Communications of the ACM
Data Highways For Quantum Information
Arno Rauschenbeutel of the Vienna University of Technology is confident that his technique for storing quantum information holds great promise.
Credit: Vienna University of Technology
Vienna University of Technology (TU Vienna) researchers have developed a quantum technique to mechanically couple atoms to glass fiber cables. The technique makes it possible to store quantum information over a sufficiently long period, and could be used to help develop global quantum networks based on optical fibers. "On the one hand, we use fiber-guided light, which is perfect for sending quantum information from A to B, and, on the other hand, we rely on atoms, which are ideal for storing this information," says TU Vienna's Arno Rauschenbeutel.
Although there currently are different approaches to performing quantum mechanical operations and exchanging quantum information between light and matter-based memories, Rauschenbeutel says it is often challenging for these systems to store and retrieve the information efficiently. He says the TU-Vienna method overcomes this problem. "Our setup is directly connected to a standard optical glass fiber that is routinely used for the transmission of data," which he notes makes it "easy to integrate our quantum glass fiber cable into existing fiber communication networks."
The method also could be used to set up a global quantum network. "By using our combined nanofiber-atom-system for setting up an optical quantum network including quantum repeaters, one might transmit quantum information and teleport quantum states around the world," Rauschenbeutel says.
From Vienna University of Technology
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