Researchers at the University of Calgary and collaborating institutions demonstrate the first coherent link between a chip-integrated quantum dot and solid-state quantum memory based on erbium-doped fiber. Researchers achieved this interface by aligning the emission from an InAsP/InP nanowire quantum dot with the absorption bandwidth of the fiber at 980 nm, enabling efficient interaction between the two systems. This approach utilizes a deterministic quantum light emitter for on-demand photon production, a crucial step toward scalable quantum networks, unlike probabilistic photon pair sources such as spontaneous parametric down-conversion. The team implemented an 8 GHz bandwidth quantum memory, successfully storing and retrieving 59 weak coherent pulses, and demonstrated deterministic storage and recall of single photons emitted from the chip-integrated quantum dot without spectral tuning of the quantum dot emission, signifying direct compatibility with this type of fiber-based memory.
The successful integration of chip-based quantum emitters with robust quantum memories represents a critical step toward practical quantum networks; researchers at the University of Calgary and collaborating institutions have demonstrated just such a system, utilizing InAsP/InP nanowire quantum dots emitting at a precise 980 nm wavelength. This coherent hybrid light-matter interface has not been demonstrated before, contrasting with existing probabilistic methods like spontaneous parametric down-conversion. The InAsP/InP nanowire quantum dot functions as a deterministic quantum light emitter, enabling on-demand production of photons essential for scalable quantum communication. Measurements reveal substantial inhomogeneous broadening of the optical transition within the erbium-doped fiber, alongside a long spin population lifetime, highlighting its potential for broadband quantum memory implementation. This direct compatibility simplifies system integration and opens avenues for more complex quantum information processing architectures, potentially advancing long-distance quantum communication and the quantum internet.
The convergence of chip-based quantum photonics and robust quantum memories is accelerating, with recent work demonstrating a functional interface between a chip-integrated quantum dot and an erbium-doped fiber. Deterministic quantum light emitters enable the on-demand production of pure and bright single- and entangled- photons, essential for scalable quantum networks, unlike probabilistic photon pair sources such as spontaneous parametric down-conversion. This work, supported by researchers at the University of Calgary and collaborating institutions, and funded in part by the National Research Council of Canada and Alberta Innovates, supports the development of more reliable and efficient quantum communication systems.
Researchers at the University of Calgary are directly interfacing a chip-integrated quantum dot with an erbium-doped fiber to develop a new approach to quantum memory. This work, presented as an unedited manuscript awaiting final publication in npj Quantum Information, contrasts with probabilistic photon pair sources such as spontaneous parametric down-conversion, utilizing a deterministic InAsP/InP nanowire quantum dot to generate photons on demand, a critical step toward scalable quantum networks. A key achievement is the spectral alignment between the quantum dot emission and the erbium-doped fiber’s absorption bandwidth, specifically at 980 nm. The researchers report that funding for the project came from the National Research Council of Canada, the Government of Alberta, Alberta Innovates, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, supporting the development of this novel quantum communication architecture.
