Process tomography of robust dynamical decoupling with superconducting qubits

Abstract

Dynamical decoupling is a technique that protects qubits against noise. The ability to preserve quantum coherence in the presence of noise is essential for the development of quantum devices. Here the Rigetti quantum computing platform was used to test different dynamical decoupling sequences. The performance of the sequences was characterized by Quantum Process Tomography and analyzed using the quantum channels formalism. It is shown that dynamical decoupling can reduce qubit dephasing but cannot protect against spontaneous emission. Furthermore, from process tomography results, it was also possible to conclude that the action of dynamical decoupling cannot be understood as a simple modification of the qubit coherence time. It is also shown here that the performance of dynamical decoupling on the Rigetti's qubits is limited by pulse imperfections. However, the performance can be improved using robust dynamical decoupling, i.e. sequences that are robust against experimental imperfections. The sequences tested here outperformed previous dynamical decoupling sequences tested in the same platform.