A two-dimensional piezo-optomechanical transducer
Abstract
Optical quantum networks provide a natural route for connecting distant superconducting quantum processors, enabling distributed quantum computation, sensing, and communication. Piezo-optomechanical transducers are among the leading candidates for scalable microwave-to-optical quantum interfaces. However, prior one-dimensional piezo-optomechanical transducers remain limited by optical-absorption-induced heating and the resulting thermal noise. Two-dimensional optomechanical crystals offer substantially improved thermalization from better thermal anchoring, but their structural complexity has so far hindered the realization of a fully integrated two-dimensional transducer. Here, we overcome this challenge with a new design strategy based on band structure engineering. We fabricate the devices and experimentally characterize the response, measuring an electromechanical damping rate of 4.6 kHz at room temperature and electromechanical coupling rate of 0.17 MHz by wire-bonding to a multi-mode microwave resonator at 10 mK. Bidirectional transduction is performed with a calibrated internal efficiency of 0.85\% in the continuous-wave operation, alongside pulsed photon-phonon pair generation near its quantum ground state. Our results represent a significant step toward high-efficiency and low-noise transducers for entangling remote superconducting qubits.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2607.26161,
title = {A two-dimensional piezo-optomechanical transducer},
author = {Tian Xie and Nelson Ooi and Linus Woodard and Sultan Malik and Felix Mayor and Oliver A. Hitchcock and André G. Primo and Wentao Jiang and Samuel Gyger and Amir H. Safavi-Naeini},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2607.26161},
year = {2026}
}