title: Scalable photonic network architecture based on motional averaging in room temperature gas.
abstract: Quantum interfaces between photons and atomic ensembles have emerged as powerful tools for quantum technologies. Efficient storage and retrieval of single photons requires long-lived collective atomic states, which is typically achieved with immobilized atoms. Thermal atomic vapours, which present a simple and scalable resource, have only been used for continuous variable processing or for discrete variable processing on short timescales where atomic motion is negligible. Here we develop a theory based on motional averaging to enable room temperature discrete variable quantum memories and coherent single-photon sources. We demonstrate the feasibility of this approach to scalable quantum memories with a proof-of-principle experiment with room temperature atoms contained in microcells with spin-protecting coating, placed inside an optical cavity. The experimental conditions correspond to a few photons per pulse and a long coherence time of the forward scattered photons is demonstrated, which is the essential feature of the motional averaging.
authors.affiliation: The Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 17, Copenhagen Ø DK-2100, Denmark.|Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Borregaard
authors.affiliation: The Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 17, Copenhagen Ø DK-2100, Denmark.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zugenmaier
authors.affiliation: The Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 17, Copenhagen Ø DK-2100, Denmark.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.affiliation: The Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 17, Copenhagen Ø DK-2100, Denmark.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: The Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 17, Copenhagen Ø DK-2100, Denmark.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vasilakis
authors.affiliation: The Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 17, Copenhagen Ø DK-2100, Denmark.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.affiliation: The Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 17, Copenhagen Ø DK-2100, Denmark.
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Polzik
authors.affiliation: The Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 17, Copenhagen Ø DK-2100, Denmark.
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Sørensen