New record for information storage and retrieval lifetime advances quantum networks

December 8, 2008 | Source: PhysOrg.com

Georgia Institute of Technology physicists have taken a significant step toward creation of quantum networks by establishing a new record for the length of time that quantum information can be stored in and retrieved from an ensemble of very cold atoms: 7 milliseconds.

Even that short lifetime should be enough to allow transmission of data from one quantum repeater to another on an optical network.