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
24
Aug
2026
Bang-bang protocol for nondispersive qubit readout
Fast, precise, and quantum-non-demolition (QND) readout of superconducting qubits is a fundamental component of high-fidelity quantum sensing and computation. Conventional approaches
typically operate in the dispersive regime, where the qubit-resonator coupling g is weak compared to the detuning Δ. While exhibiting good QND properties, the readout rate is limited to ∼g2N‾‾√/Δ≪g, where N is the number of photons in the resonator. QND readout in the nondispersive regime, where the readout rate reaches its full potential ∼g, relies on parameter sweeps that may encounter resonances, leading to measurement-induced state transitions (MIST). In this work, we study a nondispersive readout protocol that replaces these sweeps by sudden quenches of the coupling constant, using a resonator that is preloaded with photons. We call this protocol bang-bang readout, and show that it realizes single-shot projective measurements. The fidelity and QNDness of the qubit post-measurement are remarkably high, with an error that decreases like 1/N. To arrive at these findings, we develop an analytical theory for the dynamics and measurements of the Jaynes-Cummings (JC) model, including a systematic expansion of correction terms in powers of 1/N‾‾√. We show that the protocol can also be implemented without preloading the resonator by instead strongly driving the qubit, e.g., with a classical flux drive.
23
Aug
2026
Structural disorder and critical voltage scaling in Al/AlOx/Al Josephson junction arrays
The insulating state of one-dimensional Josephson junction (JJ) arrays is governed by collective charge dynamics and disorder-induced pinning, resulting in a finite critical voltage
under dc bias. Here, we investigate the influence of fabrication-induced structural defects on the critical-voltage scaling of small-capacitance Aluminium-Aluminium oxide-Aluminium (Al/AlOx/Al) JJ arrays. Controlled variation of the aluminium evaporation rate produces pronounced changes in grain morphology and room-temperature junction resistance. Despite these substantial structural modifications, the normalised critical-voltage scaling is preserved, demonstrating that the collective transport behaviour is remarkably robust against this class of fabrication-induced defects. In contrast, the deliberate introduction of nanoscale gaps into the junctions introduces additional junction-to-junction structural variations that systematically modify the normalised scaling behaviour. Likewise, in situ postfabrication oxidation alters the scaling coefficient while preserving the functional form of the scaling law, indicating that the collective transport is sensitive to specific classes of structural modifications. These results establish which fabrication-induced structural defects influence the collective transport in insulating Al/AlOx/Al Josephson junction arrays, providing new insight into the role of fabrication-induced structural disorder and practical guidance for the design of future Quantum Phase Slip (QPS) devices.
13
Aug
2026
Always-on, highly efficient microwave photon detector based on a superconducting artificial molecule
Efficient detection of single microwave photons is a key capability for emerging quantum technologies. Yet, it remains far less developed than its optical domain counterpart. Realizing
detectors that simultaneously achieve high efficiency, low dark counts, and continuous operation has proved challenging. Existing detectors operate cyclically, forcing a trade-off between efficiency and duty cycle. Here, we demonstrate a continuously operated microwave single-photon detector based on a superconducting artificial molecule. In our scheme, an incoming photon is captured by a bright state of the molecule and then transferred to a long-lived dark state via a driven-dissipative process. Photon „clicks“ are revealed as quantum jumps in the continuously monitored dark state. We observe a cyclic detection efficiency of 0.73, and a continuous detection efficiency of 0.47 over a 5MHz instantaneous bandwidth, with a 1μs temporal resolution and a 15μs dead time. By overcoming the trade-off between efficiency and duty cycle, this approach establishes continuous microwave photon detection for quantum sensing, quantum thermodynamics, and fundamental physics.
Exponential quantum advantage for learning signals with a single qubit
Quantum technology has the potential to transform scientific discovery, but quantum advantages often require processing capabilities well beyond the reach of experimental platforms.
We show that coupling a single controllable qubit to an otherwise conventional sensor can exponentially reduce the number of measurements required to learn classical signals. These rigorous quantum advantages apply to fundamental sensing tasks, including learning Fourier coefficients, extracting temporal correlations from time-varying signals, and estimating transformations of physical observables. Using a superconducting cavity–qubit architecture, we experimentally demonstrate 107-fold reductions in the number of measurements required for Fourier-amplitude and time-varying signal learning. Our quantum feature sensing algorithms further enable orders-of-magnitude improvements in simulations of weak-signal dark matter detection and wireless communication applications. These quantum advantages are derived from Quantum Phase-Space Inference (QΨ), a unifying theory of quantum-enhanced experiments that simultaneously converts a set of experimental objectives and constraints into tight lower bounds and optimal quantum-enhanced learning algorithms while producing a certificate of quantum advantage. QΨ extends beyond the regimes captured by quantum Fisher information and provides a framework for systematically identifying rigorous quantum advantages in practical experimental tasks. Together, our results establish that near-term quantum technology can exponentially enhance our ability to learn from classical signals.
12
Aug
2026
Floquet Quasiparticle Poisoning of Frozonium
Periodic driving can suppress the Josephson nonlinearity of a fluxonium superconducting circuit, producing a nearly harmonic Floquet spectrum at isolated freezing points [K. Lewellen
et al., Newton 2, 100434 (2026)]. Here we show that this dynamically frozen behavior does not generically suppress quasiparticle-induced dissipation in the resulting frozonium circuit. We formulate quasiparticle processes in the frozonium using a Floquet framework and analyze both drive-assisted Cooper-pair breaking and tunneling of pre-existing quasiparticles. Pair generation is controlled by gap-breaking thresholds at high drive frequencies, while multiphoton resonances produce pronounced rate enhancements at lower frequencies. Quasiparticle tunneling exhibits connected resonance structures organized by the harmonic Floquet-Magnus spectrum near the freezing point, with resonant hybridization generating characteristic avoided crossings. Our results show that suitable operating regimes must balance dynamical freezing against quasiparticle loss and provide a framework for identifying experimental drive parameters away from harmful resonances.
