利用超导量子电路中的宏观量子相干性测量弱磁场

超导量子电路可以被等效地看作人造原子,其内部能级结构随外磁场而变化.这里根据这些超导量子电路中的宏观量子相干性,设计了一种新型的磁强计.这种磁强计不仅体积小,而且具有低耗散和高灵敏度的优点.正因为此,它在读取诸如超导磁通量子比特等量子纳米设备方面,具有很大的应用前景.     

Strong coupling of a single photon to a superconducting qubit using circuit quantum electrodynamics

The interaction of matter and light is one of the fundamental processes occurring in nature, and its most elementary form is realized when a single atom interacts with a single photon. Reaching this regime has been a major focus of research in atomic physics and quantum optics for several decades and has generated the field of cavity quantum electrodynamics. Here we perform an experiment in which a superconducting two-level system, playing the role of an artificial atom, is coupled to an on-chip cavity consisting of a superconducting transmission line resonator. We show that the strong coupling regime can be attained in a solid-state system, and we experimentally observe the coherent interaction of a superconducting two-level system with a single microwave photon. The concept of circuit quantum electrodynamics opens many new possibilities for studying the strong interaction of light and matter. This system can also be exploited for quantum information processing and quantum communication and may lead to new approaches for single photon generation and detection.     

电荷比特的超强藕合实现及量子态转移

基于超导量子电路中光与物质相互作用强度的可调性, 研究了库珀对盒子(Cooper-pair box, CPB)与LC谐振电路耦合的电路模型, 证明了可以通过减小CPB的约瑟夫森能量和增加LC谐振子阻抗, 实现光与物质的超强耦合(ultra-strong coupling, USC)和深度强耦合(deep-strong coupling, DSC)相互作用. 在此基础上, 进一步提出了具有一定抗噪性的 USC 双比特超导电路模型, 并以该模型作为非相干中介实现了两个Transmon系统间的量子态转移(quantum-state transfer, QST). 研究结果为在超导量子系统中实现USC相互作用提供了新的方案, 并有望进一步应用于量子调控、量子模拟和量子信息处理等领域.     

超导人造原子与共振萤光的研究

在开放系统中研究超导人造原子与共振萤光的现象,对共振吸收作了定量分析,证明约瑟芬接超导线路可以用来建构可调控宏观量子相干的人造结构,对量子信息理论与量子位的研究有着显著的帮助．     

超导非绝热几何量子计算及其优化控制

为实现量子门的高保真度和强鲁棒性,提出基于超导量子电路体系的非绝热几何量子计算方案.仅通过对超导比特施加含时共振微波驱动的方式,可以在超导比特上实现任意的单比特几何量子门.同时,在2个电容耦合的超导比特体系中,非平庸的2比特几何量子门也可以类似地实现.结果表明:提出的非绝热几何量子计算方案不仅对几何量子操作具有较好的鲁棒性,还可以与优化控制技术兼容,进一步增强量子门的鲁棒性.该方案的提出使容错固态量子计算的研究与发展向前迈出了重要的一步.     

Coherent coupling of a superconducting flux qubit to an electron spin ensemble in diamond

During the past decade, research into superconducting quantum bits (qubits) based on Josephson junctions has made rapid progress. Many foundational experiments have been performed, and superconducting qubits are now considered one of the most promising systems for quantum information processing. However, the experimentally reported coherence times are likely to be insufficient for future large-scale quantum computation. A natural solution to this problem is a dedicated engineered quantum memory based on atomic and molecular systems. The question of whether coherent quantum coupling is possible between such natural systems and a single macroscopic artificial atom has attracted considerable attention since the first demonstration of macroscopic quantum coherence in Josephson junction circuits. Here we report evidence of coherent strong coupling between a single macroscopic superconducting artificial atom (a flux qubit) and an ensemble of electron spins in the form of nitrogen-vacancy colour centres in diamond. Furthermore, we have observed coherent exchange of a single quantum of energy between a flux qubit and a macroscopic ensemble consisting of about 3?×?10(7) such colour centres. This provides a foundation for future quantum memories and hybrid devices coupling microwave and optical systems.     

