Telecom quantum memory over one microsecond in nanophotonic lithium niobate
Pith reviewed 2026-05-19 18:02 UTC · model grok-4.3
The pith
Erbium-doped thin-film lithium niobate stores single-photon telecom pulses for more than a microsecond.
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
We store single-photon-level telecom-band optical pulses for more than a microsecond using an atomic frequency comb in erbium-doped thin-film lithium niobate, well beyond what is practically feasible via propagation in even the best nanophotonic devices due to propagation losses. We verify the quantum nature of this storage by demonstrating the phase coherence and sub-single-photon noise upon retrieval. We also show the flexibility of our platform by storing up to 20 temporal modes and demonstrating an acceptance bandwidth up to 2.2 GHz. These results establish erbium-doped thin-film lithium niobate as a practical platform for on-chip quantum memory at telecom wavelengths.
What carries the argument
Atomic frequency comb in erbium-doped thin-film lithium niobate, which absorbs and rephases the photons to achieve controlled storage and retrieval of quantum states.
If this is right
- Storing up to 20 temporal modes enables multiplexed quantum information processing on the chip.
- An acceptance bandwidth reaching 2.2 GHz supports high-speed quantum communication protocols.
- The platform overcomes propagation losses that otherwise limit on-chip photonic quantum systems.
- Integration with fiber-optic networks becomes feasible for distributed quantum sensing and computing.
Where Pith is reading between the lines
- The same material platform could be combined with other nanophotonic elements such as sources or detectors to form complete quantum nodes on a single chip.
- Longer storage times might be reachable by optimizing the erbium concentration or comb parameters, approaching requirements for quantum repeaters.
- The demonstrated bandwidth and mode capacity suggest compatibility with time-bin or frequency-bin encoding schemes used in quantum networking experiments.
- Reducing residual noise further could allow storage of entangled photon pairs for applications in distributed quantum computing.
Load-bearing premise
The observed phase coherence and sub-single-photon noise in the retrieved signal are assumed to prove faithful quantum storage without dominant uncharacterized decoherence, loss, or classical noise from the waveguide or material defects.
What would settle it
A retrieval measurement that shows loss of phase coherence or noise levels above the single-photon threshold after one microsecond of storage would falsify the claim of effective quantum memory.
Figures
read the original abstract
Nanophotonic quantum memory is a vital component for scalable quantum information processing for quantum computing, networking, and sensing applications. We store single-photon-level telecom-band optical pulses for more than a microsecond using an atomic frequency comb in erbium-doped thin-film lithium niobate, well beyond what is practically feasible via propagation in even the best nanophotonic devices due to propagation losses. We verify the quantum nature of this storage by demonstrating the phase coherence and sub-single-photon noise upon retrieval. We also show the flexibility of our platform by storing up to 20 temporal modes and demonstrating an acceptance bandwidth up to 2.2 GHz. These results establish erbium-doped thin-film lithium niobate as a practical platform for on-chip quantum memory at telecom wavelengths, a key missing element for photonic quantum computing and quantum networking.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The manuscript reports an experimental demonstration of telecom-band quantum memory in a nanophotonic platform: single-photon-level pulses are stored for >1 µs in an atomic frequency comb (AFC) formed in erbium-doped thin-film lithium niobate waveguides. Quantum character is asserted via measured phase coherence of the retrieved field and noise below one photon; the work also shows storage of up to 20 temporal modes and acceptance bandwidths up to 2.2 GHz, positioning the platform as practical for on-chip quantum networking.
Significance. If the storage is shown to be faithful quantum memory with quantified efficiency and fidelity, the result would be a meaningful step toward integrated telecom quantum memories that exceed propagation-loss limits of nanophotonic waveguides. The combination of thin-film LiNbO3 with erbium doping offers CMOS-compatible fabrication, multi-mode capability, and GHz-scale bandwidth, addressing a recognized missing element for photonic quantum information processing.
major comments (2)
- [Abstract / Results] Abstract and main results: the claim that the retrieved signal constitutes faithful quantum storage rests on phase coherence and sub-single-photon noise, yet these metrics alone do not exclude a substantial classical component or partial decoherence arising from waveguide defects or material inhomogeneity. Input-output efficiency, the second-order correlation function g^{(2)} of the retrieved field, and a direct comparison of storage-time scaling against the waveguide loss length are not reported, leaving open the possibility that the observed signal contains a large non-quantum contribution.
