We experimentally study a circuit quantum acoustodynamics system, which consists of a superconducting artificial atom, coupled to both a two-dimensional surface acoustic wave resonatorand a one-dimensional microwave transmission line. The strong coupling between the artificial atom and the acoustic wave resonator is confirmed by the observation of the vacuum Rabi splitting at the base temperature of dilution refrigerator. We show that the propagation of microwave photons in the microwave transmission line can be controlled by a few phonons in the acoustic wave resonator. Furthermore, we demonstrate the temperature effect on the measurements of the Rabi splitting and temperature induced transitions from high excited dressed states. We find that the spectrum structure of two-peak for the Rabi splitting becomes into those of several peaks, and gradually disappears with the increase of the environmental temperature T. The quantum-to-classical transition is observed around the crossover temperature Tc, which is determined via the thermal fluctuation energy kBT and the characteristic energy level spacing of the coupled system. Experimental results agree well with the theoretical simulations via the master equation of the coupled system at different effective temperatures.
We report development and microwave characterization of rf SQUID (Superconducting QUantum Interference Device) qubits, consisting of an aluminium-based Josephson junction embedded ina superconducting loop patterned from a thin film of TiN with high kinetic inductance. Here we demonstrate that the systems can offer small physical size, high anharmonicity, and small scatter of device parameters. The hybrid devices can be utilized as tools to shed further light onto the origin of film dissipation and decoherence in phase-slip nanowire qubits, patterned entirely from disordered superconducting films.
We study experimentally a vacuum induced Aulter-Townes doublet in a superconducting three-level artificial atom strongly coupled to a coplanar waveguide resonator and simultaneouslyto a transmission line. The Aulter-Townes splitting is observed in the reflection spectrum of the three-level atom when the transition between two excited states is resonant with the resonator. By varying an amplitude of the driving field applied to the resonator, we observe quantum-to-classical transition of the Aulter-Townes splitting. Our results may pave the way for the control of microwaves by single photons.
We demonstrate coherent dynamics of quantized magnetic fluxes in a superconducting loop with a weak link – a nanobridge patterned from the same thin NbN film as the loop. Thebridge is a short rounded shape constriction, close to 10 nm long and 20 – 30 nm wide, having minimal width at its center. Quantum state control and coherent oscillations in the driven time evolution of the tunnel-junctionless system are achieved. Decoherence and energy relaxation in the system are studied using a combination of microwave spectroscopy and direct time-domain techniques. The effective flux noise behavior suggests inductance fluctuations as a possible cause of the decoherence.
Using different configurations of applied strong driving and weak probe fields, we find that only a single three-level superconducting quantum circuit (SQC) is enough to realize amplification,attenuation and frequency conversion of microwave fields. Such a three-level SQC has to possess Δ-type cyclic transitions. Different from the parametric amplification (attenuation) and frequency conversion in nonlinear optical media, the real energy levels of the three-level SQC are involved in the energy exchange when these processes are completed. We mainly show the efficiencies of the amplification and the frequency conversion for different types of driving fields. Our study provides a new method to amplify (attenuate) microwave, realize frequency conversion, and also lays a foundation for generating single or entangled microwave photon states using a single three-level SQC.
An on-demand single photon source is a key element in a series of prospective quantum technologies and applications. We demonstrate the operation of a tuneable on-demand microwave photonsource based on a fully controllable superconducting artificial atom strongly coupled to an open-end transmission line (a 1D half-space). The atom emits a photon upon excitation by a short microwave π-pulse applied through a control line weakly coupled to the atom. The emission and control lines are well decoupled from each other, preventing the direct leakage of radiation from the π-pulses used for excitation. The estimated efficiency of the source is higher than 75\% and remains to be about 50\% or higher over a wide frequency range from 6.7 to 9.1 GHz continuously tuned by an external magnetic field.
A single superconducting artificial atom provides a unique basis for coupling electromagnetic fields and photons hardly achieved with a natural atom. Bringing a pair of harmonic oscillatorsinto resonance with transitions of the three-level atom converts atomic spontaneous processes into correlated emission dynamics. We demonstrate two-mode correlated emission lasing on harmonic oscillators coupled via the fully controllable three-level artificial atom. Correlation of two different color emissions reveals itself as equally narrowed linewiths and quench of their mutual phase-diffusion. The mutual linewidth is more than four orders of magnitude narrower than the Schawlow-Townes limit. The interference between the different color lasing fields demonstrates the two-mode fields are strongly correlated.