Superconducting Quantum Circuits Research Articles

Mitigation of microwave crosstalk with parameterized single-qubit gate in superconducting quantum circuits

In superconducting qubit systems, microwave crosstalk among the qubit control lines is a prominent source of errors for gate operations, particularly when implemented simultaneously in a multiqubit system. In this work, we present an experimental study of crosstalk mitigation for the case of single-qubit gate operation, which involves the universal U3 gate decomposition into two Xπ/2 gates and three virtual Z gates. We demonstrate that by optimizing the virtual Z gate parameters, the crosstalk can be effectively mitigated, with the single-qubit gate fidelity recovered to the level comparable to that in the absence of crosstalk.

Hardware-efficient and fast three-qubit gate in superconducting quantum circuits

Hardware-efficient and fast three-qubit gate in superconducting quantum circuits

Surpassing millisecond coherence in on chip superconducting quantum memories by optimizing materials and circuit design.

The performance of superconducting quantum circuits for quantum computing has advanced tremendously in recent decades; however, a comprehensive understanding of relaxation mechanisms does not yet exist. In this work, we utilize a multimode approach to characterizing energy losses in superconducting quantum circuits, with the goals of predicting device performance and improving coherence through materials, process, and circuit design optimization. Using this approach, we measure significant reductions in surface and bulk dielectric losses by employing a tantalum-based materials platform and annealed sapphire substrates. With this knowledge we predict the relaxation times of aluminum- and tantalum-based transmon qubits, and find that they are consistent with experimental results. We additionally optimize device geometry to maximize coherence within a coaxial tunnel architecture, and realize on-chip quantum memories with single-photon Ramsey times of 2.0 - 2.7 ms, limited by their energy relaxation times of 1.0 - 1.4 ms. These results demonstrate an advancement towards a more modular and compact coaxial circuit architecture for bosonic qubits with reproducibly high coherence.

Sensitivity Analysis of Manufacturing Uncertainty Errors in Superconducting Quantum Circuits

Sensitivity Analysis of Manufacturing Uncertainty Errors in Superconducting Quantum Circuits

Wafer-Scale Al Junction Technology for Superconducting Quantum Circuits

Wafer-Scale Al Junction Technology for Superconducting Quantum Circuits

Quantum switch for itinerant microwave single photons with superconducting quantum circuits

Quantum switch for itinerant microwave single photons with superconducting quantum circuits

Quantum simulation of the bosonic Kitaev chain

Superconducting quantum circuits are a natural platform for quantum simulations of a wide variety of important lattice models describing topological phenomena, spanning condensed matter and high-energy physics. One such model is the bosonic analog of the well-known fermionic Kitaev chain, a 1D tight-binding model with both nearest-neighbor hopping and pairing terms. Despite being fully Hermitian, the bosonic Kitaev chain exhibits a number of striking features associated with non-Hermitian systems, including chiral transport and a dramatic sensitivity to boundary conditions known as the non-Hermitian skin effect. Here, using a multimode superconducting parametric cavity, we implement the bosonic Kitaev chain in synthetic dimensions. The lattice sites are mapped to frequency modes of the cavity, and the in situ tunable complex hopping and pairing terms are created by parametric pumping at the mode-difference and mode-sum frequencies, respectively. We experimentally demonstrate important precursors of nontrivial topology and the non-Hermitian skin effect in the bosonic Kitaev chain, including chiral transport, quadrature wavefunction localization, and sensitivity to boundary conditions. Our experiment is an important first step towards exploring genuine many-body non-Hermitian quantum dynamics.

Kinetic inductance in superconducting CoSi2 coplanar microwave transmission lines

We have looked into cobalt disilicide (CoSi2) as a potential building block for superconducting quantum circuits. In order to achieve this, we annealed a thin layer of Co to create microwave cavities with thickness of d = 10–105 nm from CoSi2 embedded in the silicon substrate. The cavity properties were measured as a function of temperature and power. In the films measuring 10 and 25 nm, we find a significant kinetic inductance LK with a non-BCS power-law variation δLK ∝ T4.3±0.2 at low temperatures. The quality factor of the studied microwave resonances varied from 3 × 103 (d = 10 nm) to ∼5 × 104 (d = 105 nm) and increased as d(A − log d) with thickness, with two-level systems having very little effect. The power dependence of kinetic inductance was analyzed in terms of heat flow due to electron–phonon coupling, which was found to be stronger than estimated for heat relaxation by regular quasiparticles.

