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--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.
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)
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.