Parametric Amplification of an Optomechanical Quantum Interconnect

TL;DR

This paper introduces a parametric amplification scheme for optomechanical quantum transducers, enhancing efficiency and reducing noise in microwave-to-optical photon conversion through time-dependent control of driving signals.

Contribution

It proposes a theoretical framework for parametric amplification in quantum transducers, improving performance metrics over existing constant-drive methods.

Findings

Enhanced transduction efficiency with parametric drive

Reduced added noise in photon conversion

Analytical solutions for time-dependent control regimes

Abstract

Connecting superconducting qubits to optical fiber necessitates the conversion of microwave photons to optical photons. Modern experimental demonstrations exhibit strong coupling between a microwave resonator and an optical cavity mediated through phononic modes in a mechanical oscillator. This paradigmatic transduction experiment is bounded by a theoretical efficiency with constant driving amplitudes on the electromagnetic resonators. By adding a parametric drive to the microwave resonator and optical cavity we discover the converted signal through the quantum transducer is amplified, while maintaining a lower level of the added noise. We propose a theoretical framework for time-dependent control of the driving lasers based on the input-output formalism of quantum optics, and solve analytically the transduction efficiency and added noise when the control signals parametrically drive the system. Our results show better transduction efficiency and lower added noise in varying parameter regimes relevant to current transduction experiments.