Fast Flux-Activated Leakage Reduction for Superconducting Quantum Circuits

  1. Nathan Lacroix,
  2. Luca Hofele,
  3. Ants Remm,
  4. Othmane Benhayoune-Khadraoui,
  5. Alexander McDonald,
  6. Ross Shillito,
  7. Stefania Lazar,
  8. Christoph Hellings,
  9. Francois Swiadek,
  10. Dante Colao Zanuz,
  11. Alexander Flasby,
  12. Mohsen Bahrami Panah,
  13. Michael Kerschbaum,
  14. Graham J. Norris,
  15. Alexandre Blais,
  16. Andreas Wallraff,
  17. and Sebastian Krinner
Quantum computers will require quantum error correction to reach the low error rates necessary for solving problems that surpass the capabilities of conventional computers. One of the
dominant errors limiting the performance of quantum error correction codes across multiple technology platforms is leakage out of the computational subspace arising from the multi-level structure of qubit implementations. Here, we present a resource-efficient universal leakage reduction unit for superconducting qubits using parametric flux modulation. This operation removes leakage down to our measurement accuracy of 7⋅10−4 in approximately 50ns with a low error of 2.5(1)⋅10−3 on the computational subspace, thereby reaching durations and fidelities comparable to those of single-qubit gates. We demonstrate that using the leakage reduction unit in repeated weight-two stabilizer measurements reduces the total number of detected errors in a scalable fashion to close to what can be achieved using leakage-rejection methods which do not scale. Our approach does neither require additional control electronics nor on-chip components and is applicable to both auxiliary and data qubits. These benefits make our method particularly attractive for mitigating leakage in large-scale quantum error correction circuits, a crucial requirement for the practical implementation of fault-tolerant quantum computation.

Enhancing Dispersive Readout of Superconducting Qubits Through Dynamic Control of the Dispersive Shift: Experiment and Theory

  1. François Swiadek,
  2. Ross Shillito,
  3. Paul Magnard,
  4. Ants Remm,
  5. Christoph Hellings,
  6. Nathan Lacroix,
  7. Quentin Ficheux,
  8. Dante Colao Zanuz,
  9. Graham J. Norris,
  10. Alexandre Blais,
  11. Sebastian Krinner,
  12. and Andreas Wallraff
The performance of a wide range of quantum computing algorithms and protocols depends critically on the fidelity and speed of the employed qubit readout. Examples include gate sequences
benefiting from mid-circuit, real-time, measurement-based feedback, such as qubit initialization, entanglement generation, teleportation, and perhaps most importantly, quantum error correction. A prominent and widely-used readout approach is based on the dispersive interaction of a superconducting qubit strongly coupled to a large-bandwidth readout resonator, frequently combined with a dedicated or shared Purcell filter protecting qubits from decay. By dynamically reducing the qubit-resonator detuning and thus increasing the dispersive shift, we demonstrate a beyond-state-of-the-art two-state-readout error of only 0.25% in 100 ns integration time. Maintaining low readout-drive strength, we nearly quadruple the signal-to-noise ratio of the readout by doubling the readout mode linewidth, which we quantify by considering the hybridization of the readout-resonator and its dedicated Purcell-filter. We find excellent agreement between our experimental data and our theoretical model. The presented results are expected to further boost the performance of new and existing algorithms and protocols critically depending on high-fidelity, fast, mid-circuit measurements.

Calibration of Drive Non-Linearity for Arbitrary-Angle Single-Qubit Gates Using Error Amplification

  1. Stefania Lazăr,
  2. Quentin Ficheux,
  3. Johannes Herrmann,
  4. Ants Remm,
  5. Nathan Lacroix,
  6. Christoph Hellings,
  7. Francois Swiadek,
  8. Dante Colao Zanuz,
  9. Graham J. Norris,
  10. Mohsen Bahrami Panah,
  11. Alexander Flasby,
  12. Michael Kerschbaum,
  13. Jean-Claude Besse,
  14. Christopher Eichler,
  15. and Andreas Wallraff
The ability to execute high-fidelity operations is crucial to scaling up quantum devices to large numbers of qubits. However, signal distortions originating from non-linear components
in the control lines can limit the performance of single-qubit gates. In this work, we use a measurement based on error amplification to characterize and correct the small single-qubit rotation errors originating from the non-linear scaling of the qubit drive rate with the amplitude of the programmed pulse. With our hardware, and for a 15-ns pulse, the rotation angles deviate by up to several degrees from a linear model. Using purity benchmarking, we find that control errors reach 2×10−4, which accounts for half of the total gate error. Using cross-entropy benchmarking, we demonstrate arbitrary-angle single-qubit gates with coherence-limited errors of 2×10−4 and leakage below 6×10−5. While the exact magnitude of these errors is specific to our setup, the presented method is applicable to any source of non-linearity. Our work shows that the non-linearity of qubit drive line components imposes a limit on the fidelity of single-qubit gates, independent of improvements in coherence times, circuit design, or leakage mitigation when not corrected for.

