  Quantum repeater is one of the important building blocks for long distance
quantum communication network. The previous quantum repeaters based on atomic
ensembles and linear optical elements can only be performed with a maximal
success probability of 1/2 during the entanglement creation and entanglement
swapping procedures. Meanwhile, the polarization noise during the entanglement
distribution process is harmful to the entangled channel created. Here we
introduce a general interface between a polarized photon and an atomic ensemble
trapped in a single-sided optical cavity, and with which we propose a
high-efficiency quantum repeater protocol in which the robust entanglement
distribution is accomplished by the stable spatial-temporal entanglement and it
can in principle create the deterministic entanglement between neighboring
atomic ensembles in a heralded way as a result of cavity quantum
electrodynamics. Meanwhile, the simplified parity check gate makes the
entanglement swapping be completed with unity efficiency, other than 1/2 with
linear optics. We detail the performance of our protocol with current
experimental parameters and show its robustness to the imperfections, i.e.,
detuning and coupling variation, involved in the reflection process. These good
features make it a useful building block in long distance quantum
communication.
