Qubit-resonator System Research Articles

Planar and tunable quantum state transfer in a splicing Y-junction Su–Schrieffer–Heeger chain

We present a feasible scheme to implement a planar and tunable quantum state transfer (QST) via topologically protected zero-energy mode in a splicing Y-junction Su–Schrieffer–Heeger (SSH) chain. The introduction of the elaborate nearest-neighbor (NN) hopping enables one to generate a topological interface at the central site of the Y-junction. By modulating the NN hopping adiabatically in the chain, the quantum state initially prepared at the central site can be simultaneously transferred to the three endpoints of the Y-junction with the equal/unequal probabilities. The planar distribution of QST is expected to realize a quantum router, whose function is to make the quantum information on the central site (input port) appear equally/unequally at the three endpoints (output ports) with different directions. Moreover, the numerical simulations demonstrate that the scheme possesses the robustness on the fluctuations of the NN hopping and the on-site potential in the system. Furthermore, we show that the number of the output ports with different directions can be flexibly increased in an extended X-junction SSH chain, and the experimental feasibility for implementing special QST in a superconducting qubit-resonator system is briefly discussed. Our work extends the space distribution of QST from linear distribution to planar distribution and promotes the construction of large-scale quantum networks.

Probing the symmetry breaking of a light–matter system by an ancillary qubit

Hybrid quantum systems in the ultrastrong, and even more in the deep-strong, coupling regimes can exhibit exotic physical phenomena and promise new applications in quantum technologies. In these nonperturbative regimes, a qubit–resonator system has an entangled quantum vacuum with a nonzero average photon number in the resonator, where the photons are virtual and cannot be directly detected. The vacuum field, however, is able to induce the symmetry breaking of a dispersively coupled probe qubit. We experimentally observe the parity symmetry breaking of an ancillary Xmon artificial atom induced by the field of a lumped-element superconducting resonator deep-strongly coupled with a flux qubit. This result opens a way to experimentally explore the novel quantum-vacuum effects emerging in the deep-strong coupling regime.

Transmission-based noise spectroscopy for quadratic qubit-resonator interactions

We develop a theory describing the transient transmission through noisy qubit-resonator systems with quadratic interactions as are found in superconducting and nanomechanical resonators coupled to solid-state qubits. After generalizing the quantum Langevin equations to arbitrary qubit-resonator couplings, we show that only the cases of linear and quadratic couplings allow for an analytical treatment within standard input-output theory. Focussing on quadratic couplings and allowing for arbitrary initial qubit coherences, it is shown that noise characteristics can be extracted from input-output measurements by recording both the averaged fluctuations in the transmission probability and the averaged phase. Our results represent an extension to the field of transmission-based noise spectroscopy with immediate practical applications.

Nonequilibrium thermal transport and photon squeezing in a quadratic qubit-resonator system

We investigate steady-state thermal transport and photon statistics in a nonequilibrium hybrid quantum system, in which a qubit shows longitudinal and quadratic coupling with an optical resonator. Our calculations are conducted with the method of the quantum dressed master equation combined with full counting statistics. The effect of negative differential thermal conductance is unravelled at finite temperature bias, which stems from the suppression of cyclic heat transitions and large mismatch of two squeezed photon modes at weak and strong qubit-resonator hybridizations, respectively. The giant thermal rectification is also exhibited at large temperature bias. It is found that the asymmetric composition of the hybrid system by spin and boson roles and negative differential thermal conductance show the cooperative contribution. Noise power and skewness, as typical current fluctuations, exhibit global maximum with strong hybridization at small and large temperature bias limits, respectively. Moreover, the effect of photon quadrature squeezing is discovered in the strong hybridization and low-temperature regime, which shows asymmetric response to two bath temperatures. These results would provide some insight to thermal functional design and photon manipulation in qubit-resonator hybrid quantum systems.

