  Nonreciprocal devices such as circulators and isolators belong to an
important class of microwave components employed in applications like the
measurement of mesoscopic circuits at cryogenic temperatures. The measurement
protocols usually involve an amplification chain which relies on circulators to
separate input and output channels and to suppress backaction from different
stages on the sample under test. In these devices the usual reciprocal symmetry
of circuits is broken by the phenomenon of Faraday rotation based on magnetic
materials and fields. However, magnets are averse to on-chip integration, and
magnetic fields are deleterious to delicate superconducting devices. Here we
present a new proposal combining two stages of parametric modulation emulating
the action of a circulator. It is devoid of magnetic components and suitable
for on-chip integration. As the design is free of any dissipative elements and
based on reversible operation, the device operates noiselessly, giving it an
important advantage over other nonreciprocal active devices for quantum
information processing applications.
