Interqubit Coupling Research Articles

Spin superfluid Josephson quantum devices

Spin Hall phenomena are a collection of relativistic spin-orbit coupling effects that permit control and detection of magnetization dynamics in magnetic materials with electrical currents. In spintronics, they have been studied extensively in bilayer structures consisting of a magnetically ordered material interfaced by a current-carrying paramagnetic metal with strong spin-orbit coupling. In this work, the authors propose the magnetic phase qubit, the macroscopic quantum spintronic device that can be built from such bilayers and that permits full electrical control and readout via spin Hall phenomena. The device is an example of a macroscopic qubit that can be constructed from solid-state materials and so should offer the same advantages as the superconducting qubits of strong inter-qubit coupling and scalability. An estimate of the relevant physical parameters based on current spintronic technology gives a qubit operational temperature that is more than an order of magnitude higher than for existing superconducting qubits, thus opening the possibility of macroscopic quantum information processing at temperatures above the dilution refrigerator range. The authors also show that a coupled array of these qubits can realize a quantum annealer, which could be used to solve certain hard optimization problems and machine learning tasks.

Multifractality in fidelity sequences of optimized Toffoli gates

We analyze the multifractality of the fidelity in an engineered Toffoli gate. Using quantum control methods, we define several optimization problems whose global solutions realize the gate in a chain of three qubits with XY Heisenberg interaction. We perturb the system by introducing imperfections in the form of $1/f$ noise to the interqubit couplings. Multifractal analysis shows that the degree of multifractality in the gate fidelity increases when optimized control pulses used to render the fidelity are less sensitive to variations in the interqubits coupling strengths.

Dynamics of two coupled semiconductor spin qubits in a noisy environment

We theoretically consider the temporal dynamics of two coupled spin qubits (e.g., semiconductor quantum dots) driven by the inter-qubit spin-spin coupling. The presence of environmental noise (e.g., charge traps, nuclear spins, random magnetic impurities) is accounted for by including random magnetic field and random inter-qubit coupling terms in the Hamiltonian. Both Heisenberg coupling and Ising coupling between the spin qubits are considered, corresponding respectively to exchange and capacitive gates as appropriate for single spin and singlet-triplet semiconductor qubit systems, respectively. Both exchange (Heisenberg) and capacitive (Ising) coupling situations can be solved numerically exactly even in the presence of noise, leading to the key findings that (i) the steady-state return probability to the initial state remains close to unity in the presence of strong noise for many, but not all, starting spin configurations, and (ii) the return probability as a function of time is oscillatory with a characteristic noise-controlled decay toward the steady-state value. We also provide results for the magnetization dynamics of the coupled two-qubit system. Our predicted dynamics can be directly tested in the already existing semiconductor spin qubit setups providing insight into their coherent interaction dynamics. Retention of the initial state spin memory even in the presence of strong environmental noise has important implications for quantum computation using spin qubits.

Noise-induced collective quantum state preservation in spin qubit arrays

The hyperfine interaction with nuclear spins (or, Overhauser noise) has long been viewed as a leading source of decoherence in individual quantum dot spin qubits. Here we show that in a coupled multi-qubit system consisting of as few as four spins, interactions with nuclear spins can have the opposite effect where they instead preserve the collective quantum state of the system. This noise-induced state preservation can be realized in a linear spin qubit array using current technological capabilities. Our proposal requires no control over the Overhauser fields in the array; only experimental control over the average interqubit coupling between nearest neighbors is needed, and this is readily achieved by tuning gate voltages. Our results illustrate how the role of the environment can transform from harmful to helpful in the progression from single-qubit to multi-qubit quantum systems.

Exact CNOT gates with a single nonlocal rotation for quantum-dot qubits

We investigate capacitively coupled two-qubit quantum gates based on quantum dots. For exchange-only coded qubits electron spin $S$ and its projection $S_z$ are exact quantum numbers. Capacitive coupling between qubits, as distinct from interqubit exchange, preserves these quantum numbers. We prove, both analytically and numerically, that conservation of the spins of individual qubits has dramatic effect on performance of two-qubit gates. By varying the level splittings of individual qubits, $J_a$ and $J_b$, and the interqubit coupling time $t$, we can find an infinite number of triples $(J_a, J_b, t)$ for which the two-qubit entanglement, in combination with appropriate single-qubit rotations, can produce an exact CNOT gate. This statement is true for practically arbitrary magnitude and form of capacitive interqubit coupling. Our findings promise a large decrease in the number of nonlocal (two-qubit) operations in quantum circuits.

