Quantum storage and manipulation of heralded single photons in atomic quantum memories

Abstract: We demonstrate the storage and manipulation of narrowband heralded single photons from a cavity-enhanced spontaneous parametric downconversion (SPDC) source in the atomic quantum memory based on electromagnetically induced transparency. We show that nonclassical correlations are preserved between the heralding and the retrieved photons after storage process. By varying the intensity of the coupling field during retrieval process, we further demonstrate that the waveform or bandwidth of the single photons can be manipulated and the nonclassical correlation between the photon pairs can be even enhanced. Unlike previous works, our SPDC source is single mode in frequency, which not only reduces the experimental complexity arising from external filtering but also increases the useful photon generation rate. Our results can be scaled up with ease and thus lay the foundation for future realization of large-scale applications in quantum information processing.