Observation of high coherence in Josephson junction qubits measured in a three-dimensional circuit QED architecture

Superconducting quantum circuits based on Josephson junctions have made rapid progress in demonstrating quantum behavior and scalability. However, the future prospects ultimately depend upon the intrinsic coherence of Josephson junctions, and whether superconducting qubits can be adequately isolated from their environment. We introduce a new architecture for superconducting quantum circuits employing a three-dimensional resonator that suppresses qubit decoherence while maintaining sufficient coupling to the control signal. With the new architecture, we demonstrate that Josephson junction qubits are highly coherent, with T2 ～ 10 to 20 μs without the use of spin echo, and highly stable, showing no evidence for 1/f critical current noise. These results suggest that the overall quality of Josephson junctions in these qubits will allow error rates of a few 10(-4), approaching the error correction threshold.     

基于约瑟夫森器件的超导量子比特

超导量子比特利用了超导约瑟夫森隧道结的非线性效应,采用了半导体集成电路的工艺,以其无能耗,大设计加工自由度,易规模化等优点而倍受注目。本文对超导量子比特的基本原理及发展过程作了简要综述。首先简要回顾了量子计算的历史,然后介绍了超导量子比特的设计及其调控,并对各种超导量子比特的消相干进行了讨论。     

Observation of quantum oscillations between a Josephson phase qubit and a microscopic resonator using fast readout

We have detected coherent quantum oscillations between Josephson phase qubits and critical-current fluctuators by implementing a new state readout technique that is an order of magnitude faster than previous methods. These results reveal a new aspect of the quantum behavior of Josephson junctions, and they demonstrate the means to measure two-qubit interactions in the time domain. The junction-fluctuator interaction also points to a possible mechanism for decoherence and reduced fidelity in superconducting qubits.     

Quantum computation and simulation with superconducting qubits

Superconducting circuits based on Josephson junctions are regarded as one of the most promising technologies for the implementation of scalable quantum computers. This review presents the basic principles of superconducting qubits and shows the progress of quantum computing and quantum simulation based on superconducting qubits in recent years.The experimental realization of gate operations, readout, error correction codes, as well as some quantum algorithms are summarized, followed by an introduction of quantum simulation. And then some important applications in fields including condensed matter physics, quantum annealing, and quantum chemistry are discussed.     

铌基超导量子比特及辅助器件的制备

近年来超导量子计算的研究方兴未艾,随着谷歌宣布首次实现“量子优势”,这一领域的研究受到了人们进一步的广泛关注.超导量子比特是具有量子化能级、量子态叠加和量子态纠缠等典型量子特性的宏观器件,通过电磁脉冲信号控制磁通量、电荷或具有非线性电感和无能量耗散的约瑟夫森结上的位相差,可对量子态进行精确调控,从而实现量子计算和量子信息处理.超导量子比特有着诸多方面的优势,很有希望成为普适量子计算的核心组成部分.以铌或其他硬金属(如钽等)为首层大面积材料制备的超导量子比特及辅助器件(简称铌基器件)拥有其独特的优点以及进一步发展的空间,目前已引起越来越多的兴趣.本文将介绍常见的多种超导量子比特的基本构成和工作原理,进而按照器件加工的一般顺序,从基片选择和预处理、薄膜生长、图形转移、刻蚀和约瑟夫森结的制备等方面详细介绍铌基超导量子比特及其辅助器件的多种制备工艺,为超导量子比特的制备提供一个可借鉴的清晰的工艺过程.最后,介绍若干制备铌基超导量子比特与辅助器件的具体例子,并对器件制备的工艺与方法的优化做展望.     

超导量子比特实验的开端

我们对超导量子比特领域的科学背景、历史起源和早期发展做简要评述.莱格特(Anthony J. Leggett)为这个领域打下了理论基础.克拉克(John Clarke)和他的两个学生马丁尼(John Martinis)和德沃雷(Michel H. Devoret)最早通过偏电流约瑟夫森结,首次观察到约瑟夫森结的量子行为.后来德沃雷实现了电荷量子比特叠加态、电荷-磁通混合量子比特的拉比共振和其他演化及投影测量.中村泰信(Yasunobu Nakamura)首先实现电荷量子比特的量子叠加和拉比振荡,还参与莫伊(J. E. Mooij)组实现了磁通量子比特的拉比振荡和读出.     

