Josephson junction cavity systems as cousins of the quantum optical micromaser

Simon Dambach,Andrew D Armour,Joachim Ankerhold,Björn Kubala

doi:10.1088/1402-4896/ab2a90

Simon Dambach, Andrew D Armour + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1088/1402-4896/ab2a90

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Abstract

We explore the similarities and differences between simple theoretical models developed to describe the quantum optical micromaser and Josephson-photonics devices. Whilst the micromaser has long been recognised as an important model for the dynamics of open quantum systems far from equilibrium, so-called Josephson-photonics devices are a recently developed form of superconducting quantum circuit in which the quantum transport of charges through a voltage-biased Josephson junction drives the production of photons in a microwave resonator.

Highlights

The quantum micromaser consists of an optical cavity through which a stream of excited atoms pass and is a textbook example of a driven open quantum system [1,2,3]
We explore the similarities and differences between simple theoretical models developed to describe the quantum optical micromaser and Josephsonphotonics devices
Whilst the micromaser has long been recognised as an important model for the dynamics of open quantum systems far from equilibrium, so-called Josephson-photonics devices are a recently developed form of superconducting quantum circuit in which the quantum transport of charges through a voltage-biased Josephson junction drives the production of photons in a microwave resonator

Summary

Introduction

The quantum micromaser consists of an optical cavity through which a stream of excited atoms pass and is a textbook example of a driven open quantum system [1,2,3]. In this article we focus on the behaviour of a Josephson-photonics device in which a flow of Cooper pairs across a voltage-biased Josephson junction (JJ) pumps a microwave cavity which is connected in series with the junction Such systems have been explored in a range of recent experiments [16,17,18,19,20,21] and theoretical studies [22,23,24,25,26,27,28]. In both cases a damped cavity mode is pumped by a flow of particles, two-level atoms in the case of the micromaser and Cooper pairs in Josephson-photonics set-ups.

Model systems

Nonlinear dynamics

Trapping states

Cavity linewidth

Probing the cavity state

Discussion