- Physical Review Journals
All JournalsPhysics Magazine

Physical Review Letters

Reuse & Permissions

It is not necessary to obtain permission to reuse this article or its components as it is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI are maintained. Please note that some figures may have been included with permission from other third parties. It is your responsibility to obtain the proper permission from the rights holder directly for these figures.

Export citation

Export citation

Choose format for download:

Download Citation
  • Featured in Physics
  • Editors' Suggestion
  • Open Access

Long-Lived Telecom-Heralded Single-Photon Storage in an Absorptive Spin-Rephased Quantum Memory

Alberto E. Rodríguez-Moldes1,*, Félicien Appas1,*,†,‡, Jonathan Hänni1, Jelena V. Rakonjac1, Samuele Grandi1,§, and Hugues de Riedmatten1,2

  • *These authors contributed equally to this work.
  • †Contact author: felicien.appas@insa-rennes.fr
  • ‡Present address: Université de Rennes, INSA Rennes, CNRS, Institut FOTON-UMR 6082, F-35000 Rennes, France.
  • §Present address: Arq Quantum Technologies, Barcelona 08042 Spain.
PDF

Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 120803 – Published 16 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/ftkb-pkvp

Abstract

Long-lived storage of single photons under the form of atomic excitations is at the foundation of long-distance entanglement distribution in quantum networks. To mitigate decoherence effects induced by the environment, rephasing of the hyperfine coherences using microwave pulses have been implemented in a variety of single-emitter and ensemble-based solid-state systems. However, the demonstration of storage of single photons in an absorptive quantum memory including such a spin-rephasing mechanism remains elusive. In this Letter, we show nonclassical storage of telecom-heralded single photons in a Pr3+:Y2SiO5 rare-earth ion doped crystal quantum memory using the atomic frequency comb spin-wave protocol combined with a XY4 spin-rephasing sequence. Long-lived atomic frequency comb photon echoes are first observed in the classical regime for storage times of up to approximately 3 ms. We then demonstrate nonclassical correlations between heralding photons and stored signal photons generated by a cavity-enhanced parametric photon-pair source for storage times of up to 180  μs and with measured cross-correlation values as high as 4.6(4). Together with the capacity of Pr3+:Y2SiO5 quantum memories to support highly efficient and multiplexed storage, this result represents a significant step toward scalable long-distance quantum repeater links.

View figure in article

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

synopsis

How to Synchronize a Long-Distance Quantum Network

Published 16 September, 2026

Researchers demonstrate a new quantum memory device that will enable faraway nodes in a network to coordinate in time, a key ingredient for a future quantum Internet.

See more in Physics

Article Text

References (53)