Quantum controlled-Zgate for weakly interacting qubits

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a scheme for implementation of a maximally entangling quantum controlled-Z gate between two weakly interacting systems. We conditionally enhance the interqubit coupling by quantum interference. Both before and after the interqubit interaction, one of the qubits is coherently coupled to an auxiliary quantum system, and finally it is projected back onto qubit subspace. We experimentally verify the practical feasibility of this technique by using a linear optical setup with weak interferometric coupling between single-photon qubits. Our procedure is universally applicable to a wide range of physical platforms including hybrid systems such as atomic clouds or optomechanical oscillators coupled to light.

Quantum heat transport of a two-qubit system: Interplay between system-bath coherence and qubit-qubit coherence.

We consider a system consisting of two interacting qubits that are individually coupled to separate heat baths at different temperatures. The quantum effects in heat transport are investigated in a numerically rigorous manner with a hierarchial equations of motion (HEOM) approach for non-perturbative and non-Markovian system-bath coupling cases under non-equilibrium steady-state conditions. For a weak interqubit interaction, the total system is regarded as two individually thermostatted systems, whereas for a strong interqubit interaction, the two-qubit system is regarded as a single system coupled to two baths. The roles of quantum coherence (or entanglement) between the two qubits (q-q coherence) and between the qubit and bath (q-b coherence) are studied through the heat current calculated for various strengths of the system-bath coupling and interqubit coupling for high and low temperatures. The same current is also studied using the time convolutionless (TCL) Redfield equation and using an expression derived from the Fermi golden rule (FGR). We find that the HEOM results exhibit turnover behavior of the heat current as a function of the system-bath coupling strength for all values of the interqubit coupling strength, while the results obtained with the TCL and FGR approaches do not exhibit such behavior, because they do not possess the capability of treating the q-b and q-q coherences. The maximum current is obtained in the case that the q-q coherence and q-b coherence are balanced in such a manner that coherence of the entire heat transport process is realized. We also find that the heat current does not follow Fourier's law when the temperature difference is very large, due to the non-perturbative system-bath interactions.

Conditional rotation of two strongly coupled semiconductor charge qubits.

Universal multiple-qubit gates can be implemented by a set of universal single-qubit gates and any one kind of entangling two-qubit gate, such as a controlled-NOT gate. For semiconductor quantum dot qubits, two-qubit gate operations have so far only been demonstrated in individual electron spin-based quantum dot systems. Here we demonstrate the conditional rotation of two capacitively coupled charge qubits, each consisting of an electron confined in a GaAs/AlGaAs double quantum dot. Owing to the strong inter-qubit coupling strength, gate operations with a clock speed up to 6 GHz have been realized. A truth table measurement for controlled-NOT operation shows comparable fidelities to that of spin-based two-qubit gates, although phase coherence is not explicitly measured. Our results suggest that semiconductor charge qubits have a considerable potential for scalable quantum computing and may stimulate the use of long-range Coulomb interaction for coherent quantum control in other devices.

Robust Quantum Computing in Decoherence-Free Subspaces with Double-Dot Spin Qubits

We present a scheme for implementing robust quantum gates in decoherence-free subspaces (DFSs) with double-dot spin qubits. Through the resonator-assisted interaction, the controllable interqubit couplings can be achieved only by adjusting the qubit transition frequencies. We construct a set of logic gates on the DFS-encoded qubits to eliminate the collective noise effects, and thus the gate fidelities can be enhanced remarkably. This proposal may offer a potential approach to realize the robust quantum computing with spin qubits.

