Solid-state light-matter interfaces on the quantum test bench

Abstract

Solid-state light-matter interfaces based on crystals doped with rare-earth ions have shown great progress in recent years, heading towards quantum technology applications. In this thesis we present three experiments testing the suitability of an atomic frequency comb light-matter interface, implemented in an Nd:YSO crystal, for the storage of quantum information. A dedicated source of entangled photons has been developed, and the storage and retrieval of quantum correlations and entanglement been studied. We show the successful transfer of photonic entanglement to the crystal, and the generation of a matter-matter entangled state between two crystals. These are two of the main steps in a quantum repeater protocol. We also demonstrate faithful storage and retrieval of quantum information encoded in the polarization of heralded single photons. These experiments prove the strong potential of solid-state light-matter interfaces based on atomic frequency combs for quantum communication.