Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:2205.04155 · Physical Review A

Robust, fast, and high-fidelity composite single-qubit gates for superconducting transmon qubits

Hristo G. Tonchev, Boyan T. Torosov, Nikolay V. Vitanov

Published Jun 16, 2025• 5 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We introduce a novel quantum control method for superconducting transmon qubits that substantially outperforms conventional techniques in precision and robustness against coherent errors. Our approach leverages composite pulses (CP) to effectively mitigate system-specific errors, such as qubit frequency and anharmonicity variations. By utilizing CP, we demonstrate both complete and partial population transfers between qubit states, as well as the implementation of two essential single-qubit quantum gates. Simulations reveal substantial reductions in common error rates and gate durations. The effectiveness of our method is validated through four independent verification techniques, underscoring its potential for advancing quantum computing with superconducting qubits.

DOI
10.1103/s7h1-lqc1

Related papers

Optimal robust single-qubit gates in superconducting quantum processors

Tangyou Huang, Anuj Aggarwal, Jingjun Zhu +11 more

Fault-tolerant quantum computing requires high-fidelity quantum gates that are resilient to control errors and device imperfections. Here, we develop energy-optimal control pulses for single-qubit gates that are simultaneously robust against frequency detuning and waveform inhomogeneities while also suppressing leakage outside the computational subspace. Combining the optimized pulse envelopes with an adaptive control scheme, we experimentally demonstrate optimal robust gates on a superconducting quantum processor. For a gate duration of 90ns, we achieve fidelities above 99.9% for the X gate and 99.6% for Hadamard-type gates. For the X gate, we maintain fidelities above 99.5% for simultaneous drive-amplitude variations up to 20% and qubit detuning up to 4 MHz. This robustness outperforms that of conventional Gaussian pulses by an order of magnitude, without much difference in peak gate fidelity. These results establish a route towards robust single-qubit control in large-scale quantum processors, advancing the development of fault-tolerant quantum computing.

quant-pharXiv:2610.24212•Oct 20, 2026•0 citations

Robust single-qubit gates by composite pulses in three-level systems

Zhi‐Cheng Shi, Hai-Ning Wu, Li-Tuo Shen +4 more

Composite pulses are an efficient tool for robust quantum control. In this work, we derive the form of the composite pulse sequence to implement robust single-qubit gates in a three-level system, where two low-energy levels act as a qubit. The composite pulses can efficiently cancel the systematic errors up to a certain order. We find that the three-pulse sequence cannot completely eliminate the first order of systematic errors, but still availably makes the fidelity resistant to variations in a specific direction. When employing more pulses in the sequence ($N>3$), the fidelity can be insensitive to the variations in all directions and the robustness region becomes much wider. Finally we demonstrate the applications of composite pulses in quantum information processing, e.g., robust quantum information transfer between two qubits.

arXiv:2012.02330•Physical Review A•May 25, 2021•35 citations

Leakage reduction in fast superconducting qubit gates via optimal control

M. Werninghaus, D. J. Egger, F. Roy +3 more

Abstract Reaching high-speed, high-fidelity qubit operations requires precise control over the shape of the underlying pulses. For weakly anharmonic systems, such as superconducting transmon qubits, short gates lead to leakage to states outside of the computational subspace. Control pulses designed with open-loop optimal control may reduce such leakage. However, model inaccuracies can severely limit the usability of such pulses. We implemented a closed-loop optimization that simultaneously adapts all control parameters based on measurements of a cost function built from Clifford gates. We directly optimize the amplitude and phase of each sample point of the digitized control pulse. We thereby fully exploit the capabilities of the pulse generation electronics and create a 4.16 ns single-qubit pulse with 99.76 % fidelity and 0.044 % leakage. This is a sevenfold reduction of the leakage rate and a threefold reduction in standard errors of the best DRAG pulse we have calibrated at such short durations on the same system.

arXiv:2003.05952•npj Quantum Information•Jan 29, 2021•192 citations

A universal quantum gate set for transmon qubits with strong ZZ interactions

Junling Long, Tongyu Zhao, Mustafa Bal +13 more

High-fidelity single- and two-qubit gates are essential building blocks for a fault-tolerant quantum computer. While there has been much progress in suppressing single-qubit gate errors in superconducting qubit systems, two-qubit gates still suffer from error rates that are orders of magnitude higher. One limiting factor is the residual ZZ-interaction, which originates from a coupling between computational states and higher-energy states. While this interaction is usually viewed as a nuisance, here we experimentally demonstrate that it can be exploited to produce a universal set of fast single- and two-qubit entangling gates in a coupled transmon qubit system. To implement arbitrary single-qubit rotations, we design a new protocol called the two-axis gate that is based on a three-part composite pulse. It rotates a single qubit independently of the state of the other qubit despite the strong ZZ-coupling. We achieve single-qubit gate fidelities as high as 99.1% from randomized benchmarking measurements. We then demonstrate both a CZ gate and a CNOT gate. Because the system has a strong ZZ-interaction, a CZ gate can be achieved by letting the system freely evolve for a gate time $t_g=53.8$ ns. To design the CNOT gate, we utilize an analytical microwave pulse shape based on the SWIPHT protocol for realizing fast, low-leakage gates. We obtain fidelities of 94.6% and 97.8% for the CNOT and CZ gates respectively from quantum progress tomography.

