arXiv subjects

A. A. Clerk

Publications and source records attributed to A. A. Clerk.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Dissipative stabilization of entangled cat states using a driven Bose-Hubbard dimer

We analyze a modified Bose-Hubbard model, where two cavities having on-site Kerr interactions are subject to two-photon driving and correlated dissipation. We derive an exact solution for the steady state of this interacting driven-dissipative system, and use it show that the system permits the preparation and stabilization of pure entangled non-Gaussian states, so-called entangled cat states. Unlike previous proposals for dissipative stabilization of such states, our approach requires only a linear coupling to a single engineered reservoir (as opposed to nonlinear couplings to two or more reservoirs). Our scheme is within the reach of state-of-the-art experiments in circuit QED.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Entangled massive mechanical oscillators

An entangled quantum state of two or more particles or objects exhibits some of the most peculiar features of quantum mechanics. Entangled systems cannot be described independently of each other even though they may have an arbitrarily large spatial separation. Reconciling this property with the inherent uncertainty in quantum states is at the heart of some of the most famous debates in the development of quantum theory. Nonetheless, entanglement nowadays has a solid theoretical and experimental foundation, and it is the crucial resource behind many emerging quantum technologies. Entanglement has been demonstrated for microscopic systems, such as with photons, ions, and electron spins, and more recently in microwave and electromechanical devices. For macroscopic objects, however, entanglement becomes exceedingly fragile towards environmental disturbances. A major outstanding goal has been to create and verify the entanglement between the motional states of slowly-moving massive objects. Here, we carry out such an experimental demonstration, with the moving bodies realized as two micromechanical oscillators coupled to a microwave-frequency electromagnetic cavity that is used to create and stabilise the entanglement of the centre-of-mass motion of the oscillators. We infer the existence of entanglement in the steady state by combining measurement of correlated mechanical fluctuations with an analysis of the microwaves emitted from the cavity. Our work qualitatively extends the range of entangled physical systems, with implications in quantum information processing, precision measurement, and tests of the limits of quantum mechanics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Enhancing cavity QED via anti-squeezing: synthetic ultra-strong coupling

We present and analyze a method where parametric (two-photon) driving of a cavity is used to exponentially enhance the light-matter coupling in a generic cavity QED setup, with time-dependent control. Our method allows one to enhance weak-coupling systems, such that they enter the strong coupling regime (where the coupling exceeds dissipative rates) and even the ultra-strong coupling regime (where the coupling is comparable to the cavity frequency). As an example, we show how the scheme allows one to use a weak-coupling system to adiabatically prepare the highly entangled ground state of the ultra-strong coupling system. The resulting state could be used for remote entanglement applications.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Simple variational ground state and pure cat state generation in the quantum Rabi model

We introduce a simple, physically-motivated variational ground state for the quantum Rabi model, and demonstrate that it provides a high-fidelity approximation of the true ground state in all parameter regimes (including intermediate and strong coupling regimes). Our variational state is constructed using Gaussian cavity states and nonorthogonal qubit pointer states, and contains only three variational parameters. We use our state to develop a heuristic understanding of how the ground state evolves with increasing coupling, and find a previously unexplored regime where the ground state corresponds to the cavity being in a nearly pure Schrödinger cat state.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Non-reciprocal quantum interactions and devices via autonomous feed-forward

In a recent work [A. Metelmann and A. A. Clerk, Phys. Rev. X 5, 021025 (2015)], a general reservoir-engineering approach for generating non-reciprocal quantum interactions and devices was described. We show here how in many cases this general recipe can be viewed as an example of autonomous feed-forward: the full dissipative evolution is identical to the unconditional evolution in a setup where an observer performs an ideal quantum measurement of one system, and then uses the results to drive a second system. We also extend the application of this approach to non-reciprocal quantum amplifiers, showing the added functionality possible when using two engineered reservoirs. In particular, we demonstrate how to construct an ideal phase-preserving cavity-based amplifier which is full non-reciprocal, quantum-limited and free of any fundamental gain-bandwidth constraint.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Quantum back-action evading measurement of collective mechanical modes

The standard quantum limit constrains the precision of an oscillator position measurement. It arises from a balance between the imprecision and the quantum back-action of the measurement. However, a measurement of only a single quadrature of the oscillator can evade the back-action and be made with arbitrary precision. Here we demonstrate quantum back-action evading measurements of a collective quadrature of two mechanical oscillators, both coupled to a common microwave cavity. The work allows for quantum state tomography of two mechanical oscillators, and provides a foundation for macroscopic mechanical entanglement and force sensing beyond conventional quantum limits.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Optomechanics with two-phonon driving

