Qubit Structure Research Articles

Coupling and characterization of a Si/SiGe triple quantum dot array with a microwave resonator

Abstract Scaling up spin qubits in silicon-based quantum dots is one of the pivotal challenges in achieving large-scale semiconductor quantum computation. To satisfy the connectivity requirements and reduce the lithographic complexity, utilizing the qubit array structure and the circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) architecture together is expected to be a feasible scaling scheme. A triple-quantum dot (TQD) coupled with a superconducting resonator is regarded as a basic cell to demonstrate this extension scheme. In this article, we investigate a system consisting of a silicon TQD and a high-impedance TiN coplanar waveguide (CPW) resonator. The TQD can couple to the resonator via the right double-quantum dot (RDQD), which reaches the strong coupling regime with a charge–photon coupling strength of g 0/(2π) = 175 MHz. Moreover, we illustrate the high tunability of the TQD through the characterization of stability diagrams, quadruple points (QPs), and the quantum cellular automata (QCA) process. Our results contribute to fostering the exploration of silicon-based qubit integration.

Engineering superconducting qubits to reduce quasiparticles and charge noise

Identifying, quantifying, and suppressing decoherence mechanisms in qubits are important steps towards the goal of engineering a quantum computer or simulator. Superconducting circuits offer flexibility in qubit design; however, their performance is adversely affected by quasiparticles (broken Cooper pairs). Developing a quasiparticle mitigation strategy compatible with scalable, high-coherence devices is therefore highly desirable. Here we experimentally demonstrate how to control quasiparticle generation by downsizing the qubit, capping it with a metallic cover, and equipping it with suitable quasiparticle traps. Using a flip-chip design, we shape the electromagnetic environment of the qubit above the superconducting gap, inhibiting quasiparticle poisoning. Our findings support the hypothesis that quasiparticle generation is dominated by the breaking of Cooper pairs at the junction, as a result of photon absorption by the antenna-like qubit structure. We achieve record low charge-parity switching rate (<1 Hz). Our aluminium devices also display improved stability with respect to discrete charging events.

Nitrogen Vacancy-Centered Diamond Qubit: The fabrication, design, and application in quantum computing

Quantum computing has gained enormous attention from both academia and industry for its capability in handling problems that challenge the limit of classical computation. It is expected to shine in areas such as artificial intelligence, financial technology, drug development, and chemical reaction modeling. The quantum bit, or qubit, is the essential unit of quantum computers (QCs), and there are different types of implementations of the qubit, such as superconductor-based qubits, trapped ion qubits, quantum dot qubits, photonic qubits, topological qubits, and nitrogen vacancy (NV) diamond qubits, which are known to be able to function at room temperature with high longevity. In this article, NV-centered diamond fabrication, qubit structure, bit control, entanglement, and decoherence, as well as the pros and cons, are briefly introduced. At the end, the status of the commercialization of NV diamond QCs and the benchmark of different types of qubits are summarized.

Natural Code of Subjective Experience

The paper introduces mathematical encoding for subjective experience and meaning in natural cognition. The code is based on a quantum-theoretic qubit structure supplementing classical bit with circular dimension, functioning as a process-causal template for representation of contexts relative to the basis decision. The qubit state space is demarcated in categories of emotional experience of animals and humans. Features of the resulting spherical map align with major theoreties in cognitive and emotion science, modeling of natural language, and semiotics, suggesting several generalizations and improvements. The developed model bridges psychological, quantum-theoretic, and semiotic perspectives, allowing for an integrative account of subjectivity, agency, and meaning in living Nature.Graphical abstract

The universe from a single particle. Part II

We continue to explore, in the context of a toy model, the hypothesis that the interacting universe we see around us could result from single particle (undergraduate) quantum mechanics via a novel spontaneous symmetry breaking (SSB) acting at the level of probability distributions on Hamiltonians (rather than on states as is familiar from both Ginzburg-Landau superconductivity and the Higgs mechanism). In an earlier paper [1] we saw qubit structure emerge spontaneously on ℂ4 and ℂ8, and in this work we see ℂ6 spontaneously decomposing as ℂ2 ⊗ ℂ3 and very curiously ℂ5 (and ℂ7) splitting off one (one or three) directions and then factoring. This evidence provides additional support for the broad hypothesis: Nature will seek out tensor decompositions where none are present. We consider how this finding may form a basis for the origins of interaction and ask if it can be related to established foundational discussions such as string theory.

