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We demonstrate an efficient and continuous microwave photon-to-electron converter with large quantum efficiency (83%) and low dark current. These unique properties are enabled by the use of a high kinetic inductance disordered superconductor, granular aluminium, to enhance light-matter interaction and the coupling of microwave photons to electron tunneling processes. As a consequence of strong coupling, we observe both linear and nonlinear photon-assisted processes where two, three, and four photons are converted into a single electron at unprecedentedly low light intensities. Theoretical predictions, which require quantization of the photonic field within a quantum master equation framework, reproduce well the experimental data. This experimental advancement brings the foundation for high-efficiency detection of individual microwave photons using charge-based detection techniques.
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We review the first experiment on dynamic transport in a phase-coherent quantum conductor. In our discussion, we highlight the use of time-dependent transport as a means of gaining insight into charge relaxation on a mesoscopic scale. For this purpose, we studied the ac conductance of a model quantum conductor, i.e. the quantum RC circuit. Prior to our experimental work, Büttiker et al (1993 Phys. Lett. A 180 364-9) first worked on dynamic mesoscopic transport in the 1990s. They predicted that the mesoscopic RC circuit can be described by a quantum capacitance related to the density of states in the capacitor and a constant charge-relaxation resistance equal to half of the resistance quantum h/2e(2), when a single mode is transmitted between the capacitance and a reservoir. By applying a microwave excitation to a gate located on top of a coherent submicronic quantum dot that is coupled to a reservoir, we validate this theoretical prediction on the ac conductance of the quantum RC circuit. Our study demonstrates that the ac conductance is directly related to the dwell time of electrons in the capacitor. Thereby, we observed a counterintuitive behavior of a quantum origin: as the transmission of the single conducting mode decreases, the resistance of the quantum RC circuit remains constant while the capacitance oscillates.
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Among the most exciting recent advances in the field of superconducting quantum circuits is the ability to coherently couple microwave photons in low-loss cavities to quantum electronic conductors. These hybrid quantum systems hold great promise for quantum information-processing applications; even more strikingly, they enable exploration of new physical regimes. Here we study theoretically the new physics emerging when a quantum electronic conductor is exposed to nonclassical microwaves (for example, squeezed states, Fock states). We study this interplay in the experimentally relevant situation where a superconducting microwave cavity is coupled to a conductor in the tunnelling regime. We find that the conductor acts as a nontrivial probe of the microwave state: the emission and absorption of photons by the conductor is characterized by a nonpositive definite quasi-probability distribution, which is related to the Glauber-Sudarshan P-function of quantum optics. These negative quasi-probabilities have a direct influence on the conductance of the conductor.
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We report the first measurement of the dynamical response of shot noise (measured at frequency omega) of a tunnel junction to an ac excitation at frequency omega0. The experiment is performed in the quantum regime, variant Planck's over 2piomega approximately variant Planck's over 2piomega0>>kBT at very low temperature T=35 mK and high frequency omega0/2pi=6.2 GHz. We observe that the noise responds in phase with the excitation, but not adiabatically. The results are in very good agreement with a prediction based on a new current-current correlator.
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We report on the GHz complex admittance of a chiral one-dimensional ballistic conductor formed by edge states in the quantum Hall regime. The circuit consists of a wide Hall bar (the inductor L) in series with a tunable resistor (R) formed by a quantum point contact. Electron interactions between edges are screened by a pair of side gates. Conductance steps are observed on both real and imaginary parts of the admittance. Remarkably, the phase of the admittance is transmission independent. This shows that the relaxation time of a chiral R -L circuit is resistance independent. A current and charge conserving scattering theory is presented that accounts for this observation with a relaxation time given by the electronic transit time in the circuit.
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What is the complex impedance of a fully coherent quantum resistance-capacitance (RC) circuit at gigahertz frequencies in which a resistor and a capacitor are connected in series? While Kirchhoff's laws predict addition of capacitor and resistor impedances, we report on observation of a different behavior. The resistance, here associated with charge relaxation, differs from the usual transport resistance given by the Landauer formula. In particular, for a single-mode conductor, the charge-relaxation resistance is half the resistance quantum, regardless of the transmission of the mode. The new mesoscopic effect reported here is relevant for the dynamical regime of all quantum devices.
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We present the first study of the statistics of GHz photons in quantum circuits, using Hanbury Brown and Twiss correlations. The super-Poissonian and Poissonian photon statistics of thermal and coherent sources, respectively, made of a resistor and a radio frequency generator, are measured down to the quantum regime at milli-Kelvin temperatures. As photon correlations are linked to the second and fourth moments of current fluctuations, this experiment, which is based on current cryogenic electronics, may become a standard for probing electron/photon statistics in quantum conductors.