Microwave photonics with superconducting quantum circuits

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent experimental and theoretical advances in microwave photonics using superconducting quantum circuits, highlighting phenomena like strong coupling and multi-photon effects that advance quantum information processing.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of progress in microwave photonics with superconducting circuits, emphasizing new phenomena and potential applications.

Findings

Observation of strong, ultra-strong, and deep-strong coupling regimes

Experimental detection of giant Kerr effects and multi-photon processes

Single-atom induced bistability of microwave photons

Abstract

In the past 20 years, impressive progress has been made both experimentally and theoretically in superconducting quantum circuits, which provide a platform for manipulating microwave photons. This emerging field of superconducting quantum microwave circuits has been driven by many new interesting phenomena in microwave photonics and quantum information processing. For instance, the interaction between superconducting quantum circuits and single microwave photons can reach the regimes of strong, ultra-strong, and even deep-strong coupling. Many higher-order effects, unusual and less familiar in traditional cavity quantum electrodynamics with natural atoms, have been experimentally observed, e.g., giant Kerr effects, multi-photon processes, and single-atom induced bistability of microwave photons. These developments may lead to improved understanding of the counterintuitive properties of quantum mechanics, and speed up applications ranging from microwave photonics to superconducting quantum information processing. In this article, we review experimental and theoretical progress in microwave photonics with superconducting quantum circuits. We hope that this global review can provide a useful roadmap for this rapidly developing field.