Magic is a non-classical resource whose efficient manipulation is fundamental to advancing efficient and scalable fault-tolerant quantum computing. Quantum advantage is possible onlyif both magic and entanglement are present. Of particular interest is non-local magic- the fraction of the resource that cannot be distilled (or erased) by local unitary operations – which is a necessary feature for quantum complex behavior. We perform the first experimental demonstration of non-local magic in a superconducting Quantum Processing Unit (QPU). Direct access to the QPU device enables us to identify and characterize the dominant noise mechanisms intrinsic to the quantum hardware. We observe excellent agreement between theory and experiment without the need for any free parameter in the noise modeling of our system and shows the experimental capability of harnessing both local and non-local magic resources separately, thereby offering a promising path towards more reliable pre-fault-tolerant quantum devices and to advance hardware-aware research in quantum information in the near term. Finally, the methods and tools developed in this work are conducive to the experimental realization of efficient purity estimation (featuring exponential speedup) and the decoding of Hawking radiation from a toy-model of a Black Hole.
Coherent photon sources are key elements in different applications, ranging from quantum sensing to quantum computing. In the context of circuit quantum electrodynamics, there havebeen multiple proposals for potential coherent sources of photons, but a well established candidate is still missing. The possibility of designing and engineering superconducting circuits behaving like artificial atoms supports the realization of quantum optics protocols, including microwave photons generation. Here we propose and theoretically investigate a new design that allows a tunable photon injection directly on-chip. The scheme is based on initiating a population inversion in a superconducting circuit that will act as the photon source of one or multiple target resonators. The key novelty of the proposed layout consists in replacing the usual capacitive link between the source and the target cavity with a tunable coupler, with the advantage of having on-demand control on the injected steady-state photons. We validate the dynamical control of the generated coherent states under the effect of an external flux threading the tunable coupler and discuss the possibility of employing this scheme also in the context of multiple bosonic reservoirs.
We propose to exploit currently available tunnel ferromagnetic Josephson junctions to realize a hybrid superconducting qubit. We show that the characteristic hysteretic behavior ofthe ferromagnetic barrier provides an alternative and intrinsically digital tuning of the qubit frequency by means of magnetic field pulses. To illustrate functionalities and limitation of the device, we discuss the coupling to a read-out resonator and the effect of magnetic fluctuations. The possibility to use the qubit as a noise detector and its relevance to investigate the subtle interplay of magnetism and superconductivity is envisaged.