拓扑绝缘体/超导体异质结中的近邻效应

拓扑超导体自身具有对量子退相干天然的免疫性以及可编织性,这使得它在现代量子计算领域中受到了越来越多的重视,并且成为了下一代计算技术中最有希望的候选者之一。由于拓扑超导态在固有拓扑超导体中相当罕见,因此,当前大部分实验上的工作主要集中在由 s 波超导体与拓扑绝缘体之间通过近邻效应所诱导的拓扑超导体上。本论文中,我们回顾了基于拓扑绝缘体/超导体异质结的拓扑超导体的研究进展。在理论上,Fu 和 Kane 提出,通过近邻效应将 s 波超导体的能隙引入到拓扑绝缘体,可以诱导出拓扑超导电性。在实验上,我们也回顾了一些不同体系中的拓扑超导近邻效应的研究进展。文章的第一部分,我们介绍了一些异质结,包括：三维拓扑绝缘体 Bi2Se3和 Bi2Se3 与 s 波超导体NbSe2 以及 d 波超导体 Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ 的异质结,拓扑绝缘体 Sn1−xPbxTe 与 Pb 的异质结,二维拓扑绝缘体 WTe2 与NbSe2 的异质结。此外,还介绍了 TiBiSe2 在 Pb 上的拓扑绝缘近邻效应。另一部分中,我们对基于拓扑绝缘体的约瑟夫森结进行了回顾,包括著名的基于 Fu-Kane 体系的拓扑绝缘体约瑟夫森结,以及基于约瑟夫森结的超导量子干涉器件。     

Controllable quantum information network with a superconducting system

We propose a controllable and scalable architecture for quantum information processing using a superconducting system network, which is composed of current-biased Josephson junctions (CBJJs) as tunable couplers between the two superconducting transmission line resonators (TLRs), each coupling to multiple superconducting qubits (SQs). We explicitly demonstrate that the entangled state, the phase gate, and the information transfer between any two selected SQs can be implemented, respectively. Lastly, numerical simulation shows that our scheme is robust against the decoherence of the system.     

Nanoscale superconducting quantum bits

Various physical systems were proposed for quantum information processing. Among those nanoscale devices appear most promising for integration in electronic circuits and large-scale applications. We discuss Josephson junction circuits in two regimes where they can be used for quantum computing. These systems combine intrinsic coherence of the superconducting state with control possibilities of single-charge circuits. In the regime where the typical charging energy dominates over the Josephson coupling, the low-temperature dynamics is limited to two states differing by a Cooper-pair charge on a superconducting island. In the opposite regime of prevailing Josephson energy, the phase (or flux) degree of freedom can be used to store and process quantum information. Under suitable conditions the system reduces to two states with different flux configurations. Several qubits can be joined together into a register. The quantum state of a qubit register can be manipulated by voltage and magnetic field pulses. The qubits are inevitably coupled to the environment. However, estimates of the phase coherence time show that many elementary quantum logic operations can be performed before the phase coherence is lost. In addition to manipulations, the final state of the qubits has to be read out. This quantum measurement process can be accomplished using a single-electron transistor for charge Josephson qubits, and a d.c.-SQUID for flux qubits. Recent successful experiments with superconducting qubits demonstrate for the first time quantum coherence in macroscopic systems.     

Robust Quantum Gates in Decoherence-Free Subspaces with Josephson Charge Qubits

We propose a new and feasible scheme to implement quantum gates in decoherence-free subspaces (DFSs) with Josephson charge qubits situated in a circuit QED architecture. Based on the resonator-assisted interaction, the controllable interqubit couplings occur only by tuning the individual flux biases, by which we obtain the DFS-encoded universal quantum gates. Compared with the non-DFS situation, we numerically consider the robustness of the DFS-encoded scheme that can be insensitive to the collective noises. Thus the protocol may perform the fault-tolerant quantum computing with Josephson charge qubits.     

Josephson junction microscope for low-frequency fluctuators

The high-Q harmonic oscillator mode of a Josephson junction can be used as a novel probe of spurious two-level systems (TLSs) inside the amorphous oxide tunnel barrier of the junction. In particular, we show that spectroscopic transmission measurements of the junction resonator mode can reveal how the coupling magnitude between the junction and the TLSs varies with an external magnetic field applied in the plane of the tunnel barrier. The proposed experiments offer the possibility of clearly resolving the underlying coupling mechanism for these spurious TLSs, an important decoherence source limiting the quality of superconducting quantum devices.     

Quantum Computation with Two-Level Systems in Current-Biased Josephson Junction

We present a feasible scheme that realizes quantum computation using the two-level systems （TLSs） in Current-biased Josephson junction （CBJJ） under the present experimental technology. Effective manipulation of the TLSs by CBJJ serving as register qubit can be obtained, such as initialization, single-qubit rotations, two-qubit gates, entanglement generation, and read out, etc. In addition, we also discuss the experimental feasibility and efficiency of the scheme.     

Vertical Josephson interferometers for quantum computation

We characterize a niobium-based vertical Josephson interferometer which we propose to include in a superconducting loop for applications to quantum computation using flux qubits. The most interesting feature of this device is that the Josephson current is precisely modulated by a small transversal magnetic field parallel to superconducting loop plane from a maximum to zero, with fine control and precision. This device can be used to independently control the off-diagonal Hamiltonian terms of flux qubits and/or to control the flux transfer function of a superconducting transformer for inter-qubits coupling.     

