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International Journal of Modern Physics C

Exact solutions of the full two-photon Rabi model

Xinghan Chen, Jiong Li

Published Jan 30, 2026• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The full two-photon quantum Rabi model describes the nonlinear coupling between a superconducting qubit and a resonator. It possesses [Formula: see text] symmetry, in contrast to the conventional two-photon quantum Rabi model in cavity quantum electrodynamics systems, which exhibits [Formula: see text] symmetry. Using the su(1,1) Lie algebra and [Formula: see text] symmetry, we derive a transcendental function whose zeros yield the exact eigenvalues. The spectral collapse phenomenon at the critical coupling [Formula: see text] is derived analytically. At [Formula: see text], the model can be mapped to an inverse-square potential well, where an infinite number of bound states approach the threshold energy exponentially. Our results may provide new insights into spectral phenomena in practical experimental realizations of superconducting circuits with nonlinear coupling.

DOI
10.1142/s0129183127500525

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The full two-photon quantum Rabi model describes the nonlinear coupling between a superconducting qubit and a resonator. It possesses [Formula: see text] symmetry, in contrast to the conventional two-photon quantum Rabi model in cavity quantum electrodynamics systems, which exhibits [Formula: see text] symmetry. Using the su(1,1) Lie algebra and [Formula: see text] symmetry, we derive a transcendental function whose zeros yield the exact eigenvalues. The spectral collapse phenomenon at the critical coupling [Formula: see text] is derived analytically. At [Formula: see text], the model can be mapped to an inverse-square potential well, where an infinite number of bound states approach the threshold energy exponentially. Our results may provide new insights into spectral phenomena in practical experimental realizations of superconducting circuits with nonlinear coupling.
Abstract The two-photon quantum Rabi model is analyzed using the Z 4 -symmetry and su ( 1 , 1 ) -algebra. We derive the G -function whose zeros give the exact eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian. The singularity structure of the G -function allows to draw conclusions about the distribution of these eigenvalues along the real axis and we derive the spectral collapse phenomenon at critical coupling g c , found numerically before. The spectrum at g c consists of a discrete and a continuous part: the ground state is always separated from the continuum by a finite excitation gap, ruling out a quantum phase transition in the usual sense. For large qubit splitting, also other low lying states split off from the continuum. However, perturbation theory predicts the vanishing of the gap to all orders, demonstrating its non-perturbative nature. We corroborate this result with a variational calculation for the ground state.
Abstract An analytical approach is proposed to study the two-photon, two-mode and intensity-dependent Rabi models. By virtue of the su(1, 1) Lie algebra, all of them can be unified to the same Hamiltonian with Z 2 symmetry. There exist exact isolated solutions, which are located at the level crossings between different parities and correspond to eigenstates with finite dimension. Beyond the exact isolated solutions, the regular spectrum can be achieved by finding the roots of the G-function. The corresponding eigenstates are of infinite dimension. It is noteworthy that the expansion coefficients of the eigenstates present an exponential decay behavior. The decay rate decreases with increasing coupling strength. When the coupling strength tends to the spectral collapse point g → ω/2, the decay rate tends to zero which prevents the convergence of the wave functions. This work paves a way for the analysis of novel physics in nonlinear quantum optics.
We propose a superconducting circuit to implement a two-photon quantum Rabi model in a solid-state device, where a qubit and a resonator are coupled by a two-photon interaction. We analyze the input-output relations for this circuit in the strong-coupling regime and find that fundamental quantum-optical phenomena are qualitatively modified. For instance, two-photon interactions are shown to yield a single- or two-photon blockade when a pumping field is either applied to the cavity mode or to the qubit, respectively. In addition, we derive an effective Hamiltonian for perturbative ultrastrong two-photon couplings in the dispersive regime, where two-photon interactions introduce a qubit-state-dependent Kerr term. Finally, we analyze the spectral collapse of the multiqubit two-photon quantum Rabi model and find a scaling of the critical coupling with the number of qubits. Using realistic parameters with the circuit proposed, three qubits are sufficient to reach the collapse point.
The analytical exact solutions to the mixed quantum Rabi model (QRM) including both one- and two-photon terms are found by using Bogoliubov operators. Transcendental functions in terms of 4 × 4 determinants responsible for the exact solutions are derived. These so-called G-functions with pole structures can be reduced to the previous ones in the unmixed QRMs. The zeros of G-functions reproduce completely the regular spectra. The exceptional eigenvalues can also be obtained by another transcendental function. From the pole structure, we can derive two energy limits when the two-photon coupling strength tends to the collapse point. All energy levels only collapse to the lower one, which diverges negatively. The level crossings in the unmixed QRMs are relaxed to avoided crossings in the present mixed QRM due to absence of parity symmetry. In the weak two-photon coupling regime, the mixed QRM is equivalent to an one-photon QRM with an effective positive bias, suppressed photon frequency and enhanced one-photon coupling, which may pave a highly efficient and economic way to access the deep-strong one-photon coupling regime.
We have shown that the smallest possible singel-qubit critical coupling strength of the N-qubit two-photon Rabi model is only 1/N times that of the two-photon Rabi model. The spectral collapse can thus occur at a more attainable value of the critical coupling. For both of the two-qubit and three-qubit cases, we have also rigorously demonstrated that at the critical coupling the system not only has a set of discrete eigenenergies but also a continuous energy spectrum. The discrete eigenenergy spectrum can be derived via a simple one-to-one mapping to the bound state problem of a particle of variable effective mass in the presence of a finite potential well and a nonlocal potential. The energy difference of each qubit, which specifies both the depth of the finite potential well and the strength of the nonlocal potential, determines the number of bound states available, implying that the extent of the incomplete spectral collapse can be monitored in a straightforward manner.
The analytically exact solutions to the mixed quantum Rabi model including both one- and two-photon terms are found by using Bogoliubov operators. Transcendental functions in terms of 4×44 \times 44×4 determinants responsible for the exact solutions are derived. These so-called GGG-functions with pole structure can be reduced to the previous ones in the unmixed models. The zeros of GGG-functions reproduce completely the regular spectra. The exceptional eigenvalues can be also obtained by another transcendental function. From the pole structure, we can derive two energy limits when the two-photon coupling strength tends to the collapse point 1/21/21/2. Surprisingly, all energy levels only collapse to the lower one, which diverges negatively. All the level crossings in the unmixed models are relaxed to avoided crossings in the present mixed model due to absence of parity symmetry. Very interestingly, the effective one-photon coupling is enhanced in the presence of the two-photon coupling, which paves a highly efficient and economic way to access the deep-strong coupling regime even though the original one-photon coupling is weak.