Multi-signal spectroscopy of qubit-resonator systems

Some unique properties of superconducting devices are promising for the development of modern quantum technologies. Superconducting quantum circuits use large coupling constants and provide good scalability and controllability due to their macroscopic dimensions. Still, micro-fabrication methods have some hardship with reproducibility of identical superconducting quantum circuits. The dressed state approach presents some possibility to reduce influence of non-identity of qubits. We study a qubit-resonator system, when the qubit interacts with three signals. Such system configuration adds additional flexibility for circuit tunability. A particular realization of such a system is a superconducting flux qubit coupled to a transmission-line resonator driven by three signals. We describe this triply-driven system in terms of the dressed qubit states and conclude that using several signals can be beneficial for both system spectroscopy and tunability. Such study of a qubit-based system, coupled to both classical and quantum fields, can be useful for detection of individual itinerant microwave photons.

Statistical Algorithm for Estimating the Energy of a Radio Pulse when Measuring the Superconducting Qubit–Resonator System

Statistical Algorithm for Estimating the Energy of a Radio Pulse when Measuring the Superconducting Qubit–Resonator System

Transmission spectra of an ultrastrongly coupled qubit-dissipative resonator system

We calculate the transmission spectra of a flux qubit coupled to a dissipative resonator in the ultrastrong coupling regime. Such a qubit-oscillator system constitutes the building block of superconducting circuit QED platforms. The calculated transmission of a weak probe field quantifies the response of the qubit, in frequency domain, under the sole influence of the oscillator and of its dissipative environment, an Ohmic heat bath. We find the distinctive features of the qubit-resonator system, namely two-dip structures in the calculated transmission, modified by the presence of the dissipative environment. The relative magnitude, positions, and broadening of the dips are determined by the interplay among qubit-oscillator detuning, the strength of their coupling, and the interaction with the heat bath.

Simulating Anisotropic quantum Rabi model via frequency modulation

Anisotropic quantum Rabi model is a generalization of quantum Rabi model, which allows its rotating and counter-rotating terms to have two different coupling constants. It provides us with a fundamental model to understand various physical features concerning quantum optics, solid-state physics, and mesoscopic physics. In this paper, we propose an experimental feasible scheme to implement anisotropic quantum Rabi model in a circuit quantum electrodynamics system via periodic frequency modulation. An effective Hamiltonian describing the tunable anisotropic quantum Rabi model can be derived from a qubit-resonator coupling system modulated by two periodic driving fields. All effective parameters of the simulated system can be adjusted by tuning the initial phases, the frequencies and the amplitudes of the driving fields. We show that the periodic driving is able to drive a coupled system in dispersive regime to ultrastrong coupling regime, and even deep-strong coupling regime. The derived effective Hamiltonian allows us to obtain pure rotating term and counter-rotating term. Numerical simulation shows that such effective Hamiltonian is valid in ultrastrong coupling regime, and stronger coupling regime. Moreover, our scheme can be generalized to the multi-qubit case. We also give some applications of the simulated system to the Schrödinger cat states and quantum gate generalization. The presented proposal will pave a way to further study the stronger anisotropic Rabi model whose coupling strength is far away from ultrastrong coupling and deep-strong coupling regimes in quantum optics.

Thermometry and Memcapacitance with a Qubit-Resonator System

We study theoretically dynamics of a driven-dissipative qubit-resonator system. Specifically, a transmon qubit is coupled to a transmission-line resonator; this system is considered to be probed via a resonator, by means of either continuous or pulsed measurements. Analytical results obtained in the semiclassical approximation are compared with calculations in the semi-quantum theory as well as with the previous experiments. We demonstrate that the temperature dependence of the resonator frequency shift can be used for the system thermometry and that the dynamics, displaying pinched-hysteretic curve, can be useful for realization of memory devices, the quantum memcapacitors.

Spin-1 models in the ultrastrong-coupling regime of circuit QED

We propose a superconducting circuit platform for simulating spin-1 models. To this purpose we consider a chain of N ultrastrongly coupled qubit-resonator systems interacting through a grounded SQUID. The anharmonic spectrum of the qubit-resonator system and the selection rules imposed by the global parity symmetry allow us to activate well controlled two-body quantum gates via AC-pulses applied to the SQUID. We show that our proposal has the same simulation time for any number of spin-1 interacting particles. This scheme may be implemented within the state-of-the-art circuit QED in the ultrastrong coupling regime.

