Intermodulation spectroscopy and the nonlinear response of two-level systems in superconducting coplanar waveguide resonators

  1. Janka Biznárová,
  2. J. C. Rivera Hernández,
  3. Daniel Forchheimer,
  4. Jonas Bylander,
  5. David B. Haviland,
  6. and Gustav Andersson
Two-level system (TLS) loss is typically limiting the coherence of superconducting quantum circuits. The loss induced by TLS defects is nonlinear, resulting in quality factors with
a strong dependence on the circulating microwave power. We observe frequency mixing due to this nonlinearity by applying a two-tone drive to a coplanar waveguide resonator and measuring the intermodulation products using a multifrequency lock-in technique. This intermodulation spectroscopy method provides an efficient approach to characterizing TLS loss in superconducting circuits. Using harmonic balance reconstruction, we recover the nonlinear parameters of the device-TLS interaction, which are in good agreement with the standard tunnelling model for TLSs.

Measurement and control of a superconducting quantum processor with a fully-integrated radio-frequency system on a chip

  1. Mats O. Tholén,
  2. Riccardo Borgani,
  3. Giuseppe Ruggero Di Carlo,
  4. Andreas Bengtsson,
  5. Christian Križan,
  6. Marina Kudra,
  7. Giovanna Tancredi,
  8. Jonas Bylander,
  9. Per Delsing,
  10. Simone Gasparinetti,
  11. and David B. Haviland
We describe a digital microwave platform called Presto, designed for measurement and control of multiple quantum bits (qubits) and based on the third-generation radio-frequency system
on a chip. Presto uses direct digital synthesis to create signals up to 9 GHz on 16 synchronous output ports, while synchronously analyzing response on 16 input ports. Presto has 16 DC-bias outputs, 4 inputs and 4 outputs for digital triggers or markers, and two continuous-wave outputs for synthesizing frequencies up to 15 GHz. Scaling to a large number of qubits is enabled through deterministic synchronization of multiple Presto units. A Python application programming interface configures a firmware for synthesis and analysis of pulses, coordinated by an event sequencer. The analysis integrates template matching (matched filtering) and low-latency (184 – 254 ns) feedback to enable a wide range of multi-qubit experiments. We demonstrate Presto’s capabilities with experiments on a sample consisting of two superconducting qubits connected via a flux-tunable coupler. We show single-shot readout and active reset of a single qubit; randomized benchmarking of single-qubit gates showing 99.972% fidelity, limited by the coherence time of the qubit; and calibration of a two-qubit iSWAP gate.

Multipartite entanglement in a microwave frequency comb

  1. Shan W. Jolin,
  2. Gustav Andersson,
  3. J. C. Rivera Hernández,
  4. Ingrid Strandberg,
  5. Fernando Quijandría,
  6. Joe Aumentado,
  7. Riccardo Borgani,
  8. Mats O. Tholén,
  9. and David B. Haviland
Significant progress has been made with multipartite entanglement of discrete qubits, but continuous variable systems may provide a more scalable path toward entanglement of large ensembles.
We demonstrate multipartite entanglement in a microwave frequency comb generated by a Josephson parametric amplifier subject to a bichromatic pump. We find 64 correlated modes in the transmission line using a multifrequency digital signal processing platform. Full inseparability is verified in a subset of seven modes. Our method can be expanded to generate even more entangled modes in the near future.