Abstract: The present invention relates to an inductive dipole element for a superconducting microwave quantum circuit. The dipole element comprises a DC-SQUID formed by a pair of Josephson junctions shunted by an inductance, wherein the Josephson junctions have equal energy, and the Josephson junctions and the inductance are arranged such that each of the junctions forms a loop with the inductance. The two loops are asymmetrically threaded with external magnetic DC fluxes ?ext1 and ?ext2, respectively, such that ?ext1=? and ?ext2=0, wherein parametric pumping is enabled by modulating the total flux ??=?ext,1+?ext,2 threading the dipole element, thereby allowing even-wave mixing between modes that participate in the dipole element with no Kerr-like interactions.

Abstract: A superconducting detection device for detecting a single microwave photon, including: —a quantum system with two energy levels of which the ground state and an excited state are controllable and detectable, the quantum system being designed to allow modulable three-wave interaction; —a buffer resonator arranged to receive an incident single microwave photon; —a highly dissipative auxiliary resonator arranged to discharge a photon; and—a reading device arranged to detect the state of the two-level quantum system; the buffer resonator and the auxiliary resonator are coupled to the quantum system; and the excited state of the quantum system and the photon of the auxiliary resonator are created in response to the reception of the incident photon in the buffer resonator and to the application of parametric pumping to the device. A method for detecting a single microwave photon implemented by a device according to the invention.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an inductive dipole element for a superconducting microwave quantum circuit. The dipole element comprises a DC-SQUID formed by a pair of Josephson junctions shunted by an inductance, wherein the Josephson junctions have equal energy, and the Josephson junctions and the inductance are arranged such that each of the junctions forms a loop with the inductance. The two loops are asymmetrically threaded with external magnetic DC fluxes ?ext1 and ?ext2, respectively, such that ?ext1=? and ?ext2=0, wherein parametric pumping is enabled by modulating the total flux ??=?ext,1+?ext,2 threading the dipole element, thereby allowing even-wave mixing between modes that participate in the dipole element with no Kerr-like interactions.