CAREER: Strongly Correlated Photons in Microwave Cavities and Coupled Cavity Arrays

Princeton University, Princeton NJ

Investigators

Abstract

*****NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACT***** This Faculty Early Career Award supports a project aiming to understand the matter-like properties of light that emerge when photons begin to interact with one another. While scientists have developed a good understanding of the physics of individual particles, problems become vastly more complicated when these particles begin to interact. Particles of light, called photons, provide a unique tool for studying how the behavior of a system changes as interactions are turned on, as they do not naturally interact with one another. Through this award, systems that can have strong photon interactions will be constructed, and the novel behavior of these interacting photons will be measured. It is believed that, when interactions are turned on, photons will undergo phase transitions, acting more like matter than light. The primary goal of this award is to demonstrate this effect experimentally. This research program will be integrated into an educational program that aims to improve technical education at all levels: graduate, undergraduate, K-12, and general interest. Through graduate and undergraduate research opportunities, this award will create specific expertise in condensed matter physics and quantum optics, and train students in generally applicable technical skills, including nano- and microfabrication and high precision data acquisitions and analysis. K-12 education and general outreach will be incorporated through the platform of the Princeton Center for Complex Materials. This award receives support from the Divisions of Materials Research and Physics. *****TECHNICAL ABSTRACT***** This Faculty Early Career Award supports a project aiming to understand the effects of strong interactions between photons in arrays of superconducting microwave cavities. Strong correlations have remained at the forefront of condensed matter physics for some time, with many problems still proving difficult to solve theoretically. This project will provide experimental insight into the physics of correlated states of photons in coupled cavity arrays, a field that has a growing theoretical foundation but little experiment thus far. When photon-photon interactions are large, matter-like properties of light such as quantum phase transitions are expected to emerge. Although photons do not in general interact, effective photon interactions will be achieved by implementing a circuit quantum electrodynamics system, in which photons are strongly coupled to a superconducting qubit. The primary research goal is to experimentally probe these correlated photon effects. Specific research goals include (1) probing photon blockade due to strong off-resonant interactions in a single cavity and (2) demonstrating phase transitions of light in coupled cavity arrays. More broadly, these experiments will lay the groundwork for studies of the exotic correlated photon states that emerge from quantized photonic systems with strong interactions. These research results will be integrated into an educational program that aims to improve technical education at all levels: graduate, undergraduate, K-12, and general interest, including graduate and undergraduate research opportunities and outreach through the platform of the Princeton Center for Complex Materials. This award receives support from the Divisions of Materials Research and Physics.