A Fully Integrated DAC for CMOS Position-Based Charge Qubits with Single-Electron Detector Loopback Testing

This letter presents a fully integrated interface circuitry with a position-based charge qubit structure implemented in 22-nm FDSOI CMOS. The quantum structure is controlled by a tiny capacitive DAC (CDAC) that occupies $3.5\times 45\,\,\mu \text{m}^{2}$ and consumes 0.27mW running at a 2-GHz system clock. The state of the quantum structure is measured by a single-electron detector that consumes 1mW (including its output driver) with an area of $40\times 25\,\,\mu \text{m}^{2}$ . The low power and miniaturized layout of these circuits pave the way for integration in a large quantum core with thousands of qubits, which is a necessity for practical quantum computers. The CDAC output noise of 12 $\mu \text{V}$ -rms is estimated through mathematical analysis while the ≤ 0.225mV-rms input referred noise of the detector is verified by measurements at 3.4 K. The functionality of the system and performance of the CDAC are verified in a loopback mode with the detector sensing the CDAC-induced electron tunneling from the floating diffusion node into the quantum structure.

Weak coupling polaron and Landau-Zener scenario: Qubits modeling

The paper presents a weak coupling polaron in a spherical dot with magnetic impurities and investigates conditions for which the system mimics a qubit. Particularly, the work focuses on the Landau-Zener (LZ) scenario undergone by the polaron and derives transition coefficients (transition probabilities) as well as selection rules for polaron's transitions. It is proven that, the magnetic impurities drive the polaron to a two-state superposition leading to a qubit structure. We also showed that the symmetry deficiency induced by the magnetic impurities (strong magnetic field) yields to the banishment of transition coefficients with non-stacking states. However, the transition coefficients revived for large confinement frequency (or weak magnetic field) with the orbital quantum numbers escorting transitions. The polaron is then shown to map a qubit independently of the number of relevant states with the transition coefficients lifted as LZ probabilities and given as a function of the electron-phonon coupling constant (Fröhlich constant).

Universality of computation in real quantum theory

Recently de la Torre et al. (Phys. Rev. Lett., 109 (2012) 090403) reconstructed Quantum Theory from its local structure on the basis of local discriminability and the existence of a one-parameter group of bipartite transformations containing an entangling gate. This result relies on universality of any entangling gate for quantum computation. Here we prove universality of C-NOT with local gates for Real Quantum Theory (RQT), showing that the universality requirement would not be sufficient for the result, whereas local discriminability and the local qubit structure play a crucial role. For reversible computation, generally an extra rebit is needed for RQT. As a by-product we also provide a short proof of universality of C-NOT for CQT.

All-optical control of a solid-state spin using coherent dark states

The study of individual quantum systems in solids, for use as quantum bits (qubits) and probes of decoherence, requires protocols for their initialization, unitary manipulation, and readout. In many solid-state quantum systems, these operations rely on disparate techniques that can vary widely depending on the particular qubit structure. One such qubit, the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center spin in diamond, can be initialized and read out through its special spin-selective intersystem crossing, while microwave electron spin resonance techniques provide unitary spin rotations. Instead, we demonstrate an alternative, fully optical approach to these control protocols in an NV center that does not rely on its intersystem crossing. By tuning an NV center to an excited-state spin anticrossing at cryogenic temperatures, we use coherent population trapping and stimulated Raman techniques to realize initialization, readout, and unitary manipulation of a single spin. Each of these techniques can be performed directly along any arbitrarily chosen quantum basis, removing the need for extra control steps to map the spin to and from a preferred basis. Combining these protocols, we perform measurements of the NV center's spin coherence, a demonstration of this full optical control. Consisting solely of optical pulses, these techniques enable control within a smaller footprint and within photonic networks. Likewise, this unified approach obviates the need for both electron spin resonance manipulation and spin addressability through the intersystem crossing. This method could therefore be applied to a wide range of potential solid-state qubits, including those which currently lack a means to be addressed.

