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
03
Okt
2012
Breakdown of the cross-Kerr scheme for Photon Counting
We show, in the context of single photon detection, that an atomic
three-level model for a transmon in a transmission line does not support the
predictions of the nonlinear polarisability
model known as the cross-Kerr
effect. We show that the induced displacement of a probe in the presence or
absence of a single photon in the signal field, cannot be resolved above the
quantum noise in the probe. This strongly suggests that cross-Kerr media are
not suitable for photon counting or related single photon applications. Our
results are presented in the context of a transmon in a one dimensional
microwave waveguide, but the conclusions also apply to optical systems.
09
Sep
2012
Multiplexed dispersive readout of superconducting phase qubits
We introduce a frequency-multiplexed readout scheme for superconducting phase
qubits. Using a quantum circuit with four phase qubits, we couple each qubit to
a separate lumped-element
superconducting readout resonator, with the readout
resonators connected in parallel to a single measurement line. The readout
resonators and control electronics are designed so that all four qubits can be
read out simultaneously using frequency multiplexing on the one measurement
line. This technology provides a highly efficient and compact means for reading
out multiple qubits, a significant advantage for scaling up to larger numbers
of qubits.
08
Sep
2012
Excitation of superconducting qubits from hot non-equilibrium quasiparticles
Superconducting qubits probe environmental defects such as non-equilibrium
quasiparticles, an important source of decoherence. We show that „hot“
non-equilibrium quasiparticles,
with energies above the superconducting gap,
affect qubits differently from quasiparticles at the gap, implying qubits can
probe the dynamic quasiparticle energy distribution. For hot quasiparticles, we
predict a non-neligable increase in the qubit excited state probability P_e. By
injecting hot quasiparticles into a qubit, we experimentally measure an
increase of P_e in semi-quantitative agreement with the model.
07
Sep
2012
Coupling carbon nanotube mechanics to a superconducting circuit
The quantum behaviour of mechanical resonators is a new and emerging field
driven by recent experiments reaching the quantum ground state. The high
frequency, small mass, and large
quality-factor of carbon nanotube resonators
make them attractive for quantum nanomechanical applications. A common element
in experiments achieving the resonator ground state is a second quantum system,
such as coherent photons or superconducting device, coupled to the resonators
motion. For nanotubes, however, this is a challenge due to their small size.
Here, we couple a carbon nanoelectromechanical (NEMS) device to a
superconducting circuit. Suspended carbon nanotubes act as both superconducting
junctions and moving elements in a Superconducting Quantum Interference Device
(SQUID). We observe a strong modulation of the flux through the SQUID from
displacements of the nanotube. Incorporating this SQUID into superconducting
resonators and qubits should enable the detection and manipulation of nanotube
mechanical quantum states at the single-phonon level.
03
Sep
2012
Observation of Entanglement Between Itinerant Microwave Photons and a Superconducting Qubit
A localized qubit entangled with a propagating quantum field is well suited
to study non-local aspects of quantum mechanics and may also provide a channel
to communicate between spatially
separated nodes in a quantum network. Here, we
report the on demand generation and characterization of Bell-type entangled
states between a superconducting qubit and propagating microwave fields
composed of zero, one and two-photon Fock states. Using low noise linear
amplification and efficient data acquisition we extract all relevant
correlations between the qubit and the photon states and demonstrate
entanglement with high fidelity.
31
Aug
2012
Probing quantum coherence in qubit arrays
We discuss how the observation of population localization effects in periodically driven systems can be used to quantify the presence of quantum coherence in interacting qubit arrays.
Essential for our proposal is the fact that these localization effects persist beyond tight-binding Hamiltonian models. This result is of special practical relevance in those situations where direct system probing using tomographic schemes becomes infeasible beyond a very small number of qubits. As a proof of principle, we study analytically a Hamiltonian system consisting of a chain of superconducting flux qubits under the effect of a periodic driving. We provide extensive numerical support of our results in the simple case of a two-qubits chain. For this system we also study the robustness of the scheme against different types of noise and disorder. We show that localization effects underpinned by quantum coherent interactions should be observable within realistic parameter regimes in chains with a larger number of
28
Aug
2012
Symmetries and collective excitations in large superconducting circuits
The intriguing appeal of circuits lies in their modularity and ease of
fabrication. Based on a toolbox of simple building blocks, circuits present a
powerful framework for achieving
new functionality by combining circuit
elements into larger networks. It is an open question to what degree modularity
also holds for quantum circuits — circuits made of superconducting material,
in which electric voltages and currents are governed by the laws of quantum
physics. If realizable, quantum coherence in larger circuit networks has great
potential for advances in quantum information processing including topological
protection from decoherence. Here, we present theory suitable for quantitative
modeling of such large circuits and discuss its application to the fluxonium
device. Our approach makes use of approximate symmetries exhibited by the
circuit, and enables us to obtain new predictions for the energy spectrum of
the fluxonium device which can be tested with current experimental technology.
22
Aug
2012
Quantum State Sensitivity of an Autoresonant Superconducting Circuit
When a frequency chirped excitation is applied to a classical high-Q
nonlinear oscillator, its motion becomes dynamically synchronized to the drive
and large oscillation amplitude is
observed, provided the drive strength
exceeds the critical threshold for autoresonance. We demonstrate that when such
an oscillator is strongly coupled to a quantized superconducting qubit, both
the effective nonlinearity and the threshold become a non-trivial function of
the qubit-oscillator detuning. Moreover, the autoresonant threshold is
sensitive to the quantum state of the qubit and may be used to realize a high
fidelity, latching readout whose speed is not limited by the oscillator Q.
17
Aug
2012
All-Resonant Control of Superconducting Resonators
An all-resonant method is proposed to control the quantum state of
superconducting resonators. This approach uses a tunable artificial atom
linearly coupled to resonators, and allows
for efficient routes to Fock state
synthesis, qudit logic operations, and synthesis of NOON states. This resonant
approach is theoretically analyzed, and found to perform signficantly better
than existing proposals using the same technology.
15
Aug
2012
Non-degenerate, three-wave mixing with the Josephson ring modulator
The Josephson ring modulator (JRM) is a device, based on Josephson tunnel
junctions, capable of performing non-degenerate mixing in the microwave regime
without losses. The generic
scattering matrix of the device is calculated by
solving coupled quantum Langevin equations. Its form shows that the device can
achieve quantum-limited noise performance both as an amplifier and a mixer.
Fundamental limitations on simultaneous optimization of performance metrics
like gain, bandwidth and dynamic range (including the effect of pump depletion)
are discussed. We also present three possible integrations of the JRM as the
active medium in a different electromagnetic environment. The resulting
circuits, named Josephson parametric converters (JPC), are discussed in detail,
and experimental data on their dynamic range are found to be in good agreement
with theoretical predictions. We also discuss future prospects and requisite
optimization of JPC as a preamplifier for qubit readout applications.