Ultra-strong and efficient microwave photonics with semiconductor nanostructures

Performing quantum optics experiments with microwave photons is a central field of physics that finds extensive use in fundamental physics studies and is driving the development of quantum technologies.

The interaction strength of the photons with electrical systems is set essentially by the fine structure constant and hence limited to small values.

This project lifts this limitation by using high-impedance resonators to realize ultra-strong absorption and emission processes in the microwave domain in semiconductor single-electron devices.

The stronger interaction strengths realized in the project will then further allow to realize experimentally both new fundamental physics effects such as ground-state electroluminescence as well as to realized ultra-fast charge detectors in the nanosecond domain.

Hence this project will open up new ways to design new quantum optics devices free of the low interaction strength limitations and impose a new thrust to the field both to the technological frontier to realize new types of device functionalities but also contribute to the fundamental physics studies by allowing completely new kind of experiments.