Bidirectional and efficient conversion between microwave and optical light
Bidirectional and efficient conversion between microwave and optical light
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DOI：
10.1038/nphys2911
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发表时间：
2014-04-01
期刊：
影响因子：
19.6
通讯作者：
Lehnert, K. W.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Andrews, R. W.;Peterson, R. W.;Lehnert, K. W.
将低频电信号转换为频率高得多的光信号，使现代通信网络能够利用微细制造电路和光纤传输的优势，使信息网络在规模和复杂性方面得以增长。量子信息网络中的微波-光转换器可以通过低损耗光纤连接量子处理器，实现大规模量子网络，从而提供类似的增益。然而，目前还没有一种技术可以将低频微波信号转换为高频光信号，同时保持其脆弱的量子态。在这里，我们演示了一种转换器，它在电磁频谱的微波部分和光学部分之间提供了双向、相干和高效的链路。我们使用我们的转换器在微波和光学之间传输经典信号，转换效率接近10%，并且如果进一步预冷器件从当前的4K工作温度到40mK以下，则可以获得足够的性能来传输量子态。
Converting low-frequency electrical signals into much higher-frequency optical signals has enabled modern communication networks to leverage the strengths of both microfabricated electrical circuits and optical fibre transmission, enabling information networks to grow in size and complexity. A microwave-to-optical converter in a quantum information network could provide similar gains by linking quantum processors through low-loss optical fibres and enabling a large-scale quantum network. However, no current technology can convert low-frequency microwave signals into high-frequency optical signals while preserving their fragile quantum state. Here we demonstrate a converter that provides a bidirectional, coherent and efficient link between the microwave and optical portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. We use our converter to transfer classical signals between microwave and optical light with conversion efficiencies of similar to 10%, and achieve performance sufficient to transfer quantum states if the device were further precooled from its current 4 K operating temperature to temperatures below 40 mK.