- [Abstract] The assertion that storage exceeds what is feasible by propagation in the best nanophotonic devices is central to the significance claim, but no quantitative loss-length benchmark or propagation-loss measurement in the same device is provided to support the comparison.
minor comments (2)
- [Figures / Methods] Figure captions and methods should explicitly state the number of experimental runs, error bars on efficiency and noise counts, and the precise definition of 'sub-single-photon noise' (e.g., mean photon number per retrieval window).
- [Results] The acceptance bandwidth of 2.2 GHz is stated without showing the spectral shape of the AFC or the input pulse spectrum; a supplementary figure would clarify how the bandwidth was extracted.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for the careful reading and constructive feedback on our manuscript. We address each major comment below, providing clarifications and indicating where revisions will be made to strengthen the presentation of our results.
read point-by-point responses
-
Referee: [Abstract / Results] Abstract and main results: the claim that the retrieved signal constitutes faithful quantum storage rests on phase coherence and sub-single-photon noise, yet these metrics alone do not exclude a substantial classical component or partial decoherence arising from waveguide defects or material inhomogeneity. Input-output efficiency, the second-order correlation function g^{(2)} of the retrieved field, and a direct comparison of storage-time scaling against the waveguide loss length are not reported, leaving open the possibility that the observed signal contains a large non-quantum contribution.
Authors: We appreciate the referee's emphasis on rigorous characterization of quantum memory performance. The preservation of phase coherence over storage times >1 μs, together with retrieved noise below one photon per temporal mode, indicates that the process maintains the quantum character of the input field; a dominant classical contribution would be inconsistent with both the observed coherence and the sub-photon noise level. Nevertheless, to address the concern directly, the revised manuscript will include the measured input-output efficiency of the memory. We have also added a paragraph discussing why a direct g^{(2)} measurement was not performed in the present experiment (limited count rates preclude high-statistics antibunching data) while arguing that the existing metrics already exclude a large classical component. Finally, we have incorporated an explicit comparison of the achieved storage time against the waveguide loss length, using literature values for state-of-the-art LiNbO3 propagation loss to show that an equivalent delay by propagation would incur prohibitive attenuation. revision: partial
-
Referee: [Abstract] The assertion that storage exceeds what is feasible by propagation in the best nanophotonic devices is central to the significance claim, but no quantitative loss-length benchmark or propagation-loss measurement in the same device is provided to support the comparison.
Authors: We agree that a quantitative benchmark is important for the significance statement. In the revised manuscript we have added a dedicated paragraph in the Discussion that estimates the propagation loss length for thin-film lithium niobate waveguides at telecom wavelengths. Using a conservative loss figure of ~0.1 dB/cm, the distance corresponding to 1 μs of propagation delay would produce >100 dB of attenuation, far exceeding the observed retrieval efficiency of our memory. This calculation is now presented alongside the experimental results to support the claim that the demonstrated storage time surpasses what is practically achievable by propagation alone. revision: yes
Circularity Check
No circularity: direct experimental demonstration
full rationale
The paper reports an experimental storage of single-photon-level telecom pulses in an erbium-doped thin-film lithium niobate nanophotonic waveguide using an atomic frequency comb. All central claims rest on measured quantities (storage duration >1 µs, phase coherence, sub-single-photon noise, multimode capacity, and bandwidth) obtained from direct laboratory observations. No mathematical derivation chain, fitted parameters renamed as predictions, or load-bearing self-citations appear in the abstract or described results. The comparison to propagation losses is an external benchmark, not a self-referential reduction. The work is therefore self-contained against external experimental benchmarks.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
axioms (2)
- standard math Atomic frequency comb protocol enables coherent storage and retrieval of optical pulses in rare-earth doped media
- domain assumption Propagation losses in the nanophotonic waveguide exceed the effective storage benefit for times shorter than one microsecond
Lean theorems connected to this paper
-
IndisputableMonolith/Foundation/RealityFromDistinction.leanreality_from_one_distinction unclear?
unclearRelation between the paper passage and the cited Recognition theorem.
The comb finesse... impacts the storage efficiency, η, which should approach the theoretical value η = (OD/F)^2 e^{-7/F^2} e^{-OD/F}
What do these tags mean?
- matches
- The paper's claim is directly supported by a theorem in the formal canon.
- supports
- The theorem supports part of the paper's argument, but the paper may add assumptions or extra steps.
- extends
- The paper goes beyond the formal theorem; the theorem is a base layer rather than the whole result.
- uses
- The paper appears to rely on the theorem as machinery.
- contradicts
- The paper's claim conflicts with a theorem or certificate in the canon.
- unclear
- Pith found a possible connection, but the passage is too broad, indirect, or ambiguous to say the theorem truly supports the claim.
Reference graph
Works this paper leans on
-
[1]
arXiv preprint arXiv:2604.00138 , year=
Quantum memory on a nanophotonic silicon chip , author=. arXiv preprint arXiv:2604.00138 , year=
-
[2]
Efficient integrated quantum memory for light , author=. Nature Photonics , pages=. 2026 , publisher=
work page 2026
-
[3]
Nature communications , volume=
A multiplexed light-matter interface for fibre-based quantum networks , author=. Nature communications , volume=. 2016 , publisher=
work page 2016
-
[4]
Initialization protocol for efficient quantum memories using resolved hyperfine structure , author =. Phys. Rev. Res. , volume =. 2021 , month =. doi:10.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.L032054 , url =
-
[5]
Photon echoes using atomic frequency combs in Pr: YSO—experiment and semiclassical theory , author=. Optics Express , volume=. 2023 , publisher=
work page 2023
-
[6]
Journal of Luminescence , volume=
Optical decoherence and persistent spectral hole burning in Er3+: LiNbO3 , author=. Journal of Luminescence , volume=. 2010 , publisher=
work page 2010
-
[7]
Twenty-nine million intrinsic Q-factor monolithic microresonators on thin-film lithium niobate , author=. Photonics Research , volume=. 2024 , publisher=
work page 2024
-
[8]
A solid-state light--matter interface at the single-photon level , author=. Nature , volume=. 2008 , publisher=
work page 2008
-
[9]
Fidelity of an optical memory based on stimulated photon echoes
Fidelity of an optical memory based on stimulated photon echoes , author=. arXiv preprint quant-ph/0609201 , year=
work page internal anchor Pith review Pith/arXiv arXiv
-
[10]
Physical Review A—Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics , volume=
Multimode quantum memory based on atomic frequency combs , author=. Physical Review A—Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics , volume=. 2009 , publisher=
work page 2009
-
[11]
Nature communications , volume=
Ultra high-Q tunable microring resonators enabled by slow light , author=. Nature communications , volume=. 2025 , publisher=
work page 2025
-
[12]
Deterministic photonic quantum computation in a synthetic time dimension , author=. Optica , volume=. 2021 , publisher=
work page 2021
-
[13]
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , volume=
Universal photonic quantum computation via time-delayed feedback , author=. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , volume=. 2017 , publisher=
work page 2017
-
[14]
Deterministic generation of a two-dimensional cluster state , author=. Science , volume=. 2019 , publisher=
work page 2019
-
[15]
Physical Review Letters , volume=
Efficient In Situ Generation of Photon-Memory Entanglement in a Nonlinear Cavity , author=. Physical Review Letters , volume=. 2025 , publisher=
work page 2025
-
[16]
Integrated photonic platform for rare-earth ions in thin film lithium niobate , author=. Nano letters , volume=. 2019 , publisher=
work page 2019
-
[17]
An atomic frequency comb memory in rare-earth-doped thin-film lithium niobate , author=. ACS Photonics , volume=. 2023 , publisher=
work page 2023
-
[18]
Physical Review Applied , volume=
Er: Li nb o 3 with high optical coherence enabling optical thickness control , author=. Physical Review Applied , volume=. 2022 , publisher=
work page 2022
-
[19]
Cavity electro-optics in thin-film lithium niobate for efficient microwave-to-optical transduction , author=. Optica , volume=. 2020 , publisher=
work page 2020
-
[20]
Advances in Optics and Photonics , volume=
Integrated photonics on thin-film lithium niobate , author=. Advances in Optics and Photonics , volume=. 2021 , publisher=
work page 2021
-
[21]
Monolithic ultra-high-Q lithium niobate microring resonator , author=. Optica , volume=. 2017 , publisher=
work page 2017
-
[22]
Nanophotonic rare-earth quantum memory with optically controlled retrieval , author=. Science , volume=. 2017 , publisher=
work page 2017
-
[23]
Physical Review Applied , volume=
Nanophotonic quantum storage at telecommunication wavelength , author=. Physical Review Applied , volume=. 2019 , publisher=
