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 Pockels effect of thin film lithium niobate. We reveal three sources of added noise with distinctive time constants ranging from sub-100 nanoseconds to milliseconds. Our results gain insights into the mechanisms and corresponding mitigation strategies for light-induced microwave noise in superconducting microwave-optical transducers, and pave the way towards realizing the ultimate goal of quantum transduction.