All optical quantum information processing via a single step Rydberg blockade gate

TL;DR

This paper proposes a high-fidelity all-optical quantum controlled-Z gate using Rydberg blockade in an atomic ensemble, enabling efficient quantum information processing with minimized environmental noise effects.

Contribution

It introduces a novel single-step Rydberg excitation scheme with continuous laser protection, improving fidelity and simplifying the implementation of optical quantum gates.

Findings

Achieves 99.7% fidelity with realistic parameters.

Operates in a dissipative-free region of Rydberg EIT schemes.

Simplifies experimental setup by spatially overlapping stored photons.

Abstract

One of the critical elements in the realization of the quantum internet are deterministic two-photon gates. This $CZ$ photonic gate also completes a set of universal gates for all-optical quantum information processing. This article discusses an approach to realize high fidelity $CZ$ photonic gate by storing both control and target photons within an atomic ensemble using non-Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) followed by a fast, single-step Rydberg excitation with global lasers. The proposed scheme operates by relative intensity modulation of two lasers used in Rydberg excitation. Circumventing the conventional $\pi$-gap-$\pi$ schemes, the proposed operation features continuous laser protection of the Rydberg atoms from the environment noise. The complete spatial overlap of stored photons inside the blockade radius optimizes the optical depth and simplifies the experiment. The coherent operation here is performed in the region that was dissipative in the previous Rydberg EIT schemes. Encountering the main imperfection sources, i.e. the spontaneous emission of the Rydberg and intermediate levels, population rotation errors, Doppler broadening of the transition lines, storage/retrieval efficiency, and atomic thermal motion induced decoherence, this article concludes that with realistic experimental parameters 99.7\% fidelity is achievable.