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Measurement of a vacuum-induced geometric phase
Simone Gasparinetti1, Simon Berger1, Abdufarrukh A Abdumalikov1
1Department of Physics, ETH Zürich, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
Science Advances
|July 8, 2016
Summary
Researchers observed a vacuum-induced Berry phase in a superconducting transmon interacting with a microwave cavity. Controlling this geometric phase in atom-cavity systems offers new quantum information processing possibilities.
Area of Science:
- Quantum Optics
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Quantum Information Science
Background:
- Berry's geometric phase arises from cyclic changes in quantum system parameters.
- Geometric phases can also be induced by variations in system-field coupling, even in vacuum states.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate and investigate a vacuum-induced Berry phase in a superconducting artificial atom.
- To explore the control of geometric phases in atom-cavity systems for quantum applications.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a superconducting transmon as an artificial atom coupled to a single microwave cavity mode.
- Manipulated the phase of the interaction between the transmon and the cavity field.
Main Results:
- Observed a geometric phase acquired by the artificial atom due to vacuum fluctuations and coupling variations.
- The acquired geometric phase was dependent on the interaction phase and traced a path in the combined Hilbert space.
Conclusions:
- Vacuum-induced Berry phases are experimentally accessible in superconducting circuits.
- Controlling these geometric phases enables novel methods for geometric manipulation in quantum systems and quantum information processing.
