Project description
A scalable approach to extending quantum memory storage
Memories that can reliably store and retrieve photon quantum states are essential for building a secure large-scale quantum internet. Hot-vapour quantum memories are currently the most practical choice for real-world integration. However, atomic collisions quickly destroy their stored information, limiting data storage to a mere millisecond. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the MASQ project plans to develop a room-temperature caesium atom memory that extends storage times to around a second. The proposed system will shelter photons inside a special microwave cavity and employ a spin-exchange relaxation-free technique, thereby shielding the fragile quantum data from destructive collisions. This innovative hardware will be scalable and easily integrated, providing the backbone for secure quantum communication networks.
Objective
With the unique ability to store and retrieve quantum states of photons, Quantum memories (QM) play a pivotal role in quantum information, computation and establishment of large-scale quantum communication networks (QCN). Due to the decoherence brought on by atomic collisions, current hot-vapour QMs only provides millisecond coherence times and is inefficient for building a large QCN. A unique alkali-atom-based optical QM, the 'microwave-assisted single photon quantum memory (MASQ)', which maintains the photon's state for around a second, is proposed to address this. The innovative approach combines the coherent magnetic dipole transition and spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) technique in a particular Zeeman manifold of Caesium atoms, which provides immunity to the decoherence caused by the dominant pair-wise spin-exchange collisional process. Another noteworthy feature of the proposed QM is its ability to store single and entangled photons. The first objective is to build a high-quality-factor 9.19 GHz cavity to create the magnetic dipole transition in the spin states of Cs, followed by constructing an all-optical Λ-QM for storing single and entangled photons. Finally, by employing cavity-mediated coherent drive, the atoms from the Λ-configuration will be shelved to the decoherence-free Zeeman states, where SERF techniques will be implemented. The scientific innovation will take place under the guidance of Prof. Oliver Benson at Humboldt Universität zu Berlin and in a secondment under Prof. Janik Wolters at the start-up AQLS, Berlin. The room-temperature memory is scalable and integrable and supports the European Quantum Communication Infrastructure's goal of creating a secure QC network across Europe.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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10117 Berlin
Germany
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