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arXiv:2106.11946 · Physical Review A

Chiral quantum optics with giant atoms

Ariadna Soro, Anton Frisk Kockum

Published Feb 16, 2022• 123 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

In quantum optics, it is common to assume that atoms are pointlike objects compared to the wavelength of the electromagnetic field they interact with. However, this dipole approximation is not always valid, e.g., if atoms couple to the field at multiple discrete points. Previous work has shown that superconducting qubits coupled to a one-dimensional waveguide can behave as such ``giant atoms'' and then can interact through the waveguide without decohering, a phenomenon that is not possible with small atoms. Here, we show that this decoherence-free interaction is also possible when the coupling to the waveguide is chiral, i.e., when the coupling depends on the propagation direction of the light. Furthermore, we derive conditions under which the giant atoms in such chiral architectures exhibit dark states. In particular, we show that unlike small atoms, giant atoms in a chiral waveguide can reach a dark state even without being excited by a coherent drive. We also show that in the driven-dissipative regime, dark states can be populated faster in giant atoms. The results presented here lay a foundation for applications based on giant atoms in quantum simulations and quantum networks with chiral settings.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.105.023712

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In quantum optics, it is common to assume that atoms are pointlike objects compared to the wavelength of the electromagnetic field they interact with. However, this dipole approximation is not always valid, e.g., if atoms couple to the field at multiple discrete points. Previous work has shown that superconducting qubits coupled to a one-dimensional waveguide can behave as such ``giant atoms'' and then can interact through the waveguide without decohering, a phenomenon that is not possible with small atoms. Here, we show that this decoherence-free interaction is also possible when the coupling to the waveguide is chiral, i.e., when the coupling depends on the propagation direction of the light. Furthermore, we derive conditions under which the giant atoms in such chiral architectures exhibit dark states. In particular, we show that unlike small atoms, giant atoms in a chiral waveguide can reach a dark state even without being excited by a coherent drive. We also show that in the driven-dissipative regime, dark states can be populated faster in giant atoms. The results presented here lay a foundation for applications based on giant atoms in quantum simulations and quantum networks with chiral settings.
In quantum-optics experiments with both natural and artificial atoms, the atoms are usually small enough that they can be approximated as pointlike compared to the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation with which they interact. However, superconducting qubits coupled to a meandering transmission line, or to surface acoustic waves, can realize "giant artificial atoms" that couple to a bosonic field at several points which are wavelengths apart. Here, we study setups with multiple giant atoms coupled at multiple points to a one-dimensional (1D) waveguide. We show that the giant atoms can be protected from decohering through the waveguide, but still have exchange interactions mediated by the waveguide. Unlike in decoherence-free subspaces, here the entire multiatom Hilbert space (2^{N} states for N atoms) is protected from decoherence. This is not possible with "small" atoms. We further show how this decoherence-free interaction can be designed in setups with multiple atoms to implement, e.g., a 1D chain of atoms with nearest-neighbor couplings or a collection of atoms with all-to-all connectivity. This may have important applications in quantum simulation and quantum computing.
Giant atoms have emerged as a new paradigm in quantum optics during the last decade. These are quantum emitters that couple to light—or other bosonic fields—at multiple discrete points, which can be spaced wavelengths apart. In the short time since the giant-atom regime was first reached, it has been shown that they offer more possibilities for design, control, and tunability than small atoms do, which makes them promising assets for quantum technologies. At the same time, due to the novelty of the field, most works have only studied giant atoms in relatively simple setups, e.g., coupled to open continuous waveguides. Thus, the papers appended here are an attempt to broaden the field by studying giant atoms in environments that have not been explored in depth before: continuous waveguides with chiral coupling and structured baths.In this thesis, we contextualize the papers with regards to previously existing knowledge and future applications in the fields of quantum optics and quantum technology. We also provide a detailed description of the analytical tools that are necessary to derive the results of the appended papers: we delve into Lindbladian master equations, SLH formalism, and resolvent formalism, and we focus particularly on the underlying assumptions and approximations behind these techniques.
We propose tunable chiral bound states in a system composed of superconducting giant atoms and a Josephson photonic-crystal waveguide (PCW), with no analog in other quantum setups. The chiral bound states arise due to interference in the nonlocal coupling of a giant atom to multiple points of the waveguide. The chirality can be tuned by changing either the atom-waveguide coupling or the external bias of the PCW. Furthermore, the chiral bound states can induce directional dipole-dipole interactions between multiple giant atoms coupling to the same waveguide. Our proposal is ready to be implemented in experiments with superconducting circuits, where it can be used as a tunable toolbox to realize topological phase transitions and quantum simulations.
Abstract We study the entanglement generation of two giant atoms within a one-dimensional bidirectional-chiral waveguide quantum electrodynamics (QED) system, where the initial state of the two giant atoms are ∣ e a , g b 〉. Here, each giant atom is coupled to the waveguide through three connection points, with the configurations divided into five types based on the arrangement of coupling points between the giant atoms and the waveguide: separate, fully braided, partially braided, fully nested, and partially nested. We explore the entanglement generation process within each configuration in both nonchiral and chiral coupling cases. It is demonstrated that entanglement can be controlled as needed by either adjusting the phase shift or selecting different configurations. For nonchiral coupling, the entanglement of each configuration exhibits steady state properties attributable to the presence of dark state. In addition, we find that steady-state entanglement can be obtained at more phase shifts in certain configurations by increasing the number of coupling points between the giant atoms and the bidirectional waveguide. In the case of chiral coupling, the entanglement is maximally enhanced compared to the one of nonchiral case. Especially in fully braided configuration, the concurrence reaches its peak value 1, which is robust to chirality. We further show the influence of atomic initial states on the evolution of interatomic entanglement. Our scheme can be used for entanglement generation in chiral quantum networks of giant-atom waveguide-QED systems, with potential applications in quantum networks and quantum communications.
Abstract In quantum optics, it is common to assume that atoms can be approximated as point-like compared to the wavelength of the light they interact with. However, recent advances in experiments with artificial atoms built from superconducting circuits have shown that this assumption can be violated. Instead, these artificial atoms can couple to an electromagnetic field at multiple points, which are spaced wavelength distances apart. In this chapter, we present a survey of such systems, which we call giant atoms. The main novelty of giant atoms is that the multiple coupling points give rise to interference effects that are not present in quantum optics with ordinary, small atoms. We discuss both theoretical and experimental results for single and multiple giant atoms, and show how the interference effects can be used for interesting applications. We also give an outlook for this emerging field of quantum optics.
Combining decoherence protection with directional photon emission in a single waveguide quantum electrodynamics (QED) device remains an open challenge. Here we show that an artificial giant molecule -- strongly interacting artificial atoms coupled to a photonic waveguide at multiple spatially separated points -- achieves both: a fully operational decoherence-free (DF) qubit and state-dependent chiral single-photon emission, arising from the same photon-interference mechanism. Initialization reduces to a local excitation of a single atom, universal single-qubit gates are implemented by modulating a single atomic frequency, and readout exploits state-dependent chiral emission with directionality reaching 100% and low measurement error of 1.2%. The coexistence of decoherence protection and directional emission in a single device positions giant molecules as protected chiral nodes for modular quantum networks in waveguide QED.