Scientists at MIT have broken the ice in their attempt to construct atomic quantum memory. This quantum memory is capable of detecting a photon polarization (”polarization quantum bit”), producing an acknowledgment signal for successful storage of information and emitting a photon with the same polarization as absorbed, whenever a “Read” instruction is detected by the system.
Quantum photonics had earlier witnessed the tip of the iceberg with quantum processors and precise control of four photons on a silicon chip (quantum processor). So, taking quantum photonics to another level, quantum information can now be stored in this quantum memory, which was not possible earlier.
The Heisenberg principle was a big hurdle in this quantum memory project, due to which any attempt to read data erased the data itself. To overcome this problem, MIT scientists generated a signal that allowed successful storage of the polarization of a light beam in a cold atom gas. This system was so designed that such beam didn’t delete the data being read.
The complete process of storage requires detection and storage of a photon with polarization intact. The information is stored in two groups of 8000 cesium atoms each, at -273.15 °C. When a “Write beam” is incident on two magnons, each one absorbs a single specific type of polarization and later emits this information, a photon with the same polarization, when a “Read pulse” is fired over them.
The reliability of this system at present is 90%, but it can be improved further by repeating the process over and over again, with the most recurring value as the final result. Its applications are far-fetched but it is a great leap toward developing the “Quantum Internet.”
Via: Gizmag