  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. 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).
  4. 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).
  5. A. J. Stolk et al., Metropolitan-scale heralded entanglement of solid-state qubits, Sci. Adv. 10, eadp6442 (2024).
  6. 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, N. Sinclair, C. De-Eknamkul, D. S. Levonian, M. K. Bhaskar, H. Park, M. Lončar, and M. D. Lukin, Entanglement of nanophotonic quantum memory nodes in a telecom network, Nature (London) 629, 573 (2024).
  7. V. Krutyanskiy, M. Galli, V. Krcmarsky, S. Baier, D. A. Fioretto, Y. Pu, A. Mazloom, P. Sekatski, M. Canteri, M. Teller, J. Schupp, J. Bate, M. Meraner, N. Sangouard, B. P. Lanyon, and T. E. Northup, Entanglement of trapped-ion qubits separated by 230 meters, Phys. Rev. Lett. 130, 050803 (2023).
  8. T. van Leent, M. Bock, F. Fertig, R. Garthoff, S. Eppelt, Y. Zhou, P. Malik, M. Seubert, T. Bauer, W. Rosenfeld, W. Zhang, C. Becher, and H. Weinfurter, Entangling single atoms over 33 km telecom fibre, Nature (London) 607, 69 (2022).
  9. J.-L. Liu, X.-Y. Luo, Y. Yu, C.-Y. Wang, B. Wang, Y. Hu, J. Li, M.-Y. Zheng, B. Yao, Z. Yan, D. Teng, J.-W. Jiang, X.-B. Liu, X.-P. Xie, J. Zhang, Q.-H. Mao, X. Jiang, Q. Zhang, X.-H. Bao, and J.-W. Pan, Creation of memory–memory entanglement in a metropolitan quantum network, Nature (London) 629, 579 (2024).
  10. 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).
  11. 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).
  12. M. Businger, L. Nicolas, T. S. Mejia, A. Ferrier, P. Goldner, and M. Afzelius, Non-classical correlations over 1250 modes between telecom photons and 979-nm photons stored in Yb3+171:Y2SiO5, Nat. Commun. 13, 6438 (2022).
  13. A. Ortu, J. V. Rakonjac, A. Holzäpfel, A. Seri, S. Grandi, M. Mazzera, H. de Riedmatten, and M. Afzelius, Multimode capacity of atomic-frequency comb quantum memories, Quantum Sci. Technol. 7, 035024 (2022).
  14. 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).
  15. Z. Li, Y. Lei, T. Kling, and M. Hosseini, Efficient storage of multidimensional telecom photons in a solid-state quantum memory, Optica Quantum 3, 295 (2025).
  16. Z.-W. Ou, T.-X. Zhu, P.-J. Liang, X.-M. Hu, Z.-Q. Zhou, C.-F. Li, and G.-C. Guo, Multichannel and high dimensional integrated photonic quantum memory, arXiv:2508.19605.
  17. L. Feldmann, S. Wengerowsky, A. Das, S. Duranti, J. Hänni, S. Grandi, and H. de Riedmatten, Cavity-enhanced spin-wave solid-state quantum memory, Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 120801 (2025).
  18. J. Hänni, A. E. Rodríguez-Moldes, F. Appas, S. Wengerowsky, D. Lago-Rivera, M. Teller, S. Grandi, and H. de Riedmatten, Heralded entanglement of on-demand spin-wave solid-state quantum memories for multiplexed quantum network links, Phys. Rev. X 15, 041003 (2025).
  19. Z.-Q. Zhou, C. Liu, C.-F. Li, G.-C. Guo, D. Oblak, M. Lei, A. Faraon, M. Mazzera, and H. De Riedmatten, Photonic integrated quantum memory in rare-Earth doped solids, Laser Photonics Rev. 17, 2300257 (2023).
  20. I. Craiciu, M. Lei, J. Rochman, J. G. Bartholomew, and A. Faraon, Multifunctional on-chip storage at telecommunication wavelength for quantum networks, Optica 8, 114 (2021).
  21. J. V. Rakonjac, G. Corrielli, D. Lago-Rivera, A. Seri, M. Mazzera, S. Grandi, R. Osellame, and H. de Riedmatten, Storage and analysis of light-matter entanglement in a fiber-integrated system, Sci. Adv. 8, eabn3919 (2022).
  22. Y.-P. Liu, Z.-W. Ou, T.-X. Zhu, M.-X. Su, C. Liu, Y.-J. Han, Z.-Q. Zhou, C.-F. Li, and G.-C. Guo, A millisecond integrated quantum memory for photonic qubits, Sci. Adv. 11, eadu5264 (2025).
  23. L. Viola, E. Knill, and S. Lloyd, Dynamical decoupling of open quantum systems, Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 2417 (1999).
  24. E. Fraval, M. J. Sellars, and J. J. Longdell, Dynamic decoherence control of a solid-state nuclear quadrupole qubit, Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 030506 (2005).
  25. M. F. Pascual-Winter, R.-C. Tongning, T. Chanelière, and J.-L. Le Gouët, Spin coherence lifetime extension in Tm3+:YAG through dynamical decoupling, Phys. Rev. B 86, 184301 (2012).
  26. M. Zhong, M. P. Hedges, R. L. Ahlefeldt, J. G. Bartholomew, S. E. Beavan, S. M. Wittig, J. J. Longdell, and M. J. Sellars, Optically addressable nuclear spins in a solid with a six-hour coherence time, Nature (London) 517, 177 (2015).
  27. M. Rančić, M. P. Hedges, R. L. Ahlefeldt, and M. J. Sellars, Coherence time of over a second in a telecom-compatible quantum memory storage material, Nat. Phys. 14, 50 (2018).
  28. 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).
  29. M. Hain, N. Stewen, and T. Halfmann, Light storage by electromagnetically induced transparency for one second at the level of a single photon in Pr3+:Y2SiO5 prepared with multiple frequency ensembles, New J. Phys. 27, 023029 (2025).
  30. Y.-C. Lv, Y.-J. Zhu, Z.-Q. Zhou, C.-F. Li, and G.-C. Guo, Minute-scale photonic quantum memory, arXiv:2511.12537.