Broken selection rule in the quantum Rabi model

Understanding the interaction between light and matter is very relevant for fundamental studies of quantum electrodynamics and for the development of quantum technologies. The quantum Rabi model captures the physics of a single atom interacting with a single photon at all regimes of coupling strength. We report the spectroscopic observation of a resonant transition that breaks a selection rule in the quantum Rabi model, implemented using an LC resonator and an artificial atom, a superconducting qubit. The eigenstates of the system consist of a superposition of bare qubit-resonator states with a relative sign. When the qubit-resonator coupling strength is negligible compared to their own frequencies, the matrix element between excited eigenstates of different sign is very small in presence of a resonator drive, establishing a sign-preserving selection rule. Here, our qubit-resonator system operates in the ultrastrong coupling regime, where the coupling strength is 10% of the resonator frequency, allowing sign-changing transitions to be activated and, therefore, detected. This work shows that sign-changing transitions are an unambiguous, distinctive signature of systems operating in the ultrastrong coupling regime of the quantum Rabi model. These results pave the way to further studies of sign-preserving selection rules in multiqubit and multiphoton models.

Entangling polaritons via dynamical Casimir effect in circuit quantum electrodynamics

We investigate how the dynamical Casimir effect can entangle quantum systems in different coupling regimes of circuit quantum electrodynamics, and show the robustness of such entanglement generation against dissipative effects with current technology. We consider two qubit-resonator systems, which are coupled by a SQUID driven with an external magnetic field, and explore the entire range of coupling regimes between each qubit and its respective resonator. In this scheme, we derive a semianalytic explanation for the entanglement generation between both superconducting qubits when they are coupled to their resonators in the strong coupling regime. For the ultrastrong and deep strong coupling regimes, we design feasible protocols to generate maximally-entangled polaritonic states.

Signal amplification in a qubit-resonator system

We study the dynamics of a qubit-resonator system, when the resonator is driven by two signals. The interaction of the qubit with the high-amplitude driving we consider in terms of the qubit dressed states. Interaction of the dressed qubit with the second probing signal can essentially change the amplitude of this signal. We calculate the transmission amplitude of the probe signal through the resonator as a function of the qubit's energy and the driving frequency detuning. The regions of increase and attenuation of the transmitted signal are calculated and demonstrated graphically. We present the influence of the signal parameters on the value of the amplification, and discuss the values of the qubit-resonator system parameters for an optimal amplification and attenuation of the weak probe signal.

Temporal Behavior of Rabi Oscillation in Nanomechanical QED System with a Nonlinear Resonator

In nanomechanical QED system, consisting of a charge qubit and a nanomechanical resonator with intrinsic nonlinearity, we study the temporal behavior of Rabi oscillation in the nonlinear Jaynes–Cummings model. Using microscopic master equation approach, we solve time evolution of the density operator describing this model. Also, the probability of excited state of charge qubit is calculated. These analytic calculations show how nonlinearity parameter and decay rates of two different excited states of the qubit-resonator system affect time-oscillating and decaying of Rabi oscillation.

Coupling qubits in circuit-QED cavities connected by a bridge qubit

We analyze a coupling scheme for qubits in different cavities of circuit-QED architecture. In contrast to the usual scheme where the cavities are coupled by an interface capacitance we employ a bridge qubit connecting cavities to mediate two-qubit coupling. This active coupling scheme makes it possible to switch on/off and adjust the strength of qubit-qubit coupling, which is essential for scalability of quantum circuit. By transforming the Hamiltonian we obtain an exact expression of two-qubit coupling in the rotating-wave approximation. For the general case of $n$ qubits the Hamiltonian can produce the W state as an eigenstate of the system. We calculate the decay rate of the coupled qubit-resonator system to find that it is viable in real experiments.

