A superconducting qutrit link beyond the qubit limit

  1. Xiang Li,
  2. Zheng-Yang Mei,
  3. Yang He,
  4. Si-Lu Zhao,
  5. Yan-Jun Liu,
  6. Xiao-Hui Song,
  7. Kai Xu,
  8. Zhong-Cheng Xiang,
  9. Dong-Ning Zheng,
  10. and Heng Fan
Superconducting microwave links have enabled deterministic state transfer and remote entanglement between qubits, but deterministic links have so far operated with an effectively two-dimensional
transmitted Hilbert space. Here we demonstrate a superconducting qutrit link between two independently packaged nodes connected by a microwave channel. Each node combines a transmon qutrit, a transmission resonator, and a tunable Purcell-filter interface, allowing the two remote microwave-photon interfaces to be matched in both frequency and bandwidth. We implement two transition-selective photon-mediated operations that transfer the |e⟩ and |f⟩ qutrit components in distinct temporal modes of the same channel. We tomographically characterize arbitrary qutrit-state transfer, obtaining a mean transferred-state fidelity of 83.68% and a qutrit process fidelity of 77.12%, exceeding both the classical qutrit-transfer benchmark and the best possible average fidelity of an effective qubit channel used to transmit an arbitrary qutrit. Using partial-transfer operations, we reconstruct a remote two-qutrit state with negativity 0.730, a tomography-inferred dense-coding capacity of 2.273 bits, and a tomography-inferred Collins-Gisin-Linden-Massar-Popescu (CGLMP) parameter I3=2.332, all beyond the corresponding qubit or local bounds. These results demonstrate a superconducting microwave link that uses the native three-level structure of transmons as a genuine high-dimensional communication resource.

Flexible Readout and Unconditional Reset for Superconducting Multi-Qubit Processors with Tunable Purcell Filters

  1. Yong-Xi Xiao,
  2. Da'er Feng,
  3. Xu-Yang Gu,
  4. Gui-Han Liang,
  5. Ming-Chuan Wang,
  6. Zheng-Yu Peng,
  7. Bing-Jie Chen,
  8. Yu Yan,
  9. Zheng-Yang Mei,
  10. Si-Lu Zhao,
  11. Yi-Zhou Bu,
  12. Cheng-Lin Deng,
  13. Xiaohui Song,
  14. Dongning Zheng,
  15. Yu-Xiang Zhang,
  16. Yun-Hao Shi,
  17. Zhongcheng Xiang,
  18. Kai Xu,
  19. and Heng Fan
Qubit readout and reset are critical components for the practical realization of quantum computing systems, as outlined by the DiVincenzo criteria. Here, we present a scalable architecture
employing frequency-tunable nonlinear Purcell filters designed specifically for superconducting qubits. This architecture enables flexible readout and unconditional reset functionalities. Our readout protocol dynamically adjusts the effective linewidth of the readout resonator through a tunable filter, optimizing the signal-to-noise ratio during measurement while suppressing photon noise during idle periods. Achieving a readout fidelity of 99.3% without using Josephson parametric amplifiers or traveling-wave parametric amplifiers, even with a small dispersive shift, demonstrates its effectiveness. For reset operations, our protocol utilizes the tunable coupler adjacent to the target qubit as an intermediary to channel qubit excitations into the Purcell filter, enabling rapid dissipation. We demonstrate unconditional reset of both leakage-induced |2⟩ and |1⟩ states within 200 ns (error rate ≤1%), and reset of the |1⟩ state alone in just 75 ns. Repeated reset cycles (≤600 ns) further reduce the error rate below 0.1%. Furthermore, the filter suppresses both photon noise and the Purcell effect, thereby reducing qubit decoherence. This scalable Purcell filter architecture shows exceptional performance in qubit readout, reset, and protection, marking it as a promising hardware component for advancing fault-tolerant quantum computing systems.

Stable and Efficient Charging of Superconducting C-shunt Flux Quantum Batteries

  1. Li Li,
  2. Si-Lu Zhao,
  3. Yun-Hao Shi,
  4. Bing-Jie Chen,
  5. Xinhui Ruan,
  6. Gui-Han Liang,
  7. Wei-Ping Yuan,
  8. Jia-Cheng Song,
  9. Cheng-Lin Deng,
  10. Yu Liu,
  11. Tian-Ming Li,
  12. Zheng-He Liu,
  13. Xue-Yi Guo,
  14. Xiaohui Song,
  15. Kai Xu,
  16. Heng Fan,
  17. Zhongcheng Xiang,
  18. and Dongning Zheng
Quantum batteries, as miniature energy storage devices, have sparked significant research interest in recent years. However, achieving rapid and stable energy transfer in quantum batteries
while obeying quantum speed limits remains a critical challenge. In this work, we experimentally optimize the charging process by leveraging the unique energy level structure of a superconducting capacitively-shunted flux qubit, using counterdiabatic pulses in the stimulated Raman adiabatic passage. Compared to previous studies, we impose two different norm constraints on the driving Hamiltonian, achieving optimal charging without exceeding the overall driving strength. Furthermore, we experimentally demonstrate a charging process that achieves the quantum speed limit. In addition, we introduce a dimensionless parameter  to unify charging speed and stability, offering a universal metric for performance optimization. In contrast to metrics such as charging power and thermodynamic efficiency, the  criterion quantitatively captures the stability of ergentropy while also considering the charging speed. Our results highlight the potential of the capacitively-shunted qubit platform as an ideal candidate for realizing three-level quantum batteries and deliver novel strategies for optimizing energy transfer protocols.