Light-Induced Dynamic Frequency Shifting of Microwave Photons in a Superconducting Electro-Optic Converter
Yuntao Xu, Wei Fu, Yiyu Zhou, Mingrui Xu, Mohan Shen, Ayed Al Sayem, Hong X. Tang
Abstract
Hybrid superconducting-photonic microresonators are a promising platform for realizing microwave-to-optical transduction. However, the absorption of scattered photons by the superconductors leads to unintended microwave resonance-frequency variation and line-width broadening. Here, we experimentally study the dynamics of this effect and its impact on microwave-to-optics conversion in an integrated lithium niobate--superconductor hybrid-resonator platform. We unveil an adiabatic frequency shifting of the intracavity microwave photons induced by the fast photoresponses of the thin-film superconducting resonator. As a result, the temporal and spectral responses of electro-optics transduction are modified and well described by our theoretical model. This work provides insights into the light-induced conversion dynamics that must be considered in future designs of hybrid superconducting-photonic system.