Latest Papers

In this paper, we investigate constraints of the transmon qubit, an improved version of the charge qubit, on bosonic light dark matters. Phonon excitations induced by the scattering or absorption of dark matter on a superconductor may destroy the Cooper pair, leading to the production of quasiparticles made by the electron. By measuring the production rate of the quasiparticle density, one may read out the coupling between dark matter and ordinary matter, assuming that these quasiparticles are solely induced by dark matter interactions. For the first time, we show constraints on the parameter space of the dark photon, light scalar dark matter, and axion-like particles from the measurement of quasiparticles in transmon qubit experiments. This study offers insights for the development of quantum qubit experiments aimed at the direct detection of dark matter in underground laboratories.

How environments affect dynamics of quantum systems remains a central question in understanding transitions between quantum and classical phenomena and optimizing quantum technologies. A paradigm model to address the above question is the generalized Jaynes-Cummings model, in which a two-level particle is coupled to its environment modeled by a continuum boson modes. Previous analytic solution shows that, starting from the initial state that the particle is in its excited state and the boson modes in their vacuum state, the time evolution of the probability that the particle occupies the excited state exhibits a dynamic transition as the system-environment coupling varies; when the coupling is weak, the probability decays to zero monotonically, while a finite weight of the particle is localized in the excited state when the coupling is sufficiently strong. Here, we study the dynamic transition for the case that $N$ particles are initially excited with the boson modes in their vacuum state. In particular, we access the effects of an all to all Ising type interaction we introduce between the particles. Our calculation is carried out by the non-perturbative time-dependent numerical renormalization group method. We find that the critical coupling for the transition decreases with $N$, and is suppressed (enlarged) by the anti-ferromagnetic (ferromagnetic) Ising interaction. Our results enrich understanding on environmental effects on interacting quantum systems.

We propose a quantum optimal control framework based on the Pontryagin Maximum Principle to design energy- and time-efficient pulses for open quantum systems. By formulating the Langevin equation of a dissipative LC circuit as a linear control problem, we derive optimized pulses with exponential scaling in energy cost, outperforming conventional shortcut-to-adiabaticity methods such as counter-diabatic driving. When applied to a resonator dispersively coupled to a qubit, these optimized pulses achieve an excellent signal-to-noise ratio comparable to longitudinal coupling schemes across varying critical photon numbers. Our results provide a significant step toward efficient control in dissipative open systems and improved qubit readout in circuit quantum electrodynamics.

Qutrit-based quantum circuits could help reduce the overall circuit depths, and hence the effect of noise, when the system of interest has a local dimension of three. Accessing second excited states in superconducting transmons provides a straightforward hardware realization of qutrits useful for such ternary encoding. In this work, we successfully calibrate microwave pulse gates to a low error rate to operate transmon qutrits. We use these qutrits to simulate one-dimensional spin-1 AKLT states (Affleck, Kennedy, Lieb, and Tasaki), which exhibit a multitude of interesting phenomena, such as topologically protected ground states, string order, and the existence of a robust Berry phase. We demonstrate the efficacy of qutrit-based simulation by preparing high-fidelity ground states of the AKLT Hamiltonian with open boundaries for various chain lengths. We then use ground state preparations of the perturbed AKLT Hamiltonian with periodic boundaries to calculate the Berry phase and illustrate non-trivial ground state topology. To establish the advantage of qutrits over qubits in the presence of noise, we present scalable methods for preparing the AKLT state and computing its Berry phase using tensor network simulations. Our work provides a pathway toward more general spin-1 physics simulations using transmon qutrits, with applications in chemistry, magnetism, and topological phases of matter.

Achieving fast and high-fidelity qubit operations is crucial for unlocking the potential of quantum computers. In particular, reaching low gate errors in two-qubit gates has been a long-standing challenge in the field of superconducting qubits due to their typically long duration relative to coherence times. To realize fast gates, we utilize the hybridization between fixed-frequency superconducting qubits with a strongly interacting coupler mode that is tunable in frequency. To reduce population leakage during required adiabatic passages through avoided level crossings, we employ a sensitivity-adaptive closed-loop optimization method to design complex pulse shapes. We compare the performance of Gaussian-square, Fourier-series, and piecewise-constant-slope (PiCoS) pulse parametrizations and are able to reach 99.9 % controlled-Z gate fidelity using a 64 ns long Fourier-series pulse defined by only seven parameters. These high-fidelity values are achieved by analyzing the optimized pulse shapes to identify and systematically mitigate signal-line distortions in the experiment. To improve the convergence speed of the optimization we implement an adaptive cost function, which continuously maximizes the sensitivity. The demonstrated method can be used for tune-up and recalibration of superconducting quantum processors.