Laser cooling of a nanomechanical oscillator into its quantum ground state

The simple mechanical oscillator, canonically consisting of a coupled mass-spring system, is used in a wide variety of sensitive measurements, including the detection of weak forces and small masses. On the one hand, a classical oscillator has a well-defined amplitude of motion; a quantum oscillator, on the other hand, has a lowest-energy state, or ground state, with a finite-amplitude uncertainty corresponding to zero-point motion. On the macroscopic scale of our everyday experience, owing to interactions with its highly fluctuating thermal environment a mechanical oscillator is filled with many energy quanta and its quantum nature is all but hidden. Recently, in experiments performed at temperatures of a few hundredths of a kelvin, engineered nanomechanical resonators coupled to electrical circuits have been measured to be oscillating in their quantum ground state. These experiments, in addition to providing a glimpse into the underlying quantum behaviour of mesoscopic systems consisting of billions of atoms, represent the initial steps towards the use of mechanical devices as tools for quantum metrology or as a means of coupling hybrid quantum systems. Here we report the development of a coupled, nanoscale optical and mechanical resonator formed in a silicon microchip, in which radiation pressure from a laser is used to cool the mechanical motion down to its quantum ground state (reaching an average phonon occupancy number of 0.85 ± 0.08). This cooling is realized at an environmental temperature of 20?K, roughly one thousand times larger than in previous experiments and paves the way for optical control of mesoscale mechanical oscillators in the quantum regime.     

Superconducting quantum bits

Superconducting circuits are macroscopic in size but have generic quantum properties such as quantized energy levels, superposition of states, and entanglement, all of which are more commonly associated with atoms. Superconducting quantum bits (qubits) form the key component of these circuits. Their quantum state is manipulated by using electromagnetic pulses to control the magnetic flux, the electric charge or the phase difference across a Josephson junction (a device with nonlinear inductance and no energy dissipation). As such, superconducting qubits are not only of considerable fundamental interest but also might ultimately form the primitive building blocks of quantum computers.     

Generation of Fock states in a superconducting quantum circuit

Spin systems and harmonic oscillators comprise two archetypes in quantum mechanics. The spin-1/2 system, with two quantum energy levels, is essentially the most nonlinear system found in nature, whereas the harmonic oscillator represents the most linear, with an infinite number of evenly spaced quantum levels. A significant difference between these systems is that a two-level spin can be prepared in an arbitrary quantum state using classical excitations, whereas classical excitations applied to an oscillator generate a coherent state, nearly indistinguishable from a classical state. Quantum behaviour in an oscillator is most obvious in Fock states, which are states with specific numbers of energy quanta, but such states are hard to create. Here we demonstrate the controlled generation of multi-photon Fock states in a solid-state system. We use a superconducting phase qubit, which is a close approximation to a two-level spin system, coupled to a microwave resonator, which acts as a harmonic oscillator, to prepare and analyse pure Fock states with up to six photons. We contrast the Fock states with coherent states generated using classical pulses applied directly to the resonator.     

Observation of strong coupling between one atom and a monolithic microresonator

Over the past decade, strong interactions of light and matter at the single-photon level have enabled a wide set of scientific advances in quantum optics and quantum information science. This work has been performed principally within the setting of cavity quantum electrodynamics with diverse physical systems, including single atoms in Fabry-Perot resonators, quantum dots coupled to micropillars and photonic bandgap cavities and Cooper pairs interacting with superconducting resonators. Experiments with single, localized atoms have been at the forefront of these advances with the use of optical resonators in high-finesse Fabry-Perot configurations. As a result of the extreme technical challenges involved in further improving the multilayer dielectric mirror coatings of these resonators and in scaling to large numbers of devices, there has been increased interest in the development of alternative microcavity systems. Here we show strong coupling between individual caesium atoms and the fields of a high-quality toroidal microresonator. From observations of transit events for single atoms falling through the resonator's evanescent field, we determine the coherent coupling rate for interactions near the surface of the resonator. We develop a theoretical model to quantify our observations, demonstrating that strong coupling is achieved, with the rate of coherent coupling exceeding the dissipative rates of the atom and the cavity. Our work opens the way for investigations of optical processes with single atoms and photons in lithographically fabricated microresonators. Applications include the implementation of quantum networks, scalable quantum logic with photons, and quantum information processing on atom chips.     

Atomic physics and quantum optics using superconducting circuits

Superconducting circuits based on Josephson junctions exhibit macroscopic quantum coherence and can behave like artificial atoms. Recent technological advances have made it possible to implement atomic-physics and quantum-optics experiments on a chip using these artificial atoms. This Review presents a brief overview of the progress achieved so far in this rapidly advancing field. We not only discuss phenomena analogous to those in atomic physics and quantum optics with natural atoms, but also highlight those not occurring in natural atoms. In addition, we summarize several prospective directions in this emerging interdisciplinary field.     