We consider the physics of an optomechanical cavity subject to coherent two-phonon driving, i.e. degenerate parametric amplification of the mechanical mode. We show that in such a system, the cavity mode can effectively "inherit" parametric driving from the mechanics, yielding phase-sensitive amplification and squeezing of optical signals reflected from the cavity. We also demonstrate how such a system can be used to perform single-quadrature detection of a near-resonant narrow-band force applied to the mechanics with extremely low added noise from the optics. The system also exhibits strong differences from a conventional degenerate parametric amplifier: in particular, the cavity spectral function can become negative, indicating a negative effective photon temperature.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Quantum nondemolition measurement of mechanical squeezed state beyond the 3 dB limit

We use a reservoir engineering technique based on two-tone driving to generate and stabilize a quantum squeezed state of a micron-scale mechanical oscillator in a microwave optomechanical system. Using an independent backaction evading measurement to directly quantify the squeezing, we observe $4.7\pm0.9$ dB of squeezing below the zero-point level, surpassing the 3 dB limit of standard parametric squeezing techniques. Our measurements also reveal evidence for an additional mechanical parametric effect. The interplay between this effect and the optomechanical interaction enhances the amount of squeezing obtained in the experiment.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Broadband parametric amplification with impedance engineering: Beyond the gain-bandwidth product

We present an impedance engineered Josephson parametric amplifier capable of providing bandwidth beyond the traditional gain-bandwidth product. We achieve this by introducing a positive linear slope in the imaginary component of the input impedance seen by the Josephson oscillator using a $λ/2$ transformer. Our theoretical model predicts an extremely flat gain profile with a bandwidth enhancement proportional to the square root of amplitude gain. We experimentally demonstrate a nearly flat 20 dB gain over a 640 MHz band, along with a mean 1-dB compression point of -110 dBm and near quantum-limited noise. The results are in good agreement with our theoretical model.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Fock-state stabilization and emission in superconducting circuits using dc-biased Josephson junctions

We present and analyze a reservoir-engineering approach to stabilizing Fock states in a superconducting microwave cavity which does not require any microwave-frequency control drives. Instead, our system makes use of a Josephson junction biased by a dc voltage which is coupled both to a principle storage cavity and a second auxiliary cavity. Our analysis shows that Fock states can be stabilized with an extremely high fidelity. We also show how the same system can be used to prepare on-demand propagating Fock states, again without the use of microwave pulses.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Quantum squeezing of motion in a mechanical resonator

As a result of the quantum, wave-like nature of the physical world, a harmonic oscillator can never be completely at rest. Even in the quantum ground state, its position will always have fluctuations, called the zero-point motion. Although the zero-point fluctuations are unavoidable, they can be manipulated. In this work, using microwave frequency radiation pressure, we both prepare a micron-scale mechanical system in a state near the quantum ground state and then manipulate its thermal fluctuations to produce a stationary, quadrature-squeezed state. We deduce that the variance of one motional quadrature is 0.80 times the zero-point level, or 1 dB of sub-zero-point squeezing. This work is relevant to the quantum engineering of states of matter at large length scales, the study of decoherence of large quantum systems, and for the realization of ultra-sensitive sensing of force and motion.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Nonreciprocal Photon Transmission and Amplification via Reservoir Engineering

We discuss a general method for constructing nonreciprocal, cavity-based photonic devices, based on matching a given coherent interaction with its corresponding dissipative counterpart; our method generalizes the basic structure used in the theory of cascaded quantum systems, and can render an extremely wide class of interactions directional. In contrast to standard interference-based schemes, our approach allows directional behavior over a wide bandwidth. We show how it can be used to devise isolators and directional, quantum-limited amplifiers. We discuss in detail how this general method allows the construction of a directional, noise-free phase-sensitive amplifier that is not limited by any fundamental gain-bandwidth constraint. Our approach is particularly well-suited to implementations using superconducting microwave circuits and optomechanical systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Two-mode squeezed states in cavity optomechanics via engineering of a single reservoir

