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arXiv:1501.03881 · Physical Review A

Theory of microwave single-photon detection using an impedance-matched Λ system

Kazuki Koshino, K. Inomata, Zhirong Lin, Yasunobu Nakamura, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto

Published Apr 6, 2015• 39 citations
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Abstract

By properly driving a qubit-resonator system in the strong dispersive regime, we implement an ``impedance-matched'' $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ 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 $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ system and evaluate its performance as a detector. We achieve a high detection efficiency 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.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.91.043805

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By properly driving a qubit-resonator system in the strong dispersive regime, we implement an ``impedance-matched'' \ensuremathΛ\ensuremath{\Lambda}\ensuremathΛ 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 \ensuremathΛ\ensuremath{\Lambda}\ensuremathΛ system and evaluate its performance as a detector. We achieve a high detection efficiency 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.
Single-photon detection is a requisite technique in quantum-optics experiments in both the optical and the microwave domains. However, the energy of microwave quanta are four to five orders of magnitude less than their optical counterpart, making the efficient detection of single microwave photons extremely challenging. Here we demonstrate the detection of a single microwave photon propagating through a waveguide. The detector is implemented with an impedance-matched artificial Λ system comprising the dressed states of a driven superconducting qubit coupled to a microwave resonator. Each signal photon deterministically induces a Raman transition in the Λ system and excites the qubit. The subsequent dispersive readout of the qubit produces a discrete 'click'. We attain a high single-photon-detection efficiency of 0.66±0.06 with a low dark-count probability of 0.014±0.001 and a reset time of ∼400 ns. This detector can be exploited for various applications in quantum sensing, quantum communication and quantum information processing.
By driving a dispersively coupled qubit-resonator system, we realize an "impedance-matched" Λ system that has two identical radiative decay rates from the top level and interacts with a semi-infinite waveguide. It has been predicted that a photon input from the waveguide deterministically induces a Raman transition in the system and switches its electronic state. We confirm this through microwave response to a continuous probe field, observing near-perfect (99.7%) extinction of the reflection and highly efficient (74%) frequency down-conversion. These proof-of-principle results lead to deterministic quantum gates between material qubits and microwave photons and open the possibility for scalable quantum networks interconnected with waveguide photons.
Single photon detection is a requisite technique in quantum-optics experiments in both the optical and the microwave domains. However, the energy of microwave quanta are four to five orders of magnitude less than their optical counterpart, making the efficient detection of single microwave photon extremely challenging. Here, we demonstrate the detection of a single microwave photon propagating through a waveguide. The detector is implemented with an "impedance-matched" artificial Λ system comprising the dressed states of a driven superconducting qubit coupled to a microwave resonator. We attain a single-photon detection efficiency of 0.66±0.06 with a reset time of ~400 ns. This detector can be exploited for various applications in quantum sensing, quantum communication and quantum information processing.
In one-dimensional optical setups, light-matter interaction is drastically enhanced by the interference between the incident and scattered fields. Particularly, in the impedance-matched Λ-type three-level systems, a single photon deterministically induces the Raman transition and switches the electronic state of the system. Here, we show that such a Λ system can be implemented by using dressed states of a driven superconducting qubit and a resonator. The input microwave photons are perfectly absorbed and are down-converted into other frequency modes in the same waveguide. The proposed setup is applicable to the detection of single microwave photons and the swapping of the photon and matter qubits.
We propose a scheme for continuous detection of itinerant microwave photons in circuit quantum electrodynamics. In the proposed device, a superconducting qubit is coupled dispersively to two resonators: one is used to form an impedance-matched $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ system that deterministically captures incoming photons, and the other is used for continuous monitoring of the event. The present scheme enables efficient photon detection: for realistic system parameters, the detection efficiency reaches 0.9 with a bandwidth of about 10 MHz.
Superconducting quantum bits (qubits) are a leading candidate towards realizing a processor that is able to outperform existing classical computers at select tasks. One particular qubit architecture, the transmon, boasts long coherence times compared to required gate lengths and flexibility with respect to circuit couplings as these 'artificial atoms' are photolithographically defined. These attributes allow qubits to be leveraged for other tasks as well — such as efficiently detecting itinerant microwave photons. Such a device may prove useful for remote entanglement protocols, quantum optics experiments in the microwave regime, and as a detector for low-mass dark matter.Through a blend of circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) and waveguide quantum electrodynamics (wQED) theories, high detector performance was achieved even when the photon arrival time was not known. Utilizing an ensemble (N = 4) of identical transmon absorbers, photon mediated interactions along a common waveguide enable absorbed itinerant photons to be trapped for longer than the inverse of the bandwidth of an individual qubit. This extended trapping time allows for sufficient integration of the dispersively shifted readout resonator to resolve deviations from vacuum with high fidelity.