The influence of noise on quantum dynamics is one of the main factors preventing current quantum processors from performing accurate quantum computations. Sufficient noise characterization and modeling can provide key insights into the effect of noise on quantum algorithms and inform the design of targeted error protection protocols. However, constructing effective noise models that are sparse in model parameters, yet predictive can be challenging. In this work, we present an approach for effective noise modeling of multi-qubit operations on transmon-based devices. Through a comprehensive characterization of seven devices offered by the IBM Quantum Platform, we show that the model can capture and predict a wide range of single- and two-qubit behaviors, including non-Markovian effects resulting from spatio-temporally correlated noise sources. The model's predictive power is further highlighted through multi-qubit dynamical decoupling demonstrations and an implementation of the variational quantum eigensolver. As a training proxy for the hardware, we show that the model can predict expectation values within a relative error of 0.5%; this is a 7$\times$ improvement over default hardware noise models. Through these demonstrations, we highlight key error sources in superconducting qubits and illustrate the utility of reduced noise models for predicting hardware dynamics.

The transmon, which has a short gate time and remarkable scalability, is the most commonly utilized superconducting qubit, based on the Cooper pair box as a qubit or coupler in superconducting quantum computers. Lattice and heavy-hexagon structures are well-known large-scale configurations for transmon-based quantum computers that classical computers cannot simulate. These structures share a common feature: a resonator coupler that connects two transmon qubits. Although significant progress has been made in implementing quantum error correction and quantum computing using quantum error mitigation, fault-tolerant quantum computing remains unachieved due to the inherent vulnerability of these structures. This raises the question of whether the transmon-resonator-transmon structure is the best option for constructing a transmon-based quantum computer. To address this, we demonstrate that the average fidelity of CNOT gates can exceed 0.98 in a structure where a resonator coupler mediates the coupling of three transmon qubits. This result suggests that our novel structure could be a key method for increasing the number of connections among qubits while preserving gate performance in a transmon-based quantum computer.

Hardware efficient methods for high fidelity quantum state measurements are crucial for superconducting qubit experiments, as qubit numbers grow and feedback and state reset begin to be employed for quantum error correction. We present a 3D re-entrant cavity filter designed for frequency-multiplexed readout of superconducting qubits. The cavity filter is situated out of the plane of the qubit circuit and capacitively couples to an array of on-chip readout resonators in a manner that can scale to large qubit arrays. The re-entrant cavity functions as a large-linewidth bandpass filter with intrinsic Purcell filtering. We demonstrate the concept with a four-qubit multiplexed device.

Despite the significant progress in superconducting quantum computation over the past years, quantum state measurement still lags nearly an order of magnitude behind quantum gate operations in speed and fidelity. The main challenge is that the strong coupling and readout signal used to probe the quantum state may also introduce additional channels which may cause qubit state transitions. Here, we design a novel architecture to implement the long-sought longitudinal interaction scheme between qubits and resonators. This architecture not only provides genuine longitudinal interaction by eliminating residual transversal couplings, but also introduces proper nonlinearity to the resonator that can further minimize decay error and measurement-induced excitation error. Our experimental results demonstrate a measurement fidelity of 99.8% in 202 ns without the need for any first-stage amplification. After subtracting the residual preparation errors, the pure measurement fidelity is above 99.9%. Our scheme is compatible with the multiplexing readout scheme and can be used for quantum error correction.

Magnons can endow quantum devices with new functionalities. Assessing their potential requires precise characterization of magnon properties. Here, we use a superconducting qubit to probe magnons in a ferrimagnet over a range of about 2000 excitations. Using qubit control and parametrically induced qubit-magnon interactions we demonstrate few-excitation sensitive detection of magnons and are able to accurately resolve their decay. These results introduce quantum circuits as high-dynamic range probes for magnons and provide an avenue toward sensitive detection of nontrivial magnon dynamics.

Multi-photon processes deteriorate the quantum non-demolition (QND) character of the dispersive readout in circuit QED, causing readout to lag behind single and two-qubit gates, in both speed and fidelity. Alternative methods such as the longitudinal readout have been proposed, however, it is unknown to what extent multi-photon processes hinder this approach. Here we investigate the QND character of the longitudinal readout of the transmon qubit. We show that the deleterious effects that arise due to multi-photon transitions can be heavily suppressed with detuning, owing to the fact that the longitudinal interaction strength is independent of the transmon-resonator detuning. We consider the effect of circuit disorder, the selection rules that act on the transmon, as well as the description of longitudinal readout in the classical limit of the transmon to show qualitatively that longitudinal readout is robust. We show that fast, high-fidelity QND readout of transmon qubits is possible with longitudinal coupling.