We study theoretically a three-mode optomechanical system where two mechanical oscillators are independently coupled to a single cavity mode. By optimized two-tone or four-tone driving of the cavity one can prepare the mechanical oscillators in an entangled two-mode squeezed state, even if they start in a thermal state. The highly-pure, symmetric steady-state achieved allows the optimal fidelity of standard continuous-variable teleportation protocols to be achieved. In contrast to other reservoir engineering approaches to generating mechanical entanglement, only a single reservoir is required to prepare the highly-pure entangled steady-state, greatly simplifying experimental implementation. The entanglement may be verified via a bound on the Duan inequality obtained from the cavity output spectrum. A similar technique may be used for the preparation of a highly-pure two-mode squeezed state of two cavity modes, coupled to a common mechanical oscillator.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Observation and interpretation of motional sideband asymmetry in a quantum electro-mechanical device

Quantum electro-mechanical systems offer a unique opportunity to probe quantum noise properties in macroscopic devices, properties which ultimately stem from the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. A simple example of this is expected to occur in a microwave parametric transducer, where mechanical motion generates motional sidebands corresponding to the up and down frequency-conversion of microwave photons. Due to quantum vacuum noise, the rates of these processes are expected to be unequal. We measure this fundamental imbalance in a microwave transducer coupled to a radio-frequency mechanical mode, cooled near the ground state of motion. We also discuss the subtle origin of this imbalance: depending on the measurement scheme, the imbalance is most naturally attributed to the quantum fluctuations of either the mechanical mode or of the electromagnetic field.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Quantum-Limited Amplification via Reservoir Engineering

We describe a new kind of phase-preserving quantum amplifier which utilizes dissipative interactions in a parametrically-coupled three-mode bosonic system. The use of dissipative interactions provides a fundamental advantage over standard cavity-based parametric amplifiers: large photon number gains are possible with quantum-limited added noise, with no limitation on the gain-bandwidth product. We show that the scheme is simple enough to be implemented both in optomechanical systems and in superconducting microwave circuits.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Mechanically Detecting and Avoiding the Quantum Fluctuations of a Microwave Field

During the theoretical investigation of the ultimate sensitivity of gravitational wave detectors through the 1970's and '80's, it was debated whether quantum fluctuations of the light field used for detection, also known as photon shot noise, would ultimately produce a force noise which would disturb the detector and limit the sensitivity. Carlton Caves famously answered this question with "They do." With this understanding came ideas how to avoid this limitation by giving up complete knowledge of the detector's motion. In these back-action evading (BAE) or quantum non-demolition (QND) schemes, one manipulates the required quantum measurement back-action by placing it into a component of the motion which is unobserved and dynamically isolated. Using a superconducting, electro-mechanical device, we realize a sensitive measurement of a single motional quadrature with imprecision below the zero-point fluctuations of motion, detect both the classical and quantum measurement back-action, and demonstrate BAE avoiding the quantum back-action from the microwave photons by 9 dB. Further improvements of these techniques are expected to provide a practical route to manipulate and prepare a squeezed state of motion with mechanical fluctuations below the quantum zero-point level, which is of interest both fundamentally and for the detection of very weak forces.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Two-mode back-action-evading measurements in cavity optomechanics

We study theoretically a three-mode optomechanical system where two mechanical oscillators are coupled to a single cavity mode. By using two-tone (i.e. amplitude-modulated) driving of the cavity, it is possible to couple the cavity to a single collective quadrature of the mechanical oscillators. In such a way, a back-action-evading measurement of the collective mechanical quadrature is possible. We discuss how this can allow one to measure both quadratures of a mechanical force beyond the full quantum limit, paying close attention to the role of dissipation and experimental imperfections. We also describe how this scheme allows one to generate steady-state mechanical entanglement; namely, one can conditionally prepare an entangled, two-mode squeezed mechanical state. This entanglement can be verified directly from the measurement record by applying a generalized version of Duan's inequality; we also discuss how feedback can be used to produce unconditional entanglement.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Quantum interference and phonon-mediated back-action in lateral quantum dot circuits

Spin qubits have been successfully realized in electrostatically defined, lateral few-electron quantum dot circuits. Qubit readout typically involves spin to charge information conversion, followed by a charge measurement made using a nearby biased quantum point contact. It is critical to understand the back-action disturbances resulting from such a measurement approach. Previous studies have indicated that quantum point contact detectors emit phonons which are then absorbed by nearby qubits. We report here the observation of a pronounced back-action effect in multiple dot circuits where the absorption of detector-generated phonons is strongly modified by a quantum interference effect, and show that the phenomenon is well described by a theory incorporating both the quantum point contact and coherent phonon absorption. Our combined experimental and theoretical results suggest strategies to suppress back-action during the qubit readout procedure.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