Deterministic Generation of Frequency-Bin-Encoded Microwave Photons

Area of Science:

• Quantum Information Science
• Superconducting Circuits
• Quantum Communication Networks

Background:

• Distributed quantum computing necessitates reliable quantum communication channels.
• Superconducting circuits use microwave photons for quantum information transfer.
• Photon loss in transmission is a major challenge for quantum networks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate a heralded protocol for detecting photon loss in quantum communication.
• To implement a frequency-bin encoding method for microwave photonic modes.
• To enhance the reliability and accuracy of quantum state transfer in distributed quantum computing networks.

Main Methods:

• Developed a frequency-bin encoding protocol for microwave photons.
• Used superconducting circuits to deterministically encode quantum information from a qubit.
• Simultaneously emitted qubit information into two distinct frequency photonic modes.

Main Results:

• Achieved a process fidelity of 94.9% for quantum information encoding.
• Demonstrated the ability to detect photon loss using frequency-bin-encoded photonic modes.
• Successfully implemented a reliable quantum state transfer method.

Conclusions:

• The frequency-bin encoding protocol provides a robust method for quantum state transfer.
• Error detection via photon loss detection significantly enhances distributed quantum computing performance.
• This work offers a reliable approach for building high-fidelity quantum communication channels.