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arXiv:0905.0166 · Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics

Single microwave photon detection in the micromaser

Martin L. Jones, G. J. Wilkes, Benjamin T. H. Varcoe

Published Jun 16, 2009• 8 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

High-efficiency single photon detection is an interesting problem for many areas of physics, including low temperature measurement, quantum information science and particle physics. For optical photons, there are many examples of devices capable of detecting single photons with high efficiency. However reliable single photon detection of microwaves is very difficult, principally due to their low energy. In this paper, we present the theory of a cascade amplifier operating in the microwave regime that has an optimal quantum efficiency of 93%. The device uses a microwave photon to trigger the stimulated emission of a sequence of atoms where the energy transition is readily detectable. A detailed description of the detector's operation and some discussion of the potential limitations of the detector are presented.

DOI
10.1088/0953-4075/42/14/145501

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High-efficiency single photon detection is an interesting problem for many areas of physics, including low temperature measurement, quantum information science and particle physics. For optical photons, there are many examples of devices capable of detecting single photons with high efficiency. However reliable single photon detection of microwaves is very difficult, principally due to their low energy. In this paper, we present the theory of a cascade amplifier operating in the microwave regime that has an optimal quantum efficiency of 93%. The device uses a microwave photon to trigger the stimulated emission of a sequence of atoms where the energy transition is readily detectable. A detailed description of the detector's operation and some discussion of the potential limitations of the detector are presented.
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We report on a scheme for highly efficient detection of single microwave photons, with application to detecting certain exotic particles such as the axion. This scheme utilises an experiment known as the micromaser and the phenomenon of trapping states to amplify the signal and produce a cascade of detector counts in a field ionization detector. The cascade provides a time-resolved signal marking the presence of a single photon. For experimentally achievable parameters, the detection efficiency exceeds 90 percent.
The realization of a high-efficiency microwave single photon detector is a long-standing problem in the field of microwave quantum optics. Here, we propose a quantum nondemolition, high-efficiency photon detector that can readily be implemented in present state-of-the-art circuit quantum electrodynamics. This scheme works in a continuous fashion, gaining information about the photon arrival time as well as about its presence. The key insight that allows us to circumvent the usual limitations imposed by measurement backaction is the use of long-lived dark states in a small ensemble of inhomogeneous artificial atoms to increase the interaction time between the photon and the measurement device. Using realistic system parameters, we show that large detection fidelities are possible.
Photon detector is one of the key units in the integrated optical devices. Due to the weak atom-photon interaction, the detection efficiency of a single photon by a bare atom (as a photon detector aside the waveguide) is relatively low (the most reachable value is shown as 5050%50, which has being approached experimentally). In order to overcome such a limit, a pair of spatially separated two-level atoms (the photon lenses) with adjustable inflection and transmission coefficients of the photon are introduced to generate an atomic cavity, in which the detected probability of the waveguide photon by the single detector can be significantly enhanced (even reach to 100100%100 under certain conditions). The proposal is demonstrated specifically by a circuit QED system for highly effective detection of a single microwave photon.
Efficient detection of single microwave photons is a key capability for emerging quantum technologies. Yet, it remains far less developed than its optical domain counterpart. Realizing detectors that simultaneously achieve high efficiency, low dark counts, and continuous operation has proved challenging. Existing detectors operate cyclically, forcing a trade-off between efficiency and duty cycle. Here, we demonstrate a continuously operated microwave single-photon detector based on a superconducting artificial molecule. In our scheme, an incoming photon is captured by a bright state of the molecule and then transferred to a long-lived dark state via a driven-dissipative process. Photon ``clicks'' are revealed as quantum jumps in the continuously monitored dark state. We observe a cyclic detection efficiency of 0.730.730.73, and a continuous detection efficiency of 0.470.470.47 over a 5 MHz5\,\mathrm{MHz}5MHz instantaneous bandwidth, with a 1 μs1\,μ\mathrm{s}1μs temporal resolution and a 15 μs15\,μ\mathrm{s}15μs dead time. By overcoming the trade-off between efficiency and duty cycle, this approach establishes continuous microwave photon detection for quantum sensing, quantum thermodynamics, and fundamental physics.
Semiconductor single-photon detectors cannot be straightforwardly adapted for the microwave regime, primarily because microwave photons carry far less energy and thus require cryogenic temperatures and specialized architectures. Here, we propose a hybrid spin-optomechanical interface to detect single microwave photons where the microwave photons are coupled to a phononic resonator via piezoelectric actuation. This phononic cavity also acts as a photonic cavity with either a single embedded Silicon-Vacancy (SiV−) center in diamond or an ensemble of these centers, bridging optical single-photon detection protocols into the microwave domain. We model the detection process as a communication channel whose capacity is quantified by the mutual information I(A; B) between the true photon occupancy (A) and the detector outcome (B). Depending on experimentally achievable parameters, simulations predict I(A; B) in the range 0.57 ln⁡(2)0.57\,\ln (2)0.57ln(2) to 0.67 ln⁡(2)0.67\,\ln (2)0.67ln(2) , corresponding to true-positive (detection) probabilities above 90% and false-positive (dark count) probabilities below 10% per detection interval. These results suggest a viable path to low-noise, high-efficiency single-photon detection at microwave frequencies.