  31. C. Laplane, P. Jobez, J. Etesse, N. Gisin, and M. Afzelius, Multimode and long-lived quantum correlations between photons and spins in a crystal, Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 210501 (2017).
  32. M. Afzelius, C. Simon, H. de Riedmatten, and N. Gisin, Multimode quantum memory based on atomic frequency combs, Phys. Rev. A 79, 052329 (2009).
  33. P. Jobez, N. Timoney, C. Laplane, J. Etesse, A. Ferrier, P. Goldner, N. Gisin, and M. Afzelius, Towards highly multimode optical quantum memory for quantum repeaters, Phys. Rev. A 93, 032327 (2016).
  34. J. V. Rakonjac, D. Lago-Rivera, A. Seri, M. Mazzera, S. Grandi, and H. de Riedmatten, Entanglement between a telecom photon and an on-demand multimode solid-state quantum memory, Phys. Rev. Lett. 127, 210502 (2021).
  35. B. S. Ham, M. S. Shahriar, M. K. Kim, and P. R. Hemmer, Frequency-selective time-domain optical data storage by electromagnetically induced transparency in a rare-earth-doped solid, Opt. Lett. 22, 1849 (1997).
  36. C. Pignol, A. Ortu, L. Nicolas, V. D’Auria, S. Tanzilli, T. Chanelière, M. Afzelius, and J. Etesse, Decoherence induced by dipole-dipole couplings between atomic species in rare earth ion doped Y2SiO5, Phys. Rev. B 110, 214208 (2024).
  37. G. Heinze, S. Mieth, and T. Halfmann, Control of dark-state polariton collapses in a doped crystal, Phys. Rev. A 84, 013827 (2011).
  38. L. Nicolas, M. Businger, T. Sanchez Mejia, A. Tiranov, T. Chanelière, E. Lafitte-Houssat, A. Ferrier, P. Goldner, and M. Afzelius, Coherent optical-microwave interface for manipulation of low-field electronic clock transitions in Yb3+171:Y2SiO5, npj Quantum Inf. 9, 21 (2023).
  39. A. M. Souza, G. A. Alvarez, and D. Suter, Robust dynamical decoupling for quantum computing and quantum memory, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 240501 (2011).
  40. P. Jobez, C. Laplane, N. Timoney, N. Gisin, A. Ferrier, P. Goldner, and M. Afzelius, Coherent spin control at the quantum level in an ensemble-based optical memory, Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 230502 (2015).
  41. E. Z. Cruzeiro, F. Fröwis, N. Timoney, and M. Afzelius, Noise in optical quantum memories based on dynamical decoupling of spin states, J. Mod. Opt. 63, 2101 (2016).
  42. J. Etesse, A. Holzäpfel, A. Ortu, and M. Afzelius, Optical and spin manipulation of non-Kramers rare-earth ions in a weak magnetic field for quantum memory applications, Phys. Rev. A 103, 022618 (2021).
  43. J. Fekete, D. Rieländer, M. Cristiani, and H. de Riedmatten, Ultranarrow-band photon-pair source compatible with solid state quantum memories and telecommunication networks, Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 220502 (2013).
  44. S. Fasel, O. Alibart, S. Tanzilli, P. Baldi, A. Beveratos, N. Gisin, and H. Zbinden, High-quality asynchronous heralded single-photon source at telecom wavelength, New J. Phys. 6, 163 (2004).
  45. R. Loudon, The Quantum Theory of Light, 3rd ed. (Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, 2006).
  46. L. Heller, J. Lowinski, K. Theophilo, A. Padrón-Brito, and H. De Riedmatten, Raman storage of quasideterministic single photons generated by Rydberg collective excitations in a low-noise quantum memory, Phys. Rev. Appl. 18, 024036 (2022).
  47. P. Jobez, Stockage multimode au niveau quantique pendant une milliseconde, Ph.D. thesis, Université de Genève, 2015.
  48. A. Ortu, A. Holzäpfel, J. Etesse, and M. Afzelius, Storage of photonic time-bin qubits for up to 20 ms in a rare-earth doped crystal, npj Quantum Inf. 8, 29 (2022).
  49. J. V. Rakonjac, S. Grandi, S. Wengerowsky, D. Lago-Rivera, F. Appas, and H. De Riedmatten, Transmission of light–matter entanglement over a metropolitan network, Optica Quantum 1, 94 (2023).
  50. X. Liu, X.-M. Hu, T.-X. Zhu, C. Zhang, Y.-X. Xiao, J.-L. Miao, Z.-W. Ou, P.-Y. Li, B.-H. Liu, Z.-Q. Zhou, C.-F. Li, and G.-C. Guo, Nonlocal photonic quantum gates over 7.0 km, Nat. Commun. 15, 8529 (2024).
  51. F. Appas, A. E. Rodríguez-Moldes Sebastián, J. Hänni, J. Rakonjac, S. Grandi, and H. de Riedmatten, Dataset from Long-lived telecom-heralded single-photon storage in an absorptive spin-rephased quantum memory [Dataset], Zenodo (2026), 10.5281/zenodo.21532904.
  52. A. Holzäpfel, J. Etesse, K. T. Kaczmarek, A. Tiranov, N. Gisin, and M. Afzelius, Optical storage for 0.53 s in a solid-state atomic frequency comb memory using dynamical decoupling, New J. Phys. 22, 063009 (2020).
  53. J. J. Longdell, A. L. Alexander, and M. J. Sellars, Characterization of the hyperfine interaction in europium-doped yttrium orthosilicate and europium chloride hexahydrate, Phys. Rev. B 74, 195101 (2006).

Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 120803– Published 16 September, 2026
  • Received 6 February 2026
  • Accepted 23 July 2026
Crossmark - Check for updates button
Creative Commons Logo

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.

Published by the American Physical Society

Sign In to Your Journals Account

Filter

Filter

Article Lookup

Enter a citation