Anton Frisk Kockum

Chalmers University of Technology

Giant atoms — a new frontier in quantum optics

When studying the interaction between light and matter at the quantum level, it is common to apply the dipole approximation, where atoms are assumed small compared to the wavelength of the light. However, recent experiments with superconducting qubits (artificial atoms) coupled to surface acoustic waves or microwave transmission lines have shown that it is possible to realize ”giant atoms”, i.e., atoms that couple to light (or sound) at multiple points that are wavelengths apart. In this talk, I will present an overview of theoretical and experimental work on such giant atoms [1]. In particular, I will explain how multiple giant atoms can interact via a waveguide while remaining protected from relaxation into the waveguide [2], and show experimental data demonstrating this protected interaction [3]. I will also give an outlook for possible future work on giant atoms.

[1] Kockum, arXiv:1912.13012
[2] Kockum et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 120, 140404 (2018)
[3] Kannan et al., Nature 583, 775 (2020)