Driving quantum systems periodically in time plays an essential role in the coherent control of quantum states. The rotating-wave approximation (RWA) is a good approximation technique for weak and nearly resonance driven fields. However, these experiments sometimes require large detuning and strong driving fields, for which the RWA may not hold. In this work, we experimentally, numerically, and analytically explore strongly driven two-mode Josephson circuits in the regime of strong driving and large detuning. Specifically, we investigate beam-splitter and two-mode squeezing interaction between the two modes induced by driving a two-photon sideband transition. Using numerical simulations, we observe that the RWA is unable to correctly capture the amplitude of the sideband transition rates. We verify this finding using an analytical model that is based on perturbative corrections. We find that the breakdown of the RWA in the regime studied does not lead to qualitatively different dynamics, but gives the same results as the RWA theory at higher drive strengths, enhancing the coupling rates compared to what one would predict. This is an interesting consequence compared to the carrier transition case, where the breakdown of the RWA results in qualitatively different time evolution of the quantum state. Our work provides an insight into the behavior of time-periodically driven systems beyond the RWA. We also provide a robust theoretical framework for including these findings in the calculation and calibration of quantum protocols in circuit quantum electrodynamics.
Driving quantum systems periodically in time plays an essential role in the coherent control of quantum states. The rotating-wave approximation (RWA) is a good approximation technique for weak and nearly resonance driven fields. However, these experiments sometimes require large detuning and strong driving fields, for which the RWA may not hold. In this work, we experimentally, numerically, and analytically explore strongly driven two-mode Josephson circuits in the regime of strong driving and large detuning. Specifically, we investigate beam-splitter and two-mode squeezing interaction between the two modes induced by driving a two-photon sideband transition. Using numerical simulations, we observe that the RWA is unable to correctly capture the amplitude of the sideband transition rates. We verify this finding using an analytical model that is based on perturbative corrections. We find that the breakdown of the RWA in the regime studied does not lead to qualitatively different dynamics, but gives the same results as the RWA theory at higher drive strengths, enhancing the coupling rates compared to what one would predict. This is an interesting consequence compared to the carrier transition case, where the breakdown of the RWA results in qualitatively different time evolution of the quantum state. Our work provides an insight into the behavior of time-periodically driven systems beyond the RWA. We also provide a robust theoretical framework for including these findings in the calculation and calibration of quantum protocols in circuit quantum electrodynamics.
In this work, I investigate how to implement and quantify \\emph{in-situ} tunable quantum interface between superconducting qubits and resonators using external transverse driving fields beyond the rotating wave approximation (RWA). When studying the system under the time-periodic driving field, we typically rely on RWA, a useful technique that significantly reduces the analytical difficulties in solving the dynamics with time-dependent Hamiltonian. Nonetheless, it does not correctly describe the systems' dynamics when the drive fields are excessively strong and far off-resonant. Especially in circuit QED platform, the RWA often breakdowns. Many studies before, however, mainly focus on the transition frequency shifts. How the RWA distorts the interaction rates between two systems has been rarely explored. I have performed quantitative studies over two different systems. One is the quantum Rabi model (QRM) where a two-level atom is dispersively coupled to a resonator mode. The other is dispersively coupled a transmon and resonator system, which is the same as the QRM except that the transmon replaces the two-level atom in QRM. In both cases, I have revealed that the RWA significantly mislead the sideband transition rates between two elements. In the latter case, I have performed the experiments, and the results nicely agree with the analytical and numerical calculations. In addition to these, I also have introduced a study where the tunable coupling between a transmon and resonator is used for non-invasive resonator probing.
In this paper, we analytically and numerically study the sideband interaction dynamics of the driven quantum Rabi model (QRM). We focus in particular on the conditions when the external transverse drive fields induce first-order sideband interactions. Inducing sideband interactions between two different systems is an essential technique for various physical models, including the QRM. However, despite its importance, a precise analytical study has not been reported yet that successfully explains the sideband interaction rates in a driven QRM applicable for all system parameter configurations. In our paper, we analytically derive the sideband interaction rates based on second-order perturbation theory, not relying on the rotating wave approximation (RWA). Our formula are valid for all ranges of drive frequencies and system's parameters. Our analytical derived formula agrees well with the numerical results in a regime of moderate drive amplitudes. Interestingly, we have found a nontrivial longitudinal drive effect derived from the transverse drive Hamiltonian. This accounts for significant corrections to the sideband interaction rates that are expected without considering the derived longitudinal effect. Using this approach, one can precisely estimate the sideband interaction rates in the QRM not confining themselves within specific parameter regimes for moderate drive amplitudes. This provides important contributions for quantitatively understanding experiments described by the driven QRM.
