A high-performance quantum memory for quantum interconnects

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 bits of quantum information over a 1000-km repeater link in one minute, highlighting a practical pathway toward scalable quantum interconnects and quantum networks.

7+8 pages, 4+5 figures. Comments are welcome

arXiv:2603.01156 [quant-ph]

(or arXiv:2603.01156v2 [quant-ph] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2603.01156 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite

Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 070802 (2026)

https://doi.org/10.1103/k35f-7k9s Focus to learn more DOI(s) linking to related resources

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