed memory is also linked to the Gradient Echo Memory (GEM) due to the effective spatial gradient that pulses experience in the medium. We discuss a possible implementation of the protocol in hollow-core photonic crystal fibers.