Efficient quantum transduction using antiferromagnetic topological insulators

Transduction of quantum information between distinct quantum systems is an essential step in various applications, including quantum communications and quantum computing. However, mediating photons of vastly different frequencies and designing high-performance transducers are highly nontrivial, due to multifaceted and sometimes conflicting requirements. In this work, we first discuss some general principles for quantum transducer design, and then propose solid-state antiferromagnetic topological insulators to serve as particularly effective transducers. First, the antiferromagnetic order can minimize detrimental magnetic influences on nearby quantum systems. Second, topological insulators exhibit band inversion, which can greatly enhance their optical responses. This property, coupled with robust spin-orbit coupling and high spin density, results in strong nonlinear interaction in magnetic topological insulators, thereby substantially improving transduction efficiency. Using $\mathrm{MnB}{\mathrm{i}}_2\mathrm{T}{\mathrm{e}}_4$ as an example, we discuss potential experimental realizations of quantum transduction based on magnetic topological materials. Particularly, we showcase that quantum transduction efficiency exceeding 90% can be achieved with modest experimental requirements, while the transduction bandwidth can reach the gigahertz range. The strong nonlinear photonic interactions in magnetic topological insulators can find diverse applications besides quantum transduction, such as quantum squeezing.