A quantum metamaterial can be implemented as a quantum coherent 1D array of qubits placed in a transmission line. The properties of quantum metamaterials are determined by the local quantum state of the system. Here we show that a spatially-periodic
quantum state of such a system can be realized without direct control of the constituent qubits, by their interaction with the initializing (priming) pulses sent through the system in opposite directions. The properties of the resulting quantum photonic crystal are determined by the choice of the priming pulses. This proposal can be readily generalized to other implementations of quantum metamaterials.
The ultimate goal and the theoretical limit of weak signal detection is the ability to detect a single photon against a noisy background. [...] In this paper we show, that a combination of a quantum metamaterial (QMM)-based sensor matrix and quantum
non-demolition (QND) readout of its quantum state allows, in principle, to detect a single photon in several points, i.e., to observe its wave front. Actually, there are a few possible ways of doing this, with at least one within the reach of current experimental techniques for the microwave range. The ability to resolve the quantum-limited signal from a remote source against a much stronger local noise would bring significant advantages to such diverse fields of activity as, e.g., microwave astronomy and missile defence. The key components of the proposed method are 1) the entangling interaction of the incoming photon with the QMM sensor array, which produces the spatially correlated quantum state of the latter, and 2) the QND readout of the collective observable (e.g., total magnetic moment), which characterizes this quantum state. The effects of local noise (e.g., fluctuations affecting the elements of the matrix) will be suppressed relative to the signal from the spatially coherent field of (even) a single photon.
The availability of controllable macroscopic devices, which maintain quantum coherence over relatively long time intervals, for the first time allows an experimental realization of many effects previously considered only as Gedankenexperiments, such
as the operation of quantum heat engines. The theoretical efficiency eta of quantum heat engines is restricted by the same Carnot boundary eta_C as for the classical ones: any deviations from quasistatic evolution suppressing eta below eta_C. Here we investigate an implementation of an analog of the Otto cycle in a tunable quantum coherent circuit and show that the specific source of inefficiency is the quantum squeezing of the thermal state due to the finite speed of compression/expansion of the system.
In parametric systems, squeezed states of radiation can be generated via extra work done by external sources. This eventually increases the entropy of the system despite the fact that squeezing is reversible. We investigate the entropy increase due t
o squeezing and show that it is quadratic in the squeezing rate and may become important in the repeated operation of tunable oscillators (quantum buses) used to connect qubits in various proposed schemes for quantum computing.
We demonstrate theoretically the noise-stimulated enhancement of quantum coherence in a superconducting flux qubit. First, an external classical noise can increase the off-diagonal components of the qubit density matrix. Second, in the presence of no
ise, the Rabi oscillations survive for times significantly longer than the Rabi decay time in a noiseless system. These Rabi oscillations appear as a modulation of the forced response of the qubit to the ac driving field. These effects can be considered as a manifestation of quantum stochastic resonance and are relevant to experimental techniques, such as Rabi spectroscopy.
From a physicists standpoint, the most interesting part of quantum computing research may well be the possibility to probe the boundary between the quantum and the classical worlds. The more macroscopic are the structures involved, the better. So far
, the most macroscopic qubit prototypes that have been studied in the laboratory are certain kinds of superconducting qubits. To get a feeling for how macroscopic these systems can be, the states of flux qubits which are brought in a quantum superposition corresponds to currents composed of as much as 10^5-10^6 electrons flowing in opposite directions in a superconducting loop. Non-superconducting qubits realized so far are all essentially microscopic.
High-quality superconducting oscillators have been successfully used for quantum control and readout devices in conjunction with superconducting qubits. Also, it is well known that squeezed states can improve the accuracy of measurements to subquantu
m, or at least subthermal, levels. Here we show theoretically how to produce squeezed states of microwave radiation in a superconducting oscillator with tunable parameters. The circuit impedance, and thus the resonance frequency, can be changed by controlling the state of an RF SQUID inductively coupled to the oscillator. By repeatedly shifting the resonance frequency between any two values, it is possible to produce squeezed and subthermal states of the electromagnetic field in the (0.1--10) GHz range, even when the relative frequency change is small. We propose experimental protocols for the verification of squeezed state generation, and for their use to improve the readout fidelity when such oscillators serve as quantum transducers.
Nonlinear effects in mesoscopic devices can have both quantum and classical origins. We show that a three-Josephson-junction (3JJ) flux qubit in the _classical_ regime can produce low-frequency oscillations in the presence of an external field in res
onance with the (high-frequency) harmonic mode of the system, $omega$. Like in the case of_quantum_ Rabi oscillations, the frequency of these pseudo-Rabi oscillations is much smaller than $omega$ and scales approximately linearly with the amplitude of the external field. This classical effect can be reliably distinguished from its quantum counterpart because it can be produced by the external perturbation not only at the resonance frequency $omega$ and its subharmonics ($omega/n$), but also at its overtones, $nomega$.
