High-dimensional entanglement between distant atomic ensemble memories

Abstract

Entangled quantum states in high-dimensional space show many advantages compared with entangled states in two-dimensional space. The former enable quantum communication with higher channel capacity, enable more efficient quantum-information processing, and are more feasible for closing the detection loophole in Bell test experiments. Establishing high-dimensional entangled memories is essential for long-distance communication, but its experimental realization is lacking. We experimentally established high-dimensional entanglement in orbital angular momentum space between two atomic ensembles separated by 1 m. We reconstructed the density matrix for a three-dimensional entanglement and obtained an entanglement fidelity of 83.9+/-2.9%. More importantly, we confirmed the successful preparation of a state entangled in more than three-dimensional space (up to seven-dimensional) using entanglement witnesses. Achieving high-dimensional entanglement represents a significant step towards a high-capacity quantum network.