Light passes through the crystal in the quantum memory experiment. Photo: ANU
An ANU-led team has developed the most efficient quantum memory for light in the world, taking us closer to a future of super-fast computers and communication secured by the laws of physics. The team at the ANU Research School of Physics and Engineering used a technique they pioneered to stop and control light from a laser, manipulating electrons in a crystal cooled to a chilly -270 degrees Celcius. The unprecedented efficiency and accuracy of the system allows the delicate quantum nature of the light to be stored, manipulated, and recalled. 'Light entering the crystal is slowed all the way to a stop, where it remains until we let it go again,' explains lead researcher Morgan Hedges. ?When we do let it go, we get out essentially everything that went in as a three-dimensional hologram, accurate right down to the last photon. ?Because of the inherent uncertainty in quantum mechanics, some of the information in this light will be lost the moment it is measured, making it a read-once hologram. Quantum mechanics guarantees this information can only be read once, making it perfect for secure communication.
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