I am going to post here all newly submitted articles on the arXiv related to superconducting circuits. If your article has been accidentally forgotten, feel free to contact me
12
Sep
2017
Superadiabatic population transfer by loop driving and synthetic gauges in a superconducting circuit
The achievement of fast and error-insensitive control of quantum systems is a primary goal in quantum information science. Here we use the first three levels of a transmon superconducting
circuit to realize a loop driving scheme, with all three possible pairs of states coupled by pulsed microwave tones. In this configuration, we implement a superadiabatic protocol for population transfer, where two couplings produce the standard stimulated Raman adiabatic passage, while the third is a counterdiabatic field which suppresses the nonadiabatic excitations. We demonstrate that the population can be controlled by the synthetic gauge-invariant phase around the loop as well as by the amplitudes of the three pulses. The technique enables fast operation, with transfer times approaching the quantum speed limit, and it is remarkably robust against errors in the shape of the pulses.
Realization of a quantum random generator certified with the Kochen-Specker theorem
Random numbers are required for a variety of applications from secure communications to Monte-Carlo simulation. Yet randomness is an asymptotic property and no output string generated
by a physical device can be strictly proven to be random. We report an experimental realization of a quantum random number generator (QRNG) with randomness certified by quantum contextuality and the Kochen-Specker theorem. The certification is not performed in a device-independent way but through a rigorous theoretical proof of each outcome being value-indefinite even in the presence of experimental imperfections. The analysis of the generated data confirms the incomputable nature of our QRNG.
07
Sep
2017
High Coherence Plane Breaking Packaging for Superconducting Qubits
We demonstrate a pogo pin package for a superconducting quantum processor specifically designed with a nontrivial layout topology (e.g., a center qubit that cannot be accessed from
the sides of the chip). Two experiments on two nominally identical superconducting quantum processors in pogo packages, which use commercially available parts and require modest machining tolerances, are performed at low temperature (10 mK) in a dilution refrigerator and both found to behave comparably to processors in standard planar packages with wirebonds where control and readout signals come in from the edges. Single- and two-qubit gate errors are also characterized via randomized benchmarking. More detailed crosstalk measurements indicate levels of crosstalk less than -40 dB at the qubit frequencies, opening the possibility of integration with extensible qubit architectures.
04
Sep
2017
Probing the strongly driven spin-boson model in a superconducting quantum circuit
Quantum two-level systems interacting with the surroundings are ubiquitous in nature. The interaction suppresses quantum coherence and forces the system towards a steady state. Such
dissipative processes are captured by the paradigmatic spin-boson model, describing a two-state particle, the „spin“, interacting with an environment formed by harmonic oscillators. A fundamental question to date is to what extent intense coherent driving impacts a strongly dissipative system. Here we investigate experimentally and theoretically a superconducting qubit strongly coupled to an electromagnetic environment and subjected to a coherent drive. This setup realizes the driven Ohmic spin-boson model. We show that the drive reinforces environmental suppression of quantum coherence, and that a coherent-to-incoherent transition can be achieved by tuning the drive amplitude. An out-of-equilibrium detailed balance relation is demonstrated. These results advance fundamental understanding of open quantum systems and bear potential for applications in quantum technologies.
Low-Latency Digital Signal Processing for Feedback and Feedforward in Quantum Computing and Communication
Quantum computing architectures rely on classical electronics for control and readout. Employing classical electronics in a feedback loop with the quantum system allows to stabilize
states, correct errors and to realize specific feedforward-based quantum computing and communication schemes such as deterministic quantum teleportation. These feedback and feedforward operations are required to be fast compared to the coherence time of the quantum system to minimize the probability of errors. We present a field programmable gate array (FPGA) based digital signal processing system capable of real-time quadrature demodulation, determination of the qubit state and generation of state-dependent feedback trigger signals. The feedback trigger is generated with a latency of 110ns with respect to the timing of the analog input signal. We characterize the performance of the system for an active qubit initialization protocol based on dispersive readout of a superconducting qubit and discuss potential applications in feedback and feedforward algorithms.
