Russian physicists have created the world’s first quantum metamaterial
- 20 C-shaped on both sides of qubits resonator electron photomicrograph
20 C-shaped qubits on both sides of the cavity, an electron micrograph image: Pascal Macha et al., 2013, arXiv: 1309.5268
Russian-German team of physicists led by Alexei Ustinov has created the world’s first quantum metamaterial-based solid-state superconducting qubits. His description appeared in the form ofin the archives of Cornell University, the work alsoblog Technology Review.
The basis of the device were 20 C-shaped broken aluminum rings cooled to a temperature of several tens of millikelvin. Such rings are usually used by physicists as qubits — devices capable of like atoms to store quantum information.
The new device 20 such metaatomov were combined in a quantum system because they are in close proximity to each other and the microwave cavity. This dramatically increased the interaction between the individual qubits is that the experimentally manifested in the form of a small but significant change in the phase of photons absorbed and pereispuskaemyh.
Microwave resonators similar to that used by the authors, are commonly used to create metamaterials — devices that manipulation of the structure in much smaller scale wavelength allows for unusual macroscopic properties. Shown, for example, of such resonators can createto microwave radiation,or.
Until now, however, such materials are created from the classical resonator, which have quantum properties. As previously Alexei Ustinovin conversation with "Lentoy.ru" quantum metamaterials differ from the classical first much stronger interaction between qubits with the electromagnetic field and the absence of losses due to the resistance, "all science, which was created to atomic physics and quantum optics, is used here only in part, because when there is a very strong interaction is completely different, new physics. "
According to the authors, quantum metamaterials could be used to create a single microwave photon detectors, switches, phase, and many other devices.