Photon-Blockade Analogue Nonreciprocal Absorption in Spatiotemporal Metasurfaces

Abstract:Controlling the flow of electromagnetic energy is essential for advancing quantum technologies. We introduce a spatiotemporally modulated superconducting metasurface that exhibits photon-blockade-analogue nonreciprocal absorption. In this system, the frequency of incident radiation is matched to the modulation frequency of the metasurface, enabling one-way directional absorption. Forward-traveling waves undergo resonant coupling to higher-order Floquet harmonics and are absorbed within the slab, while backward-traveling waves transmit freely without interaction. This behavior arises from classical wave interference and harmonic conversion in a space-time periodic medium---a classical analogue of quantum photon blockade. We present a design based on a superconductor-semiconductor metasurface incorporating cascaded Josephson field-effect transistors (JoFETs) for millikelvin-temperature operation. Starting from the microscopic Hamiltonian of a single gate-tunable JoFET cell, we derive the system's classical circuit relations, effective space-time-periodic permeability, Floquet band structure, and isofrequency diagrams from first principles, and validate the resulting nonreciprocal absorption with full-wave simulations. These findings establish a pathway toward compact, nonreciprocal superconducting devices for quantum information processing and microwave photonics.

Quantum Physics (quant-ph); Superconductivity (cond-mat.supr-con); Applied Physics (physics.app-ph)

arXiv:2409.08137 [quant-ph]

(or arXiv:2409.08137v5 [quant-ph] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2409.08137 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite

arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website.

Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them.

Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs.