QUMIN addresses the challenge of coupling electromagnetic waves (e.g. radio-waves, microwaves, light) and microscopic magnets. More specifically, microfabricated magnets would be integrated with a superconducting microwave resonator that also contains a superconducting quantum bit. With this system it would be possible to achieve the transfer of quantum information between the quantum bit and the microscopic magnet, and create novel hybrid quantum states.
A device which would be able to reversibly convert single optical photons into single microwave photons would be enabling for quantum technology. It would enable man-made quantum systems which have to be kept at low temperatures in specialised refrigerators to talk to other such systems using a simple optical fibre. In this way, large scale distributed quantum systems could be engineered. The work proposed in QUMIN, which couples microscopic magnets and electromagnetic resonators is a step towards such a photon interconverter.
The objectives relate to the coupling of microscopic magnets, superconducting resonators and superconducting quantum bits. By coupling both the magnets and the quantum bits to the resonator it would be possible to achieve coupling between the magnet and the quantum bit. The final aim would be to demonstrate an entangled quantum state of the magnet and the quantum bit.
