Light Storage of trapped-ion-entangled-photon in warm neutral atom atomic vapor using EIT

The ability to interface different quantum systems is a necessary prerequisite for establishing quantum networks [1-4]. Trapped ions are a leading candidate for quantum nodes due to long trapping and coherence lifetimes, on-site processing capabilities, and entangled photon production [5]. A Ba+ ion qubit emits 493 nm polarization-entangled photons that can be frequency converted to 780 nm while preserving entanglement for storage in rubidium [6]. Previously, we demonstrated delays of 13.5 ns generated by quantum frequency conversion in a warm atomic vapor cell using a single-beam path [6-7]. Here, we outline an approach to obtain greater than a 100-fold improvement via electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), whereby we can couple the signal mode to a dark state, effectively extending storage time in a warm atomic vapor [8]. This work would constitute the first EIT interfacing between trapped-ion-entangled-photons and neutral atoms, laying the foundation for future work with ion-neutral atom hybrid photonic interactions.

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