Josephson-junction qubits: entanglement and coherence

We review briefly the problems that are driving the search for a quantum computer. These include, primarily, methods for encryption and decryption based on Shor’s algorithm for factoring large integers and the use of Pell’s equation for encryption. We also outline some of the approaches that have been suggested for implementing a quantum computer and then focus on Josephson-junction systems as qubits. We have been investigating the current-biased Josephson junction for this application, a suggestion we made about 2 years ago. We have studied macroscopic quantum tunneling and energy level spectroscopy, using microwaves, in single junctions and recently we have begun measurements of the two-quantum bit (qubit) system, i.e. two capacitively coupled junctions. Theoretical studies of energy levels and their dynamic evolution are also in progress. In the present report we discuss the basics of single Josephson junctions and compare their potential as qubits with the potentials of other systems. We also discuss our future plans to obtain greater isolation of the junctions from sources of decoherence and to develop realistic qubits. An important first step must be to exhibit quantum entanglement and measure coherence times. Then it must be shown that the states of the qubits can be initialized, that gate operations can be performed, and that the results can be read out.     

Controllable coherent population transfers in superconducting qubits for quantum computing

We propose an approach to coherently transfer populations between selected quantum states in one- and two-qubit systems by using controllable Stark-chirped rapid adiabatic passages. These evolution-time insensitive transfers, assisted by easily implementable single-qubit phase-shift operations, could serve as elementary logic gates for quantum computing. Specifically, this proposal could be conveniently demonstrated with existing Josephson phase qubits. Our proposal can find an immediate application in the readout of these qubits. Indeed, the broken parity symmetries of the bound states in these artificial atoms provide an efficient approach to design the required adiabatic pulses.     

Entangling two uncoupled flux qubits via their sequential interaction with a quantized electromagnetic field

A theoretical scheme for the generation of maximally entangled states of two superconducting flux qubits via their sequential interaction with a monochromatic quantum field is presented. The coupling of the qubits with the quantized field can be tuned on and off resonance by modulating the effective Josephson energy of each qubit via an externally applied magnetic flux. The system operates in such a way as to transfer the entanglement from a bipartite field-qubit subsystem to the two qubits. This scheme is attractive in view of the implementation of practical quantum processing systems.     

Spectroscopy of three-particle entanglement in a macroscopic superconducting circuit

We study the quantum mechanical behavior of a macroscopic, three-body, superconducting circuit. Microwave spectroscopy on our system, a resonator coupling two large Josephson junctions, produced complex energy spectra well explained by quantum theory over a large frequency range. By tuning each junction separately into resonance with the resonator, we first observe strong coupling between each junction and the resonator. Bringing both junctions together into resonance with the resonator, we find spectroscopic evidence for entanglement between all 3 degrees of freedom and suggest a new method for controllable coupling of distant qubits, a key step toward quantum computation.     

Four-qubit device with mixed couplings

We present the first experimental results on a device with more than two superconducting qubits. The circuit consists of four three-junction flux qubits, with simultaneous ferro- and antiferromagnetic coupling implemented using shared Josephson junctions. Its response, which is dominated by the ground state, is characterized using low-frequency impedance measurement with a superconducting tank circuit coupled to the qubits. The results are found to be in excellent agreement with the quantum-mechanical predictions.     

Generation of Perfectly Entangled Two and Three Qubits States by Classical Random Interaction

This study examines the possibility of finding perfect entanglers for a Hamiltonian which corresponds to several quantum information platforms of interest at the present time. However, in this study, a superconducting circuit is used that stands out from other quantum-computing devices, especially because transmon qubits can be coupled via capacitors or microwave cavities, which enables to combine high coherence, fast gates, and high flexibility in its design parameters. There are currently two factors limiting the performance of superconducting processors: timing mismatch and the limitation of entangling gates to two qubits. In this work, a two-qubit SWAP and a three-qubit Fredkin gate is presented, additionally, a perfect adiabatic entanglement generation between two and three programmable superconducting qubits is also demonstrated. Furthermore, the impact of random dephasing, emission, and absorption noises on the quantum gates and entanglement is also demonstrated in this study. It is demonstrated by numerical simulation that CSWAP gate and W-state generation can be achieved perfectly in one step with high reliability under weak coupling conditions. Hence, this scheme could contribute to quantum teleportation, quantum communication, and some other areas of quantum information processing.     

Scalable quantum computing with Josephson charge qubits

A goal of quantum information technology is to control the quantum state of a system, including its preparation, manipulation, and measurement. However, scalability to many qubits and controlled con-nectivity between any selected qubits are two of the major stumbling blocks to achieve quantum com-puting (QC). Here we propose an experimental method, using Josephson charge qubits, to efficiently solve these two central problems. The proposed QC architecture is scalable since any two charge qubits can be effectively coupled by an experimentally accessible inductance. More importantly, we formulate an efficient and realizable QC scheme that requires only one (instead of two or more) two-bit operation to implement conditional gates.