Low-noise amplification and frequency conversion with a multiport microwave optomechanical device

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a two-port microwave optomechanical device capable of high-gain amplification and frequency conversion with minimal added noise, suitable for quantum information processing and measurements.

Contribution

It introduces a novel multiport optomechanical scheme that achieves high gain, broad dynamic range, and low noise in microwave signal amplification and routing.

Findings

41 dB gain achieved in the amplifier

Handles input signals up to 10^{13} photons per second

Adds only 4.6 quanta of noise to the input signal

Abstract

High-gain amplifiers of electromagnetic signals operating near the quantum limit are crucial for quantum information systems and ultrasensitive quantum measurements. However, the existing techniques have a limited gain-bandwidth product and only operate with weak input signals. Here we demonstrate a two-port optomechanical scheme for amplification and routing of microwave signals, a system that simultaneously performs high-gain amplification and frequency conversion in the quantum regime. Our amplifier, implemented in a two-cavity microwave optomechanical device, shows 41 dB of gain and has a high dynamic range, handling input signals up to $10^{13}$ photons per second, three orders of magnitude more than corresponding Josephson parametric amplifiers. We show that although the active medium, the mechanical resonator, is at a high temperature far from the quantum limit, only 4.6 quanta of noise is added to the input signal. Our method can be readily applied to a wide variety of optomechanical systems, including hybrid optical-microwave systems, creating a universal hub for signals at the quantum level.