Driven Nonlinear Dynamics of Two Coupled Exchange-Only Qubits

Inspired by creation of a fast exchange-only qubit (Medford et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 111, 050501 (2013)), we develop a theory describing the nonlinear dynamics of two such qubits that are capacitively coupled, when one of them is driven resonantly at a frequency equal to its level splitting. We include conditions of strong driving, where the Rabi frequency is a significant fraction of the level splitting, and we consider situations where the splitting for the second qubit may be the same or different than the first. We demonstrate that coupling between qubits can be detected by reading the response of the second qubit, even when the coupling between them is only of about $1\%$ of their level splittings, and calculate entanglement between qubits. Patterns of nonlinear dynamics of coupled qubits and their entanglement are strongly dependent on the geometry of the system, and the specific mechanism of inter-qubit coupling deeply influences dynamics of both qubits. In particular, we describe the development of irregular dynamics in a two-qubit system, explore approaches for inhibiting it, and demonstrate existence of an optimal range of coupling strength maintaining stability during the operational time.

Partial decoherence and thermalization through time-domain ergodicity

An approach, differing from two commonly used methods (the stochastic \SE \ and the master equation \cite {Schlosshauer,BieleA}) but entrenched in the traditional density matrix formalism, is developed in a semi-classical setting, so as to go from the solutions of the time dependent \SE to decohering and thermalized states. This is achieved by utilizing the time-ergodicity, rather than the sampling- (or ensemble-) ergodicity, of physical systems. We introduce the formalism through a study of the Rabi model (a two level system coupled to an oscillator) and show that our semi-classical version exhibits, both qualitatively and quantitatively, many features of state truncation and equilibration \cite {AllahverdyanBN}. We then study the time evolution of two qubits in interaction with a bosonic environment, such that the energy scale of one qubit is much larger, and that of the other much smaller than the environment's energy scale. The small energy qubit decoheres to a mixture, while the high energy qubit is protected through the adiabatic theorem. However, an inter-qubit coupling generates an overall decoherence and leads for some values of the coupling to long term revivals in the state occupations.

Exploring the tradeoff between fidelity and time optimal control of quantum unitary transformations

Generating a unitary transformation in the shortest possible time is of practical importance to quantum information processing because it helps to reduce decoherence effects and improve robustness to additive control field noise. Many analytical and numerical studies have identified the minimum time necessary to implement a variety of quantum gates on coupled-spin qubit systems. This work focuses on exploring the Pareto front that quantifies the tradeoff between the competitive objectives of maximizing the gate fidelity $\mathcal{F}$ and minimizing the control time $T$. In order to identify the critical time ${T}^{*}$ below which the target transformation is not reachable, as well as to determine the associated Pareto front, we introduce a numerical method of Pareto front tracking (PFT). We consider closed two- and multiqubit systems with constant interqubit coupling strengths and each individual qubit controlled by a separate time-dependent external field. Our analysis demonstrates that unit fidelity (to a desired numerical accuracy) can be achieved at any $T\ensuremath{\ge}{T}^{*}$ in most cases. However, the optimization search effort rises superexponentially as $T$ decreases and approaches ${T}^{*}$. Furthermore, a small decrease in control time incurs a significant penalty in fidelity for $T<{T}^{*}$, indicating that it is generally undesirable to operate below the critical time. We investigate the dependence of the critical time ${T}^{*}$ on the coupling strength between qubits and the target gate transformation. Practical consequences of these findings for laboratory implementation of quantum gates are discussed.

Controllable exchange coupling between two singlet-triplet qubits

We study controllable exchange coupling between two singlet-triplet qubits. We start from the original second quantized Hamiltonian of a quadruple quantum dot system and obtain the effective spin-spin interaction between the two qubits using the projection operator method. Under a strong uniform external magnetic field and an inhomogeneous local micro-magnetic field, the effective interqubit coupling is of the Ising type, and the coupling strength can be expressed in terms of quantum dot parameters. Finally, we discuss how to generate various two-qubit operations using this controllable coupling, such as entanglement generation, and controlled-NOT gate.

Robust Quantum Gates in Decoherence-Free Subspaces with Josephson Charge Qubits

We propose a new and feasible scheme to implement quantum gates in decoherence-free subspaces (DFSs) with Josephson charge qubits situated in a circuit QED architecture. Based on the resonator-assisted interaction, the controllable interqubit couplings occur only by tuning the individual flux biases, by which we obtain the DFS-encoded universal quantum gates. Compared with the non-DFS situation, we numerically consider the robustness of the DFS-encoded scheme that can be insensitive to the collective noises. Thus the protocol may perform the fault-tolerant quantum computing with Josephson charge qubits.

