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arXiv:2008.12159 · Physical Review A

Generation of Schrödinger-cat states through photon-assisted Landau-Zener-Stückelberg interferometry

Jonas Lidal, Jeroen Danon

Published Oct 28, 2020• 10 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Schr\"odinger-cat states are useful for many applications, ranging from quantum-information processing to high-precision measurements. In this paper we propose a method for creating such cat states, based on photon-assisted Landau-Zener-St\"uckelberg interferometry in a hybrid system consisting of a qubit coupled to a photon cavity. We show that by initializing the qubit in one of its basis states, performing three consecutive sweeps of the qubit energy splitting across the 1-photon resonance, and finally projecting the qubit to the same basis state, the parity of the photon field can be purified to very high degree; when the initial photon state is a coherent state, the final state will then be very close to a Schr\"odinger-cat state. We present numerical simulations that confirm that our protocol could work with high fidelity ($\ensuremath{\sim}0.99$) for coherent states of reasonable size (${|\ensuremath{\alpha}|}^{2}\ensuremath{\sim}10$). Furthermore, we suggest that our protocol can also be used to transfer quantum information between the qubit and a superposition of orthogonal cat states in the cavity.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.102.043717

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Schr"odinger-cat states are useful for many applications, ranging from quantum-information processing to high-precision measurements. In this paper we propose a method for creating such cat states, based on photon-assisted Landau-Zener-St"uckelberg interferometry in a hybrid system consisting of a qubit coupled to a photon cavity. We show that by initializing the qubit in one of its basis states, performing three consecutive sweeps of the qubit energy splitting across the 1-photon resonance, and finally projecting the qubit to the same basis state, the parity of the photon field can be purified to very high degree; when the initial photon state is a coherent state, the final state will then be very close to a Schr"odinger-cat state. We present numerical simulations that confirm that our protocol could work with high fidelity (\ensuremath∼0.99\ensuremath{\sim}0.99\ensuremath∼0.99) for coherent states of reasonable size (∣\ensuremathα∣2\ensuremath∼10{|\ensuremath{\alpha}|}^{2}\ensuremath{\sim}10∣\ensuremathα∣2\ensuremath∼10). Furthermore, we suggest that our protocol can also be used to transfer quantum information between the qubit and a superposition of orthogonal cat states in the cavity.
Schrödinger's cat originates from the famous thought experiment querying the counterintuitive quantum superposition of macroscopic objects. As a natural extension, several "cats" (quasi-classical objects) can be prepared into coherent quantum superposition states, which is known as multipartite cat states demonstrating quantum entanglement among macroscopically distinct objects. Here, we present a highly scalable approach to deterministically create flying multipartite Schrödinger's cat states by reflecting coherent-state photons from a microwave cavity containing a superconducting qubit. We perform full quantum state tomography on the cat states with up to four photonic modes and confirm the existence of quantum entanglement among them. We also witness the hybrid entanglement between discrete-variable states (the qubit) and continuous-variable states (the flying multipartite cat) through a joint quantum state tomography. Our work provides an enabling step for implementing a series of quantum metrology and quantum information processing protocols based on cat states.
Schrödinger cat states, representing coherent superpositions of macroscopically distinguishable states, are indispensable nonclassical resources for continuous-variable quantum information processing. Existing generation protocols typically rely on strong nonlinear interactions, complicated control techniques, or engineered dissipation, posing challenges for experimental implementation. Here, we propose a simple measurement-based protocol for generating Schrödinger cat states in a cavity-QED system by combining coherent driving, dispersive atom--cavity interactions, and atomic postselection. The atom--cavity interaction establishes coherent correlations between the atomic and photonic degrees of freedom, while the subsequent atomic postselection projects the cavity field onto a non-Gaussian superposition state with pronounced Wigner negativity. Numerical simulations based on the Lindblad master equation show that the generated Schrödinger cat states remain robust against moderate cavity dissipation. Our results demonstrate that conditional atomic measurements provide an effective and experimentally accessible approach for preparing nonclassical cavity states without relying on strong optical nonlinearities or engineered dissipation.
We introduce cavity Rydberg quantum photonics as a novel platform for generating hybrid entangled states of optical photons. The system achieves world-record sizes of these states and has the potential to produce yet larger states in the future. In the hybrid entangled state produced here, a superposition of two coherent states is entangled with a polarization qubit carried by a photon in another beam path. We perform quantum state tomography of this hybrid entangled state and evaluate various key properties. By optimizing the decoherence we increase the size compared to previous hybrid entangled states, reaching a size of α2=2.4α^2= 2.4α2=2.4. Besides the fundamental interest in Schrödinger cat states, this work is interesting because of potential applications in the field of quantum information processing.
Ansatz, we investigate Landau-Zener (LZ) transitions in a qubit coupled to a photon mode with various initial photon states at zero temperature. Thanks to the multiple Davydov trial states, exact photonic dynamics taking place in the course of the LZ transition is also studied efficiently. With the qubit driven by a linear external field and the photon mode initialized with Schrödinger-cat states, asymptotic behavior of the transition probability beyond the rotating-wave approximation is uncovered for a variety of initial states. Using a sinusoidal external driving field, we also explore the photon-assisted dynamics of Landau-Zener-Stückelberg-Majorana interferometry. Transition pathways involving multiple energy levels are unveiled by analyzing the photon dynamics.
Optical "Schrödinger cat" states, the non-classical superposition of two quasi-classical coherent states, serve as a basis for gedanken experiments testing quantum physics on mesoscopic scales and are increasingly recognized as a resource for quantum information processing. Here, we report the first experimental realization of optical "Schrödinger cats" by adding a photon to a squeezed vacuum state, so far only photon-subtraction protocols have been realized. Photon-addition gives us the advantage of using heralded signal photons as experimental triggers, and we can generate "Schrödinger cats" at rates exceeding 8.5×1048.5 \times 10^48.5×104 counts per second; at least one order of magnitude higher than all previously reported realizations. Wigner distributions with pronounced negative parts are demonstrated at down to -8.89 dB squeezing, even when the initial squeezed vacuum input state has low purity. Benchmarking against such a degraded squeezed input state we report a maximum fidelity of more than 80% with a maximum cat amplitude of ∣α∣≈1.66|α| \approx 1.66∣α∣≈1.66. Our experiment uses photon-addition from pairs, one of those photons is used for monitoring, giving us enhanced control; moreover the pair production rates are high and should allow for repeated application of photon-addition via repeat-stages.
We demonstrate quantum control and entanglement generation using a Landau-Zener beam splitter formed by coupling two transmon qubits to a superconducting cavity. Single passage through the cavity-mediated qubit-qubit avoided crossing provides a direct test of the Landau-Zener transition formula. Consecutive sweeps result in Landau-Zener-Stückelberg interference patterns, with a visibility that can be sensitively tuned by adjusting the level velocity through both the nonadiabatic and adiabatic regimes. Two-qubit state tomography indicates that a Bell state can be generated via a single passage, with a fidelity of 78% limited by qubit relaxation.