%0 Journal Article
%T Coherent storage and manipulation of broadband photons via dynamically controlled Autler¨CTownes splitting
%J -
%D 2018
%R https://doi.org/10.1038/s41566-018-0279-0
%X Photonic quantum information technologies rely on quantum memory for long-lived storage and coherent manipulation of short pulses of non-classical light. The optical quantum memories explored over the past two decades are based on various coherent light¨Cmatter interaction schemes, but despite impressive progress, practical memories featuring efficient, broadband and long-lived operation remain elusive, due to the technical demands and inherent limitations of the established schemes. Here, we introduce a technique for high-speed quantum memory and manipulation that overcomes these obstacles. This scheme relies on dynamically controlled absorption of light via the ¡®Autler¨CTownes effect¡¯, which mediates reversible transfer between photonic coherence and the collective ground-state coherence of the storage medium. We experimentally demonstrate proof-of-concept storage and signal processing capabilities of our protocol in a laser-cooled gas of rubidium atoms, including storage of nanoseconds-long single-photon-level laser pulses for up to a microsecond. This approach opens up new avenues in quantum optics, with immediate applications on atomic and solid-state platforms
%U https://www.nature.com/articles/s41566-018-0279-0