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arXiv:1503.06653 · Physical Review B

Relativistic motion with superconducting qubits

Simone Felicetti, Carlos Sabín, Ivette Fuentes, Lucas Lamata, Guillermo Romero, E. Solano

Published Aug 3, 2015• 57 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We show how the dynamical modulation of the qubit-field coupling strength in a circuit quantum electrodynamics architecture mimics the motion of the qubit at relativistic speeds. This allows us to propose a realistic experiment to detect microwave photons coming from simulated acceleration radiation. Moreover, by combining this technique with the dynamical Casimir physics, we enhance the toolbox for studying relativistic phenomena in quantum field theory with superconducting circuits.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.92.064501

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We show how the dynamical modulation of the qubit-field coupling strength in a circuit quantum electrodynamics architecture mimics the motion of the qubit at relativistic speeds. This allows us to propose a realistic experiment to detect microwave photons coming from simulated acceleration radiation. Moreover, by combining this technique with the dynamical Casimir physics, we enhance the toolbox for studying relativistic phenomena in quantum field theory with superconducting circuits.
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We show that simulated relativistic motion can generate entanglement between artificial atoms and protect them from spontaneous emission. We consider a pair of superconducting qubits coupled to a resonator mode, where the modulation of the coupling strength can mimic the harmonic motion of the qubits at relativistic speeds, generating acceleration radiation. We find the optimal feasible conditions for generating a stationary entangled state between the qubits when they are initially prepared in their ground state. Furthermore, we analyse the effects of motion on the probability of spontaneous emission in the standard scenarios of single-atom and two-atom superradiance, where one or two excitations are initially present. Finally, we show that relativistic motion induces sub-radiance and can generate a Zeno-like effect, preserving the excitations from radiative decay.
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