Light-induced microwave noise in superconducting microwave-optical transducers

Abstract

Microwave-to-optical transducers are integral to the future of superconducting quantum computing, as they would enable scaling and long-distance communication of superconducting quantum processors through optical-fiber links. However, optically induced microwave noise poses a significant challenge in achieving quantum transduction between microwave and optical frequencies. In this work, we study light-induced microwave noise in an integrated electro-optical transducer harnessing the Pockels effect of thin-film lithium niobate. We reveal three sources of added noise with distinctive time constants ranging from sub-$100\mathrm{ns}$ to milliseconds. Our results provide insights into the mechanisms and corresponding mitigation strategies for light-induced microwave noise in superconducting microwave-optical transducers and pave the way toward realizing the ultimate goal of quantum transduction.