10
Aug
2026
Long-lived memory effects in the defect bath of superconducting qubits
We reveal long-lived memory effects in the defect bath of a superconducting transmon qubit through electric-field tuning of two-level system (TLS) defects coupled to the qubit. Using
a fast TLS mapping method we observe several hysteretic effects in the TLS environment with memory timescales of the order of seconds, far beyond the lifetimes of individual TLS defects. The observations can be explained by TLS coupling to electric field-polarised charge fluctuators in the defect bath. Our method enables detailed mapping of the dynamics of the bath’s coupled microscopic degrees of freedom and the associated memory effects which can introduce temporally correlated noise. This information may be used to improve qubit-stabilisation and quantum error correction protocols.
08
Aug
2026
RF-Budgeted Frame Compilation for Frequency-Multiplexed Superconducting-Qubit Control Using Qubit-Control Identity Records and a Circuit-Informed RFSoC Model
Frequency-multiplexed superconducting-qubit control requires more than carrier assignment: the RF budget of a shared source can perturb multi-qubit rotations through finite bandwidth,
crest factor, clipping, quantization, jitter, spurs, compression, crosstalk, and leakage. We present an RF-budgeted frame-compilation and validation workflow that combines qubit-control identity (QID) records, a MATLAB/Simulink-based circuit-informed RFSoC source-chain model, QuTiP qutrit dynamics, and Qiskit-derived algorithm workloads. QID records encode qubit-specific computational and leakage transition frequencies, pulse parameters, and drive-scale calibration, while the RF-chain profile and effective crosstalk-coupling matrix are provided as separate compiler inputs. Candidate multitone RF frames are scheduled under RF-budget constraints, propagated through the RFSoC model, decoded into computational and leakage transition frames, and evaluated in QuTiP for rotation error, leakage-aware fidelity, computational-subspace survival, and transient leakage. The studies progress from single-qutrit pulse closure to pairwise coexistence, multitone RF-frame capacity, and Bernstein-Vazirani (BV) and QAOA microwave layers extracted from Qiskit circuits. The simulations show that longer pulses improve per-frame aggregation but do not necessarily minimize time-normalized layer cost; clustered frequency maps, larger rotations, and multitone leakage stacking tighten closure. Under the nominal RF budget, a Qiskit-derived 12-qubit BV -Y90 layer closes in three validated four-tone frames at 240 ns, while QAOA mixer partitions vary with rotation angle and pulse duration. All reported results are model-based, decoherence-free simulation diagnostics rather than measured hardware fidelities or wiring-reduction claims.
07
Aug
2026
Flip-chip integrated superconducting qubits using electroplated bump bonds
Flip-chip integration offers a promising route toward scalable superconducting quantum processors and hybrid semiconductor-superconductor quantum devices. We develop a three-dimensional
transmon architecture using electroplated indium in which the qubit electric field is shared nearly equally between two bump-bonded substrates while maintaining low participation at the indium-bump interface. The resulting geometry is well suited for future hybrid qubits, enabling the integration of distinct material platforms while minimizing sensitivity to bump-interface loss. Using this platform, we evaluate electroplated indium interconnects for superconducting quantum circuits. Flip-chip transmons incorporating electroplated indium bumps exhibit qubit quality factors around 106. In addition, a systematic study of coplanar-waveguide resonators is used to identify losses associated with the electroplating process. In particular, we find that surface losses associated with the gold-layer, used to enable good electric contact with the indium, is likely the primary contributor to the qubit decay rate. These results demonstrate the compatibility of electroplated indium technology with high-coherence superconducting circuits and establish a promising platform for three-dimensional hybrid quantum integration.
04
Aug
2026
Protected measurements for protected superconducting qubits
Protected superconducting qubits such as the 0-π qubit promise to substantially suppress error rates, facilitating fault-tolerant quantum computing with fewer qubits. Measuring these
qubits is challenging due to their protected nature, and thus far no concrete proposal exists for how to measure them without breaking their protection. Here we show how to perform protected measurements of the 0-π qubit in two orthogonal bases. The protection of these measurements is facilitated by their quantum non-demolition nature, allowing faults on ancillary measurement qubits to be tolerated. As experimental progress pushes protected qubits further into the low error-rate regime, our techniques will be crucial for fault-tolerant universal control.
Suppressing Cavity Frequency Noise Using a Kerr Nonlinearity
Resonance-frequency fluctuations can limit the sensitivity and stability of superconducting microwave cavities used for qubit readout, optomechanical displacement sensing, and magnetic
flux detection. Here, we demonstrate the suppression of resonance-frequency fluctuations by locking a noisy nonlinear superconducting microwave cavity to a strong pump tone. The Kerr nonlinearity of this system, whereby the resonance frequency depends on the intracavity field amplitude, gives rise to an intrinsic feedback mechanism that enables passive stabilization without active external feedback. Using two-tone spectroscopy, we experimentally characterize the intrinsic nonlinear feedback mechanism and investigate its temporal stability through Allan deviation analysis. The frequency fluctuations of the locked cavity mode are reduced by nearly two orders of magnitude, reaching the 1/f noise floor, without continuous frequency tracking or active control. Kerr locking provides a general approach for self-stabilizing nonlinear microwave resonators by suppressing low-frequency cavity noise while preserving sensitivity to signals outside the locking bandwidth. This approach may benefit a broad range of systems, including SQUID-based resonators, optomechanical devices, and parametric amplifiers.