iQUOEMSInterfacing quantum optical

electrical and mechanical systems

http://d7.unicam.it/iquoems/

2° Review MeetingPeriod: 10/2014 –09/2015November 2015

CONSORTIUM

Project objectives

• development of interfaces for the coherent conversion of radio and microwave frequencies to the optical domain; more specifically:

1) realization of a coherent microwave-to-opticallink, based on a cavity-electro-optical setup;

2) implementation of coherent interconversion between microwave/optical photons and MHz/GHz phonons;

3) implementation of a nanomechanical interface for microwave-optical interconversion.

WP1: Photon conversion at vastlydifferent wavelengths

Main objective: realization of a direct coherent microwave-to-

optical link

WP2: Photon-phonon interfaces

Main objective: implementation of coherent interconversion between

microwave/optical photons and MHz/GHz phonons

WP3: Photon-phonon-photoninterfaces

Main objective: implementationof a nanomechanical interface

for microwave-opticalinterconversion

Main results in the second year

1. The first application of optimal state estimation techniques toan optomechanical setup and detection of strongoptomechanical correlations (WP2)

W. Wieczorek, S. G. Hofer, J. Hoelscher-Obermaier, R. Riedinger, K. Hammerer, M. Aspelmeyer “Optimal state estimation for cavity optomechanical systems”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 223601 (2015)

Estimating optomechanical quadratures

Kalman filter for optomechanics

2) Demonstration of single-photon cavity optomechanics mediated by a quantum two-level system (WP2)

J.-M. Pirkkalainen, S.U. Cho, F. Massel, J. Tuorila, T.T. Heikkilä, P.J. Hakonen, and M.A. Sillanpää, “Cavity optomechanics mediated by a quantum two-level system”, Nature Communications 6, 6981 (2015)

Optomechanics with a qubit

Single-photon coupling versus gate charge

3. Proposal for the implementation of quantum illuminationfor target detection at microwave wavelengths based onopto-electro-mechanical transduction (WP3)

S. Barzanjeh, S. Guha, C. Weedbrook, D. Vitali, J. H. Shapiro, S. Pirandola, “Microwave quantum illumination”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 080503 (2015)

The transmitter entangles microwave andoptical fields. The receiver transforms thereturning microwave field to the opticaldomain while performing a phase-conjugate operation.

Quantum vs classical error probability

Management & Dissemination

• 15 iQUOEMS publications (1 in Nat. Comm, 4 PRL)

• More than 50 invited talks and seminars

• Strong synergy with the Marie Curie ITN project “cQOM – Cavity Quantum Optomechanics”: Joint meeting held in Diavolezza (Feb 1-5 2015); a second one scheduled in February 2016

• exchange and visits of students.

Milestones

MS2 (WP1)

POSTPONED

Realization of an optical resonator coupled to the

microwave near field of a superconducting cavity

MS3 (WP1)

Realization and tests of a single junction wideband microwave

amplifier

MS6 (WP2)Demonstration of strong optomechanical correlations

MS11 (WP3)

Development of composite graphene-insulator, metal-

insulator and semiconductor membrane actuators

MS12 (WP3)

Theory analysis of quantum limits on sensitivity and

bandwidth

DeliverablesD1.1

(WP1)

Theoretical study of microwave-optical

nonlinearity

ok

D1.2

(WP1)

Demonstration of optical readout

of the electric field

postponed

D1.3

(WP1)

Microwave cooling and

amplification

postponed

D2.2

(WP3)

Switching, slowing and

advancing of microwave

photons

ok

D2.3

(WP2)

Detection of optomechanical correlations

ok

D2.4

(WP2)

Coherent photon-phonon conversion postponed

D3.2

(WP3)

Development of composite membrane

actuators

ok

D3.3

(WP3)

Theory of microwave to optical

interface using mechanical transduction

ok

IMPACT

• nanomechanically-based microwave-optical interfaces operating at the quantum level (a quantum “wifi router” ..)

• Novel rf and microwave detectors with efficiency and speed comparable to optical ones (improved radioastronomy, NMR ?)

• As a byproduct, better quality and more robustnanomechanical resonators for other applications (classicalsensors, AFM, MEMS…)