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arXiv:1907.04830 · Physical Review Applied

Microwave-to-Optical Transduction Using a Mechanical Supermode for Coupling Piezoelectric and Optomechanical Resonators

Marcelo Wu, Emil Zeuthen, Krishna C. Balram, Kartik A. Srinivasan

Published Jan 16, 2020• 74 citations
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Abstract

The successes of superconducting quantum circuits at local manipulation of quantum information and photonics technology at long-distance transmission of the same have spurred interest in the development of quantum transducers for efficient, low-noise, and bidirectional frequency conversion of photons between the microwave and optical domains. We propose to realize such functionality through the coupling of electrical, piezoelectric, and optomechanical resonators. The coupling of the mechanical subsystems enables formation of a resonant mechanical supermode that provides a mechanically mediated, efficient single interface to both the microwave and optical domains. The conversion process is analyzed by applying an equivalent circuit model that relates device-level parameters to overall figures of merit for conversion efficiency $\ensuremath{\eta}$ and added noise $N$. These can be further enhanced by proper impedance matching of the transducer to an input microwave transmission line. The performance of potential transducers is assessed through finite-element simulations, with a focus on geometries in $\mathrm{Ga}\mathrm{As}$, followed by considerations of the $\mathrm{Al}\mathrm{N}$, ${\mathrm{Li}\mathrm{Nb}\mathrm{O}}_{3}$, and $\mathrm{Al}\mathrm{N}$-on-$\mathrm{Si}$ platforms. We present strategies for maximizing $\ensuremath{\eta}$ and minimizing $N$, and find that simultaneously achieving $\ensuremath{\eta}>50\mathrm{%}$ and $N<0.5$ should be possible with current technology. We find that the use of a mechanical supermode for mediating transduction is a key enabler for high-efficiency operation, particularly when paired with an appropriate microwave impedance-matching network. Our comprehensive analysis of the full transduction chain enables us to outline a development path for the realization of high-performance quantum transducers that will constitute a valuable resource for quantum information science.

DOI
10.1103/physrevapplied.13.014027

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Coherent transduction of quantum states from the microwave to the optical domain can play a key role in quantum networking and distributed quantum computing. We present the design of a piezo-optomechanical device formed in a hybrid lithium niobate on silicon platform, that is suitable for microwave-to-optical quantum transduction. Our design is based on acoustic hybridization of an ultra-low mode volume piezoacoustic cavity with an optomechanical crystal cavity. The strong piezoelectric nature of lithium niobate allows us to mediate transduction via an acoustic mode which only minimally interacts with the lithium niobate, and is predominantly silicon-like, with very low electrical and acoustic loss. We estimate that this transducer can realize an intrinsic conversion efficiency of up to 35% with <0.5 added noise quanta when resonantly coupled to a superconducting transmon qubit and operated in pulsed mode at 10 kHz repetition rate. The performance improvement gained in such hybrid lithium niobate-silicon transducers make them suitable for heralded entanglement of qubits between superconducting quantum processors connected by optical fiber links.
Piezoelectric optomechanical platforms represent one of the most promising routes toward achieving quantum transduction of photons between the microwave and optical frequency domains. However, there are significant challenges to achieving near-unity transduction efficiency. The authors discuss such factors in the context of the two main approaches being pursued for high efficiency transduction. The first approach uses 1D nanobeam optomechanical crystals excited by interdigitated transducers and is characterized by large single-photon optomechanical coupling strength, limited intracavity pump photon population to avoid absorption-induced heating (at cryogenic temperature), and low phonon injection efficiency from the transducer to the optomechanical cavity. The second approach uses (quasi) bulk acoustic wave resonators integrated into photonic Fabry–Perot cavity geometries and is characterized by low single-photon optomechanical coupling strength, high intracavity pump photon population without significant heating, and high phonon injection efficiency. After reviewing the current status of both approaches, the need for co-designing the electromechanical and optomechanical sub-systems is discussed in order to achieve high transduction efficiencies, taking the GaAs piezo-optomechanical platform as an example.
Microwave-to-optical transducers facilitate the distributed quantum network by combining the high-speed information-processing abilities of superconducting circuits with the long-distance, low-loss transmitting capabilities of optical photons. Besides core metrics such as high efficiency, low noise, and wide bandwidth, practical and scalable transducers also demand a compact footprint and frequency tunability. In this work, we propose an integrated and tunable transducer that combines a coplanar waveguide microwave resonator with a magno-optomechanical microcavity via flip-chip bonding. Benefiting from the broad frequency tunability of the magnon mode, the working frequency range can be tuned over several gigahertz. Through optimization of the geometry and pump powers, our design achieves a theoretical microwave-to-optical photon conversion efficiency exceeding 50% using experimentally achievable parameters, alongside a bandwidth greater than 10 kHz. An added noise near the quantum limit $(\ensuremath{\sim}1)$ is achievable at 10 mK using lower pump powers at the cost of conversion efficiency or a pulsed-pump protocol. By merging compact integration with wide frequency tunability, this platform offers a promising pathway toward scalable quantum networks.
State transfer between light and microwaves is a key challenge in quantum networks. Promising transducers use a mechanical intermediary that couples to both fields via radiation pressure. Such electro-optomechanical devices have achieved high efficiencies, yet require resolved-sideband cavities, and generally compromise in scalability and noise performance. Here, we relax this constraint by extending the protocol of Navarathna et al. that transfers optical quantum information onto a mechanical resonator using a broadband, sideband-unresolved cavity and feedback. Combining this with parametric mechanical-to-microwave conversion, we show that continuous optical-to-microwave quantum state transfer is possible using measurement-based feedback, while all-optical coherent feedback enables bidirectional transfer. To assess the transfer, we introduce the quantum transfer witness WT\mathcal{W}_TWT​, which -- though similar to the input-referred added noise -- also identifies whether a channel is capable of both preserving Gaussian entanglement and outperforming classical transduction schemes. Finally, we show that quantum-compatible noise performance is within reach of current experimental capabilities. Our results unlock a new design space for electro-optomechanical transducers and strengthens their candidacy as scalable quantum links between distant nodes.