Ping-Yi Wen

Microwave amplification via interfering multi-photon processes in a half-waveguide quantum electrodynamics system

  1. Fahad Aziz,
  2. Kuan-Ting Lin,
  3. Ping-Yi Wen,
  4. Samina,
  5. Yu Chen Lin,
  6. Emely Wiegand,
  7. Ching-Ping Lee,
  8. Yu-Ting Cheng,
  9. Ching-Yeh Chen,
  10. Chin-Hsun Chien,
  11. Kai-Min Hsieh,
  12. Yu-Huan Huang,
  13. Ian Hou,
  14. Jeng-Chung Chen,
  15. Yen-Hsiang Lin,
  16. Anton Frisk Kockum,
  17. Guin-Dar Lin,
  18. and Io-Chun Hoi
We investigate the amplification of a microwave probe signal by a superconducting artificial atom, a transmon, strongly coupled to the end of a one-dimensional semi-infinite transmission
line. The end of the transmission line acts as a mirror for microwave fields. Due to the weak anharmonicity of the artificial atom, a strong pump field creates multi-photon excitations among the dressed states. Transitions between these dressed states, Rabi sidebands, give rise to either amplification or attenuation of the weak probe. We obtain a maximum amplitude amplification of about 18 %, higher than in any previous experiment with a single artificial atom, due to constructive interference between Rabi sidebands. We also characterize the noise properties of the system by measuring the spectrum of spontaneous emission.
arxiv pdf

Ultimate quantum limit for amplification: a single atom in front of a mirror

  1. Emely Wiegand,
  2. Ping-Yi Wen,
  3. Per Delsing,
  4. Io-Chun Hoi,
  5. and Anton Frisk Kockum
We investigate three types of amplification processes for light fields coupling to an atom near the end of a one-dimensional semi-infinite waveguide. We consider two setups where a
drive creates population inversion in the bare or dressed basis of a three-level atom and one setup where the amplification is due to higher-order processes in a driven two-level atom. In all cases, the end of the waveguide acts as a mirror for the light. We find that this enhances the amplification in two ways compared to the same setups in an open waveguide. Firstly, the mirror forces all output from the atom to travel in one direction instead of being split up into two output channels. Secondly, interference due to the mirror enables tuning of the ratio of relaxation rates for different transitions in the atom to increase population inversion. We quantify the enhancement in amplification due to these factors and show that it can be demonstrated for standard parameters in experiments with superconducting quantum circuits.
arxiv pdf