Lixian Yu

Quantum phases in circuit QED with a superconducting qubit array

Circuit QED on a chip has become a powerful platform for simulating complex many-body physics. In this report, we realize a Dicke-Ising model with an antiferromagnetic nearest-neighbor spin-spin interaction in circuit QED with a superconducting qubit array. We show that this system exhibits a competition between the collective spin-photon interaction and the antiferromagnetic nearest-neighbor spin-spin interaction, and then predict four quantum phases, including: a paramagnetic normal phase, an antiferromagnetic normal phase, a paramagnetic superradiant phase, and an antiferromagnetic superradiant phase. The antiferromagnetic normal phase and the antiferromagnetic superradiant phase are new phases in many-body quantum optics. In the antiferromagnetic superradiant phase, both the antiferromagnetic and superradiant orders can coexist, and thus the system possesses symmetry. Moreover, we find an unconventional photon signature in this phase. In future experiments, these predicted quantum phases could be distinguished by detecting both the mean-photon number and the magnetization.

Analytical solutions for the Rabi model

In this Brief Report, we present a perturbation theory that omits the weak multiphoton process to obtain analytical solutions for the Rabi model. Under this approximation, the Rabi model can be mapped into the solvable Jaynes-Cummings-like model by choosing a proper variation parameter. As a result, both the ground- and excited-state-energy spectrums and wave functions can be derived easily. Moreover, these explicit results agree well with the direct numerical simulation in a wide range of the experimental parameters. In addition, based on our obtained energy spectrums, the recent experimental observation of the Bloch-Siegert shift in the circuit quantum electrodynamics with ultrastrong coupling can be explained perfectly. We believe that our results have potential applications in solid-state quantum-information processing.

Creating a tunable spin squeezing via a time-dependent collective atom-photon coupling

We present an experimentally feasible method to produce a large and tunable spin squeezing when an ensemble of many four-level atoms interacts simultaneously with a single-mode photon and classical driving lasers. Our approach is to simply introduce a time-dependent collective atom-photon coupling. We show that the maximal squeezing factor measured experimentally can be well controlled by both its driving magnitude and driving frequency. In particular, when increasing the driving magnitude, the maximal squeezing factor increases and thus can be rapidly enhanced. We also demonstrate explicitly in the high-frequency approximation that this spin squeezing arises from a strong repulsive spin-spin interaction induced by the time-dependent collective atom-photon coupling. Finally, we evaluate analytically, by using current experimental parameters, the maximal squeezing factor, which can reach 40 dB. This squeezing factor is far larger than previous ones.

Orbit-induced spin squeezing in a spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensate

In recent pioneer experiment, a strong spin-orbit coupling, with equal Rashba and Dresselhaus strengths, has been created in a trapped Bose-Einstein condensate. Moreover, many exotic superfluid phenomena induced by this strong spin-orbit coupling have been predicted. In this report, we show that this novel spin-orbit coupling has important applications in quantum metrology, such as spin squeezing. We first demonstrate that an effective spin-spin interaction, which is the heart for producing spin squeezing, can be generated by controlling the orbital degree of freedom (i.e., the momentum) of the ultracold atoms. Compared with previous schemes, this realized spin-spin interaction has advantages of no dissipation, high tunability, and strong coupling. More importantly, a giant squeezing factor (lower than −30 dB) can be achieved by tuning a pair of Raman lasers in current experimental setup. Finally, we find numerically that the phase factor of the prepared initial state affects dramatically on spin squeezing.

Phase-factor-dependent symmetries and quantum phases in a three-level cavity QED system

Unlike conventional two-level particles, three-level particles may support some unitary-invariant phase factors when they interact coherently with a single-mode quantized light field. To gain a better understanding of light-matter interaction, it is thus necessary to explore the phase-factor-dependent physics in such a system. In this report, we consider the collective interaction between degenerate V-type three-level particles and a single-mode quantized light field, whose different components are labeled by different phase factors. We mainly establish an important relation between the phase factors and the symmetry or symmetry-broken physics. Specifically, we find that the phase factors affect dramatically the system symmetry. When these symmetries are breaking separately, rich quantum phases emerge. Finally, we propose a possible scheme to experimentally probe the predicted physics of our model. Our work provides a way to explore phase-factor-induced nontrivial physics by introducing additional particle levels.

Tunable two-axis spin model and spin squeezing in two cavities*

Multi-mode cavities have now attracted much attention both experimentally and theoretically. In this paper, inspired by recent experiments of cavity-assisted Raman transitions, we realize a two-axis spin Hamiltonian in two cavities. This realized Hamiltonian has a distinct property that all parameters can be tuned independently. For proper parameters, the well-studied one- and two-axis twisting Hamiltonians are recovered, and the scaling of N −1 of the maximal squeezing factor can occur naturally. On the other hand, in the two-axis twisting Hamiltonian, spin squeezing is usually reduced when increasing the atomic resonant frequency ω 0. Surprisingly, we find that by combining with the dimensionless parameter χ (> −1), this atomic resonant frequency ω 0 can enhance spin squeezing greatly. These results are beneficial for achieving the required spin squeezing in experiments.