work page 2019
-
[24]
Physical review letters , volume=
Narrow optical linewidths in stoichiometric layered rare-earth crystals , author=. Physical review letters , volume=. 2025 , publisher=
work page 2025
-
[25]
Physical review letters , volume=
Telecommunication-wavelength solid-state memory at the single photon level , author=. Physical review letters , volume=. 2010 , publisher=
work page 2010
-
[26]
Cavity-enhanced narrowband spectral filters using rare-earth ions doped in thin-film lithium niobate , author=. npj Nanophotonics , volume=. 2024 , publisher=
work page 2024
-
[27]
Nature Communications , volume=
Controlling single rare earth ion emission in an electro-optical nanocavity , author=. Nature Communications , volume=. 2023 , publisher=
work page 2023
-
[28]
Nature communications , volume=
High-yield, wafer-scale fabrication of ultralow-loss, dispersion-engineered silicon nitride photonic circuits , author=. Nature communications , volume=. 2021 , publisher=
work page 2021
-
[29]
On-chip second-harmonic generation and broadband parametric down-conversion in a lithium niobate microresonator , author=. Optics express , volume=. 2017 , publisher=
work page 2017
-
[30]
Loophole-free Bell inequality violation using electron spins separated by 1.3 kilometres , author=. Nature , volume=. 2015 , publisher=
work page 2015
-
[31]
Wafer-scale low-loss lithium niobate photonic integrated circuits , author=. Optics Express , volume=. 2020 , publisher=
work page 2020
-
[32]
Physical Review Applied , volume=
Raman storage of quasideterministic single photons generated by Rydberg collective excitations in a low-noise quantum memory , author=. Physical Review Applied , volume=. 2022 , publisher=
work page 2022
-
[33]
Optical quantum memory , author=. Nature photonics , volume=. 2009 , publisher=
work page 2009
-
[34]
Physical review letters , volume=
Efficient quantum memory using a weakly absorbing sample , author=. Physical review letters , volume=. 2013 , publisher=
work page 2013
-
[35]
Physical Review A—Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics , volume=
Impedance-matched cavity quantum memory , author=. Physical Review A—Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics , volume=. 2010 , publisher=
work page 2010
-
[36]
Electronically programmable photonic molecule , author=. Nature Photonics , volume=. 2019 , publisher=
work page 2019
-
[37]
Quantum Computing, Communication, and Simulation IV , volume=
All-optical quantum memory , author=. Quantum Computing, Communication, and Simulation IV , volume=. 2024 , organization=
work page 2024
-
[38]
Quantum Science and Technology , volume=
Frequency-bin entanglement of ultra-narrow band non-degenerate photon pairs , author=. Quantum Science and Technology , volume=. 2018 , publisher=
work page 2018
-
[39]
Physical review letters , volume=
Quantum storage of frequency-multiplexed heralded single photons , author=. Physical review letters , volume=. 2019 , publisher=
work page 2019
-
[40]
Telecom-band--integrated multimode photonic quantum memory , author=. Science Advances , volume=. 2023 , publisher=
work page 2023
-
[41]
Broadband waveguide quantum memory for entangled photons , author=. Nature , volume=. 2011 , publisher=
work page 2011
-
[42]
Kimble, H. J. , title =. Nature , volume =. 2008 , doi =
work page 2008
-
[43]
Wehner, Stephanie and Elkouss, David and Hanson, Ronald , title =. Science , volume =. 2018 , doi =
work page 2018
-
[44]
Degen, C. L. and Reinhard, F. and Cappellaro, P. , title =. Reviews of Modern Physics , volume =. 2017 , doi =
work page 2017
-
[45]
O'Brien, Jeremy L. and Furusawa, Akira and Vu. Photonic quantum technologies , journal =. 2009 , doi =
work page 2009
-
[46]
Photonic quantum information processing: a review , journal =
Flamini, Fulvio and Spagnolo, Nicol. Photonic quantum information processing: a review , journal =. 2019 , doi =
work page 2019
-
[47]
Monroe, C. and Raussendorf, R. and Ruthven, A. and Brown, K. R. and Maunz, P. and Duan, L.-M. and Kim, J. , title =. Physical Review A , volume =. 2014 , doi =
work page 2014
-
[48]
Pompili, M. and Hermans, S. L. N. and Baier, S. and others , title =. Science , volume =. 2021 , doi =
work page 2021
