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arXiv:0909.4087 · Physical Review Letters

Metastable Superconducting Qubit

Andrew J. Kerman

Published Jan 11, 2010• 33 citations
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Abstract

We propose a superconducting qubit design, based on a tunable rf SQUID and nanowire kinetic inductors, which has a dramatically reduced transverse electromagnetic coupling to its environment, so that its excited state should be metastable. If electromagnetic interactions are in fact responsible for the current excited-state decay rates of superconducting qubits, this design should result in a qubit lifetime orders of magnitude longer than currently possible. Furthermore, since accurate manipulation and readout of superconducting qubits is currently limited by spontaneous decay, much higher fidelities may be realizable with this design.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.104.027002

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We propose a superconducting qubit design, based on a tunable rf SQUID and nanowire kinetic inductors, which has a dramatically reduced transverse electromagnetic coupling to its environment, so that its excited state should be metastable. If electromagnetic interactions are in fact responsible for the current excited-state decay rates of superconducting qubits, this design should result in a qubit lifetime orders of magnitude longer than currently possible. Furthermore, since accurate manipulation and readout of superconducting qubits is currently limited by spontaneous decay, much higher fidelities may be realizable with this design.
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We use a flux-biased radio frequency superconducting quantum interference device (rf SQUID) with an embedded flux-biased direct current SQUID to generate strong resonant and nonresonant tunable interactions between a phase qubit and a lumped-element resonator. The rf SQUID creates a tunable magnetic susceptibility between the qubit and resonator providing resonant coupling strengths from zero to near the ultrastrong coupling regime. By modulating the magnetic susceptibility, nonresonant parametric coupling achieves rates >100 MHz. Nonlinearity of the magnetic susceptibility also leads to parametric coupling at the subharmonics of the qubit-resonator detuning.
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Abstract Here we consider a tunable superconducting cavity that can be used either as a tunable coupler to a qubit inside the cavity or as a tunable low noise, low temperature, RF filter. Our design consists of an array of radio-frequency superconducting quantum interference devices (rf SQUIDs) inside a superconducting cavity. This forms a tunable metamaterial structure which couples to the cavity through its magnetic plasma frequency. By tuning the resonant frequency of the metamaterial through an applied magnetic flux, one can tune the cavity mode profile. This allows us to detune the cavity initially centered at 5.593 GHz by over 200 MHz. The maximum quality factor approaches that of the empty cavity, which is 4.5 × 106. The metamaterial electromagnetic response is controlled via a low-frequency or dc magnetic flux bias, and we present a control line architecture that is capable of applying sufficient magnetic flux bias with minimal parasitic coupling. Together this design allows for an in-situ tunable cavity which enables low-temperature quantum control applications.
An improved tunable coupling element for building networks of coupled rf-superconducting quantum interference device (rf-SQUID) flux qubits has been experimentally demonstrated. This new form of coupler, based on the compound Josephson-junction rf-SQUID, provides a sign and magnitude tunable mutual inductance between qubits with minimal nonlinear crosstalk from the coupler tuning parameter into the qubits. Quantitative agreement is shown between an effective one-dimensional model of the coupler's potential and measurements of the coupler persistent current and susceptibility.
The rapid development in designs and fabrication techniques of superconducting qubits has made coherence times of qubits longer. In the future, however, the radiative decay of a qubit into its control line will be a fundamental limitation, imposing a trade-off between fast control and long lifetime of the qubit. Here, we break this trade-off by strongly coupling another superconducting qubit along the control line. This second qubit, which we call "Josephson quantum filter" (JQF), prevents the first qubit from emitting microwave photons and thus suppresses its relaxation, while transmitting large-amplitude control microwave pulses due to the saturation of the quantum filter, enabling fast qubit control. This device functions as an automatic decoupler between a qubit and its control line and could help in the realization of a large-scale superconducting quantum processor by reducing the heating of the qubit environment and the crosstalk between qubits.