Quantum chip stores multiple photons, advancing scalable memory prospects

A quantum chip has demonstrated the ability to hold multiple photons at once, a step towards scalable quantum memory. Storing photons long enough for slower operations to catch up remains a key challenge.

Phys.org has reported:

A quantum chip can hold multiple photons at once, a development that could help advance scalable quantum memory. Storing quantum information is vital for fragile quantum systems, but remains challenging.

The information travels in particles of light called photons, which may need to be temporarily stored while slower quantum operations catch up. That storage must happen on microchips as small as 1 centimetre (0.4 inches), a distance light crosses in a few trillionths of a second.

Holding photons for a microsecond would represent a major advance in quantum chip capabilities.