Quantum jumps of a qubit are usually observed between its energy eigenstates, also known as its longitudinal pseudo-spin component. Is it possible, instead, to observe quantum jumpsbetween the transverse superpositions of these eigenstates? We answer positively by presenting the first continuous quantum nondemolition measurement of the transverse component of an individual qubit. In a circuit QED system irradiated by two pump tones, we engineer an effective Hamiltonian whose eigenstates are the transverse qubit states, and a dispersive measurement of the corresponding operator. Such transverse component measurements are a useful tool in the driven-dissipative operation engineering toolbox, which is central to quantum simulation and quantum error correction.
Entangling two remote quantum systems which never interact directly is an essential primitive in quantum information science. In quantum optics, remote entanglement experiments providesone approach for loophole-free tests of quantum non-locality and form the basis for the modular architecture of quantum computing. In these experiments, the two qubits, Alice and Bob, are each first entangled with a traveling photon. Subsequently, the two photons paths interfere on a beam-splitter before being directed to single-photon detectors. Such concurrent remote entanglement protocols using discrete Fock states can be made robust to photon losses, unlike schemes that rely on continuous variable states. This robustness arises from heralding the entanglement on the detection of events which can be selected for their unambiguity. However, efficiently detecting single photons is challenging in the domain of superconducting quantum circuits because of the low energy of microwave quanta. Here, we report the realization of a novel microwave photon detector implemented in the circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) framework of superconducting quantum information, and the demonstration, with this detector, of a robust form of concurrent remote entanglement. Our experiment opens the way for the implementation of the modular architecture of quantum computation with superconducting qubits.
We present a method for calculating the low-energy spectra of superconducting circuits with arbitrarily strong anharmonicity and coupling. As an example, we numerically diagonalizethe Hamiltonian of a fluxonium qubit inductively coupled to a readout resonator. Our method treats both the anharmonicity of the Hamiltonian and the coupling between qubit and readout modes exactly. Calculated spectra are compared to measured spectroscopy data for this fluxonium-resonator system. We observe excellent quantitative agreement between theory and experiment that is not possible with a purely perturbative approach.
Quantum superpositions of distinct coherent states in a single-mode harmonic oscillator, known as „cat states“, have been an elegant demonstration of Schrodinger’sfamous cat paradox. Here, we realize a two-mode cat state of electromagnetic fields in two microwave cavities bridged by a superconducting artificial atom, which can also be viewed as an entangled pair of single-cavity cat states. We present full quantum state tomography of this complex cat state over a Hilbert space exceeding 100 dimensions via quantum non-demolition measurements of the joint photon number parity. The ability to manipulate such multi-cavity quantum states paves the way for logical operations between redundantly encoded qubits for fault-tolerant quantum computation and communication.
Experimental quantum information processing with superconducting circuits is rapidly advancing, driven by innovation in two classes of devices, one involving planar micro-fabricated(2D) resonators, and the other involving machined three-dimensional (3D) cavities. We demonstrate that circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED), which is based on the interaction of low-loss resonators and qubits, can be implemented in a multilayer superconducting structure, which combines 2D and 3D advantages, hence its nickname „2.5.“ We employ standard micro-fabrication techniques to pattern each layer, and rely on a vacuum gap between the layers to store the electromagnetic energy. Planar superconducting qubits are lithographically defined as an aperture in a conducting boundary of multilayer resonators, rather than as a separate metallic structure on an insulating substrate. In order to demonstrate the potential of these design principles, we implemented an integrated, two-cavity-modes, one-transmon-qubit system for cQED experiments. The measured coherence times and coupling energies suggest that the 2.5D platform would be a promising base for integrated quantum information processing.
As experimental quantum information processing (QIP) rapidly advances, an emerging challenge is to design a scalable architecture that combines various quantum elements into a complexdevice without compromising their performance. In particular, superconducting quantum circuits have successfully demonstrated many of the requirements for quantum computing, including coherence levels that approach the thresholds for scaling. However, it remains challenging to couple a large number of circuit components through controllable channels while suppressing any other interactions. We propose a hardware platform intended to address these challenges, which combines the advantages of integrated circuit fabrication and long coherence times achievable in three-dimensional circuit quantum electrodynamics (3D cQED). This multilayer microwave integrated quantum circuit (MMIQC) platform provides a path toward the realization of increasingly complex superconducting devices in pursuit of a scalable quantum computer.
