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Superconducting qubit to optical photon transduction

Author

Listed:
  • Mohammad Mirhosseini

    (California Institute of Technology
    California Institute of Technology
    California Institute of Technology)

  • Alp Sipahigil

    (California Institute of Technology
    California Institute of Technology
    California Institute of Technology)

  • Mahmoud Kalaee

    (California Institute of Technology
    California Institute of Technology
    California Institute of Technology
    AWS Center for Quantum Computing)

  • Oskar Painter

    (California Institute of Technology
    California Institute of Technology
    California Institute of Technology
    AWS Center for Quantum Computing)

Abstract

Conversion of electrical and optical signals lies at the foundation of the global internet. Such converters are used to extend the reach of long-haul fibre-optic communication systems and within data centres for high-speed optical networking of computers. Likewise, coherent microwave-to-optical conversion of single photons would enable the exchange of quantum states between remotely connected superconducting quantum processors1. Despite the prospects of quantum networking2, maintaining the fragile quantum state in such a conversion process with superconducting qubits has not yet been achieved. Here we demonstrate the conversion of a microwave-frequency excitation of a transmon—a type of superconducting qubit—into an optical photon. We achieve this by using an intermediary nanomechanical resonator that converts the electrical excitation of the qubit into a single phonon by means of a piezoelectric interaction3 and subsequently converts the phonon to an optical photon by means of radiation pressure4. We demonstrate optical photon generation from the qubit by recording quantum Rabi oscillations of the qubit through single-photon detection of the emitted light over an optical fibre. With proposed improvements in the device and external measurement set-up, such quantum transducers might be used to realize new hybrid quantum networks2,5 and, ultimately, distributed quantum computers6,7.

Suggested Citation

  • Mohammad Mirhosseini & Alp Sipahigil & Mahmoud Kalaee & Oskar Painter, 2020. "Superconducting qubit to optical photon transduction," Nature, Nature, vol. 588(7839), pages 599-603, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:588:y:2020:i:7839:d:10.1038_s41586-020-3038-6
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-3038-6
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Simon Hönl & Youri Popoff & Daniele Caimi & Alberto Beccari & Tobias J. Kippenberg & Paul Seidler, 2022. "Microwave-to-optical conversion with a gallium phosphide photonic crystal cavity," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    2. Han Zhao & Bingzhao Li & Huan Li & Mo Li, 2022. "Enabling scalable optical computing in synthetic frequency dimension using integrated cavity acousto-optics," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-7, December.
    3. I-Tung Chen & Bingzhao Li & Seokhyeong Lee & Srivatsa Chakravarthi & Kai-Mei Fu & Mo Li, 2023. "Optomechanical ring resonator for efficient microwave-optical frequency conversion," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    4. Liu Qiu & Rishabh Sahu & William Hease & Georg Arnold & Johannes M. Fink, 2023. "Coherent optical control of a superconducting microwave cavity via electro-optical dynamical back-action," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    5. André G. Primo & Pedro V. Pinho & Rodrigo Benevides & Simon Gröblacher & Gustavo S. Wiederhecker & Thiago P. Mayer Alegre, 2023. "Dissipative optomechanics in high-frequency nanomechanical resonators," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-8, December.
    6. Mateusz Mazelanik & Adam Leszczyński & Michał Parniak, 2022. "Optical-domain spectral super-resolution via a quantum-memory-based time-frequency processor," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    7. Hugo Molinares & Bing He & Vitalie Eremeev, 2023. "Transfer of Quantum States and Stationary Quantum Correlations in a Hybrid Optomechanical Network," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-18, June.
    8. Terence Blésin & Wil Kao & Anat Siddharth & Rui N. Wang & Alaina Attanasio & Hao Tian & Sunil A. Bhave & Tobias J. Kippenberg, 2024. "Bidirectional microwave-optical transduction based on integration of high-overtone bulk acoustic resonators and photonic circuits," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    9. Rishabh Sahu & William Hease & Alfredo Rueda & Georg Arnold & Liu Qiu & Johannes M. Fink, 2022. "Quantum-enabled operation of a microwave-optical interface," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-7, December.
    10. Chiao-Hsuan Wang & Fangxin Li & Liang Jiang, 2022. "Quantum capacities of transducers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    11. Arjun Iyer & Yadav P. Kandel & Wendao Xu & John M. Nichol & William H. Renninger, 2024. "Coherent optical coupling to surface acoustic wave devices," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.
    12. Roel Burgwal & Ewold Verhagen, 2023. "Enhanced nonlinear optomechanics in a coupled-mode photonic crystal device," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    13. Yannick Seis & Thibault Capelle & Eric Langman & Sampo Saarinen & Eric Planz & Albert Schliesser, 2022. "Ground state cooling of an ultracoherent electromechanical system," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-7, December.
    14. Jake Rochman & Tian Xie & John G. Bartholomew & K. C. Schwab & Andrei Faraon, 2023. "Microwave-to-optical transduction with erbium ions coupled to planar photonic and superconducting resonators," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.

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