Flux tuning of qubit frequencies in superconducting quantum processors is fundamental for implementing single and multi-qubit gates in quantum algorithms. Typical architectures involve the use of DC or fast RF lines. However, these lines introduce significant heat dissipation and undesirable decoherence mechanisms, leading to a severe bottleneck for scalability. Among different solutions to overcome this issue, we propose integrating tunnel Superconductor-Insulating-thin superconducting interlayer-Ferromagnet-Superconductor Josephson junctions (SIsFS JJs) into a novel transmon qubit design, the so-called ferrotransmon. SIsFS JJs provide memory properties due to the presence of ferromagnetic barriers and preserve at the same time the low-dissipative behavior of tunnel-insulating JJs, thus promoting an alternative tuning of the qubit frequency. In this work, we discuss the fundamental steps towards the implementation of this hybrid ferromagnetic transmon. We will give a special focus on the design, simulations, and preliminary experimental characterization of superconducting lines to provide in-plane magnetic fields, fundamental for an on-chip control of the qubit frequencies in the ferrotransmon.

The Jaynes-Cummings and quantum Rabi models are fundamental to cavity and circuit quantum electrodynamics, as they describe the simplest form of light-matter interaction, where a single qubit is coupled to a single bosonic mode. A scenario that is commonly encountered in the experimental practice arises when the bosonic mode interacts with an external dissipative thermal bath, making the qubit-boson system open. In this work, we present new analytical solution of the Lindblad master equations for the open dispersive Jaynes-Cummings model and a perturbative analytical solution of the open quantum Rabi model in the limit of weak qubit-boson coupling $g$, using the holomorphic formalism in Bargmann space. Specifically, we derive the most general solution of the local Lindblad master equation for the open dispersive Jaynes-Cummings model coupled to a thermal bath, with the only assumptions that the initial state of the qubit-boson system is separable. Additionally, we obtain a perturbative analytical solution for the open quantum Rabi model up to second order in $g$. Notably, our findings include a new formula for the qubit's steady state at zeroth order, showing that the stationary populations depend on both qubit and boson frequencies in the quantum Rabi model, but not in the Jaynes-Cummings model, regardless of the value of $g$. Our results are of general interest to the study of open quantum systems in the context of light-matter interaction.

Quantum error correction promises a viable path to fault-tolerant computations, enabling exponential error suppression when the device's error rates remain below the protocol's threshold. This threshold, however, strongly depends on the classical method used to decode the syndrome measurements. These classical algorithms traditionally only interpret binary data, ignoring valuable information contained in the complete analog measurement data. In this work, we leverage this richer "soft information" to decode repetition code experiments implemented on superconducting hardware. We find that "soft decoding" can raise the threshold by 25%, yielding up to 30 times lower error rates. Analyzing the trade-off between information volume and decoding performance we show that a single byte of information per measurement suffices to reach optimal decoding. This underscores the effectiveness and practicality of soft decoding on hardware, including in time-sensitive contexts such as real-time decoding.

Characterizing the nonclassicality of quantum systems under minimal assumptions is an important challenge for quantum foundations and technology. Here we introduce a theory-independent method of process tomography and perform it on a superconducting qubit. We demonstrate its decoherence without assuming quantum theory or trusting the devices by modelling the system as a general probabilistic theory. We show that the superconducting system is initially well-described as a quantum bit, but that its realized state space contracts over time, which in quantum terminology indicates its loss of coherence. The system is initially nonclassical in the sense of generalized contextuality: it does not admit of a hidden-variable model where statistically indistinguishable preparations are represented by identical hidden-variable distributions. In finite time, the system becomes noncontextual and hence loses its nonclassicality. Moreover, we demonstrate in a theory-independent way that the system undergoes non-Markovian evolution at late times. Our results extend theory-independent tomography to time-evolving systems, and show how important dynamical physical phenomena can be experimentally monitored without assuming quantum theory.

Manipulating the electromagnetic spectrum at the single-photon level is fundamental for quantum experiments. In the visible and infrared range, this can be accomplished with atomic quantum emitters, and with superconducting qubits such control is extended to the microwave range (below 10 GHz). Meanwhile, the region between these two energy ranges presents an unexplored opportunity for innovation. We bridge this gap by scaling up a superconducting qubit to the millimeter-wave range (near 100 GHz). Working in this energy range greatly reduces sensitivity to thermal noise compared to microwave devices, enabling operation at significantly higher temperatures, up to 1 K. This has many advantages by removing the dependence on rare $^3$He for refrigeration, simplifying cryogenic systems, and providing orders of magnitude higher cooling power, lending the flexibility needed for novel quantum sensing and hybrid experiments. Using low-loss niobium trilayer junctions, we realize a qubit at 72 GHz cooled to 0.87 K using only $^4$He. We perform Rabi oscillations to establish control over the qubit state, and measure relaxation and dephasing times of 15.8 and 17.4 ns respectively. This demonstration of a millimeter-wave quantum emitter offers exciting prospects for enhanced sensitivity thresholds in high-frequency photon detection, provides new options for quantum transduction and for scaling up and speeding up quantum computing, enables integration of quantum systems where $^3$He refrigeration units are impractical, and importantly paves the way for quantum experiments exploring a novel energy range.

