Tunable coherent microwave beam splitter and combiner at the single-photon level

Y.-H Huang; K.-M Hsieh; F. Aziz; Z. Q. Niu; P. Y. Wen; Y.-T Cheng; Y.-S Tsai; J. C. Chen; Xin Wang; A. F. Kockum; Z.-R Lin; Y.-H Lin; I.-C Hoi

doi:10.1063/5.0272687

Tunable coherent microwave beam splitter and combiner at the single-photon level

Y.-H Huang (Co-first Author)
, K.-M Hsieh (Co-first Author)
, F. Aziz (Co-first Author)
, Z. Q. Niu (Co-first Author)
, P. Y. Wen
, Y.-T Cheng
, Y.-S Tsai
, J. C. Chen
, Xin Wang
, A. F. Kockum
, Z.-R Lin^*
, Y.-H Lin^*
, I.-C Hoi^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Physics

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

A beam splitter is a key component used to direct and combine light paths in various optical and microwave systems. It plays a crucial role in devices like interferometers, such as the Mach-Zehnder and Hong-Ou-Mandel setups, where it splits light into different paths for interference measurements. These measurements are vital for precise phase and coherence testing in both classical and quantum optical experiments. In this work, we present a nonlinear beam splitter and beam combiner utilizing a frequency-tunable superconducting artificial atom in a one-dimensional open waveguide. Probed with coherent states at the single-photon level (average photon number ⟨N⟩ << 1), this device demonstrates highly tunable transparency, ranging from near unity to complete reflection. Additionally, the beam combiner can merge two coherent beams, generating interference fringes as the relative phase between them varies. © 2025 Author(s).

Original language	English
Article number	014002
Number of pages	7
Journal	Applied Physics Letters
Volume	127
Issue number	1
Online published	8 Jul 2025
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0272687
Publication status	Published - Jul 2025

Funding

We thank K.-T. Lin for fruitful discussions. I.-C.H. acknowledges financial support from City University of Hong Kong project 9610617, from the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong (Grant No. 11307324), and from Guangdong Provincial Quantum Science Strategic Initiative (Grant Nos. GDZX2203001, GDZX2303005, and GDZX2403001). A.F.K. acknowledges support from the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (Grant Nos. FFL21-0279 and FUS21-0063), the Horizon Europe programme HORIZON-CL4-2022-QUANTUM-01-SGA via the project 101113946 OpenSuperQPlus100, and from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation through the Wallenberg Centre for Quantum Technology (WACQT).

Publisher's Copyright Statement

COPYRIGHT TERMS OF DEPOSITED FINAL PUBLISHED VERSION FILE: This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and AIP Publishing. This article appeared in Y.-H. Huang, K.-M. Hsieh, F. Aziz, Z. Q. Niu, P. Y. Wen, Y.-T. Cheng, Y.-S. Tsai, J. C. Chen, Xin Wang, A. F. Kockum, Z.-R. Lin, Y.-H. Lin, I.-C. Hoi; Tunable coherent microwave beam splitter and combiner at the single-photon level. Appl. Phys. Lett. 7 July 2025; 127 (1): 014002 and may be found at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0272687.

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title = "Tunable coherent microwave beam splitter and combiner at the single-photon level",

abstract = "A beam splitter is a key component used to direct and combine light paths in various optical and microwave systems. It plays a crucial role in devices like interferometers, such as the Mach-Zehnder and Hong-Ou-Mandel setups, where it splits light into different paths for interference measurements. These measurements are vital for precise phase and coherence testing in both classical and quantum optical experiments. In this work, we present a nonlinear beam splitter and beam combiner utilizing a frequency-tunable superconducting artificial atom in a one-dimensional open waveguide. Probed with coherent states at the single-photon level (average photon number ⟨N⟩ << 1), this device demonstrates highly tunable transparency, ranging from near unity to complete reflection. Additionally, the beam combiner can merge two coherent beams, generating interference fringes as the relative phase between them varies. {\textcopyright} 2025 Author(s).",

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AU - Hsieh, K.-M

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AU - Niu, Z. Q.

AU - Wen, P. Y.

AU - Cheng, Y.-T

AU - Tsai, Y.-S

AU - Chen, J. C.

AU - Wang, Xin

AU - Kockum, A. F.

AU - Lin, Z.-R

AU - Lin, Y.-H

AU - Hoi, I.-C

PY - 2025/7

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N2 - A beam splitter is a key component used to direct and combine light paths in various optical and microwave systems. It plays a crucial role in devices like interferometers, such as the Mach-Zehnder and Hong-Ou-Mandel setups, where it splits light into different paths for interference measurements. These measurements are vital for precise phase and coherence testing in both classical and quantum optical experiments. In this work, we present a nonlinear beam splitter and beam combiner utilizing a frequency-tunable superconducting artificial atom in a one-dimensional open waveguide. Probed with coherent states at the single-photon level (average photon number ⟨N⟩ << 1), this device demonstrates highly tunable transparency, ranging from near unity to complete reflection. Additionally, the beam combiner can merge two coherent beams, generating interference fringes as the relative phase between them varies. © 2025 Author(s).

AB - A beam splitter is a key component used to direct and combine light paths in various optical and microwave systems. It plays a crucial role in devices like interferometers, such as the Mach-Zehnder and Hong-Ou-Mandel setups, where it splits light into different paths for interference measurements. These measurements are vital for precise phase and coherence testing in both classical and quantum optical experiments. In this work, we present a nonlinear beam splitter and beam combiner utilizing a frequency-tunable superconducting artificial atom in a one-dimensional open waveguide. Probed with coherent states at the single-photon level (average photon number ⟨N⟩ << 1), this device demonstrates highly tunable transparency, ranging from near unity to complete reflection. Additionally, the beam combiner can merge two coherent beams, generating interference fringes as the relative phase between them varies. © 2025 Author(s).

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JO - Applied Physics Letters

JF - Applied Physics Letters

IS - 1

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Tunable coherent microwave beam splitter and combiner at the single-photon level

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GRF: Quantum Sensing with Interferometer Based on Superconducting Circuits

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Tunable coherent microwave beam splitter and combiner at the single-photon level

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GRF: Quantum Sensing with Interferometer Based on Superconducting Circuits

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