An interaction-free measurement protocol is described for a quantum circuit consisting of a superconducting qubit and a readout Josephson junction. By measuring the state of the qubit, one can ascertain the presence of a current pulse through the circuit at a previous time without any energy exchange between the qubit and the pulse.
We discuss the current situation concerning measurement and readout of Josephson-junction based qubits. In particular, we focus attention on dispersive low-dissipation techniques involving reflection of radiation from an oscillator circuit coupled to a qubit, allowing single-shot determination of the state of the qubit. In particular, we develop a formalism describing a charge qubit read out by measuring its effective (quantum) capacitance. To exemplify, we also give explicit formulas for the readout time.
An experiment demonstrating a link between classical single-flux quantum digital logic and a superconducting quantum circuit is reported. We implement coupling between a moving Josephson vortex (fluxon) and a flux qubit by reading out of a state of the flux qubit through a frequency shift of the fluxon oscillations in an annular Josephson junction. The energy spectrum of the flux qubit is measured using this technique. The implemented hybrid scheme opens an opportunity to readout quantum states of superconducting qubits with the classical fluxon logic circuits.
We discuss the current situation concerning measurement and readout of Josephson-junction based qubits. In particular, we focus attention on dispersive low-dissipation techniques involving reflection of radiation from an oscillator circuit coupled to a qubit, allowing single-shot determination of the state of the qubit. In particular, we develop a formalism describing a charge qubit read out by measuring its effective (quantum) capacitance. To exemplify, we also give explicit formulas for the readout time.
We present a readout scheme for phase qubits which eliminates the read-out superconducting quantum interference device so that the entire qubit and measurement circuitry only require a single Josephson junction. Our scheme capacitively couples the phase qubit directly to a transmission line and detects its state after the measurement pulse by determining a frequency shift observable in the forward scattering parameter of the readout microwaves. This readout is extendable to multiple phase qubits coupled to a common readout line and can in principle be used for other flux biased qubits having two quasistable readout configurations.
The interaction-free measurement is a fundamental quantum effect whereby the presence of a photosensitive object is determined without irreversible photon absorption. Here we propose the concept of coherent interaction-free detection and demonstrate it experimentally using a three-level superconducting transmon circuit. In contrast to standard interaction-free measurement setups, where the dynamics involves a series of projection operations, our protocol employs a fully coherent evolution that results, surprisingly, in a higher probability of success. We show that it is possible to ascertain the presence of a microwave pulse resonant with the second transition of the transmon, while at the same time avoid exciting the device onto the third level. Experimentally, this is done by using a series of Ramsey microwave pulses coupled into the first transition and monitoring the ground-state population.
Superconducting qubits are Josephson junction-based circuits that exhibit macroscopic quantum behavior and can be manipulated as artificial atoms. Benefiting from the well-developed technology of microfabrication and microwave engineering, superconducting qubits have great advantages in design flexibility, controllability, and scalability. Over the past decade, there has been rapid progress in the field, which greatly improved our understanding of qubit decoherence and circuit optimization. The single-qubit coherence time has been steadily raised to the order of 10 to 100 μs, allowing for the demonstration of high-fidelity gate operations and measurement-based feedback control. Here we review recent progress in the coherence and readout of superconducting qubits.