Graduate Student Seminar with Kaiwen Zheng on A Superconducting Artificial Atom

The simplest form of light-matter interaction in the quantum regime consists of a two-level atom and light waves of a single frequency. The simplest experimental realization of such a system only needs an atom inside a metal box. The box can hold standing waves at only a few selected frequencies, and these modes will interact with the atom. A simple system like this is good for demonstration but it has little potential in realizing complex quantum interactions with precise control. Mesoscopic superconducting structures fabricated on semiconductor chips have this potential, but their design and fabrication are much more involved than a simple metal box, so much so that we have never been able to fabricate a working device in our own facilities on campus until last month. In this talk, I will walk you through the journey of the very first quantum chip that was designed and fabricated entirely by us and how it behaves at milli-Kelvin temperatures. This chip also marks an important step in developing an electron on solid neon quantum memory for superconducting quantum computers.