Abstract
We employ phase-sensitive amplification to perform homodyne detection of the resonance fluorescence from a driven superconducting artificial atom. Entanglement between the emitter and its fluorescence allows us to track the individual quantum state trajectories of the emitter. We analyze the ensemble properties of these trajectories by considering paths that connect specific initial and final states. By applying a stochastic path integral formalism, we calculate equations of motion for the most likely path between two quantum states and compare these predicted paths to experimental data. Drawing on the mathematical similarity between the stochastic path integral formalism for quantum trajectories and the path integral formalism in ray optics we study the emergence of caustics in quantum trajectories---situations where multiple extrema in the stochastic action occur. We observe such multiple most likely paths in experimental data and find these paths to be in reasonable quantitative agreement with theoretical calculations.
© 2017 Optical Society of America
PDF ArticleMore Like This
Quentin Ficheux, Sébastien Jezouin, Philippe Campagne-Ibarcq, Pierre Rouchon, and Benjamin Huard
QF5A.2 Quantum Information and Measurement (QIM) 2017
Irfan Siddiqi, S. J. Weber, K. W. Murch, A. Chantasri, J. Dressel, and A. N. Jordan
QW1A.1 Quantum Information and Measurement (QIM) 2014
James Colless, Vinay Ramasesh, Dar Dahlen, Machiel Blok, Jarrod McClean, Jonathan Carter, Wibe A. de Jong, and Irfan Siddiqi
QF6A.2 Quantum Information and Measurement (QIM) 2017