Objective The past couple of years have witnessed the rise of on-chip quantum optics. This has been enabled by the fabrication of high-finesse superconducting resonators made out of coplanar waveguides, and by the coupling of these resonators to superconducting quantum bits, qubits. This so-called circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) has proven superior compared with the standard cavity QED with photons coupled to atoms in three-dimensional space. Namely, the coupling of the cavity photons with the qubit has reached strengths completely out of reach with traditional techniques. The energy levels and their populations in the qubits can be controlled in-situ, which has also offered the possibility prepare the quantum mechanical state of the photons in the cavity to arbitrary superpositions of the low-lying photon number states.Although great focus is put worldwide into cQED in superconducting cavities, the field of manipulation and measurement of single microwave photons outside cavities is essentially missing. This ERC starting grant project, aims to expand the power of microwave photons witnessed in cavities to free photons in waveguides. The cornerstone is the design and implementation of a single-photon click detector for microwaves. The detector will allow for the single-shot measurement of the photon state in the waveguide in a similar fashion as the photon detectors are routinely used in optical quantum computing (OQC). Thus together with the already demonstrated single-photon source, the detector will be a critical step towards quantum information processing with microwave photons. In addition to opening this novel field in physics, the detector can be utilized in the characterization of microwave components and devices at ulra-high sensitivities. In this project, we will implement a platform for such characterization and build several circuit elements to manipulate single microwave photons in the same way as beam splitters are used in OQC. Fields of science engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringcomputer hardwarequantum computersnatural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsnatural sciencesphysical sciencesquantum physicsquantum opticsnatural sciencesphysical scienceselectromagnetism and electronicssuperconductivitynatural sciencesphysical sciencestheoretical physicsparticle physicsphotons Programme(s) FP7-IDEAS-ERC - Specific programme: "Ideas" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Topic(s) ERC-SG-PE3 - ERC Starting Grant - Condensed matter physics Call for proposal ERC-2011-StG_20101014 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-SG - ERC Starting Grant Coordinator AALTO KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SR EU contribution € 1 499 445,00 Address Otakaari 1 02150 Espoo Finland See on map Region Manner-Suomi Helsinki-Uusimaa Helsinki-Uusimaa Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Principal investigator Mikko Pentti Matias Möttönen (Dr.) Administrative Contact Matti Kaivola (Prof.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all AALTO KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SR Finland EU contribution € 1 499 445,00 Address Otakaari 1 02150 Espoo See on map Region Manner-Suomi Helsinki-Uusimaa Helsinki-Uusimaa Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Principal investigator Mikko Pentti Matias Möttönen (Dr.) Administrative Contact Matti Kaivola (Prof.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data