基于超导人工分子的始终在线、高效率微波单光子探测器
Always-on, highly efficient microwave photon detector based on a superconducting artificial molecule
浏览论文内容
中文总结 AI 辅助
本研究基于超导人工分子研发出连续运行的微波单光子探测器，突破了效率与占空比的权衡，实现了5 MHz带宽下0.47的连续探测效率，可应用于量子传感等领域。
中文摘要 AI 辅助
高效探测微波单光子是新兴量子技术的关键能力，但该领域的发展远不及光学单光子探测。实现同时具备高效率、低暗计数和连续运行的探测器一直是一项挑战，现有探测器多为循环工作模式，导致效率与占空比之间存在权衡。本文展示了一种基于超导人工分子的连续运行微波单光子探测器：在该方案中，入射光子被分子的亮态捕获，随后通过受驱动耗散过程转移至长寿命暗态；光子“点击”表现为连续监测暗态时的量子跳变。实验测得，在5 MHz瞬时带宽下，该探测器的循环探测效率为0.73，连续探测效率为0.47，时间分辨率为1 μs，死时间为15 μs。该方法克服了效率与占空比的权衡问题，为量子传感、量子热力学及基础物理学领域建立了连续微波光子探测的技术基础。
英文摘要
Efficient detection of single microwave photons is a key capability for emerging quantum technologies. Yet, it remains far less developed than its optical domain counterpart. Realizing detectors that simultaneously achieve high efficiency, low dark counts, and continuous operation has proved challenging. Existing detectors operate cyclically, forcing a trade-off between efficiency and duty cycle. Here, we demonstrate a continuously operated microwave single-photon detector based on a superconducting artificial molecule. In our scheme, an incoming photon is captured by a bright state of the molecule and then transferred to a long-lived dark state via a driven-dissipative process. Photon ``clicks'' are revealed as quantum jumps in the continuously monitored dark state. We observe a cyclic detection efficiency of $0.73$, and a continuous detection efficiency of $0.47$ over a $5\,\mathrm{MHz}$ instantaneous bandwidth, with a $1\,μ\mathrm{s}$ temporal resolution and a $15\,μ\mathrm{s}$ dead time. By overcoming the trade-off between efficiency and duty cycle, this approach establishes continuous microwave photon detection for quantum sensing, quantum thermodynamics, and fundamental physics.