-
[49]
and Seri, Alessandro and de Riedmatten, Hugues , title =
Lago-Rivera, Dario and Grandi, Samuele and Rakonjac, Joe V. and Seri, Alessandro and de Riedmatten, Hugues , title =. Nature , volume =. 2021 , doi =
work page 2021
-
[50]
Physical Review Letters , volume =
Hsiao, Yu-Fang and Tsai, Pin-Ju and Chen, Hung-Shiue and others , title =. Physical Review Letters , volume =. 2018 , doi =
work page 2018
-
[51]
A quantum memory at telecom wavelengths , journal =
Wallucks, Andreas and Marinkovi. A quantum memory at telecom wavelengths , journal =. 2020 , doi =
work page 2020
-
[52]
Mirhosseini, Mohammad and Sipahigil, Alp and Kalaee, Mahmoud and Painter, Oskar , title =. Nature , volume =. 2020 , doi =
work page 2020
- [53]
-
[54]
Advances in Optics and Photonics , volume =
Zhu, Duanchen and Shao, Linbo and Yu, Mengjie and others , title =. Advances in Optics and Photonics , volume =. 2021 , doi =
work page 2021
-
[55]
Wang, Cheng and Zhang, Mian and Chen, Xi and others , title =. Nature , volume =. 2018 , doi =
work page 2018
-
[56]
Lvovsky, Alexander I. and Sanders, Barry C. and Tittel, Wolfgang , title =. Nature Photonics , volume =. 2009 , doi =
work page 2009
-
[57]
Afzelius, Mikael and Simon, Christoph and de Riedmatten, Hugues and Gisin, Nicolas , title =. Physical Review A , volume =. 2009 , doi =
work page 2009
-
[58]
Physical review letters , volume=
High quality entangled photon pair generation in periodically poled thin-film lithium niobate waveguides , author=. Physical review letters , volume=. 2020 , publisher=
work page 2020
-
[59]
Coherence time of over a second in a telecom-compatible quantum memory storage material , journal =
Ran. Coherence time of over a second in a telecom-compatible quantum memory storage material , journal =. 2018 , doi =
work page 2018
-
[60]
Ourari, Salim and Dusanowski, Lukasz and Horvath, Sebastian P. and others , title =. Nature , volume =. 2023 , doi =
work page 2023
-
[61]
Nature Reviews Physics , volume=
Integrated electro-optics on thin-film lithium niobate , author=. Nature Reviews Physics , volume=. 2025 , publisher=
work page 2025
-
[62]
Progress in Quantum Electronics , pages=
Integrated Quantum Photonics on Thin-Film Lithium Niobate , author=. Progress in Quantum Electronics , pages=. 2026 , publisher=
work page 2026
-
[63]
Chen, Yu-Ao and Zhang, Qiang and Chen, Teng-Yun and others , title =. Nature , volume =. 2021 , doi =
work page 2021
-
[64]
Yin, Juan and Li, Yu-Huai and Liao, Sheng-Kai and others , title =. Nature , volume =. 2020 , doi =
work page 2020
-
[65]
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , volume =
Wengerowsky, Sören and Joshi, Siddarth Koduru and Steinlechner, Fabian and others , title =. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , volume =. 2019 , doi =
work page 2019
-
[66]
Reviews of Modern Physics , volume =
Sangouard, Nicolas and Simon, Christoph and de Riedmatten, Hugues and Gisin, Nicolas , title =. Reviews of Modern Physics , volume =. 2011 , doi =
work page 2011
-
[67]
Yin, Juan and Cao, Yuan and Li, Yu-Huai and others , title =. Science , volume =. 2017 , doi =
work page 2017
-
[68]
Liao, Sheng-Kai and Cai, Wen-Qi and Liu, Wei-Yue and others , title =. Nature , volume =. 2017 , doi =
work page 2017
-
[69]
Chen, Yu-Ao and Zhang, Qiang and Chen, Teng-Yun and others , title =. Nature , volume =. 2022 , doi =
work page 2022
-
[70]
Arute, Frank and Arya, Kunal and Babbush, Ryan and others , title =. Nature , volume =. 2019 , doi =
work page 2019
-
[71]
Kim, Youngseok and Eddins, Andrew and Anand, Sajant and others , title =. Nature , volume =. 2023 , doi =
work page 2023
-
[72]
Bluvstein, Dolev and Evered, Simon J. and Geim, Alexandra A. and others , title =. Nature , volume =. 2023 , doi =
work page 2023
-
[73]
and Chiaverini, John and McConnell, Robert and Sage, Jeremy M
Bruzewicz, Colin D. and Chiaverini, John and McConnell, Robert and Sage, Jeremy M. , title =. Applied Physics Reviews , volume =. 2019 , doi =
work page 2019
-
[74]
Storage of telecom-band time-bin qubits in thin-film lithium niobate , author =. 2025 , eprint =
work page 2025
discussion (0)
Sign in with ORCID, Apple, or X to comment. Anyone can read and Pith papers without signing in.