Single-qubit quantum gates are implemented as the time-controlled unitary evolution of a two-level system under harmonic driving. The rotating-wave approximation (RWA) provides closed-form gate parameters for weak coupling. Larger amplitudes, desirable to speed up the dynamics, make the RWA-designed gates inaccurate because of the neglected counter-rotating term, which also shifts the resonance (Bloch-Siegert shift). Here we study theoretically the infidelity of gates beyond the RWA, using the effective Magnus-Taylor Hamiltonian through second order in the inverse of the driving frequency. By detuning the driving frequency by an amplitude-dependent shift of Bloch-Siegert type and rescaling the operation time, the RWA gate conditions are recovered with corrected parameters. Numerical solutions of the Schrodinger equation show that these corrections lower the gate infidelity by several orders of magnitude, extending the range of usable amplitudes
In many quantum platforms, single-qubit gates are applied using a linear drive resonant with the qubit transition frequency, which is often theoretically described within the rotating-wave approximation (RWA). However, for fast gates on low-frequency qubits, the RWA may not hold and we need to consider the contribution from counterrotating terms to the qubit dynamics. The inclusion of counterrotating terms into the theoretical description gives rise to two challenges. First, it becomes challenging to analytically calculate the time evolution as the Hamiltonian is no longer self-commuting. Moreover, the time evolution now depends on the carrier phase such that, in general, every operation in a sequence of gates is different. In this work, we derive and verify a correction to the drive pulses that minimizes the effect of these counterrotating terms in a two-level system. We then derive a second correction term that arises from noncomputational levels for a strongly anharmonic system. We experimentally implement these correction terms on a fluxonium superconducting qubit, which is an example of a strongly anharmonic, low-frequency qubit for which the RWA may not hold, and demonstrate how fast, high-fidelity single-qubit gates can be achieved without the need for additional hardware and calibration complexities.
The model of a two-level system (TLS) coupled to a harmonic oscillator has found a widespread application in physics and chemistry. In this thesis we focus on the field of circuit quantum electrodynamics where the TLS stands for a quantum bit (qubit), which is the basic building unit of a potential quantum computer, and the oscillator represents a transmission-line resonator, which can be used, e.g., to store information contained on the qubit or for communication between several qubits. Furthermore, the oscillator can model a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) determining the state of the qubit. In first experimental realizations the coupling between the qubit and the oscillator was small compared to characteristic frequencies of the two devices. In such a situation the Jaynes-Cummings model provides a realistic and completely analytical description of the energy spectrum and the dynamics of the setup. However, it relies on a rotating-wave approximation (RWA) which neglects counter-rotating terms in the full qubit-oscillator Hamiltonian. These counter-rotating terms become important under increase of the coupling strength, as it has been achieved in recent experiments. We present two analytical approaches to take these additional contributions into account: The first one treats the qubit-oscillator Hamiltonian perturbatively in the coupling strength and predicts a frequency shift in its energy spectrum, the Bloch-Siegert shift. The second one considers the qubit's tunneling splitting as small parameter and thus treats the problem to all orders in the coupling allowing to enter the ultrastrong coupling regime, where the coupling strength becomes comparable to the qubit's and/or oscillator's frequency. For both cases we give a thorough analysis of the qubit's dynamics. In order to perform operations the qubit is usually probed by an external driving force. We model this situation by coupling the TLS to a classical oscillator and examine the resulting time dependent Hamiltonian using a combination of Floquet theory and Van Vleck perturbation theory. Thus, we provide an analysis of the qubit's energy spectrum and dynamics which is nonperturbative in the driving amplitude. We investigate effects like coherent destruction of tunneling and driving-inducing tunneling oscillations. By coupling the driven TLS to a quantized oscillator we give for the first time an analytical treatment of the qubit-oscillator system being simultaneously exposed to both ultrastrong coupling and extreme driving. We observe interesting phenomena in the dynamics like the suppression of specific frequencies under a variation of the coupling strength. To mimic environmental influences on the qubit we apply the Caldeira-Leggett master equation approach to the driven TLS and to the qubit-oscillator system and provide for both cases analytical expressions for the relaxation and dephasing rates.
We consider a simple model of a Josephson junction phase qubit coupled to a solid-state nanoelectromechanical resonator. This and many related qubit-resonator models are analogous to an atom in an electromagnetic cavity. When the systems are weakly coupled and nearly resonant, the dynamics is accurately described by the rotating-wave approximation (RWA) or the Jaynes-Cummings model of quantum optics. However, the desire to develop faster quantum-information-processing protocols necessitates approximate, yet analytic descriptions that are valid for more strongly coupled qubit-resonator systems. Here we present a simple theoretical technique, using a basis of dressed states, to perturbatively account for the leading-order corrections to the RWA. By comparison with exact numerical results, we demonstrate that the method is accurate for moderately strong coupling and provides a useful theoretical tool for describing fast quantum information processing. The method applies to any quantum two-level system linearly coupled to a harmonic oscillator or single-mode boson field.