Science Daily March 8, 2019
It becomes increasingly difficult to detect long-wavelength single photons because of thermal fluctuations in the background. Researchers in the Netherlands used a superconducting qubit to directly observe the quantization of radio-frequency electromagnetic fields stored in a photonic microresonator. They were then able to manipulate the quantum state of the radio-frequency field, forming one- and two-photon Fock states within the microresonator, and analyze how the system interacts dynamically with its environment. Extending circuit quantum electrodynamics approach could be used for fundamental studies in quantum thermodynamics and find practical application in imaging…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
This quantum chip (1×1 cm big) allows the researchers to listen to the smallest radio signal allowed by quantum mechanics. Credit: TU Delft