EIT-based quantum memory for single photons from cavity-QED

We investigate the feasibility of implementing an elementary building block for quantum information processing. The combination of a deterministic single photon source based on vacuum stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (V-STIRAP), and a quantum memory based on electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in atomic vapour is outlined. Both systems are able to produce and process temporally shaped wavepackets which provide a way to maintain the indistinguishability of the photons. We also propose an efficient and robust ‘repeat-until-success’ quantum computation scheme based on this hybrid architecture.