Chinese scientists set world record in light storage technology

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Chinese scientists have made a breakthrough in light storage, setting a new world record by storing light information for 4,035 seconds, state media reported Wednesday.

The research, conducted by scientists at the Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences (BAQIS), has been published in the international journal Nature Communications, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The development is expected to provide a high-performance physical platform for quantum computing and establish a strong foundation for quantum information networks.

"Storing light has always been a challenge across the world," said Liu Yulong, an associate researcher at BAQIS and the study’s first author.

Liu explained that photons, the fundamental particles of light, travel at extremely high speeds, making them difficult to capture and store directly. To address this, researchers turned to sound signals, which move much slower and are easier to store.

The key challenge was identifying a material capable of converting light signals into sound signals, effectively "trapping" light.

Previous storage attempts relied on materials like metallic aluminum and silicon nitride films, but internal losses in these materials limited storage duration to less than a second.

To overcome this limitation, the BAQIS team explored alternative materials, testing diamond and gallium nitride before selecting single-crystal silicon carbide film. This material, with its highly regular internal structure, offers exceptional frequency stability and minimal internal losses.

By utilizing this technology, the researchers achieved a record-breaking storage duration of 4,035 seconds, significantly surpassing previous attempts.

Researchers aim to further improve the device's storage duration, increase information density, and enhance compatibility with other quantum technologies.