Pr Project
Quantum communication has spawned much interest in recent years, however most long-distance quantum communication protocols require reliable sources of single photons and quantum memories that store qubits in matter-based internal states and use shared entanglement to overcome the exponential loss in photonic channels. Rare earth ion-doped crystals are promising candidates for ensemble-based quantum memories because they are solid-state systems with narrow optical transitions and seconds-scale coherence times. This long coherence time is critical for any storage system. We employ once such material, Pr3+:Y2SiO5, in our effort to create a quantum memory based on the protocol of Duan et al. That protocol requires a three level Λ-type quantum system with long lived ground states and Raman scattering to move population between them. In addition to a quantum memory this system also lends itself to operation as a deterministic single photon source another highly sought after goal for quantum information applications.