2017/06/05 by Li, Jianfeng, Wang, Yunfei, Zhang, Shanchao +4
#Atomic Physics (physics.atom-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
paper · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1706.01404
An efficient quantum storage is highly desired for quantum information processing. As indicated by certain applications, a universal quantum storage is required to have a storage efficiency above 50% to beat the no-cloning limit. Although significant progress has been achieved in improving various quantum storage, the best storage efficiency of single photons is still below this criteria. By integrating a highly controllable single photon source with an optimized quantum storage, here we demonstrate an optical storage of single photons with storage efficiency of 65% in a cold atomic ensemble based on electromagnetically induced transparency. Meanwhile, the nonclassical characteristics of our storage are verified through the well-maintained nonclassical and single photon nature of the retrieved single photons.