Low-disorder microwave cavity lattices for quantum simulation with photons

We assess experimentally the suitability of coupled-transmission-line resonators for studies of quantum phase transitions of light. We have measured devices with low photon hopping rates t/2π=0.8 MHz to quantify disorder in individual cavity frequencies. The observed disorder is consistent with small imperfections in fabrication. We studied the dependence of the disorder on transmission-line geometry and used our results to fabricate devices with disorder less than two parts in 104. The normal-mode spectrum of devices with a high photon hopping rate t/2π=31 MHz shows little effect of disorder, rendering resonator arrays a good backbone for the study of condensed-matter physics with photons.