02
Sep
2017
Information-to-work conversion by Maxwell’s demon in a superconducting circuit-QED system
The gedanken experiment of Maxwell’s demon has led to the studies concerning the foundations of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. The demon measures fluctuations of a
system’s observable and converts the information gain into work via feedback control. Recent developments have elucidated the relationship between the acquired information and the entropy production and generalized the second law of thermodynamics and the fluctuation theorems. Here we extend the scope to a system subject to quantum fluctuations by exploiting techniques in superconducting circuit quantum electrodynamics. We implement Maxwell’s demon equipped with coherent control and quantum nondemolition projective measurements on a superconducting qubit, where we verify the generalized integral fluctuation theorems and demonstrate the information-to-work conversion. This reveals the potential of superconducting circuits as a versatile platform for investigating quantum information thermodynamics under feedback control, which is closely linked to quantum error correction for computation and metrology.
01
Sep
2017
Transmission-line resonators for the study of individual two-level tunneling systems
Parasitic two-level tunneling systems (TLS) emerge in amorphous dielectrics and constitute a serious nuisance for various microfabricated devices, where they act as a source of noise
and decoherence. Here, we demonstrate a new test bed for the study of TLS in various materials which provides access to properties of individual TLS as well as their ensemble response. We terminate a superconducting transmission-line resonator with a capacitor that hosts TLS in its dielectric. By tuning TLS via applied mechanical strain, we observe the signatures of individual TLS strongly coupled to the resonator in its transmission characteristics and extract the coupling components of their dipole moments and energy relaxation rates. The strong and well-defined coupling to the TLS bath results in pronounced resonator frequency fluctuations and excess phase noise, through which we can study TLS ensemble effects such as spectral diffusion, and probe theoretical models of TLS interaction.
Dissipation in a superconducting artificial atom due to a single non-equilibrium quasiparticle
We study a superconducting artificial atom which is represented by a single Josephson junction or a Josephson junction chain, capacitively coupled to a coherently driven transmission
line, and which contains exactly one residual quasiparticle (or up to one quasiparticle per island in a chain). We study the dissipation in the atom induced by the quasiparticle tunneling, taking into account the quasiparticle heating by the drive. We calculate the transmission coefficient in the transmission line for drive frequencies near resonance and show that, when the artificial atom spectrum is nearly harmonic, the intrinsic quality factor of the resonance increases with the drive power. This counterintuitive behavior is due to the energy dependence of the quasiparticle density of states.
Polarization entanglement purification of nonlocal microwave photons based on the cross-Kerr effect in circuit QED
Microwave photons have become very important qubits in quantum communication as the first quantum satellite has been launched successfully. Therefore, it is a necessary and meaningful
task for ensuring the high security and efficiency of microwave quantum communication in practice. Here, we present an original polarization entanglement purification protocol (EPP) for nonlocal microwave photons based on the cross-Kerr effect in circuit quantum electrodynamics (QED). Our protocol can solve the problem that the purity of maximally entangled states used for constructing quantum channel will decrease due to decoherence from environment noise. This task is accomplished by means of the polarization parity-check quantum nondemolition (QND) detector, the bit-flipping operation, and the linear microwave elements. The QND detector is composed of several cross-Kerr effect systems which can be realized by coupling two superconducting transmission line resonators to a superconducting molecule with the N-type level structure. Our calculation shows that the QND detector has a high fidelity with applicable experimental parameters in circuit QED, which means this EPP can succeed with a high fidelity and has good applications in long-distance quantum communication assisted by microwave photons in the future, such as satellite quantum communication.
31
Aug
2017
Generating Multimode Entangled Microwaves with a Superconducting Parametric Cavity
In this Letter, we demonstrate the generation of multimode entangled states of propagating microwaves. The entangled states are generated by parametrically pumping a multimode superconducting
cavity. By combining different pump frequencies, applied simultaneously to the device, we can produce different entanglement structures in a programable fashion. The Gaussian output states are fully characterized by measuring the full covariance matrices of the modes. The covariance matrices are absolutely calibrated using an in situ microwave calibration source, a shot noise tunnel junction. Applying a variety of entanglement measures, we demonstrate both full inseparability and genuine tripartite entanglement of the states. Our method is easily extensible to more modes.