Abstract
High-gain amplifiers of electromagnetic signals operating near the quantum limit are crucial for quantum information systems and ultrasensitive quantum measurements. However, the existing techniques have a limited gain-bandwidth product and only operate with weak input signals. Here, we demonstrate a two-port optomechanical scheme for amplification and routing of microwave signals, a system that simultaneously performs high-gain amplification and frequency conversion in the quantum regime. Our amplifier, implemented in a two-cavity microwave optomechanical device, shows 41 dB of gain and has a high dynamic range, handling input signals up to 1013 photons per second, 3 orders of magnitude more than corresponding Josephson parametric amplifiers. We show that although the active medium, the mechanical resonator, is at a high temperature far from the quantum limit, only 4.6 quanta of noise is added to the input signal. Our method can be readily applied to a wide variety of optomechanical systems, including hybrid optical-microwave systems, creating a universal hub for signals at the quantum level.Received 20 June 2016DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.6.041024Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.Published by the American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasOptomechanicsQuantum measurementsQuantum state transferPhysical SystemsMicromechanical & nanomechanical oscillatorsQuantum InformationCondensed Matter, Materials & Applied PhysicsAtomic, Molecular & OpticalNonlinear Dynamics
Highlights
Recent advances in near-quantum-limited amplifiers in the microwave-frequency regime have led to breakthroughs in the understanding of quantum measurement processes [1,2,3,4] and are necessary in quantum error correction and feedback [5,6,7]
We show that the active medium, the mechanical resonator, is at a high temperature far from the quantum limit, only 4.6 quanta of noise is added to the input signal
Of particular interest for most applications are phase-insensitive linear amplifiers, which provide a faithful reconstruction of both quadratures of the input. Such amplifiers are bound by the standard quantum limit (SQL), which states that at high gain at least half an energy quantum of noise is added to the input signal [8]
Summary
Recent advances in near-quantum-limited amplifiers in the microwave-frequency regime have led to breakthroughs in the understanding of quantum measurement processes [1,2,3,4] and are necessary in quantum error correction and feedback [5,6,7]. We demonstrate a two-port optomechanical scheme for amplification and routing of microwave signals, a system that simultaneously performs high-gain amplification and frequency conversion in the quantum regime.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