Balancing the Quantum Speed Limit and Instantaneous Energy Cost in Adiabatic Quantum Evolution

Adiabatic time-optimal quantum controls are extensively used in quantum technologies to break the constraints imposed by short coherence times. However, practically it is crucial to consider the trade-off between the quantum evolution speed and instantaneous energy cost of process because of the constraints in the available control Hamiltonian. Here, we experimentally show that using a transmon qubit that, even in the presence of vanishing energy gaps, it is possible to reach a highly time-optimal adiabatic quantum driving at low energy cost in the whole evolution process. This validates the recently derived general solution of the quantum Zermelo navigation problem, paving the way for energy-efficient quantum control which is usually overlooked in conventional speed-up schemes, including the well-known counter-diabatic driving. By designing the control Hamiltonian based on the quantum speed limit bound quantified by the changing rate of phase in the interaction picture, we reveal the relationship between the quantum speed limit and instantaneous energy cost. Consequently, we demonstrate fast and high-fidelity quantum adiabatic processes by employing energy-efficient driving strengths, indicating a promising strategy for expanding the applications of time-optimal quantum controls in superconducting quantum circuits.

Quantum interference in a high-transition-temperature superconductor based on nanoslits on SrTiO3 substrate

The Josephson junction, a key component of superconducting quantum circuits, is much less mature, especially for the high-transition (high-Tc) temperature cuprate superconductors. Herein, we report on the realization of high-Tc Josephson junction based on nanoslits on a SrTiO3 substrate. We demonstrate the ability to manipulate the current–voltage characteristics of YBa2Cu3O7−x bridges continuously from superconducting current-dominated to Josephson junction behavior by changing the irradiation parameters of the focused Ga+ ion beam on a single-crystal SrTiO3 substrate. The periodic critical current that depends on the magnetic flux coupled into the superconducting quantum interference devices was observed, which exactly reflects the effects of quantum tunneling and flux quantization. To some extent, this weak link within the framework of the semiconductor manufacturing process shows the potential to provide a cost-effective, highly efficient, and reliable pathway for scaling up quantum mechanical superconducting circuits, which is promising for the fabrication process.

Tunable superconducting resonators via on-chip control of local magnetic field

Abstract Superconducting microwave resonators play a pivotal role in superconducting quantum circuits. The ability to fine-tune their resonant frequencies provides enhanced control and flexibility. Here, we introduce a frequency-tunable superconducting coplanar waveguide resonator. By applying electrical currents through specifically designed ground wires, we achieve the generation and control of a localized magnetic field on the central line of the resonator, enabling continuous tuning of its resonant frequency. We demonstrate a frequency tuning range of 54.85 MHz in a 6.21 GHz resonator. This integrated and tunable resonator holds great potential as a dynamically tunable filter and as a key component of communication buses and memory elements in superconducting quantum computing.

Nonreciprocity and Circulation in a Passive Josephson-Junction Ring.

Building large-scale superconducting quantum circuits will require miniaturization and integration of supporting devices including microwave circulators, which are currently bulky, stand-alone components. Here, we report the measurement of microwave scattering from a ring of Josephson junctions, with dc-only control fields. We detect the effect of quasiparticle tunneling, and dynamically classify the system at its operating design point into different quasiparticle sectors. We optimize the device within one of the quasiparticle sectors, where we observe an unambiguous signature of nonreciprocal 3-port scattering within that sector. This enables operation as a circulator, and at the optimal circulation point, we observe on-resonance insertion loss of 2dB, isolation of 14dB, power reflectance of -11 dB, and a bandwidth of 200MHz, averaged over the 3 input ports.

Superconducting nitridized-aluminum thin films

We report the direct observation of superconductivity in nitridized-aluminum thin films. The films are produced by sputtering deposition of aluminum in a controlled mixture of nitrogen diluted in argon. The concentration of applied nitrogen directly determines the properties of the superconducting thin films. We observe samples displaying critical temperatures up to 3.38 ± 0.01 K and resilience to in-plane magnetic fields well above 1 T, with good reproducibility of the results. This work represents an unambiguous demonstration of tunable superconductivity in aluminum-based nitridized thin films. Our results put forward nitridized aluminum as a promising material to be employed in superconducting quantum circuits for quantum technology applications.

Towards the generation of mechanical Kerr-cats: awakening the perturbative quantum Moyal corrections to classical motion

The quantum to classical transition is determined by the interplay of a trio of parameters: dissipation, nonlinearity, and macroscopicity. Why is nonlinearity needed to see quantum effects? And, is not an ordinary pendulum quite nonlinear already? In this manuscript, we discuss the parameter regime where the dynamics of a massive oscillator should be quantum mechanical in the presence of dissipation. We review the outstanding challenge of the dynamical generation of highly quantum mechanical cat states of a massive ‘pendulum’, known as Kerr-cats. We argue that state-of-the-art cold atom experiments may be in a position to reach such a nonlinear regime, which today singles out superconducting quantum circuits. A way to stabilize Schrödinger cat superpositions of a mechanical atomic oscillator via parametric squeezing and further protected by an unusual form of quantum interference is discussed. The encoding of a neutral atom Kerr-cat qubit is proposed.

