arXiv subjects

Zongfeng Li

Publications and source records attributed to Zongfeng Li.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Slow-light-enhanced Atomic Frequency Comb Quantum Memory in Stoichiometric EuCl$_3 \cdot$ 6D$_2$O

Rare-earth-doped crystals are promising candidates for quantum storage, yet their performance in free-space configurations is fundamentally restricted by low optical depth. Here, we demonstrate high-efficiency quantum storage in a stoichiometric EuCl$_3 \cdot$ 6D$_2$O crystal, which intrinsically provides high optical density without the complexity of cavity implementation. We show that in this high-density regime, the system exhibits significant slow-light-like effects, including dispersion-induced echo delays and finesse-dependent echo intensity modulation. We develop a unified theoretical framework showing how absorption and dispersion work in concert to mediate echo generation. We achieve storage efficiencies of 42.9% for classical light and 34.4% for weak coherent pulses, alongside 90% efficiency for slow-light storage. These findings validate EuCl$_3 \cdot$ 6D$_2$O as a robust platform, establishing a viable pathway for scalable solid-state quantum memory.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

On-Demand Coherent Mapping of Telecom Optical States onto Erbium Hyperfine Spins

Optical quantum memories operating directly at telecom wavelengths are a key enabling technology for long-distance quantum networks, yet on-demand storage onto long-lived ground-state spins in this spectral region has remained elusive due to the challenge of coherently transferring optical excitations to hyperfine spin states. Here we demonstrate spin-wave storage in $^{167}$Er$^{3+}$:Y$_2$SiO$_5$ at 0.8 K and 1.1 T, establishing the core operational primitive required for on-demand telecom quantum memories. Using classical optical control pulses, we coherently transfer collective optical excitations to erbium hyperfine states with transfer efficiency exceeding 12%, enabling on-demand retrieval. We measure a hyperfine population lifetime of 25 s and demonstrate spin-wave storage for up to 25 $\mu$s. By identifying hyperfine inhomogeneous broadening as the dominant present limitation, our measurements define a clear pathway toward second-scale storage through improved spectral tailoring and dynamical decoupling. The results highlight the application of erbium-based solid-state memories for scalable fiber-compatible quantum repeater architectures.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Long-wavelength UV-LEDs and charge management in the detection of gravitational waves in space

For the charge management system in gravitational wave detection missions, a continuous discharge strategy is considered by continuously illuminating a test mass (TM) with weak light in such a way to strike a balance between the charging and discharging rates and at the same time avoids the requirement for frequent activation of charge measurements. Built on experiments by one of us based on a simple parallel plate model for inertial sensor, in the present work a more sophisticated inertial sensor model that mimics the surface properties and work function of a cubical TM of an inertial sensor in space (like that of the LISA Pathfinder) is employed to study bipolar charge management system that utilizes UV-LEDs with peak wavelengths of 269 nm, 275 nm, 280 nm, and 295 nm that are longer than the standard 255 nm commonly employed for direct TM illumination. Experimental results indicate that the 275 nm UV-LED achieves optimal performance, maintaining the TM potential closer to zero and at the same time accommodates both rapid discharge and continuous discharge strategies. The present work provides useful input in the future study of system design and optimization for the charge management system.

gr-qc↗

arXiv2025

Test mass charge management in the detection of gravitational waves in space based on UV micro-LED

As an alternative to the ultraviolet light emitting diode(UV LED), the feasibility of utilizing UV micro-LED in the charge management in the detection of gravitational waves in space is experimentally studied. Compared with UV LED, micro-LED is more compact in size, has better current spreading, faster response time and longer operating life. Performance characteristics of micro-LEDs were measured, with peak wavelength of 254 nm, 262 nm, 274 nm, and 282 nm for each respective micro-LED, and the photoelectric effect was demonstrated. The effectiveness of micro-LED based charge management experiments were demonstrated using above micro-LEDs mounted on a cubical test mass, and different discharge rates were achieved by varying the drive current and duty cycle using pulse width modulation(PWM). Laboratory data was also shown to demonstrate the space qualification of the micro-LED device, the key electrical and optical characteristics of the micro-LEDs showed less than 5% variation. The results of the qualification bring the micro-LED device Technology Readiness Level(TRL) to TRL-5. TRL-6 will be reached provided additional radiation and thermal tests are conducted and in a position ready to be flown and further tested in space.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2024

Efficient Pumping of Spectral Holes in a Tm$^{3+}$: YAG Crystal for Broadband Quantum Optical Storage

Quantum memory devices with high storage efficiency and bandwidth are essential elements for future quantum networks. Here, we report a storage efficiency greater than 28% in a Tm$^{3+}$: YAG crystal in elevated temperatures and without compromising the memory bandwidth. Using various pumping and optimization techniques, we demonstrate multi-frequency window storage with a high memory bandwidth of 630 MHz. Moreover, we propose a general method for large-bandwidth atomic-frequency memory with non-Kramers rare-earth-ion (REI) in solids enabling significantly higher storage efficiency and bandwidth. Our study advances the practical applications of quantum memory devices based on REI-doped crystals.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Efficient Storage of Multidimensional Telecom Photons in a Solid-State Quantum Memory