Dispersive reservoir influence on the superconducting phase qubit

An analytical description of a superconducting (SC) phase qubit coupled to a torsional resonator, which is damped by a dispersive reservoir, is presented based on the master equation. Therefore, the effect of the qubit phase damping on the dynamical behavior of the entanglement, purity loss and qubit inversion are investigated. It is found that the collapse and revival phenomena of qubit inversion are very sensitive not only to the damping parameter but also to the frequency detuning and the qubit distribution angle of the initial state. It is interesting to note that the purity of the state of the SC-qubit, which is measured by von Neumann entropy, can be completely lost due to the dispersive reservoir parameter. Because of the existence of dispersive reservoir, the von Neumann entropy cannot be a measure for the entanglement in open system. So, the negative eigenvalue of the partially transposed density matrix of qubit-resonator system is used to quantify the entanglement. For certain parameter sets, it is possible to control the degree and the dynamics of entanglement between the qubit and the torsional resonator.

Theory of microwave single-photon detection using an impedance-matchedΛsystem

By properly driving a qubit-resonator system in the strong dispersive regime, we implement an "impedance-matched" $\Lambda$ system in the dressed states, where a resonant single photon deterministically induces a Raman transition and excites the qubit. Combining this effect and a fast dispersive readout of the qubit, we realize a detector of itinerant microwave photons. We theoretically analyze the single-photon response of the $\Lambda$ system and evaluate its performance as a detector. We achieve a high detection efficiency close to unity without relying on precise temporal control of the input pulse shape and under a conservative estimate of the system parameters. The detector can also be reset quickly by applying microwave pulses, which allows a short dead time and a high repetition rate.

Scalable quantum memory in the ultrastrong coupling regime.

Circuit quantum electrodynamics, consisting of superconducting artificial atoms coupled to on-chip resonators, represents a prime candidate to implement the scalable quantum computing architecture because of the presence of good tunability and controllability. Furthermore, recent advances have pushed the technology towards the ultrastrong coupling regime of light-matter interaction, where the qubit-resonator coupling strength reaches a considerable fraction of the resonator frequency. Here, we propose a qubit-resonator system operating in that regime, as a quantum memory device and study the storage and retrieval of quantum information in and from the Z2 parity-protected quantum memory, within experimentally feasible schemes. We are also convinced that our proposal might pave a way to realize a scalable quantum random-access memory due to its fast storage and readout performances.

Nonclassicality tests and entanglement witnesses for macroscopic mechanical superposition states

We describe a set of measurement protocols for performing non-classicality tests and the verification of entangled superposition states of macroscopic continuous variable systems, such as nanomechanical resonators. Following earlier works, we first consider a setup where a two-level system is used to indirectly probe the motion of the mechanical system via Ramsey measurements and discuss the application of this methods for detecting non-classical mechanical states. We then show that the generalization of this techniques to multiple resonator modes allows the conditioned preparation and the detection of entangled mechanical superposition states. The proposed measurement protocols can be implemented in various qubit-resonator systems that are currently under experimental investigation and find applications in future tests of quantum mechanics at a macroscopic scale.

Distributed manipulation of two-qubit entanglement with coupled continuous variables

We study the dynamics of two qubits separately sent through two coupled resonators, each initially containing a coherent-state field. We present analytical arguments and numerically approximate solutions for the qubit-field system under different two-qubit initial states, photon-hopping strengths, and detunings. In the far off-resonant regime, the maximal entanglement of two qubits can be generated with the initial qubit state in which one qubit is in the excited state and the other is in the ground state, and the initially maximal two-qubit entanglement can be frozen and fully revived even for large mean photon number. When the qubits are both initially in their excited states or ground states, qubit–qubit entanglement birth and death apparently appear in the regime where the photon-hopping strength is close to qubit-field detuning, and its peaks do not decrease monotonically as the interaction time increases. It is interesting to observe that when there is photon hopping between two fields, the field–field entanglement can be larger than 1 and increases as the initial amplitude of the coherent state grows. Our present setup is fundamental for distributed quantum information processing and applicable to different physical qubit-resonator systems.