  Large-scale quantum networks require quantum memories featuring long-lived
storage of non-classical light together with efficient, high-speed and reliable
operation. The concurrent realization of these features is challenging due to
inherent limitations of matter platforms and light-matter interaction
protocols. Here, we propose an approach to overcome this obstacle, based on the
implementation of the Autler-Townes-splitting (ATS) quantum-memory protocol on
a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) platform. We demonstrate a proof-of-principle
of this approach by storing short pulses of single-photon-level light as a
collective spin-excitation in a rubidium BEC. For 20 ns long-pulses, we achieve
an ultra-low-noise memory with an efficiency of 30% and lifetime of 15 $\mu$s.
The non-adiabatic character of the ATS protocol (leading to high-speed and
low-noise operation) in combination with the intrinsically large atomic
densities and ultra-low temperatures of the BEC platform (offering highly
efficient and long-lived storage) opens up a new avenue towards
high-performance quantum memories.
