Single-Photon Storage in a Ground-State Vapor Cell Quantum Memory

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the first successful storage and retrieval of single photons in a ground-state vapor cell quantum memory, integrating a high-bandwidth photon source with a warm rubidium vapor system, suitable for room-temperature quantum networks.

Contribution

It introduces a novel integration of a cavity-enhanced single-photon source with a ground-state vapor cell quantum memory operating at room temperature.

Findings

Achieved single-photon storage with $g_{c,ret}^{(2)}=0.177(23)$

Photon bandwidth of 370 MHz compatible with the memory

Low experimental complexity with room-temperature components

Abstract

Interfaced single-photon sources and quantum memories for photons together form a foundational component of quantum technology. Achieving compatibility between heterogeneous, state-of-the-art devices is a long-standing challenge. We built and successfully interfaced a heralded single-photon source based on cavity-enhanced spontaneous parametric down-conversion in ppKTP and a matched memory based on electromagnetically induced transparency in warm $^{87}$Rb vapor. The bandwidth of the photons emitted by the source is 370 MHz, placing its speed in the technologically relevant regime while remaining well within the acceptance bandwidth of the memory. Simultaneously, the experimental complexity is kept low, with all components operating at or above room temperature. Read-out noise of the memory is considerably reduced by exploiting polarization selection rules in the hyperfine structure of spin-polarized atoms. For the first time, we demonstrate single-photon storage and retrieval in a ground-state vapor cell memory, with $g_{c,\text{ret}}^{(2)}=0.177(23)$ demonstrating the single-photon character of the retrieved light. Our platform of single-photon source and atomic memory is attractive for future experiments on room-temperature quantum networks operating at high bandwidth.