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Applied Sciences

Entangled Frequency-Tunable Microwave Photons in a Superconducting Circuit

Kaixuan Zhang, Chunhai Cao, Jian Chen, Huabing Wang, Guozhu Sun, Peiheng Wu

Published Mar 14, 2023• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

We propose a frequency-tunable source to emit entangled microwave photons on the platform of a superconducting circuit, in which two superconducting transmission-line resonators are coupled via a capacitor and one resonator is inserted with a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) in the center. By pumping the circuit appropriately with an external coherent microwave signal through the SQUID, microwave photons are emitted in pairs out of the circuit. The entanglement between the two modes is demonstrated by numerically calculating the second-order coherence function and the logarithmic negativity of the output microwave signals. Due to the tunability of SQUID’s equivalent inductance, the frequencies of the entangled microwave photons can be tuned by an external flux bias in situ. Our proposal paves a new way for obtaining entangled frequency-tunable two-mode microwave photons.

DOI
10.3390/app13063688

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We propose a frequency-tunable source to emit entangled microwave photons on the platform of a superconducting circuit, in which two superconducting transmission-line resonators are coupled via a capacitor and one resonator is inserted with a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) in the center. By pumping the circuit appropriately with an external coherent microwave signal through the SQUID, microwave photons are emitted in pairs out of the circuit. The entanglement between the two modes is demonstrated by numerically calculating the second-order coherence function and the logarithmic negativity of the output microwave signals. Due to the tunability of SQUID’s equivalent inductance, the frequencies of the entangled microwave photons can be tuned by an external flux bias in situ. Our proposal paves a new way for obtaining entangled frequency-tunable two-mode microwave photons.
We propose a scheme for implementing quantum information transfer based on frequency modes of microwave photons in a superconducting circuit. In our proposal, quantum information can be encoded on frequency modes of microwave photons, which act as a qubit in the resonator. Operations for the qubit, which is a process involving parametric frequency conversion, can be implemented by adjusting biased-dc superconducting quantum interference (SQUID). The coupling between two resonators can be controlled by tuning the frequency of the LC circuit inserted by a dc SQUID with two Josephson-junctions (2JJ-SQUID). Compared with previous ones, our work can avoid dephasing and decoherence resulting from atom decay. In addition, the resonator which includes multiple photons in two frequency modes can play a role of an identical atomic ensemble, which could lead to photon blockade.
Scaling up a superconducting quantum computer will likely require quantum communication between remote chips, which can be implemented using an itinerant microwave photon in a transmission line. To realize high-fidelity communication, it is essential to control the frequency and temporal shape of the microwave photon. In this work, we demonstrate the generation of frequency-tunable shaped microwave photons without resorting to any frequency-tunable circuit element. We develop a framework that treats a microwave resonator as a band-pass filter mediating the interaction between a superconducting qubit and the modes in the transmission line. This interpretation allows us to stimulate the photon emission by an off-resonant drive signal. We characterize how the frequency and temporal shape of the generated photon depends on the frequency and amplitude of the drive signal. By modulating the drive amplitude and frequency, we achieve a frequency tunability of 40 MHz while maintaining the photon mode shape time symmetric. Through measurements of the quadrature amplitudes of the emitted photons, we demonstrate a consistently high state and process fidelities around 95% across the tunable frequency range. Our hardware-efficient approach eliminates the need for additional biasing lines typically required for frequency tuning, offering a simplified architecture for scalable quantum communication.
Abstract Here we consider a tunable superconducting cavity that can be used either as a tunable coupler to a qubit inside the cavity or as a tunable low noise, low temperature, RF filter. Our design consists of an array of radio-frequency superconducting quantum interference devices (rf SQUIDs) inside a superconducting cavity. This forms a tunable metamaterial structure which couples to the cavity through its magnetic plasma frequency. By tuning the resonant frequency of the metamaterial through an applied magnetic flux, one can tune the cavity mode profile. This allows us to detune the cavity initially centered at 5.593 GHz by over 200 MHz. The maximum quality factor approaches that of the empty cavity, which is 4.5 × 106. The metamaterial electromagnetic response is controlled via a low-frequency or dc magnetic flux bias, and we present a control line architecture that is capable of applying sufficient magnetic flux bias with minimal parasitic coupling. Together this design allows for an in-situ tunable cavity which enables low-temperature quantum control applications.
We have created a doubly tunable resonator, with the intention to simulate relativistic motion of the resonator boundaries in real space. Our device is a superconducting coplanar-waveguide microwave resonator, with fundamental resonant frequency ω 1 / (2 π ) ~ 5 GHz. Both of its ends are terminated to ground via dc-SQUIDs, which serve as magnetic-flux-controlled inductances. Applying a flux to either SQUID allows the tuning of ω 1 / (2 π ) by approximately 700 MHz. Using two separate on-chip magnetic-flux lines, we modulate the SQUIDs with two tones of equal frequency, close to 2 ω 1 . We observe photon generation, at ω 1 , above a certain pump amplitude threshold. By varying the relative phase of the two pumps we are able to control this threshold, in good agreement with a theoretical model. At the same time, some of our observations deviate from the theoretical predictions, which we attribute to parasitic couplings resulting in current driving of the SQUIDs.
Although the multi-level structure of superconducting qubits may result in calculation errors, it can be rationally used to effectively improve the speed of gate operations. Utilizing a current-biased Josephson junction (λ-type rf-SQUID) as a tunable coupler for superconducting transmission line resonators (TLRs), under the large detuning condition, we demonstrate the controllable generation of entangled coherent states in circuit quantum electrodynamics (circuit QED). The coupling between the TLRs and the qubit can be effectively regulated by an external bias current or coupling capacitor. Further investigations indicate that the maximum entangled state can be obtained through measuring the excited state of the superconducting qubits. Then, the influence of the TLR decay on the prepared entangled states is analyzed.
We realize tunable coupling between two superconducting transmission line resonators. The coupling is mediated by a non-hysteretic rf SQUID acting as a flux-tunable mutual inductance between the resonators. We present a spectroscopic characterization of the device. In particular, we observe couplings g/2πg/2\pig/2π ranging between −320 MHz and 37 MHz. In the case of g≃0g \simeq 0g≃0 , the microwave power cross transmission between the two resonators is reduced by almost four orders of magnitude as compared to the case where the coupling is switched on.