Optical quantum memories, which store and preserve the quantum state of photons, rely on a coherent mapping of the photonic state onto matter states that are optically accessible. Here we outline and characterize schemes to map the state of photons onto long-lived but optically-inaccessible collective states of noble-gas spins. The mapping employs coherent spin-exchange interaction arising from random collisions with alkali vapor. We propose efficient storage strategies in two operating regimes and analyze their performance for several proposed experimental configurations.
@article{arxiv.2007.10177,
title = {Optical quantum memory for noble-gas spins based on spin-exchange collisions},
author = {Or Katz and Roy Shaham and Eran Reches and Alexey V. Gorshkov and Ofer Firstenberg},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2007.10177},
year = {2024}
}