Ultracold quantum memories

量子技术已经证明了在通信、计量和计算方面进行巨大技术改进的潜力。虽然有各种各样的方法来利用量子技术，光子技术-那些基于光编码信息的技术-是一个令人兴奋的范例。光子可以在复杂的自由空间或光纤网络中传输，具有最小的退相干。这是因为它们与其他场或粒子的相互作用很弱。虽然这是一个理想的特性，但它也成为一个技术挑战，因为这导致了量子信息处理对概率协议的需求。近几十年来，激光科学和原子物理学的连续进步使得在原子蒸气中存储然后按需检索光子信息成为可能，因此从概率协议过渡到确定性协议。这被称为光子量子存储器。这种技术中的一个重要限制因素是由于存储光子信息的原子的运动，导致存储器寿命的减少。虽然超冷原子系统中的长寿命量子存储器以前已经被证明，但到目前为止，这些都只是实验室演示，而不是商业上可行的。这项可行性研究的目标是利用ColdQuanta的超冷原子技术，使用激光冷却原子构建光子量子存储器，在商业可扩展的平台上展示最先进的存储器寿命。在未来十年，我们预计基于这些技术的设备将作为大型量子计算网络的关键组件而广泛应用。

Quantum technologies have demonstrated the potential for vast technological improvements in communication, metrology, and computation. Although there are a variety of ways to leverage quantum technologies, photonic technologies -- those which are based upon encoding information in light -- are an exciting paradigm. Photons can be transmitted over complex free-space or fibre networks with minimal decoherence. This is due to their weak interaction with other fields or particles. Although this is a desirable feature, it also becomes a technical challenge as this leads to the requirement of probabilistic protocols for quantum information processing.Over recent decades, successive advances in laser science and atomic physics have made it possible to store and then retrieve, on demand, photonic information in an atomic vapour, therefore transitioning from probabilistic to deterministic protocols. This is named a photonic quantum memory. A substantial limiting factor in this technology is due to the motion of the atoms in which the photonic information is stored, leading to a reduction in memory lifetime. While long-lifetime quantum memories in ultracold-atom systems have previously been demonstrated, to date, these have only been laboratory demonstrations, and not commercially viable. The goal of this feasibility study is to leverage ColdQuanta's ultracold-atom technology to build a photonic quantum memory using laser-cooled atoms, showcasing state-of-the-art memory lifetime in a commercially scalable platform. In the coming decade, we anticipate devices built upon these techniques to become widespread as key components of vast quantum computing networks.