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Cambridge University Press eBooks

Applications and speculations

Alexandre M. Zagoskin

Published Jul 14, 2011• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

It is known that dragons do not exist … but each kind does so in a completely different manner. Imaginary and null dragons do not exist in a much less interesting way, than the negative ones. Stanisław Lem Quantum metamaterials A qubit in a transmission line Now we can finally discuss what kind of structures can be formed using qubits as basic units, and what would be their properties. Consider, for example, the optical properties of such a structure. For wavelengths much larger than the size of a single element, or the distance between elements, the structure will appear to be a continuous material with, possibly, strange properties. Such materials built out of artificial unit blocks are known as metamaterials (e.g., Saleh and Teich, 2007, 5.7) and, indeed, demonstrate such exotic behaviour as having a negative refractive index. Compared to them, quantum metamaterials (Rakhmanov et al., 2008), where the building blocks are qubits (or more complex artificial atoms), which maintain quantum coherence during the characteristic time of the signal propagation through them, and whose quantum state can be, in principle, selectively controlled, promise a wider and even more interesting range of behaviour. Such a device could be called an extended quantum coherent system, and our investigations will take us from the field of already fabricated structures, already conducted experiments and already verified theoretical models and into the even more interesting here-be-dragons territory of suppositions, suggestions and open questions.

DOI
10.1017/cbo9780511844157.007

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It is known that dragons do not exist … but each kind does so in a completely different manner. Imaginary and null dragons do not exist in a much less interesting way, than the negative ones. Stanisław Lem Quantum metamaterials A qubit in a transmission line Now we can finally discuss what kind of structures can be formed using qubits as basic units, and what would be their properties. Consider, for example, the optical properties of such a structure. For wavelengths much larger than the size of a single element, or the distance between elements, the structure will appear to be a continuous material with, possibly, strange properties. Such materials built out of artificial unit blocks are known as metamaterials (e.g., Saleh and Teich, 2007, 5.7) and, indeed, demonstrate such exotic behaviour as having a negative refractive index. Compared to them, quantum metamaterials (Rakhmanov et al., 2008), where the building blocks are qubits (or more complex artificial atoms), which maintain quantum coherence during the characteristic time of the signal propagation through them, and whose quantum state can be, in principle, selectively controlled, promise a wider and even more interesting range of behaviour. Such a device could be called an extended quantum coherent system, and our investigations will take us from the field of already fabricated structures, already conducted experiments and already verified theoretical models and into the even more interesting here-be-dragons territory of suppositions, suggestions and open questions.
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.
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).
Photonic metamaterials are man-made materials with "lattice constants" smaller than the wavelength of light. Tailoring the properties of their functional building blocks (atoms) allows one to go beyond the possibilities of usual materials. For example, magnetic dipole moments at optical frequencies (mune1) become possible. This aspect substantially enriches the possibilities of optics and photonics and forms the basis for the so-called negative-index metamaterials. Here, we describe the underlying physics and review the recent progress in this rapidly emerging field
Good order is the foundation of all good things. E. Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France , 1790 Josephson effect Superconductivity: A crash course The transition from the theoretical description of hypothetical building blocks of a quantum coherent device to something which can be actually fabricated and controlled is made much easier by the existence of superconductivity . This phenomenon, roughly speaking, allows a macroscopic quantum coherent flow of electrons in a sufficiently cold piece of an appropriate material by establishing a specific long-range order among them. Due to this one can, for example, use macroscopically different states of a superconductor as quantum states of a qubit, with the obvious advantage over “microscopically quantum” systems (like actual atoms) from the point of view of control, measurement and, last but not least, fabrication of structures with the desired parameters and on the desired scale. The phenomenon of superconductivity – the history of its discovery, experimental manifestations, theoretical explanation, open questions, relevance to other branches of physics, and technological applications – requires a thorough treatment, which can be found in any number of books. For our purposes Tinkham (2004) will provide more than sufficient background. We will not wander into the field of exotic/high-temperature superconductors for two simple reasons: the quantum coherent behaviour of the kind we need to realize qubits or other quantum coherent devices has not yet been properly and/or routinely achieved in these systems; and the fabrication of such devices is not yet reliable enough or even feasible.
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.
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.