A parametrically programmable delay line for microwave photons

Nature Comunications (2024)

 

Delay lines, which store quantum information, are essential for improving quantum repeaters and efficient quantum computers. Normally, these delay lines are long systems that allow waves to travel through them but don’t offer much control over the waves.

In this study, scientists present a new type of delay line for microwave photons that allows a high degree of control over the stored signals.

The paper describes how, by using a special circuit and an array of resonators, the group created a delay line that allows quick adjustments to its properties. They show that this setup can control which photon signals to emit, shift signals in time, and even swap two signals, all with energy levels as low as a single photon. They also check the amount of noise added during these processes and find it to be much less than the energy of one photon.

The paper authors are Takuma Makihara, Nathan Lee, Yudan Guo, Wenyan Guan and Amir Safavi-Naeini, who conducted their research at Stanford University.