New quantum memory stores information for hours

Storing information in a quantum memory system is a difficult challenge, as the data is usually quickly lost. At TU Wien, ultra-long storage times have now been achieved using tiny diamonds.

With quantum particles, information can be stored and manipulated – this is the basis of many very promising technologies, such as extremely sensitive quantum sensors, quantum communication or even quantum computers. There is, however, a significant problem: it is difficult to store information in a quantum physical system for a long period of time. The quantum information tends to dissipate within fractions of a second due to interactions with the environment.

At TU Wien it has now been possible to store quantum information for hours at a time using special diamonds. This makes the quantum information even more stable than the conventional information stored in the working memory of our computers. The results of this research have now been published in the journal Nature Materials.