Generation of hybrid Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger entangled states of particlelike and wavelike optical qubits in circuit QED

Hybrid entanglement between particlelike and wavelike optical qubits has drawn increasing attention because such hybrid entanglement is a key resource in establishing hybrid quantum networks and connecting quantum processors with different encoding qubits. For convenience, we define particlelike optical qubits as PO qubits and wavelike optical qubits as WO qubits. In this work, we propose a method to create a hybrid Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) entangled state of n PO qubits and n WO qubits, by using 2n microwave cavities coupled to a superconducting flux qutrit. The two logic states of a PO qubit here are represented by the vacuum state and the single-photon state of a cavity (or represented by the rotated states of the vacuum state and the single-photon state), while the two logic states of a WO qubit are indicated by the two coherent states of a cavity. The procedure for preparing the GHZ state consists of only a few basic operations, and the circuit resources are significantly reduced because of using only one flux qutrit as the coupler. The GHZ-state preparation time does not depend on the number of qubits, and the GHZ state is deterministically generated since no measurement is made. In addition, the intermediate higher-energy level of the qutrit during the entire operation is virtually excited and thus decoherence from this level is greatly suppressed. This proposal is quite general and can be extended to create the proposed hybrid GHZ state, by using a A-type natural or artificial atom coupled to 2n microwave or optical cavities. As an example, our numerical simulation demonstrates that within current circuit-QED technology, the hybrid GHZ state of two PO qubits and two WO qubits can be prepared with a high fidelity.