Characterization of broadband Purcell filters with compact footprint for fast multiplexed superconducting qubit readout

Engineering the admittance of external environments connected to superconducting qubits is essential, as increasing the measurement speed introduces spontaneous emission loss to superconducting qubits, known as Purcell loss. Here, we report a broadband Purcell filter within a small footprint, which effectively suppresses Purcell loss without losing the fast measurement speed. We characterize the filter's frequency response at 4.3 K and also estimate Purcell loss suppression by finite-element-method simulations of superconducting planar circuit layouts with the proposed filter design. The filter is fabricated with 200 nm-thick niobium films and shows the measured bandwidth over 790 MHz within 0.29 mm2 of compact size owing to densely packed spiral resonators. The estimated lifetime enhancement indicates the effective protection of the qubit from Purcell loss. The presented filter design is expected to be easily integrated on existing superconducting quantum circuits for fast and multiplexed readout without occupying large footprint.

Detecting virtual photons in ultrastrongly coupled superconducting quantum circuits

Detecting virtual photons in ultrastrongly coupled superconducting quantum circuits

Experimental study of modified Tavis-Cummings model with directly-coupled superconducting artificial atoms.

The Tavis-Cummings model is intensively investigated in quantum optics and has important applications in generation of multi-atom entanglement. Here, we employ a superconducting circuit quantum electrodynamic system to study a modified Tavis-Cummings model with directly-coupled atoms. In our device, three superconducting artificial atoms are arranged in a chain with direct coupling through fixed capacitors and strongly coupled to a transmission line resonator. By performing transmission spectrum measurements, we observe different anticrossing structures when one or two qubits are resonantly coupled to the resonator. In the case of the two-qubit Tavis-Cummings model without qubit-qubit interaction, we observe two dips at the resonance point of the anticrossing. The splitting of these dips is determined by Δ λ=2g12+g32, where g1 and g3 are the coupling strengths between Qubit 1 and the resonator, and Qubit 3 and the resonator, respectively. The direct coupling J12 between the two qubits results in three dressed states in the two-qubit Tavis-Cummings model at the frequency resonance point, leading to three dips in the transmission spectrum. In this case, the distance between the two farthest and asymmetrical dips, arising from the energy level splitting, is larger than in the previous case. The frequency interval between these two dips is determined by the difference in eigenvalues (Δ λ=ε 1+-ε 1-), obtained through numerical calculations. What we believe as novel and intriguing experimental results may potentially advance quantum optics experiments, providing valuable insights for future research.

Phase biasing of a Josephson junction using Rashba–Edelstein effect

A charge-current-induced shift in the spin-locked Fermi surface leads to a non-equilibrium spin density at a Rashba interface, commonly known as the Rashba–Edelstein effect. Since this is an intrinsically interfacial property, direct detection of the spin moment is difficult. Here we demonstrate that a planar Josephson Junction, realized by placing two closely spaced superconducting electrodes over a Rashba interface, allows for a direct detection of the spin moment as an additional phase in the junction. Asymmetric Fraunhofer patterns obtained for Nb-(Pt/Cu)-Nb nano-junctions, due to the locking of Rashba–Edelstein spin moment to the flux quantum in the junction, provide clear signatures of this effect. This simple experiment offers a fresh perspective on direct detection of spin polarization induced by various spin-orbit effects. In addition, this platform also offers a magnetic-field-controlled phase biasing mechanism in conjunction with the Rashba–Edelstein spin-orbit effect for superconducting quantum circuits.

Superconducting Quantum Circuits Based on 2D Materials

Transmon-type superconducting qubits have become a popular platform for quantum computing due to their robust qubit coherence properties. In recent years, different types of materials have been searched to replace the Al2O3 tunnel barrier in conventional Al-based Josephson junctions, in order to explore new functions of qubits utilizing the distinct nature of the chosen materials. In this report, we introduce our works involving using Weyl semimetals and graphene as a component in Josephson junctions for qubit designs and coupling to coplanar waveguide (CPW) resonators. We fabricate a MoTe2 transmon and investigate whether it exhibits topological properties by tuning the resonator frequency with magnetic flux. Next, we introduce a graphene gatemon, in which the gate-tunability of resonator frequency has been demonstrated and the two-tone spectroscopy has shown a qubit state transition.

Error-insensitive preparation of entangled states between a Josephson qubit and microwave photons via invariant-based shortcuts

Optimal preparation of quantum entanglement is of significance to information processing and state engineering. In this paper, an efficient scheme is proposed to implement error-insensitive generation of entangled states between a Josephson qubit and microwave photons by the technique of invariant-based shortcuts to adiabaticity. A superconducting qubit is dispersively coupled to a quantized cavity field of one-dimensional transmission line resonator. Within a considered subspace spanned by three composite states, we deal with an effective interaction of the composite system with two classical drivings. A maximally entangled qubit-photon state can be deterministically induced using a splitting-like quantum state transfer. To nullify the deviation errors of Rabi coupling and frequency detuning, we optimize the driving parameters and then make the entanglement creation insusceptible to these control imperfections. Thanks to the mitigation of deviation effects, robustness against the residual noisy environment could be obtained numerically. The proposed strategy could provide a promising avenue towards fast and robust information processing with superconducting circuit quantum electrodynamics.