English

A hybrid quantum network linking telecom-wavelength atomic and solid-state nodes

Quantum Physics 2026-03-09 v2

Abstract

Photonic links between disparate quantum technologies-such as photon sources, memories, processors, clocks, and sensors-are key to scaling quantum networks and realizing a versatile quantum internet for secure quantum communication, distributed quantum computing, and entanglement-enhanced metrology. In practice, each technology is most suitably implemented on a different quantum platform; the substantial spectral mismatch between them, along with scarce native telecom interfaces, thus poses a major bottleneck to achieving efficient interconnections over long distances. Here we demonstrate the first deployed two-node hybrid network that operates entirely in the telecom C-band. Our approach uses no quantum frequency conversion or external filtering; instead, we develop a neutral atom single photon source and a solid-state rare-earth quantum memory that both operate in previously unexplored telecom regimes with state-of-the-art performance. The source achieves a high single-photon purity at 46 kcps, and the memory a storage efficiency of 10.6% with high multimode capacity. We leverage the intrinsic tunability of both systems to optimize their spectral overlap and demonstrate microsecond-level storage and retrieval with a large time-bandwidth product. Moreover, we showcase real-world networking competencies such as support for multiplexing across 37 temporal modes and preservation of non-classicality over fibers of 10.6 km (metropolitan) and 49.2 km (laboratory). Our work establishes a backbone for telecom-native quantum repeater links and unlocks a path towards high-bandwidth, large-scale quantum networking.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2602.02653,
  title  = {A hybrid quantum network linking telecom-wavelength atomic and solid-state nodes},
  author = {Yuzhou Chai and Dahlia Ghoshal and Nayana P. Tiwari and Alexander Kolar and Benjamin Pingault and Hannes Bernien and Tian Zhong},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2602.02653},
  year   = {2026}
}
R2 v1 2026-07-01T09:32:47.955Z