Spectral measurement of the thermal excitation of a superconducting qubit

Abstract

We report the measurement of the fluctuations of a transmon qubit through the noise spectrum of the microwave signal that measures its state. The amplitude of the Lorentzian noise power spectrum allows us to determine the average qubit excitation, in agreement with the estimated thermal radiation reaching the sample. Its width yields the qubit energy relaxation rate that decreases with temperature, contrary to the predictions for a two-level system solely coupled to thermal radiation. This indicates the existence of another non-radiative energy relaxation channel for the qubit.