Within any practical proposal for utilising quantum mechanics for information processing whether for the efficient computation of problems intractable by classical methods, or for secure communication; at some stage one must have the means to transfer quantum information between remote nodes of a network. For this, light is the obvious choice.

To realise this vision one requires the means to overcome the ``scaling problem'' intrinsic to many photonic-based quantum technologies due to probabilistic operations. It has been identified that optical quantum memories which facilitate the storage and retrieval of quantum states of light are an enabling technology. Another requisite technology to ensure the scalability of a quantum network is the means to interface dissimilar material nodes, which in practice means the translation of quantum light in bandwidth, frequency and temporal shape.

The first part of this thesis presents experimental, theoretical and numerical investigations of noise reduction in the Raman memory protocol in thermal caesium vapour, by means of a cavity. To do this, I develop a theoretical description of the cavity memory interaction, along with a model of the atom-cavity system to enable meeting the required resonance conditions. This is followed by a proof-of-concept experimental demonstration, showing suppression of noise in the retrieved state. To conclude this part, I investigate the optimisation of this system and provide a numerical framework for its design, and propose a route towards realising the Raman memory as a practical quantum memory.

The second theme is an exploration of the practical application of the Raman memory as an interface for temporal modes of light. I perform a preliminary investigation, and develop characterisation tools, to experimentally verify the modal structure of the memory interaction. This work provides the basis for deploying the Raman memory as a temporal-mode selective device for GHz bandwidth quantum states of light.