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  • Open Access

Quantum Storage with Flat Bands

Carlo Danieli1, Jie Liu2, Rudolf A. Römer3,*, and Rodrigo A. Vicencio4,5

  • 1Institute for Complex Systems, National Research Council (ISC-CNR), Via dei Taurini 19, 00185 Rome, Italy
  • 2College of Electronic Information and Physics, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
  • 3Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry CV4 7AL, United Kingdom
  • 4Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8370448, Chile
  • 5Millennium Institute for Research in Optics-MIRO, Santiago, Chile

  • *Contact author: r.roemer@warwick.ac.uk
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 066302 – Published 10 February, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/7dfz-n1jh

Abstract

The realization of robust quantum storage devices relies on the ability to generate long-lived, spatially localized states. In this Letter, we introduce a method for the targeted creation of compact excitations in flat-band lattices. By injecting in-plane radiation waves from the system’s edge and applying a localized on-site potential at the desired storage position, we induce hybridization between compact localized states of the flat band and resonant dispersive plane waves. This hybridization enables the formation of spatially compact, stable excitations suitable for quantum memory applications. We experimentally validate this mechanism using photonic waveguide arrays, focusing on two representative geometries: the diamond chain and the one-dimensional Lieb ladder. Our approach is broadly applicable to any platform supporting flat-band physics.

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 066302– Published 10 February, 2026
  • Received 1 August 2025
  • Accepted 23 December 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

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