Theoretical Calculation of the Magnetic Resonance Frequency of the Electron Spin Embedded Inside a Silicon Host for Solid-State Quantum Computing

The electron-spin magnetic resonance frequency of an electron-spin qubit structure that is proposed for the realization of a quantum computer is rigorously determined by a numerical method. The potential distribution inside the silicon qubit structure is accurately calculated by an electromagnetic simulation method, and the perturbation theory to the second order is formulated to obtain the magnetic resonance frequency of a phosphorus donor electron spin. Our results showed that, for the same qubit structure (Si:P), as originally proposed by Kane for a nuclear-spin qubit quantum computer, a smaller static magnetic field <i xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">B</i> is in favor of producing a wider tunable bandwidth for the magnetic resonance frequency of the electron spin. Our results also reveal that the use of SiGe as an alternative insulation material to the A-gate structure can improve the control efficiency of the A-gate voltage.

On the nuclear magnetic resonance frequency of phosphorus donor atom in a silicon-based quantum computer

The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) frequency of a single qubit structure of Kane’s solid-state quantum computer is investigated by using the perturbation theory. With higher-order excited states (up to 3d modes) included in our calculation, the perturbation frequencies and energies are obtained numerically. To compute for arbitrary A gate geometries, the perturbation potential inside the qubit structure is determined through an electromagnetic simulation method. Calculations show that the potential distributions for realistic A gate geometries are far from linear ones. Our results show that the A gate voltage has a much more effective control over the NMR frequency of the phosphorus nucleus than that previously shown. Using our method, arbitrary A gate structures of any shapes or geometries can be engineered for the realization of a solid-state scalable quantum computer. We also investigate an alternative A gate structure using SiGe as the insulation barrier. Our study shows that this A gate structure o...

Architecture for high-sensitivity single-shot readout and control of the electron spin of individual donors in silicon

We describe a method to control and detect in single shot the electron spin state of an individual donor in silicon with greatly enhanced sensitivity. A silicon-based single-electron transistor (SET) allows for spin-dependent tunneling of the donor electron directly into the SET island during the readout phase. Simulations show that the charge transfer signals are typically $\ensuremath{\Delta}q\ensuremath{\gtrsim}0.2e$---over an order of magnitude larger than achievable with metallic SETs on the ${\text{SiO}}_{2}$ surface. A complete spin-based qubit structure is obtained by adding a local electron spin resonance line for coherent spin control. This architecture is ideally suited to demonstrate and study the coherent properties of donor electron spins, but can be expanded and integrated with classical control electronics in the context of scale up.

Efficient Toffoli gates using qudits

The simplest decomposition of a Toffoli gate acting on 3 qubits requires five 2-qubit gates. If we restrict ourselves to controlled-sign (or controlled-NOT) gates this number climbs to 6. We show that the number of controlled-sign gates required to implement a Toffoli gate can be reduced to just 3 if one of the three quantum systems has a third state that is accessible during the computation---i.e., is actually a qutrit. Such a requirement is not unreasonable or even atypical since we often artificially enforce a qubit structure on multilevel quantums systems (e.g., atoms, photonic polarization plus spatial modes). We explore the implementation of these techniques in optical quantum processing and show that linear optical circuits could operate with much higher probabilities of success.

Dc measurements of macroscopic quantum levels in a superconducting qubit structure with a time-ordered meter

dc measurements are made in a superconducting, persistent current qubit structure with a time-ordered meter. The persistent-current qubit has a double-well potential, with the two minima corresponding to magnetization states of opposite sign. Macroscopic resonant tunneling between the two wells is observed at values of energy bias that correspond to the positions of the calculated quantum levels. The magnetometer, a superconducting quantum interference device, detects the state of the qubit in a time-ordered fashion, measuring one state before the other. This results in a different meter output depending on the initial state, providing different signatures of the energy levels for each tunneling direction.

Stability of Quantum Computing in the Presence of Imperfections

We model an isolated quantum computer as a two-dimensional lattice of qubits (spin halves) with fluctuations in individual qubit energies and residual short-range inter-qubit couplings. We show that above a critical inter-qubit coupling strength, quantum chaos sets in and this results in the interaction induced dynamical thermalization and occupation numbers well described by the Fermi–Dirac distribution. This thermalization destroys the noninteracting qubit structure and sets serious requirements for the quantum computer operability. We then construct a quantum algorithm which uses qubits in an optimal way and efficiently simulates a physical model with rich and complex dynamics. The numerical study of the effect of static imperfections in the quantum computer hardware shows that the main elements of the phase space structures are accurately reproduced up to a time scale which is polynomial in the number of qubits. The errors generated by these imperfections are more significant than the errors of random noise in gate operations.

