Coherence and multimode correlations from vacuum fluctuations in a microwave superconducting cavity

Pasi Lähteenmäki; Gheorghe Sorin Paraoanu; Juha Hassel; Pertti J. Hakonen

doi:10.1038/ncomms12548

Coherence and multimode correlations from vacuum fluctuations in a microwave superconducting cavity

Pasi Lähteenmäki (Corresponding Author), Gheorghe Sorin Paraoanu, Juha Hassel, Pertti J. Hakonen (Corresponding Author)

Aalto University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review

40 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The existence of vacuum fluctuations is one of the most important predictions of modern quantum field theory. In the vacuum state, fluctuations occurring at different frequencies are uncorrelated. However, if a parameter in the Lagrangian of the field is modulated by an external pump, vacuum fluctuations stimulate spontaneous downconversion processes, creating squeezing between modes symmetric with respect to half of the frequency of the pump. Here we show that by double parametric pumping of a superconducting microwave cavity, it is possible to generate another type of correlation, namely coherence between photons in separate frequency modes. The coherence correlations are tunable by the phases of the pumps and are established by a quantum fluctuation that stimulates the simultaneous creation of two photon pairs. Our analysis indicates that the origin of this vacuum-induced coherence is the absence of which-way information in the frequency space.

Original language	English
Article number	12548
Number of pages	7
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	7
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms12548
Publication status	Published - 2016
MoE publication type	A1 Journal article-refereed

Keywords

Applied physics
Quantum mechanics
Single photons and quantum effects

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title = "Coherence and multimode correlations from vacuum fluctuations in a microwave superconducting cavity",

abstract = "The existence of vacuum fluctuations is one of the most important predictions of modern quantum field theory. In the vacuum state, fluctuations occurring at different frequencies are uncorrelated. However, if a parameter in the Lagrangian of the field is modulated by an external pump, vacuum fluctuations stimulate spontaneous downconversion processes, creating squeezing between modes symmetric with respect to half of the frequency of the pump. Here we show that by double parametric pumping of a superconducting microwave cavity, it is possible to generate another type of correlation, namely coherence between photons in separate frequency modes. The coherence correlations are tunable by the phases of the pumps and are established by a quantum fluctuation that stimulates the simultaneous creation of two photon pairs. Our analysis indicates that the origin of this vacuum-induced coherence is the absence of which-way information in the frequency space.",

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T1 - Coherence and multimode correlations from vacuum fluctuations in a microwave superconducting cavity

AU - Lähteenmäki, Pasi

AU - Paraoanu, Gheorghe Sorin

AU - Hassel, Juha

AU - Hakonen, Pertti J.

N1 - Project code: 101521

PY - 2016

Y1 - 2016

N2 - The existence of vacuum fluctuations is one of the most important predictions of modern quantum field theory. In the vacuum state, fluctuations occurring at different frequencies are uncorrelated. However, if a parameter in the Lagrangian of the field is modulated by an external pump, vacuum fluctuations stimulate spontaneous downconversion processes, creating squeezing between modes symmetric with respect to half of the frequency of the pump. Here we show that by double parametric pumping of a superconducting microwave cavity, it is possible to generate another type of correlation, namely coherence between photons in separate frequency modes. The coherence correlations are tunable by the phases of the pumps and are established by a quantum fluctuation that stimulates the simultaneous creation of two photon pairs. Our analysis indicates that the origin of this vacuum-induced coherence is the absence of which-way information in the frequency space.

AB - The existence of vacuum fluctuations is one of the most important predictions of modern quantum field theory. In the vacuum state, fluctuations occurring at different frequencies are uncorrelated. However, if a parameter in the Lagrangian of the field is modulated by an external pump, vacuum fluctuations stimulate spontaneous downconversion processes, creating squeezing between modes symmetric with respect to half of the frequency of the pump. Here we show that by double parametric pumping of a superconducting microwave cavity, it is possible to generate another type of correlation, namely coherence between photons in separate frequency modes. The coherence correlations are tunable by the phases of the pumps and are established by a quantum fluctuation that stimulates the simultaneous creation of two photon pairs. Our analysis indicates that the origin of this vacuum-induced coherence is the absence of which-way information in the frequency space.

KW - Applied physics

KW - Quantum mechanics

KW - Single photons and quantum effects

U2 - 10.1038/ncomms12548

DO - 10.1038/ncomms12548

M3 - Article

SN - 2041-1723

VL - 7

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

M1 - 12548

ER -

Coherence and multimode correlations from vacuum fluctuations in a microwave superconducting cavity

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Keywords

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