Demonstration of conditional gate operation using superconducting charge qubits

Following the demonstration of coherent control of the quantum state of a superconducting charge qubit, a variety of qubits based on Josephson junctions have been implemented. Although such solid-state devices are not currently as advanced as microscopic qubits based on nuclear magnetic resonance and ion trap technologies, the potential scalability of the former systems--together with progress in their coherence times and read-out schemes--makes them strong candidates for the building block of a quantum computer. Recently, coherent oscillations and microwave spectroscopy of capacitively coupled superconducting qubits have been reported; the next challenging step towards quantum computation is the realization of logic gates. Here we demonstrate conditional gate operation using a pair of coupled superconducting charge qubits. Using a pulse technique, we prepare different input states and show that their amplitude can be transformed by controlled-NOT (C-NOT) gate operation, although the phase evolution during the gate operation remains to be clarified.     

Cooling a nanomechanical resonator with quantum back-action

Quantum mechanics demands that the act of measurement must affect the measured object. When a linear amplifier is used to continuously monitor the position of an object, the Heisenberg uncertainty relationship requires that the object be driven by force impulses, called back-action. Here we measure the back-action of a superconducting single-electron transistor (SSET) on a radio-frequency nanomechanical resonator. The conductance of the SSET, which is capacitively coupled to the resonator, provides a sensitive probe of the latter's position; back-action effects manifest themselves as an effective thermal bath, the properties of which depend sensitively on SSET bias conditions. Surprisingly, when the SSET is biased near a transport resonance, we observe cooling of the nanomechanical mode from 550 mK to 300 mK--an effect that is analogous to laser cooling in atomic physics. Our measurements have implications for nanomechanical readout of quantum information devices and the limits of ultrasensitive force microscopy (such as single-nuclear-spin magnetic resonance force microscopy). Furthermore, we anticipate the use of these back-action effects to prepare ultracold and quantum states of mechanical structures, which would not be accessible with existing technology.     

耦合三端子量子点系统中Andreev反射调控的热电输运

以耦合到超导电极、铁磁金属电极及正常金属电极的三端子量子点混杂系统为研究对象,系统研究了自旋极化电子的Andreev反射过程对热电流的影响.研究发现,Andreev反射过程及正常的隧穿过程两种机制的竞争不仅导致热电荷流大小和方向的改变,而且导致热自旋流大小和方向的改变.实验上可通过调控门电压及超导体与量子点耦合强度来实现.     

Quantum suppression of superconductivity in ultrathin nanowires

It is of fundamental importance to establish whether there is a limit to how thin a superconducting wire can be, while retaining its superconducting character--and if there is a limit, to determine what sets it. This issue may also be of practical importance in defining the limit to miniaturization of superconducting electronic circuits. At high temperatures, the resistance of linear superconductors is caused by excitations called thermally activated phase slips. Quantum tunnelling of phase slips is another possible source of resistance that is still being debated. It has been theoretically predicted that such quantum phase slips can destroy superconductivity in very narrow wires. Here we report resistance measurements on ultrathin (< or = 10 nm) nanowires produced by coating carbon nanotubes with a superconducting Mo-Ge alloy. We find that nanowires can be superconducting or insulating depending on the ratio of their normal-state resistance (R(N)) to the quantum resistance for Cooper pairs (Rq). If R(N) < Rq, quantum tunnelling of phase slips is prohibited by strong damping, and so the wires stay superconducting. In contrast, we observe an insulating state for R(N) > Rq, which we explain in terms of proliferation of quantum phase slips and a corresponding localization of Cooper pairs.     

Coherent dynamics of a flux qubit coupled to a harmonic oscillator

In the emerging field of quantum computation and quantum information, superconducting devices are promising candidates for the implementation of solid-state quantum bits (qubits). Single-qubit operations, direct coupling between two qubits and the realization of a quantum gate have been reported. However, complex manipulation of entangled states-such as the coupling of a two-level system to a quantum harmonic oscillator, as demonstrated in ion/atom-trap experiments and cavity quantum electrodynamics-has yet to be achieved for superconducting devices. Here we demonstrate entanglement between a superconducting flux qubit (a two-level system) and a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). The latter provides the measurement system for detecting the quantum states; it is also an effective inductance that, in parallel with an external shunt capacitance, acts as a harmonic oscillator. We achieve generation and control of the entangled state by performing microwave spectroscopy and detecting the resultant Rabi oscillations of the coupled system.     

