Generation and Efficient Measurement of Single Photons Using Superconducting Circuits

<p>In this thesis, I demonstrate and evaluate an on-demand source of single propagating microwaves\&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 1.6em;">photons. Working in the context of a quantum network, nodes are connected via propagating,\&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">nonclassical states of the electromagnetic field. As such, preparing and detecting propagating\&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">quantum states is an essential task. I work with one particular node consisting of a microfabricated,\&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">effective two level system coupled to a microwave resonator and study its ability to produce propagating\&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">nonclassical states such as single photon states. In principle, states generated by this node\&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">could be sent to other such nodes. However, I send them into a Josephson parametric amplier\&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">(JPA) to characterize the source.\&nbsp;</span></p>