arXiv:2103.12305•Mar 23, 2021•7 citations

Superconducting Qubit Gates Robust to Parameter Fluctuations

Emily Wright, Leo Van Damme, Niklas J. Glaser +14 more

State-of-the-art single-qubit gates on superconducting transmon qubits can achieve the fidelities required for error-corrected computations. However, parameter fluctuations due to qubit instabilities, environmental changes, and control inaccuracies make it difficult to maintain this performance. To mitigate the effects of these parameter variations, we numerically derive gates robust to amplitude and frequency errors using gradient ascent pulse engineering (GRAPE). We analyze how fluctuations in qubit frequency, drive amplitude, and coherence affect gate performance over time. The robust pulses suppress coherent errors from drive amplitude drifts over 15 times more than a Gaussian pulse with derivative removal by adiabatic gate (DRAG) corrections. Furthermore, the robust gates, originally designed to compensate for quasi-static errors, also demonstrate resilience to stochastic, time-dependent noise, which is reflected in the dephasing time. They suppress added errors during increases in dephasing by up to 1.7 times more than DRAG.

quant-pharXiv:2511.22580•Physical Review Applied•Nov 28, 2025•2 citations

Multiplexed double-transmon coupler scheme in scalable superconducting quantum processor

Tianqi Cai, Chitong Chen, Kunliang Bu +7 more

Precise control of superconducting qubits is essential for advancing both quantum simulation and quantum error correction. Recently, transmon qubit systems employing the single-transmon coupler (STC) scheme have demonstrated high-fidelity single- and two-qubit gate operations by dynamically tuning the effective coupling between qubits. However, the integration of STCs increases the number of control lines, thereby posing a significant bottleneck for chip routing and scalability. To address this challenge, we propose a robust control line multiplexing scheme based on a double-transmon coupler (DTC) architecture, which enables shared coupler control lines to substantially reduce wiring complexity. Moreover, we experimentally verify that this multiplexed configuration efficiently suppresses undesirable static $ZZ$ coupling while maintaining accurate control over two-qubit gate operations. We further demonstrate the feasibility of the architecture through two distinct gate implementations: a fast coupler $Z$-control-based CZ gate and a parametric iSWAP gate. To validate the practical applicability of this multiplexing approach in quantum circuits, we prepare Bell and three-qubit GHZ states using the proposed scheme with fidelity exceeding 99% and 96%, respectively. This multiplexed DTC architecture offers significant potential to minimize wiring overhead in two-dimensional qubit arrays, thereby greatly enhancing the scalability of superconducting quantum processors.

