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arXiv:1504.06883 · Physical Review Applied

Transient Dynamics of a Superconducting Nonlinear Oscillator

P. Bhupathi, Peter Groszkowski, M. P. DeFeo, Matthew Ware, Frank K. Wilhelm, B. L. T. Plourde

Published Feb 1, 2016• 12 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) are used across physics and engineering, from amplification to detecting tiny magnetic fields to quantum computing. In many applications the SQUID's steady-state response is of interest, but here the authors measure and model the $t\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}r\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}a\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}n\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}s\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}i\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}e\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}n\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}t$ response to short bursts of radiation. The resulting ringdown oscillations in voltage decay over time, with a rich structure that may be particularly useful in discriminating weak magnetic fluxes---in qubits, for example.

DOI
10.1103/physrevapplied.5.024002

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Superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) are used across physics and engineering, from amplification to detecting tiny magnetic fields to quantum computing. In many applications the SQUID's steady-state response is of interest, but here the authors measure and model the t\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}r\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}a\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}n\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}s\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}i\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}e\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}n\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}t response to short bursts of radiation. The resulting ringdown oscillations in voltage decay over time, with a rich structure that may be particularly useful in discriminating weak magnetic fluxes---in qubits, for example.
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Recent experiments on superconducting flux qubits, consisting of a superconducting loop interrupted by Josephson junctions, have demonstrated quantum coherence between two different quantum states. The state of the qubit is measured with a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). Such measurements require the SQUID to have high resolution while exerting minimal backaction on the qubit. By designing shunts across the SQUID junctions appropriately, one can improve the measurement resolution without increasing the backaction significantly. Using a path-integral approach to analyze the Caldeira-Leggett model, we calculate the narrowing of the distribution of the switching events from the zero-voltage state of the SQUID for arbitrary shunt admittances, focusing on shunts consisting of a capacitance Cs{C}_{s}Cs​ and resistance Rs{R}_{s}Rs​ in series. To test this model, we fabricated a dc SQUID in which each junction is shunted with a thin-film interdigitated capacitor in series with a resistor, and measured the switching distribution as a function of temperature and applied magnetic flux. After accounting for the damping due to the SQUID leads, we found good agreement between the measured escape rates and the predictions of our model. We analyze the backaction of a shunted symmetric SQUID on a flux qubit. For the given parameters of our SQUID and realistic parameters for a flux qubit, at the degeneracy point we find a relaxation time of $113\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{s}$, which limits the decoherence time to $226\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{s}$. Based on our analysis of the escape process, we determine that a SQUID with purely capacitive shunts should have narrow switching distributions and no dissipation.
We propose a generalization of dispersive qubit readout that provides the time evolution of a flux qubit observable. Our proposal relies on the nonlinear coupling of the qubit to a harmonic oscillator with high frequency, representing a dc superconducting quantum interference device. Information about the qubit dynamics is obtained by recording the oscillator response to resonant driving and subsequent lock-in detection. The measurement process is simulated for the example of coherent qubit oscillations. This corroborates the underlying measurement relation and also reveals that the measurement scheme possesses low backaction and high fidelity.
This thesis describes the development of low Tc superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) based on the relaxation oscillation principle. SQUIDs are the most sensitive magnetic flux sensors available nowadays. As they can detect very accurately any physical quantity that can be converted to a magnetic flux, their field of applications is wide-ranging. Examples of applications are the detection of the tiny magnetic fields generated by the human brain, the measurement of voltages in the picovolt range and the readout of cryogenic particle detectors.
In this licentiate thesis, I present the design, fabrication, and characterization of superconducting parametric resonators, for use in quantum information processing. These devices are quarter-wavelength coplanar waveguide resonators (~5 GHz), terminated at one end by a non-linear inductance provided by a SQUID (superconducting quantum interference device). The SQUID acts as a flux-controlled boundary condition, which effectively changes the electrical length of the resonator. This enables the modulation of the resonant frequency by coupling microwave magnetic flux into the SQUID, using on-chip transmission lines. The modulation occurs on a timescale much faster than the photon loss out of the resonator. The non-linearity provides several different regimes for operating this device. I focused on the parametric regime, in which the non-linear element was being modulated (pumped) at or near twice the resonant frequency. This pumping can lead to amplification and frequency conversion of an incoming signal. It can also give rise to instabilities and self-oscillations "parametric oscillations" - that is, the generation of an intense electric field in the resonator (the creation of photons). Parametric oscillations set in when the pumping strength exceeds a threshold value, and also depends on the pump-frequency detuning from twice the resonance and on the static flux through the SQUID. I characterized the devices over a wide parameter range by doing homodyne detection of the reflected signal or of the emitted field oscillations. In particular, I investigated the damping and two leading nonlinearities, dominating in different operating regimes, which influence the dynamics of the parametric resonator. First, I extracted the Duffing nonlinearity by studying the line width of the resonator as a function of the input signal (without pumping the SQUID). Second, with high pump amplitude, I extracted the pump-induced nonlinearity by determining the threshold parameters (pump amplitude and detuning) for the onset of parametric oscillations; this nonlinearity leads to the generation of higher-order pump terms that complicate the system dynamics, but can be mitigated now that they have been understood. My results validate a recent theoretical model for the classical, non-linear dynamics of parametric resonance, and helps determine workable design parameters. Finally, I helped develop a linearized model −-− the "pumpistor" - describing this device in terms of a flux-controlled impedance. This will be useful when designing more complex circuits. One goal of this work is to demonstrate single-shot measurements on superconducting qubits (quantum bits of information). We will use the parametric resonator as a threshold discriminator, associating the qubit's two energy eigenstates with the parametric oscillations either turning on or not. This would be a very useful device in the quantum engineer's toolbox when designing systems for quantum information processing and communication.
We study the detection of very weak time-periodic magnetic signals via a double-junction (dc) Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID). The device, represented by two coupled nonlinear differential equations for the quantum mechanical junction phase differences, admits long-time static or oscillatory solutions, the transition between them being easily controlled by experimentally accessible parameters. Gain is maximal when the device is tuned to the onset of the oscillatory solutions; i.e., when the minima in the 2D potential function disappear. We concentrate on the SQUID dynamics near this critical point and compute the oscillation frequency via a center manifold reduction of the full 2D dynamics. Knowing this frequency permits its exploitation as a detection/classification tool in magnetic remote sensing applications.