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arXiv:1003.2023 · Applied Physics Letters

Population inversion induced by Landau–Zener transition in a strongly driven rf superconducting quantum interference device

Guozhu Sun, Xueda Wen, Yiwen Wang, Shanhua Cong, Jian Chen, Lin Kang, Weiwei Xu, Yang Yu, Siyuan Han, Peiheng Wu

Published Mar 9, 2009• 51 citations
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Abstract

Microwave resonances between discrete macroscopically distinct quantum states with single photon and multiphoton absorption are observed in a strongly driven radio frequency superconducting quantum interference device flux qubit. The amplitude of the resonant peaks and dips are modulated by the power of the applied microwave irradiation and a population inversion is generated at low flux bias. These results, which can be addressed with Landau–Zener transition, are useful to develop an alternative means to initialize and manipulate the flux qubit, as well as to do a controllable population inversion used in a micromaser.

DOI
10.1063/1.3093823

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Microwave resonances between discrete macroscopically distinct quantum states with single photon and multiphoton absorption are observed in a strongly driven radio frequency superconducting quantum interference device flux qubit. The amplitude of the resonant peaks and dips are modulated by the power of the applied microwave irradiation and a population inversion is generated at low flux bias. These results, which can be addressed with Landau–Zener transition, are useful to develop an alternative means to initialize and manipulate the flux qubit, as well as to do a controllable population inversion used in a micromaser.
We irradiated an rf superconducting quantum interference device qubit with large-amplitude and high-frequency electromagnetic field. Population transitions between macroscopic distinct quantum states due to multiple Landau-Zener transitions at energy-level avoided crossings were observed. The qubit population on the excited states as a function of flux detuning and microwave power exhibits interference patterns. Some features are found in the interference and a model based on rate equations can well address these features.
We distinguish different mechanisms for population inversion in flux qubits driven by dc+ac magnetic fields. We show that for driving amplitudes such that there are Landau-Zener-Stückelberg interferences, it is possible to have population inversion solely mediated by the environmental bath. Furthermore, we find that the degree of population inversion can be controlled by tailoring a resonant frequency Ω(p) in the environmental bath. To observe these effects experiments should be performed for long driving times after full relaxation.
Landau–Zener–Stückelberg (LZS) interference has drawn renewed attention to quantum information processing research because it is not only an effective tool for characterizing two-level quantum systems but also a powerful approach to manipulate quantum states. Superconducting quantum circuits, due to their versatile tunability and degrees of control, are ideal platforms for studying LZS interference phenomena. We use a superconducting Xmon qubit to study LZS interference by parametrically modulating the qubit transition frequency nonlinearly. For dc flux biasing of the qubit slightly far away from the optimal flux point, the qubit excited state population shows an interference pattern that is very similar to the standard LZS interference in linear regime, except that all bands shift towards lower frequencies when increasing the rf modulation amplitude. For dc flux biasing close to the optimal flux point, the negative sidebands and the positive sidebands behave differently, resulting in an asymmetric interference pattern. The experimental results are also in good agreement with our analytical and numerical simulations.
We experimentally demonstrate the observation of macroscopic resonant tunneling (MRT) phenomenon of the macroscopic distinct flux states in a radio frequency superconducting quantum interference device (rf-SQUID) under a single-cycle sinusoidal driving. The population of the qubit exhibits interference patterns corresponding to resonant tunneling peaks between states in the adjacent potential wells. The dynamics of the qubit depends significantly on the amplitude, frequency, and initial phase of the driving signal. We do the numerical simulations considering the intra-well and inter-well relaxation mechanism, which agree well with the experimental results. This approach provides an effective way to manipulate the qubit population by adjusting the parameters of the external driving field.
We study electromagnetically induced interference at superconducting qubits. The interaction between qubits and electromagnetic fields can provide additional coupling channels to qubit states, leading to quantum interference in a microwave driven qubit. In particular, the interwell relaxation or Rabi oscillation, resulting respectively from the multi- or single-mode interaction, can induce effective crossovers. The environment is modeled by a multi-mode thermal bath, generating the interwell relaxation. Relaxation induced interference, independent of the tunnel coupling, provides deeper understanding to the interaction between the qubits and their environment. It also supplies a useful tool to characterize the relaxation strength as well as the characteristic frequency of the bath. In addition, we demonstrate the relaxation can generate population inversion in a strongly driving two-level system. On the other hand, different from Rabi oscillation, Rabi oscillation induced interference involves more complicated and modulated photon exchange thus offers an alternative means to manipulate the qubit, with more controllable parameters including the strength and position of the tunnel coupling. It also provides a testing ground for exploring nonlinear quantum phenomena and quantum state manipulation, in not only the flux qubit but also the systems with no crossover structure, e.g. phase qubits.
Landau-Zener-Stuckelberg interferometry has been extensively investigated in quantum two-level systems, with particular interests on artificial system such as superconducting flux qubits. With increasing the driving field amplitude, more energy levels will be involved into the quantum evolution, which results in population inversion and many interesting interference patterns. These interference patterns can be used to obtain the parameters characterizing the system and probe dephasing mechanisms of the qubit. Most recently, experiments have been extended to the regime with higher-frequency and larger-amplitude driving field, in which the interference pattern exhibited more complicated characteristics. In this article, we give a universal description of the characteristics observed in both low-frequency and high-frequency regimes. Besides explaining the already observed experimental results, our theoretical model predicted many interesting phenomenon, which can be demonstrated by future experiments.