Impact of time-ordered measurements of the two states in a niobium superconducting qubit structure

Measurements of thermal activation are made in a superconducting, niobium persistent-current qubit structure, which has two stable classical states of equal and opposite circulating current. The magnetization signal is read out by ramping the bias current of a dc superconducting quantum interference device. This ramping causes time-ordered measurements of the two states, where measurement of one state occurs before the other. This time ordering results in effective measurement time, which can be used to probe the thermal activation rate between the two states. Fitting the magnetization signal as a function of temperature and ramp time allows one to estimate a quality factor of $3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{5}$ for our devices, a value favorable for the observation of long quantum coherence times at lower temperatures.

Quantum Chaos and Quantum Computing

We show that in an isolated model of quantum computer the residual short-range inter-qubit couplings and fluctuations in individual qubit energies can lead to quantum chaos and quantum ergodicity of eigenstates. The onset of chaos results in the interaction induced dynamical thermalization and the occupation numbers well described by the Fermi–Dirac distribution. This thermalization destroys the noninteracting qubit structure and sets serious requirements for the quantum computer operability. We also show that a quantum computer operating with a small number of qubits can simulate the dynamical localization of classical chaos in a system described by the quantum sawtooth map model. The dynamics of the system is computed efficiently up to a time t ≥ l , and then the localization length l can be obtained with accuracy ν by means of order 1/ν 2 computer runs, followed by coarse grained projective measurements on the computational basis.

Magnetically and electrically tunable semiconductor quantum waveguide inverter

In recent years, quantum computing and information theory has received a great deal of attention as a means of drastically improving the computational speed and resources traditionally associated with current binary implementations. We present an electrically tunable semiconductor quantum waveguide implementation of an inverter gate in a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure in which the output of the waveguide structure may be selected via the application of an appropriate magnetic field or electrical bias. The resulting behavior observed by our implementation shows a great deal of promise for an eventual semiconductor realization of this basic qubit structure.

Emergence of quantum chaos in the quantum computer core and how to manage it

We study the standard generic quantum computer model, which describes a realistic isolated quantum computer with fluctuations in individual qubit energies and residual short-range interqubit couplings. It is shown that in the limit where the fluctuations and couplings are small compared to the one-qubit energy spacing, the spectrum has a band structure, and a renormalized Hamiltonian is obtained which describes the eigenstate properties inside one band. Studies are concentrated on the central band of the computer ("core") with the highest density of states. We show that above a critical interqubit coupling strength, quantum chaos sets in, leading to a quantum ergodicity of the computer eigenstates. In this regime the ideal qubit structure disappears, the eigenstates become complex, and the operability of the computer is quickly destroyed. We confirm that the quantum chaos border decreases only linearly with the number of qubits n, although the spacing between multiqubit states drops exponentially with n. The investigation of time evolution in the quantum computer shows that in the quantum chaos regime, an ideal (noninteracting) state quickly disappears, and exponentially many states become mixed after a short chaotic time scale for which the dependence on system parameters is determined. Below the quantum chaos border an ideal state can survive for long times, and an be used for computation. The results show that a broad parameter region does exist where the efficient operation of a quantum computer is possible.

Emergence of Fermi-Dirac thermalization in the quantum computer core

We model an isolated quantum computer as a two-dimensional lattice of qubits (spin halves) with fluctuations in individual qubit energies and residual short-range inter-qubit couplings. In the limit when fluctuations and couplings are small compared to the one-qubit energy spacing, the spectrum has a band structure and we study the quantum computer core (central band) with the highest density of states. Above a critical inter-qubit coupling strength, quantum chaos sets in, leading to quantum ergodicity of eigenstates in an isolated quantum computer. The onset of chaos results in the interaction induced dynamical thermalization and the occupation numbers well described by the Fermi-Dirac distribution. This thermalization destroys the noninteracting qubit structure and sets serious requirements for the quantum computer operability.