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arXiv:2009.08863 · Physical Review Letters

Efficient Qubit Measurement with a Nonreciprocal Microwave Amplifier

Florent Lecocq, Leonardo Ranzani, G. A. Peterson, Katarina Cicak, X. Y. Jin, Raymond W. Simmonds, John D. Teufel, José Aumentado

Published Jan 13, 2021• 30 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The act of observing a quantum object fundamentally perturbs its state, resulting in a random walk toward an eigenstate of the measurement operator. Ideally, the measurement is responsible for all dephasing of the quantum state. In practice, imperfections in the measurement apparatus limit or corrupt the flow of information required for quantum feedback protocols, an effect quantified by the measurement efficiency. Here, we demonstrate the efficient measurement of a superconducting qubit using a nonreciprocal parametric amplifier to directly monitor the microwave field of a readout cavity. By mitigating the losses between the cavity and the amplifier, we achieve a measurement efficiency of (72±4)%. The directionality of the amplifier protects the readout cavity and qubit from excess backaction caused by amplified vacuum fluctuations. In addition to providing tools for further improving the fidelity of strong projective measurement, this work creates a test bed for the experimental study of ideal weak measurements, and it opens the way toward quantum feedback protocols based on weak measurement such as state stabilization or error correction.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.126.020502

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The act of observing a quantum object fundamentally perturbs its state, resulting in a random walk toward an eigenstate of the measurement operator. Ideally, the measurement is responsible for all dephasing of the quantum state. In practice, imperfections in the measurement apparatus limit or corrupt the flow of information required for quantum feedback protocols, an effect quantified by the measurement efficiency. Here, we demonstrate the efficient measurement of a superconducting qubit using a nonreciprocal parametric amplifier to directly monitor the microwave field of a readout cavity. By mitigating the losses between the cavity and the amplifier, we achieve a measurement efficiency of (72±4)%. The directionality of the amplifier protects the readout cavity and qubit from excess backaction caused by amplified vacuum fluctuations. In addition to providing tools for further improving the fidelity of strong projective measurement, this work creates a test bed for the experimental study of ideal weak measurements, and it opens the way toward quantum feedback protocols based on weak measurement such as state stabilization or error correction.
The measurement of a quantum system is often performed by encoding its state in a single observable of a light field. The measurement efficiency of this observable can be reduced by loss or excess noise on the way to the detector. Even a quantum-limited detector that simultaneously measures a second noncommuting observable would double the output noise, therefore limiting the efficiency to $50\mathrm{%}$. At microwave frequencies, an ideal measurement efficiency can be achieved by noiselessly amplifying the information-carrying quadrature of the light field but this has remained an experimental challenge. Indeed, while state-of-the-art Josephson-junction-based parametric amplifiers can perform an ideal single-quadrature measurement, they require lossy ferrite circulators in the signal path, drastically decreasing the overall efficiency. In this paper, we present a nonreciprocal parametric amplifier that combines single-quadrature measurement and directionality without the use of strong external magnetic fields. We extract a measurement efficiency of ${62}_{\ensuremath{-}9}^{+17}\mathrm{%}$ that exceeds the quantum limit and that is not limited by fundamental factors. The amplifier can be readily integrated with superconducting devices, creating a path for ideal measurements of quantum bits and mechanical oscillators.
High fidelity qubit readout is a cornerstone for quantum information protocols. In traditional superconducting qubit readout, a chain of microwave amplifiers and nonreciprocal components aid in detecting the qubit's state with tolerable added noise and backaction. However, the loss, size, and magnetic field of standard nonreciprocal components have sparked a decades-long search for more efficient and scalable alternatives. One prominent approach employs networks of parametrically coupled modes to achieve nonreciprocity. While this class of devices can be directly integrated with the qubit's readout cavity, current understanding of the resulting single quantum system is substantially lacking. Here we provide a first-principles theoretical tool to understand and design networks of linear modes integrated with embedded qubits. We utilize this theory to inform and analyze the experimental implementation of a qubit readout with an integrated three-mode nonreciprocal system. In doing so, we achieve excellent agreement between the experimental and theoretical qubit measurement and dephasing rates. We then theoretically analyze the same system operated as an integrated nonreciprocal amplifier, predicting high efficiency for reasonable experimental parameters.
The measurement of a quantum system is often performed by encoding its state in a single observable of a light field. The measurement efficiency of this observable can be reduced by loss or excess noise on the way to the detector. Even a quantum-limited detector that simultaneously measures a second noncommuting observable would double the output noise, therefore limiting the efficiency to 50%. At microwave frequencies, an ideal measurement efficiency can be achieved by noiselessly amplifying the information-carrying quadrature of the light field but this has remained an experimental challenge. Indeed, while state-of-the-art Josephson-junction-based parametric amplifiers can perform an ideal single-quadrature measurement, they require lossy ferrite circulators in the signal path, drastically decreasing the overall efficiency. In this paper, we present a nonreciprocal parametric amplifier that combines single-quadrature measurement and directionality without the use of strong external magnetic fields. We extract a measurement efficiency of 62+17−9% that exceeds the quantum limit and that is not limited by fundamental factors. The amplifier can be readily integrated with superconducting devices, creating a path for ideal measurements of quantum bits and mechanical oscillators.
Real-time monitoring of a quantum state provides powerful tools for studying the backaction of quantum measurement and performing quantum feedback. Historically, this monitoring capability has been the exclusive province of atomic and optical physics. This thesis describes the implementation of the first such high-fidelity readout scheme in a solid state circuit, a superconducting quantum bit (qubit) coupled to a microwave cavity in the circuit quantum electrodynamics (circuit QED) architecture. The qubit-state-dependent resonance frequency of the cavity is probed with a microwave drive tone, and the resulting signal amplified using a fast, ultralow-noise superconducting parametric amplifier. This arrangement enables the observation of quantum jumps between the qubit states in real time. The ability to monitor the qubit continuously with high fidelity and resolve quantum jumps can be used to investigate the backaction of the measurement process on the qubit. This thesis examines the quantum Zeno effect--where strong measurement inhibits the evolution of a quantum system-- as well as the transition to non-ideal measurement with increasing measurement strength in the circuit QED architecture, a phenomenon shown to be due to the upconversion of low-frequency dephasing noise. These data allow probes of ``universal'' flux noise in previously inaccessible frequency ranges. The work presented here opens the door for quantum feedback and error correction in solid-state quantum systems using continuous weak measurement.
Quantum measurements play a central role in quantum information processing. Understanding the mechanism of the quantum measurements is essential to both improve the visibility of the readout and decrease the projection error during measurement. Here, we describe and demonstrate an experimental protocol for quantifying a measurement backaction when we readout a superconducting flux qubit using a Josephson bifurcation amplifier. The coupling with the Josephson bifurcation amplifier induces a dephasing on the flux qubit during the readout. We have succeeded in estimating and controlling the strength of such a measurement-induced dephasing by changing the pulse height of the microwave driving. Our results are crucial for designing a suitable quantum readout technique for the realization of practical quantum devices.
We measure the state of a superconducting quantum bit (qubit) coupled to a microwave cavity by scattering a microwave signal from the cavity. The scattered signal is amplified using a low-noise Josephson parametric amplifier. We carried out measurements to infer the coherence properties of the qubit. In the strong measurement regime, we observe quantum jumps between the qubit states in real time, while we observe stochastic quantum trajectories in the weak measurement regime. The coherence times and measurement fidelity obtained are sufficient for implementing quantum error correction.