Superconducting enclosures will be key components of scalable quantum computing devices based on circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED). Within a densely integrated device, they canprotect qubits from noise and serve as quantum memory units. Whether constructed by machining bulk pieces of metal or microfabricating wafers, 3D enclosures are typically assembled from two or more parts. The resulting seams potentially dissipate crossing currents and limit performance. In this Letter, we present measured quality factors of superconducting cavity resonators of several materials, dimensions and seam locations. We observe that superconducting indium can be a low-loss RF conductor and form low-loss seams. Leveraging this, we create a superconducting micromachined resonator with indium that has a quality factor of two million despite a greatly reduced mode volume. Inter-layer coupling to this type of resonator is achieved by an aperture located under a planar transmission line. The described techniques demonstrate a proof-of-principle for multilayer microwave integrated quantum circuits for scalable quantum computing.
Quantum states can be stabilized in the presence of intrinsic and environmental losses by either applying active feedback conditioned on an ancillary system or through reservoir engineering.Reservoir engineering maintains a desired quantum state through a combination of drives and designed entropy evacuation. We propose and implement a quantum reservoir engineering protocol that stabilizes Fock states in a microwave cavity. This protocol is realized with a circuit quantum electrodynamics platform where a Josephson junction provides direct, nonlinear coupling between two superconducting waveguide cavities. The nonlinear coupling results in a single photon resolved cross-Kerr effect between the two cavities enabling a photon number dependent coupling to a lossy environment. The quantum state of the microwave cavity is discussed in terms of a net polarization and is analyzed by a measurement of its steady state Wigner function.
Josephson junction parametric amplifiers are playing a crucial role in the readout chain in superconducting quantum information experiments. However, their integration with current3D cavity implementations poses the problem of transitioning between waveguide, coax cables and planar circuits. Moreover, Josephson amplifiers require auxiliary microwave components, like directional couplers and/or hybrids, that are sources of spurious losses and impedance mismatches that limit measurement efficiency and amplifier tunability. We have developed a new wireless architecture for these parametric amplifiers that eliminates superfluous microwave components and interconnects. This greatly simplifies their assembly and integration into experiments. We present an experimental realization of such a device operating in the 9−11 GHz band with about 100 MHz of amplitude gain-bandwidth product, on par with devices mounted in conventional sample holders. The simpler impedance environment presented to the amplifier also results in increased amplifier tunability.
Quantum error correction (QEC) is required for a practical quantum computer because of the fragile nature of quantum information. In QEC, information is redundantly stored in a largeHilbert space and one or more observables must be monitored to reveal the occurrence of an error, without disturbing the information encoded in an unknown quantum state. Such observables, typically multi-qubit parities such as , must correspond to a special symmetry property inherent to the encoding scheme. Measurements of these observables, or error syndromes, must also be performed in a quantum non-demolition (QND) way and faster than the rate at which errors occur. Previously, QND measurements of quantum jumps between energy eigenstates have been performed in systems such as trapped ions, electrons, cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED), nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers, and superconducting qubits. So far, however, no fast and repeated monitoring of an error syndrome has been realized. Here, we track the quantum jumps of a possible error syndrome, the photon number parity of a microwave cavity, by mapping this property onto an ancilla qubit. This quantity is just the error syndrome required in a recently proposed scheme for a hardware-efficient protected quantum memory using Schr\“{o}dinger cat states in a harmonic oscillator. We demonstrate the projective nature of this measurement onto a parity eigenspace by observing the collapse of a coherent state onto even or odd cat states. The measurement is fast compared to the cavity lifetime, has a high single-shot fidelity, and has a 99.8% probability per single measurement of leaving the parity unchanged. In combination with the deterministic encoding of quantum information in cat states realized earlier, our demonstrated QND parity tracking represents a significant step towards implementing an active system that extends the lifetime of a quantum bit.