Chinese scientists uncover a novel way of stopping light in a state that stores information encoded in photons, opening the door to applications in quantum information processing
A team of Chinese physicists has now developed a way to confine light. This is significant because the approach allows quantum memories stored within photons to be retained. These findings stem from a study by Nan Sun from Nanjing University of Posts & Telecommunications, China, and colleagues, which has just been published in EPJ D. The results may herald the advent of a multitude of hybrid, optoelectronic devices relying on the use of quantum information stored in photons for processing information that can be used in communication networks or quantum computing.
Indeed, stopping and storing light for a duration ranging from a few seconds to a few minutes is key for quantum information processing. Unfortunately, certain media induce a loss of coherence of the light, due to effects of the surroundings, which, in turn, affects the integrity of the quantum information stored in photons. This new study focuses on understanding the propagation properties of the electromagnetic wave associated with light to learn how best to stop it.
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