A solid-state quantum memory based on a continuous optoacoustic system

TL;DR

This paper introduces a broadband quantum memory protocol using a continuous optoacoustic system in a waveguide, enabling high-fidelity storage of quantum states without cavity modes.

Contribution

It proposes a novel quantum memory scheme based on photon-phonon transduction in a continuum Brillouin system, expanding the potential for scalable quantum information processing.

Findings

High-fidelity storage and retrieval of quantum states demonstrated.

Memory bandwidth can reach hundreds of MHz.

Protocol operates without relying on discrete cavity modes.

Abstract

Quantum memories for optical states are essential resources for quantum communication and information processing. We propose a quantum memory protocol based on coherent photon-phonon transduction in a Brillouin-active optical waveguide supporting traveling acoustic modes. A pulsed pump drives an effective beam-splitter interaction between optical and acoustic fields, enabling the mapping of a propagating optical quantum state onto a traveling phononic excitation and its subsequent retrieval on demand. Using a continuum optoacoustic model, we show that the protocol enables broadband quantum state storage in a distributed medium without relying on discrete cavity modes. Analytical and numerical results demonstrate high-fidelity storage and retrieval of squeezed and entangled states under experimentally realistic parameters. The memory bandwidth is set by the Brillouin interaction and can reach hundreds of MHz. Our results identify continuum Brillouin optomechanical systems as a scalable platform for broadband quantum memories and multimode quantum signal processing.