Dissipation in circuit quantum electrodynamics: lasing and cooling of a low-frequency oscillator

TL;DR

This paper investigates how a driven superconducting qubit coupled to a low-frequency oscillator can induce lasing or cooling effects, depending on the driving detuning, with implications for quantum control and dissipation management.

Contribution

It demonstrates the realization of a single-atom laser and cooling in circuit QED systems with quadratic coupling at the symmetry point, highlighting dissipation effects.

Findings

Blue detuning causes population inversion and lasing.

Red detuning results in cooling of the oscillator.

Behavior persists at the symmetry point with minimized decoherence.

Abstract

Superconducting qubits coupled to electric or nanomechanical resonators display effects previously studied in quantum electrodynamics (QED) and extensions thereof. Here we study a driven qubit coupled to a low-frequency tank circuit with particular emphasis on the role of dissipation. When the qubit is driven to perform Rabi oscillations, with Rabi frequency in resonance with the oscillator, the latter can be driven far from equilibrium. Blue detuned driving leads to a population inversion in the qubit and lasing behavior of the oscillator ("single-atom laser"). For red detuning the qubit cools the oscillator. This behavior persists at the symmetry point where the qubit-oscillator coupling is quadratic and decoherence effects are minimized. Here the system realizes a "single-atom-two-photon laser".