China set a record of light storage in 4,035 seconds

The research team was led by the Beijing Academy of Information Science (Baqis) to set a world record when storing light information for 4,035 seconds, Xinhua On March 5 reported. New research published in international magazines Nature Communication.

“Light storage is always a global challenge,” said Liu Yulong in Baqis, the main author of the new study. Liu explained that the photons – light particles – moving at extremely high speed so it is almost impossible to arrest and store directly.

To overcome this challenge, the scientist group turned to audio signals, slower and easier to store. The key is to find an environment that can convert light signals into audio signals, so that “trap” light effectively.

“Imagine the photon like small balls moving at high speed. When they collide with a thin film, the amplitude, frequency and other information of light are converted into audio signals.

Previous lighting efforts used some materials such as metal aluminum and Nitride silicon film. However, due to the interior loss of the material, these membranes can only maintain vibration in a very short time, limiting the storage of light information in less than 1 second. This challenge motivates Baqis to search for new materials with more superior properties.

After testing many materials such as diamonds or Gallium Nitride, the team switches to single crystal Carbide silicon film. This material has a very balanced internal structure, bringing high frequency stability and minimum interior loss. These properties allow the research team to achieve a record of 4,035 seconds, far exceeding previous efforts.

A remarkable advantage of single crystal Carbide silicon membrane is the ability to maintain good performance even at extremely low temperatures. This provides applicable potential in quantum computers, which usually operate in deep cold conditions.

In the future, the team aims to increase the storage time of the device, increase the information density and improve compatibility with other quantum technologies. These advances will provide a high -performance physical platform for quantum computers and solid foundation for quantum information development network.