Title: Quantum repeaters with individual rare-earth ions at telecommunication wavelengths,
Abstract: We present a quantum repeater scheme that is based on individual erbium and
europium ions. Erbium ions are attractive because they emit photons at
telecommunication wavelength, while europium ions offer exceptional spin
coherence for long-term storage. Entanglement between distant erbium ions is
created by photon detection. The photon emission rate of each erbium ion is
enhanced by a microcavity with high Purcell factor, as has recently been
demonstrated. Entanglement is then transferred to nearby europium ions for
storage. Gate operations between nearby ions are performed using dynamically
controlled electric-dipole coupling. These gate operations allow entanglement
swapping to be employed in order to extend the distance over which entanglement
is distributed. The deterministic character of the gate operations allows
improved entanglement distribution rates in comparison to atomic ensemble-based
protocols. We also propose an approach that utilizes multiplexing in order to
enhance the entanglement distribution rate.