Ground-state preparation of arbitrarily multipartite Dicke states in the one-dimensional ferromagnetic spin-12chain

The preparation of arbitrary $N$-particle Dicke states in a one-dimensional $N$-qubit chain with nearest-neighbor $XXZ$ interaction is investigated. We show by perturbation approach that each of the $N+1$ Dicke states can be approximately created as the nondegenerate ground state of the system when suitable external magnetic field and inter-qubit coupling are applied. In some small $N$ situations, the perturbative results agree very well with the exact solutions. We further demonstrate by numerical methods that the proposed ground-state preparation of the Dicke states is robust against the finite temperature in the $N=4$ case. We also discuss the feasibility of our scheme in several physical systems including semiconductor quantum dots and an optical lattice.

Optical switching of nuclear spin–spin couplings in semiconductors

Two-qubit operation is an essential part of quantum computation. However, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance quantum computing has not been able to fully implement this functionality, because it requires a switchable inter-qubit coupling that controls the time evolutions of entanglements. Nuclear dipolar coupling is beneficial in that it is present whenever nuclear–spin qubits are close to each other, while it complicates two-qubit operation because the qubits must remain decoupled to prevent unwanted couplings. Here we introduce optically controllable internuclear coupling in semiconductors. The coupling strength can be adjusted externally through light power and even allows on/off switching. This feature provides a simple way of switching inter-qubit couplings in semiconductor-based quantum computers. In addition, its long reach compared with nuclear dipolar couplings allows a variety of options for arranging qubits, as they need not be next to each other to secure couplings.

Multimode mediated qubit-qubit coupling and dark-state symmetries in circuit quantum electrodynamics

Microwave cavities with high quality factors enable coherent coupling of distant quantum systems. Virtual photons lead to a transverse exchange interaction between qubits, when they are non-resonant with the cavity but resonant with each other. We experimentally probe the inverse scaling of the inter-qubit coupling with the detuning from a cavity mode and its proportionality to the qubit-cavity interaction strength. We demonstrate that the enhanced coupling at higher frequencies is mediated by multiple higher-harmonic cavity modes. Moreover, in the case of resonant qubits, the symmetry properties of the system lead to an allowed two-photon transition to the doubly excited qubit state and the formation of a dark state.

Coherent State Transfer between an Electron and Nuclear Spin inN15@C60

Electron spin qubits in molecular systems offer high reproducibility and the ability to self-assemble into larger architectures. However, interactions between neighboring qubits are "always on," and although the electron spin coherence times can be several hundred microseconds, these are still much shorter than typical times for nuclear spins. Here we implement an electron-nuclear hybrid scheme which uses coherent transfer between electron and nuclear spin degrees of freedom in order to both effectively turn on or off interqubit coupling mediated by dipolar interactions and benefit from the long nuclear spin decoherence times (T(2n)). We transfer qubit states between the electron and (15)N nuclear spin in (15)N@C(60) with a two-way process fidelity of 88%, using a series of tuned microwave and radio frequency pulses and measure a nuclear spin coherence lifetime of over 100 ms.

Fast Tunable Coupler for Superconducting Qubits

A major challenge in the field of quantum computing is the construction of scalable qubit coupling architectures. Here, we demonstrate a novel tunable coupling circuit that allows superconducting qubits to be coupled over long distances. We show that the interqubit coupling strength can be arbitrarily tuned over nanosecond time scales within a sequence that mimics actual use in an algorithm. The coupler has a measured on/off ratio of 1000. The design is self-contained and physically separate from the qubits, allowing the coupler to be used as a module to connect a variety of elements such as qubits, resonators, amplifiers, and readout circuitry over distances much larger than nearest-neighbor. Such design flexibility is likely to be useful for a scalable quantum computer.

Nearest-neighbor coupling asymmetry in the generation of cluster states in a charge-qubit structure

We demonstrate that charge-qubit cluster state generation by capacitive coupling is anisotropic. Specifically, horizontal vs vertical nearest-neighbor inter-qubit coupling differs in a rectangular lattice. We show how to ameliorate this anisotropy by applying potential biases to the array of double dots.