Intermodulation Distortion in a Josephson Traveling Wave Parametric Amplifier

  1. Ants Remm,
  2. Sebastian Krinner,
  3. Nathan Lacroix,
  4. Christoph Hellings,
  5. Francois Swiadek,
  6. Graham Norris,
  7. Christopher Eichler,
  8. and Andreas Wallraff
Josephson traveling wave parametric amplifiers enable the amplification of weak microwave signals close to the quantum limit with large bandwidth, which has a broad range of applications
in superconducting quantum computing and in the operation of single-photon detectors. While the large bandwidth allows for their use in frequency-multiplexed detection architectures, an increased number of readout tones per amplifier puts more stringent requirements on the dynamic range to avoid saturation. Here, we characterize the undesired mixing processes between the different frequency-multiplexed tones applied to a Josephson traveling wave parametric amplifier, a phenomenon also known as intermodulation distortion. The effect becomes particularly significant when the amplifier is operated close to its saturation power. Furthermore, we demonstrate that intermodulation distortion can lead to significant crosstalk and reduction of fidelity for multiplexed readout of superconducting qubits. We suggest using large detunings between the pump and signal frequencies to mitigate crosstalk. Our work provides insights into the limitations of current Josephson traveling wave parametric amplifiers and highlights the importance of performing further research on these devices.

Realizing Repeated Quantum Error Correction in a Distance-Three Surface Code

  1. Sebastian Krinner,
  2. Nathan Lacroix,
  3. Ants Remm,
  4. Agustin Di Paolo,
  5. Elie Genois,
  6. Catherine Leroux,
  7. Christoph Hellings,
  8. Stefania Lazar,
  9. Francois Swiadek,
  10. Johannes Herrmann,
  11. Graham J. Norris,
  12. Christian Kraglund Andersen,
  13. Markus Müller,
  14. Alexandre Blais,
  15. Christopher Eichler,
  16. and Andreas Wallraff
Quantum computers hold the promise of solving computational problems which are intractable using conventional methods. For fault-tolerant operation quantum computers must correct errors
occurring due to unavoidable decoherence and limited control accuracy. Here, we demonstrate quantum error correction using the surface code, which is known for its exceptionally high tolerance to errors. Using 17 physical qubits in a superconducting circuit we encode quantum information in a distance-three logical qubit building up on recent distance-two error detection experiments. In an error correction cycle taking only 1.1μs, we demonstrate the preservation of four cardinal states of the logical qubit. Repeatedly executing the cycle, we measure and decode both bit- and phase-flip error syndromes using a minimum-weight perfect-matching algorithm in an error-model-free approach and apply corrections in postprocessing. We find a low error probability of 3% per cycle when rejecting experimental runs in which leakage is detected. The measured characteristics of our device agree well with a numerical model. Our demonstration of repeated, fast and high-performance quantum error correction cycles, together with recent advances in ion traps, support our understanding that fault-tolerant quantum computation will be practically realizable.

Realizing Quantum Convolutional Neural Networks on a Superconducting Quantum Processor to Recognize Quantum Phases

  1. Johannes Herrmann,
  2. Sergi Masot Llima,
  3. Ants Remm,
  4. Petr Zapletal,
  5. Nathan A. McMahon,
  6. Colin Scarato,
  7. Francois Swiadek,
  8. Christian Kraglund Andersen,
  9. Christoph Hellings,
  10. Sebastian Krinner,
  11. Nathan Lacroix,
  12. Stefania Lazar,
  13. Michael Kerschbaum,
  14. Dante Colao Zanuz,
  15. Graham J. Norris,
  16. Michael J. Hartmann,
  17. Andreas Wallraff,
  18. and Christopher Eichler
Quantum computing crucially relies on the ability to efficiently characterize the quantum states output by quantum hardware. Conventional methods which probe these states through direct
measurements and classically computed correlations become computationally expensive when increasing the system size. Quantum neural networks tailored to recognize specific features of quantum states by combining unitary operations, measurements and feedforward promise to require fewer measurements and to tolerate errors. Here, we realize a quantum convolutional neural network (QCNN) on a 7-qubit superconducting quantum processor to identify symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases of a spin model characterized by a non-zero string order parameter. We benchmark the performance of the QCNN based on approximate ground states of a family of cluster-Ising Hamiltonians which we prepare using a hardware-efficient, low-depth state preparation circuit. We find that, despite being composed of finite-fidelity gates itself, the QCNN recognizes the topological phase with higher fidelity than direct measurements of the string order parameter for the prepared states.

