The current progress in design, fabrication and control of mesoscopic solid-state qubits provides tempting opportunities for the realization of quantum metamaterials – controllably quantum coherent artificial media. We discuss their possible technological applications and - more importantly their significance in the context of a direct probing of the quantum-classical boundary.
The current progress in design, fabrication and control of mesoscopic solid-state qubits provides tempting opportunities for the realization of quantum metamaterials – controllably quantum coherent artificial media. We discuss their possible technological applications and - more importantly their significance in the context of a direct probing of the quantum-classical boundary.
Quantum metamaterials extend the concept of metamaterials to the case where an artificial optical (in the broad sense) medium can maintain global quantum coherence over times exceeding the traversal time of an electromagnetic signal and the quantum states of their building blocks can be externally controlled. So far 1D and 2D quantum metamaterials have been contemplated. Here we discuss the possible realizations of a 3D quantum metamaterial based on a network on current-biased Josephson junctions (phase qubits).
Quantum metamaterials generalize the concept of metamaterials (artificial optical media) to the case when their optical properties are determined by the interplay of quantum effects in the constituent ‘artificial atoms’ with the electromagnetic field modes in the system. The theoretical investigation of these structures demonstrated that a number of new effects (such as quantum birefringence, strongly nonclassical states of light, etc.) are to be expected, prompting the efforts on their fabrication and experimental investigation. Here we provide a summary of the principal features of quantum metamaterials and review the current state of research in this quickly developing field, which bridges quantum optics, quantum condensed matter theory and quantum information processing.
Quantum metamaterials generalize the concept of metamaterials (artificial optical media) to the case when their optical properties are determined by the interplay of quantum effects in the constituent 'artificial atoms' with the electromagnetic field modes in the system. The theoretical investigation of these structures demonstrated that a number of new effects (such as quantum birefringence, strongly nonclassical states of light, etc) are to be expected, prompting the efforts on their fabrication and experimental investigation. Here we provide a summary of the principal features of quantum metamaterials and review the current state of research in this quickly developing field, which bridges quantum optics, quantum condensed matter theory and quantum information processing.
Metamaterials are a class of artificially engineered materials with periodic structures possessing exceptional properties not found in conventional materials. This definition can be extended when we introduce a degree of freedom by adding quantum elements such as quantum dots, cold atoms, Josephson junctions, and molecules, making metamaterials highly valuable for various quantum applications. Metamaterials have been used to achieve invisibility cloaking, super-resolution, energy harvesting, and sensing, among other applications. Most of these applications are performed in the classical regime. Metamaterials have gradually made their way into the quantum regime since the advent of quantum computing and quantum sensing and imaging. Quantum metamaterials are a relatively new technology, and their use in quantum information processing has proliferated. We restrict this study to quantum state manipulation and control, quantum entanglement, single photon generation, quantum state switching, quantum state engineering, quantum key distribution, quantum algorithms, orbital angular momentum, and quantum imaging. Considering these developments, we examine the theory, fabrication, and applications contributing to quantum information processing and how quantum metamaterials contribute to this field. We find that the ability to harness the unique properties of metamaterials to drive these applications is of great importance, as they have the potential to unlock new possibilities for revolutionizing quantum information processing, bringing the world closer to practical quantum technologies with unprecedented capabilities. We conclude by suggesting possible future research directions.
Metamaterials are artificially engineered periodic structures with exceptional optical properties that are not found in conventional materials. However, this definition of metamaterials can be extended if we introduce a quantum degree of freedom by adding some quantum elements (e.g quantum dots, cold atoms, Josephson junctions, molecules). Quantum metamaterials can then be defined as artificially engineered nanostructures made up of quantum elements. Furthermore, they exhibit controllable quantum states, maintain quantum coherence for times much higher than the transversal time of the electromagnetic signal. Metamaterials have been used to realised invisibility cloaking, super-resolution, energy harvesting, and sensing. Most of these applications are performed in the classical regime. Of recent, metamaterials have gradually found their way into the quantum regime, particularly to quantum sensing and quantum information processing. The use of quantum metamaterials for quantum information processing is still new and rapidly growing. In quantum information processing, quantum metamaterials have enabled the control and manipulation of quantum states, single photon generation, creating quantum entanglement, quantum states switching, quantum search algorithm, quantum state engineering tasks, and many more. In this work, we briefly review the theory, fabrication and applications of quantum metamaterials to quantum information processing.