Superconducting quantum circuits possess the ingredients for quantum
information processing and for developing on-chip microwave quantum optics.
From the initial manipulation of few-level superconducting systems (qubits)
to their strong coupling to microwave resonators, the time has come to consider
the generation and characterization of propagating quantum microwaves. In this
paper, we design a key ingredient that will prove essential in the general
frame: a swtichable coupling between qubit(s) and transmission line(s) that can
work in the ultrastrong coupling regime, where the coupling strength approaches
the qubit transition frequency. We propose several setups where two or more
loops of Josephson junctions are directly connected to a closed (cavity) or
open transmission line. We demonstrate that the circuit induces a coupling that
can be modulated in strength and type. Given recent studies showing the
accessibility to the ultrastrong regime, we expect our ideas to have an
immediate impact in ongoing experiments
