Quantum efficiency of a microwave photon detector based on a double quantum dot

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that a double quantum dot coupled to a superconducting resonator can serve as a highly efficient microwave photon detector with over 98% efficiency using current technology.

Contribution

It introduces a method to achieve near-unity microwave photon detection efficiency with DQD-resonator systems considering realistic experimental noise sources.

Findings

Achieves over 98% detection efficiency with high-Q resonators.

Identifies parameter regimes for complete photon absorption.

Analyzes effects of charge and phonon noise on detection performance.

Abstract

Motivated by recent interest in implementing circuit quantum electrodynamics with semiconducting quantum dots, we consider a double quantum dot (DQD) capacitively coupled to a superconducting resonator that is driven by the microwave field of a superconducting transmission line. We analyze the DQD current response using input-output theory and show that the resonator-coupled DQD is a sensitive microwave single photon detector. Using currently available experimental parameters of DQD-resonator coupling and dissipation, including the effects of $1/f$ charge noise and phonon noise, we determine the parameter regime for which incident photons are completely absorbed and near unit $\gtrsim$ 98\% efficiency can be achieved. We show that this regime can be reached by using very high quality resonators with quality factor $Q\simeq 10^5$.