Research Team Boosts Photonic Quantum Memory Efficiency 85%

(AsiaTimes) A joint research team of the Guangzhou-based South China Normal University and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)has set a new record of photonic quantum memory efficiency, with experts claiming that their breakthrough would bring quantum computing one step closer to reality.
Physicists and computer scientists at the two universities have found a novel method to boost the efficiency to over 85%, by trapping billions of rubidium atoms into a hair-like tiny space, where these atoms would be cooled down to nearly absolute zero (minus-273.15 degrees Celsius) using lasers and magnetic fields.
They managed to code a flying qubit on to the polarization of a single photon and store it into the laser-cooled atoms, and although the quantum memory demonstrated in the experiment was only for one qubit operation, it could still open the possibility for further research into emerging quantum technology as well as quantum supremacy.