Quantum Optics Colloquium by Oleksandr Kyriienko

Continuous wave single photon transistor based on a superconducting circuit

The development of an efficient single microwave photon detector represents the open challenge of circuit QED and typically relies on the time-variation of the control field. Searching for the simple ready-to-go setup, we proposed a microwave frequency single photon transistor device which can operate under continuous wave probing. It can be realized using an impedance-matched system of a three level superconducting artificial atom coupled to two microwave cavities, with additional classical drive of the upper transition. The device combines passive implementation, strong enhancement of the signal, robustness to dephasing processes, low dark count rates, and can be realized using current technology.