Atomic physics and quantum optics using superconducting circuits: from the Dynamical Casimir effect to Majorana fermions

This talk will present an overview of some of our recent results on atomic physics and quantum optics using superconducting circuits. Particular emphasis will be given to photons interacting with qubits, interferometry, the Dynamical Casimir effect, and also studying Majorana fermions using superconducting circuits.\\[4pt] References available online at our web site:\\[0pt] J.Q. You, Z.D. Wang, W. Zhang, F. Nori, \textit{Manipulating and probing Majorana fermions using superconducting circuits,} (2011). Arxiv. J.R. Johansson, G. Johansson, C.M. Wilson, F. Nori, \textit{Dynamical Casimir effect in a superconducting coplanar waveguide,} Phys. Rev. Lett. \textbf{103}, 147003 (2009). \\[0pt] J.R. Johansson, G. Johansson, C.M. Wilson, F. Nori, \textit{Dynamical Casimir effect in superconducting microwave circuits,} Phys. Rev. A \textbf{82}, 052509 (2010). \\[0pt] C.M. Wilson, G. Johansson, A. Pourkabirian, J.R. Johansson, T. Duty, F. Nori, P. Delsing, \textit{Observation of the Dynamical Casimir Effect in a superconducting circuit. }Nature, in press (Nov. 2011). P.D. Nation, J.R. Johansson, M.P. Blencowe, F. Nori, \textit{Stimulating uncertainty: Amplifying the quantum vacuum with superconducting circuits,} Rev. Mod. Phys., in press (2011). \\[0pt] J.Q. You, F. Nori, \textit{Atomic physics and quantum optics using superconducting circuits,} Nature \textbf{474}, 589 (2011). \\[0pt] S.N. Shevchenko, S. Ashhab, F. Nori, \textit{Landau-Zener-Stuckelberg interferometry,} Phys. Reports \textbf{492}, 1 (2010). \\[0pt] I. Buluta, S. Ashhab, F. Nori. \textit{Natural and artificial atoms for quantum computation, } Reports on Progress in Physics \textbf{74}, 104401 (2011). \\[0pt] I.Buluta, F. Nori, \textit{Quantum Simulators, }Science \textbf{326}, 108 (2009). \\[0pt] L.F. Wei, K. Maruyama, X.B. Wang, J.Q. You, F. Nori, \textit{Testing quantum contextuality with macroscopic superconducting circuits, } Phys. Rev. B \textbf{81}, 174513 (2010). \\[0pt] J.Q. You, X.-F. Shi, X. Hu, F. Nori, \textit{Quantum emulation of a spin system with topologically protected ground states using superconducting quantum circuit, } Phys. Rev. A \textbf{81}, 063823 (2010).