Efficient storage of telecom-band quantum optical information represents a crucial milestone for establishing distributed quantum optical networks. Erbium ions in crystalline hosts provide a promising platform for telecom quantum memories; however, their practical applications have been hindered by demanding operational conditions, such as ultra-high magnetic fields and ultra-low temperatures. In this work, we demonstrate the storage of telecom photonic qubits encoded in polarization, frequency, and time-bin bases. Using the atomic frequency comb protocol in an Er$^{3+}$-doped crystal, we developed a memory initialization scheme that improves storage efficiency by over an order of magnitude under practical experimental conditions. Quantum process tomography further confirms the memory's performance, achieving a fidelity exceeding 92%.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Realization of cold atom gyroscope in space

High-precision gyroscopes in space are essential for fundamental physics research and navigation. Due to its potential high precision, the cold atom gyroscope is expected to be the next generation of gyroscopes in space. Here, we report the first realization of a cold atom gyroscope, which was demonstrated by the atom interferometer installed in the China Space Station (CSS) as a payload. By compensating for CSS's high dynamic rotation rate using a built-in piezoelectric mirror, spatial interference fringes in the interferometer are successfully obtained. Then, the optimized ratio of the Raman laser's angles is derived, the coefficients of the piezoelectric mirror are self-calibrated in orbit, and various systemic effects are corrected. We achieve a rotation measurement resolution of 50*10^-6 rad/s for a single shot and 17*10^-6 rad/s for an average number of 32. The measured rotation is (-1142+/-29)*10^-6 rad/s and is compatible with that recorded by the classical gyroscope of the CSS. This study paves the way for developing high-precision cold atom gyroscopes in space.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2024

Machine-Learning-Enhanced Quantum Optical Storage in Solids

Quantum memory devices with high storage efficiency and bandwidth are essential elements for future quantum networks. Solid-state quantum memories can provide broadband storage, but they primarily suffer from low storage efficiency. We use passive optimization and machine learning techniques to demonstrate nearly a 6-fold enhancement in quantum memory efficiency. In this regime, we demonstrate coherent and single-photon-level storage with a high signal-to-noise ratio. The optimization technique presented here can be applied to most solid-state quantum memories to significantly improve the storage efficiency without compromising the memory bandwidth.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

BPF Algorithms for Multiple Source-Translation Computed Tomography Reconstruction

Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) is a widely used state-of-the-art instrument employed to study the morphological structures of objects in various fields. However, its small field-of-view (FOV) cannot meet the pressing demand for imaging relatively large objects at high spatial resolutions. Recently, we devised a novel scanning mode called multiple source translation CT (mSTCT) that effectively enlarges the FOV of the micro-CT and correspondingly developed a virtual projection-based filtered backprojection (V-FBP) algorithm for reconstruction. Although V-FBP skillfully solves the truncation problem in mSTCT, it requires densely sampled projections to arrive at high-resolution reconstruction, which reduces imaging efficiency. In this paper, we developed two backprojection-filtration (BPF)-based algorithms for mSTCT, i.e., S-BPF (derivatives along source) and D-BPF (derivatives along detector). D-BPF can achieve high-resolution reconstruction with fewer projections than V-FBP and S-BPF. Through simulated and real experiments conducted in this paper, we demonstrate that D-BPF can reduce source sampling by 75% compared with V-FBP at the same spatial resolution, which makes mSTCT more feasible in practice. Meanwhile, S-BPF can yield more stable results than D-BPF, which is similar to V-FBP.

cs.CV↗

arXiv2023

Analytical reconstructions of full-scan multiple source-translation computed tomography under large field of views

This paper is to investigate the high-quality analytical reconstructions of multiple source-translation computed tomography (mSTCT) under an extended field of view (FOV). Under the larger FOVs, the previously proposed backprojection filtration (BPF) algorithms for mSTCT, including D-BPF and S-BPF (their differences are different derivate directions along the detector and source, respectively), make some errors and artifacts in the reconstructed images due to a backprojection weighting factor and the half-scan mode, which deviates from the intention of mSTCT imaging. In this paper, to achieve reconstruction with as little error as possible under the extremely extended FOV, we combine the full-scan mSTCT (F-mSTCT) geometry with the previous BPF algorithms to study the performance and derive a suitable redundancy-weighted function for F-mSTCT. The experimental results indicate FS-BPF can get high-quality, stable images under the extremely extended FOV of imaging a large object, though it requires more projections than FD-BPF. Finally, for different practical requirements in extending FOV imaging, we give suggestions on algorithm selection.

cs.CV↗