quant-pharXiv:2511.02249•Nov 5, 2025•0 citations
We introduce a novel quantum control method for superconducting transmon qubits that substantially outperforms conventional techniques in precision and robustness against coherent errors. Our approach leverages composite pulses (CP) to effectively mitigate system-specific errors, such as qubit frequency and anharmonicity variations. By utilizing CP, we demonstrate both complete and partial population transfers between qubit states, as well as the implementation of two essential single-qubit quantum gates. Simulations reveal substantial reductions in common error rates and gate durations. The effectiveness of our method is validated through four independent verification techniques, underscoring its potential for advancing quantum computing with superconducting qubits.
Fault-tolerant quantum computing requires high-fidelity quantum gates that are resilient to control errors and device imperfections. Here, we develop energy-optimal control pulses for single-qubit gates that are simultaneously robust against frequency detuning and waveform inhomogeneities while also suppressing leakage outside the computational subspace. Combining the optimized pulse envelopes with an adaptive control scheme, we experimentally demonstrate optimal robust gates on a superconducting quantum processor. For a gate duration of 90ns, we achieve fidelities above 99.9% for the X gate and 99.6% for Hadamard-type gates. For the X gate, we maintain fidelities above 99.5% for simultaneous drive-amplitude variations up to 20% and qubit detuning up to 4 MHz. This robustness outperforms that of conventional Gaussian pulses by an order of magnitude, without much difference in peak gate fidelity. These results establish a route towards robust single-qubit control in large-scale quantum processors, advancing the development of fault-tolerant quantum computing.
Composite pulses are an efficient tool for robust quantum control. In this work, we derive the form of the composite pulse sequence to implement robust single-qubit gates in a three-level system, where two low-energy levels act as a qubit. The composite pulses can efficiently cancel the systematic errors up to a certain order. We find that the three-pulse sequence cannot completely eliminate the first order of systematic errors, but still availably makes the fidelity resistant to variations in a specific direction. When employing more pulses in the sequence (N>3N>3N>3), the fidelity can be insensitive to the variations in all directions and the robustness region becomes much wider. Finally we demonstrate the applications of composite pulses in quantum information processing, e.g., robust quantum information transfer between two qubits.
Abstract Reaching high-speed, high-fidelity qubit operations requires precise control over the shape of the underlying pulses. For weakly anharmonic systems, such as superconducting transmon qubits, short gates lead to leakage to states outside of the computational subspace. Control pulses designed with open-loop optimal control may reduce such leakage. However, model inaccuracies can severely limit the usability of such pulses. We implemented a closed-loop optimization that simultaneously adapts all control parameters based on measurements of a cost function built from Clifford gates. We directly optimize the amplitude and phase of each sample point of the digitized control pulse. We thereby fully exploit the capabilities of the pulse generation electronics and create a 4.16 ns single-qubit pulse with 99.76 % fidelity and 0.044 % leakage. This is a sevenfold reduction of the leakage rate and a threefold reduction in standard errors of the best DRAG pulse we have calibrated at such short durations on the same system.
High-fidelity single- and two-qubit gates are essential building blocks for a fault-tolerant quantum computer. While there has been much progress in suppressing single-qubit gate errors in superconducting qubit systems, two-qubit gates still suffer from error rates that are orders of magnitude higher. One limiting factor is the residual ZZ-interaction, which originates from a coupling between computational states and higher-energy states. While this interaction is usually viewed as a nuisance, here we experimentally demonstrate that it can be exploited to produce a universal set of fast single- and two-qubit entangling gates in a coupled transmon qubit system. To implement arbitrary single-qubit rotations, we design a new protocol called the two-axis gate that is based on a three-part composite pulse. It rotates a single qubit independently of the state of the other qubit despite the strong ZZ-coupling. We achieve single-qubit gate fidelities as high as 99.1% from randomized benchmarking measurements. We then demonstrate both a CZ gate and a CNOT gate. Because the system has a strong ZZ-interaction, a CZ gate can be achieved by letting the system freely evolve for a gate time tg=53.8t_g=53.8tg​=53.8 ns. To design the CNOT gate, we utilize an analytical microwave pulse shape based on the SWIPHT protocol for realizing fast, low-leakage gates. We obtain fidelities of 94.6% and 97.8% for the CNOT and CZ gates respectively from quantum progress tomography.
State-of-the-art single-qubit gates on superconducting transmon qubits can achieve the fidelities required for error-corrected computations. However, parameter fluctuations due to qubit instabilities, environmental changes, and control inaccuracies make it difficult to maintain this performance. To mitigate the effects of these parameter variations, we numerically derive gates robust to amplitude and frequency errors using gradient ascent pulse engineering (GRAPE). We analyze how fluctuations in qubit frequency, drive amplitude, and coherence affect gate performance over time. The robust pulses suppress coherent errors from drive amplitude drifts over 15 times more than a Gaussian pulse with derivative removal by adiabatic gate (DRAG) corrections. Furthermore, the robust gates, originally designed to compensate for quasi-static errors, also demonstrate resilience to stochastic, time-dependent noise, which is reflected in the dephasing time. They suppress added errors during increases in dephasing by up to 1.7 times more than DRAG.
Precise control of superconducting qubits is essential for advancing both quantum simulation and quantum error correction. Recently, transmon qubit systems employing the single-transmon coupler (STC) scheme have demonstrated high-fidelity single- and two-qubit gate operations by dynamically tuning the effective coupling between qubits. However, the integration of STCs increases the number of control lines, thereby posing a significant bottleneck for chip routing and scalability. To address this challenge, we propose a robust control line multiplexing scheme based on a double-transmon coupler (DTC) architecture, which enables shared coupler control lines to substantially reduce wiring complexity. Moreover, we experimentally verify that this multiplexed configuration efficiently suppresses undesirable static ZZZZZZ coupling while maintaining accurate control over two-qubit gate operations. We further demonstrate the feasibility of the architecture through two distinct gate implementations: a fast coupler ZZZ-control-based CZ gate and a parametric iSWAP gate. To validate the practical applicability of this multiplexing approach in quantum circuits, we prepare Bell and three-qubit GHZ states using the proposed scheme with fidelity exceeding 99% and 96%, respectively. This multiplexed DTC architecture offers significant potential to minimize wiring overhead in two-dimensional qubit arrays, thereby greatly enhancing the scalability of superconducting quantum processors.