Coupling superconducting qubits via a cavity bus

Superconducting circuits are promising candidates for constructing quantum bits (qubits) in a quantum computer; single-qubit operations are now routine, and several examples of two-qubit interactions and gates have been demonstrated. These experiments show that two nearby qubits can be readily coupled with local interactions. Performing gate operations between an arbitrary pair of distant qubits is highly desirable for any quantum computer architecture, but has not yet been demonstrated. An efficient way to achieve this goal is to couple the qubits to a 'quantum bus', which distributes quantum information among the qubits. Here we show the implementation of such a quantum bus, using microwave photons confined in a transmission line cavity, to couple two superconducting qubits on opposite sides of a chip. The interaction is mediated by the exchange of virtual rather than real photons, avoiding cavity-induced loss. Using fast control of the qubits to switch the coupling effectively on and off, we demonstrate coherent transfer of quantum states between the qubits. The cavity is also used to perform multiplexed control and measurement of the qubit states. This approach can be expanded to more than two qubits, and is an attractive architecture for quantum information processing on a chip.     

Strong atom-field coupling for Bose-Einstein condensates in an optical cavity on a chip

An optical cavity enhances the interaction between atoms and light, and the rate of coherent atom-photon coupling can be made larger than all decoherence rates of the system. For single atoms, this 'strong coupling regime' of cavity quantum electrodynamics has been the subject of many experimental advances. Efforts have been made to control the coupling rate by trapping the atom and cooling it towards the motional ground state; the latter has been achieved in one dimension so far. For systems of many atoms, the three-dimensional ground state of motion is routinely achieved in atomic Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). Although experiments combining BECs and optical cavities have been reported recently, coupling BECs to cavities that are in the strong-coupling regime for single atoms has remained an elusive goal. Here we report such an experiment, made possible by combining a fibre-based cavity with atom-chip technology. This enables single-atom cavity quantum electrodynamics experiments with a simplified set-up and realizes the situation of many atoms in a cavity, each of which is identically and strongly coupled to the cavity mode. Moreover, the BEC can be positioned deterministically anywhere within the cavity and localized entirely within a single antinode of the standing-wave cavity field; we demonstrate that this gives rise to a controlled, tunable coupling rate. We study the heating rate caused by a cavity transmission measurement as a function of the coupling rate and find no measurable heating for strongly coupled BECs. The spectrum of the coupled atoms-cavity system, which we map out over a wide range of atom numbers and cavity-atom detunings, shows vacuum Rabi splittings exceeding 20 gigahertz, as well as an unpredicted additional splitting, which we attribute to the atomic hyperfine structure. We anticipate that the system will be suitable as a light-matter quantum interface for quantum information.     

Implementation of a Toffoli gate with superconducting circuits

The Toffoli gate is a three-quantum-bit (three-qubit) operation that inverts the state of a target qubit conditioned on the state of two control qubits. It makes universal reversible classical computation possible and, together with a Hadamard gate, forms a universal set of gates in quantum computation. It is also a key element in quantum error correction schemes. The Toffoli gate has been implemented in nuclear magnetic resonance, linear optics and ion trap systems. Experiments with superconducting qubits have also shown significant progress recently: two-qubit algorithms and two-qubit process tomography have been implemented, three-qubit entangled states have been prepared, first steps towards quantum teleportation have been taken and work on quantum computing architectures has been done. Implementation of the Toffoli gate with only single- and two-qubit gates requires six controlled-NOT gates and ten single-qubit operations, and has not been realized in any system owing to current limits on coherence. Here we implement a Toffoli gate with three superconducting transmon qubits coupled to a microwave resonator. By exploiting the third energy level of the transmon qubits, we have significantly reduced the number of elementary gates needed for the implementation of the Toffoli gate, relative to that required in theoretical proposals using only two-level systems. Using full process tomography and Monte Carlo process certification, we completely characterize the Toffoli gate acting on three independent qubits, measuring a fidelity of 68.5?±?0.5 per cent. A similar approach to realizing characteristic features of a Toffoli-class gate has been demonstrated with two qubits and a resonator and achieved a limited characterization considering only the phase fidelity. Our results reinforce the potential of macroscopic superconducting qubits for the implementation of complex quantum operations with the possibility of quantum error correction.     

基于多模介质谐振器的高集成单体双路滤波电路

针对传统设计中,基站系统存在多个高Q值 、高功率容限的介质滤波器而导致体积大 、重量大和成本高等问题,提出了单体双路滤波电路设计方法,将2个滤波器或滤波电路集成为单个具有2个输入端口和2个输出端口的电路。通过充分利用多模介质谐振器的电磁场特性,仅使用一个金属腔和介质谐振器就实现2个具有相同性能的滤波通道。尽管集成后的2个信号通道共用一个谐振器,通道间也能实现大于20 dB的高隔离效果。介绍了包括单体双路滤波器及其与双输入双输出Doherty功率放大器的协同融合 、单体双路平衡式滤波器和单体双路巴伦滤波器等电路的设计方法。提出的单体双路滤波电路可以替代传统设计方法中的2个独立滤波电路,从而减少无线系统中滤波电路的数量,实现高集成和小型化。