Realizing efficient and controlled state transfer is necessary for implementing a wide range of classical and quantum information protocols. Recent studies have demonstrated that both asymmetric and symmetric state transfer can be achieved by encircling an exceptional point (EP) in non-Hermitian (NH) systems. However, the application of this phenomenon has been restricted to scenarios where an EP exists in single-qubit systems and is associated with a specific type of dissipation. In this work, we demonstrate efficient and controlled symmetric and asymmetric Bell-state transfers by modulating system parameters within a Jaynes-Cummings model while accounting for atomic spontaneous emission and cavity decay. The effective suppression of nonadiabatic transitions enables a symmetric exchange of Bell states irrespective of the encircling direction. Furthermore, we report a counterintuitive finding: the presence of an EP is not indispensable for implementing asymmetric state transfers in NH systems. We achieve perfect asymmetric Bell-state transfers even in the absence of an EP, by dynamically orbiting around an approximate EP. Our work presents an approach to effectively and reliably manipulate entangled states with both symmetric and asymmetric characteristics, through the dissipation engineering in NH systems.

Nonreciprocal interaction between two spatially separated subsystems plays a crucial role in signal processing and quantum networks. Here, we propose an efficient scheme to achieve nonreciprocal interaction and entanglement between two qubits by combining coherent and dissipative couplings in a superconducting platform, where two coherently coupled transmon qubits simultaneously interact with a transmission line waveguide. The coherent interaction between the transmon qubits can be achieved via capacitive coupling or via an intermediary cavity mode, while the dissipative interaction is induced by the transmission line via reservoir engineering. With high tunability of superconducting qubits, their positions along the transmission line can be adjusted to tune the dissipative coupling, enabling to tailor reciprocal and nonreciprocal interactions between the qubits. A fully nonreciprocal interaction can be achieved when the separation between the two qubits is $(4n+3)λ_{0} /4$, where $n$ is an integer and $λ_{0}$ is the photon wavelength. This nonreciprocal interaction enables the generation of nonreciprocal entanglement between the two transmon qubits. Furthermore, applying a drive field to one of the qubit can stabilize the system into a nonreciprocal steady-state entangled state. Remarkably, the nonreciprocal interaction in this work does not rely on the presence of nonlinearity or complex configurations, which has more potential applications in designing nonreciprocal quantum devices, processing quantum information, and building quantum networks.

Leakage, the occupation of any state not used in the computation, is one of the of the most devastating errors in quantum error correction. Transmons, the most common superconducting qubits, are weakly anharmonic multilevel systems, and are thus prone to this type of error. Here we demonstrate a device which reduces the lifetimes of the leakage states in the transmon by three orders of magnitude, while protecting the qubit lifetime and the single-qubit gate fidelties. To do this we attach a qubit through an on-chip seventh-order Chebyshev filter to a cold resistor. The filter is engineered such that the leakage transitions are in its passband, while the qubit transition is in its stopband. Dissipation through the filter reduces the lifetime of the transmon's $f$ state, the lowest energy leakage state, by three orders of magnitude to 33 ns, while simultaneously keeping the qubit lifetime to greater than 100 $μ$s. Even though the $f$ state is transiently populated during a single qubit gate, no negative effect of the filter is detected with errors per gate approaching 1e-4. Modelling the filter as coupled linear harmonic oscillators, our theoretical analysis of the device corroborate our experimental findings. This leakage reduction unit turns leakage errors into errors within the qubit subspace that are correctable with traditional quantum error correction. We demonstrate the operation of the filter as leakage reduction unit in a mock-up of a single-qubit quantum error correcting cycle, showing that the filter increases the seepage rate back to the qubit subspace.

Rapid and accurate initialization of qubits, reset, is a crucial building block for various tasks in quantum information processing, such as quantum error-correction and estimation of statistics of noisy quantum devices with many qubits. We demonstrate unconditional reset of a frequency-tunable transmon qubit that simultaneously resets multiple excited states by utilizing a metamaterial waveguide engineered to provide a cold bath over a wide spectral range, while providing strong protection against Purcell decay of the qubit. We report reset error below 0.13% (0.16%) when prepared in the first (second) excited state of the transmon within 88ns. Additionally, through the sharp roll-off in the density of states of the metamaterial waveguide, we implement a leakage reduction unit that selectively resets the transmon's second excited state to 0.285(3)% residual population within 44ns while acting trivially in the computational subspace as an identity operation that preserves encoded information with an infidelity of 0.72(1)%.