Quantum Acoustics with Surface Acoustic Waves

TL;DR

This paper reviews the development of quantum circuits using surface acoustic waves (SAWs), highlighting their potential for quantum information processing and discussing recent experimental progress with SAW resonators and qubit interactions.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of quantum acoustic components and experimental techniques, emphasizing the use of phonons for quantum information transfer and manipulation.

Findings

SAW resonators operate at GHz frequencies with low loss at cryogenic temperatures.

Experiments demonstrate interaction between SAWs and superconducting qubits.

Potential for future quantum acoustic circuit development.

Abstract

It has recently been demonstrated that surface acoustic waves (SAWs) can interact with superconducting qubits at the quantum level. SAW resonators in the GHz frequency range have also been found to have low loss at temperatures compatible with superconducting quantum circuits. These advances open up new possibilities to use the phonon degree of freedom to carry quantum information. In this paper, we give a description of the basic SAW components needed to develop quantum circuits, where propagating or localized SAW-phonons are used both to study basic physics and to manipulate quantum information. Using phonons instead of photons offers new possibilities which make these quantum acoustic circuits very interesting. We discuss general considerations for SAW experiments at the quantum level and describe experiments both with SAW resonators and with interaction between SAWs and a qubit. We also discuss several potential future developments.