• Open Access

Driven-Dissipative Quantum Kerr Resonators: New Exact Solutions, Photon Blockade and Quantum Bistability

David Roberts and Aashish A. Clerk
Phys. Rev. X 10, 021022 – Published 29 April 2020

Abstract

We present a new approach for deriving exact closed-form solutions for the steady state of a wide class of driven-dissipative nonlinear resonators that is distinct from more common complex-P-function methods. Our method generalizes the coherent quantum-absorber approach of Stannigel et al. [New J. Phys. 14, 063014 (2012)] to include nonlinear driving and dissipation and relies crucially on exploiting the Segal-Bargmann representation of Fock space. Our solutions and method reveal a wealth of previously unexplored observable phenomena in these systems, including new generalized photon-blockade and antiblockade effects and an infinite number of new parameter choices that yield quantum bistability.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
3 More
  • Received 8 October 2019
  • Revised 20 January 2020
  • Accepted 24 March 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.10.021022

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

Published by the American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Atomic, Molecular & OpticalQuantum Information, Science & Technology

Authors & Affiliations

David Roberts1,2 and Aashish A. Clerk2

  • 1Department of Physics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
  • 2Pritzker School for Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, 5640 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA

Popular Summary

Quantum mechanics offers the potential for radical new computing and sensing technologies. One crucial problem is that any quantum system that could be harnessed for an application will be subject to dissipation: Energy will leak out to the surrounding environment, and the environment will inject noise into the quantum system, scrambling any encoded information. To counter this dissipation, experiments often controllably inject energy into (or drive) the systems being studied, leading to a nonequilibrium state. Here, we present a new approach for describing this complex mix of quantum mechanics, nonequilibrium driving, and dissipation in a wide class of systems in a manner that does not involve any approximations. These systems include some of the most promising platforms for quantum-information processing: superconducting circuits and quantum-optical systems.

Our exact approach allows us to identify for the first time exotic new phenomena that could be directly harnessed for applications. These include new parameter regimes where the combination of driving and dissipation stabilize a manifold of possible quantum states, something that could be harnessed for a quantum memory. They also include regimes of “photon blockade,” where the system exhibits extremely unusual photon-number statistics, something that could be harnessed for quantum communication.

To build a useful quantum technology, one needs to understand the complicated interplay of quantum mechanics, nonequilibrium driving, and dissipation. Our method for doing so is extremely general, and we hope that in the future it can be used to explore an even broader class of engineered quantum systems, hopefully driving new directions in quantum-information research.

Key Image

Article Text

Click to Expand

References

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 10, Iss. 2 — April - June 2020

Subject Areas
Reuse & Permissions
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review X

Reuse & Permissions

It is not necessary to obtain permission to reuse this article or its components as it is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI are maintained. Please note that some figures may have been included with permission from other third parties. It is your responsibility to obtain the proper permission from the rights holder directly for these figures.

×

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×