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Bright side of the Coulomb blockade
M Hofheinz1, F Portier, Q Baudouin
1Service de Physique de l'Etat Condensé (CNRS URA 2464), IRAMIS, CEA Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
Physical Review Letters
|June 25, 2011
Summary
We observed photon emission from Cooper pairs tunneling through a Josephson junction. This study reveals two distinct regimes where each tunneling pair emits one or two photons, advancing dynamical Coulomb blockade theory.
Area of Science:
- Quantum electronics
- Mesoscopic physics
- Photonics
Background:
- Dynamical Coulomb blockade (DCB) typically describes electron tunneling suppression.
- The photonic aspect of DCB, involving photon emission, is less explored.
- Josephson junctions are key components in quantum circuits and superconducting devices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the photonic emission from a voltage-biased Josephson junction.
- To characterize the relationship between Cooper pair tunneling and photon emission.
- To extend the dynamical Coulomb blockade theory to account for photon emission.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a dc voltage-biased Josephson junction integrated within a microwave resonator.
- Simultaneous measurement of Cooper pair current and photon emission rate at the resonator's resonance frequency.
- Analysis of the spectral properties of the emitted radiation.
Main Results:
- Observed distinct photon emission associated with inelastic Cooper pair tunneling.
- Identified two regimes: one where each tunneling Cooper pair emits one photon, and another where it emits two photons.
- Demonstrated that the emitted photon characteristics are consistent with an extended DCB model.
Conclusions:
- The study highlights the 'bright side' of dynamical Coulomb blockade, characterized by photon emission.
- The findings provide experimental evidence for quantized energy transfer from Cooper pairs to resonator modes.
- The results offer a foundation for understanding and potentially controlling photon generation in superconducting quantum circuits.
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