Implementation of Conditional-Phase Gates based on tunable ZZ-Interactions

  1. Michele C. Collodo,
  2. Johannes Herrmann,
  3. Nathan Lacroix,
  4. Christian Kraglund Andersen,
  5. Ants Remm,
  6. Stefania Lazar,
  7. Jean-Claude Besse,
  8. Theo Walter,
  9. Andreas Wallraff,
  10. and Christopher Eichler
High fidelity two-qubit gates exhibiting low crosstalk are essential building blocks for gate-based quantum information processing. In superconducting circuits two-qubit gates are typically
based either on RF-controlled interactions or on the in-situ tunability of qubit frequencies. Here, we present an alternative approach using a tunable cross-Kerr-type ZZ-interaction between two qubits, which we realize by a flux-tunable coupler element. We control the ZZ-coupling rate over three orders of magnitude to perform a rapid (38 ns), high-contrast, low leakage (0.14 %) conditional-phase CZ gate with a fidelity of 97.9 % without relying on the resonant interaction with a non-computational state. Furthermore, by exploiting the direct nature of the ZZ-coupling, we easily access the entire conditional-phase gate family by adjusting only a single control parameter.

Improving the Performance of Deep Quantum Optimization Algorithms with Continuous Gate Sets

  1. Nathan Lacroix,
  2. Christoph Hellings,
  3. Christian Kraglund Andersen,
  4. Agustin Di Paolo,
  5. Ants Remm,
  6. Stefania Lazar,
  7. Sebastian Krinner,
  8. Graham J. Norris,
  9. Mihai Gabureac,
  10. Alexandre Blais,
  11. Christopher Eichler,
  12. and Andreas Wallraff
Variational quantum algorithms are believed to be promising for solving computationally hard problems and are often comprised of repeated layers of quantum gates. An example thereof
is the quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA), an approach to solve combinatorial optimization problems on noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) systems. Gaining computational power from QAOA critically relies on the mitigation of errors during the execution of the algorithm, which for coherence-limited operations is achievable by reducing the gate count. Here, we demonstrate an improvement of up to a factor of 3 in algorithmic performance as measured by the success probability, by implementing a continuous hardware-efficient gate set using superconducting quantum circuits. This gate set allows us to perform the phase separation step in QAOA with a single physical gate for each pair of qubits instead of decomposing it into two CZ-gates and single-qubit gates. With this reduced number of physical gates, which scales with the number of layers employed in the algorithm, we experimentally investigate the circuit-depth-dependent performance of QAOA applied to exact-cover problem instances mapped onto three and seven qubits, using up to a total of 399 operations and up to 9 layers. Our results demonstrate that the use of continuous gate sets may be a key component in extending the impact of near-term quantum computers.

Parity Detection of Propagating Microwave Fields

  1. Jean-Claude Besse,
  2. Simone Gasparinetti,
  3. Michele C. Collodo,
  4. Theo Walter,
  5. Ants Remm,
  6. Jonas Krause,
  7. Christopher Eichler,
  8. and Andreas Wallraff
The parity of the number of elementary excitations present in a quantum system provides important insights into its physical properties. Parity measurements are used, for example, to
tomographically reconstruct quantum states or to determine if a decay of an excitation has occurred, information which can be used for quantum error correction in computation or communication protocols. Here we demonstrate a versatile parity detector for propagating microwaves, which distinguishes between radiation fields containing an even or odd number n of photons, both in a single-shot measurement and without perturbing the parity of the detected field. We showcase applications of the detector for direct Wigner tomography of propagating microwaves and heralded generation of Schrödinger cat states. This parity detection scheme is applicable over a broad frequency range and may prove useful, for example, for heralded or fault-tolerant quantum communication protocols.

Repeated Quantum Error Detection in a Surface Code

  1. Christian Kraglund Andersen,
  2. Ants Remm,
  3. Stefania Lazar,
  4. Sebastian Krinner,
  5. Nathan Lacroix,
  6. Graham J. Norris,
  7. Mihai Gabureac,
  8. Christopher Eichler,
  9. and Andreas Wallraff
The realization of quantum error correction is an essential ingredient for reaching the full potential of fault-tolerant universal quantum computation. Using a range of different schemes,
logical qubits can be redundantly encoded in a set of physical qubits. One such scalable approach is based on the surface code. Here we experimentally implement its smallest viable instance, capable of repeatedly detecting any single error using seven superconducting qubits, four data qubits and three ancilla qubits. Using high-fidelity ancilla-based stabilizer measurements we initialize the cardinal states of the encoded logical qubit with an average logical fidelity of 96.1%. We then repeatedly check for errors using the stabilizer readout and observe that the logical quantum state is preserved with a lifetime and coherence time longer than those of any of the constituent qubits when no errors are detected. Our demonstration of error detection with its resulting enhancement of the conditioned logical qubit coherence times in a 7-qubit surface code is an important step indicating a promising route towards the realization of quantum error correction in the surface code.