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arXiv:2206.12467 · Physical Review A

Time-dependent Schrieffer-Wolff-Lindblad perturbation theory: Measurement-induced dephasing and second-order Stark shift in dispersive readout

Moein Malekakhlagh, Easwar Magesan, Luke C. G. Govia

Published Nov 1, 2022• 9 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We develop a time-dependent Schrieffer-Wolff-Lindblad perturbation theory to study effective interactions for driven open quantum systems. The starting point of our analysis is a given Lindblad equation, based on which we obtain an effective (averaged) map that describes the renormalization of both the Hamiltonian and collapse operators due to the drive. As a case study, we apply this method to the dispersive readout of a transmon qubit and derive an effective dispersive map that describes measurement-induced dephasing and Stark shift for the transmon. The effective map we derive is completely positive and trace preserving under adiabatic resonator response. To benchmark our method, we demonstrate good agreement with a numerical computation of the effective rates via the Lindbladian spectrum. Our results are also in agreement with, and extend upon, an earlier derivation of such effects by Gambetta et al. [Phys. Rev. A 74, 042318 (2006)] using the positive P representation for the resonator field.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.106.052601

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We develop a time-dependent Schrieffer-Wolff-Lindblad perturbation theory to study effective interactions for driven open quantum systems. The starting point of our analysis is a given Lindblad equation, based on which we obtain an effective (averaged) map that describes the renormalization of both the Hamiltonian and collapse operators due to the drive. As a case study, we apply this method to the dispersive readout of a transmon qubit and derive an effective dispersive map that describes measurement-induced dephasing and Stark shift for the transmon. The effective map we derive is completely positive and trace preserving under adiabatic resonator response. To benchmark our method, we demonstrate good agreement with a numerical computation of the effective rates via the Lindbladian spectrum. Our results are also in agreement with, and extend upon, an earlier derivation of such effects by Gambetta et al. [Phys. Rev. A 74, 042318 (2006)] using the positive P representation for the resonator field.
Driven-dissipative qubit-resonator dynamics, which are the basis of most dispersive superconducting qubit measurement schemes, are often modeled with Lindblad master equations built from subsystem local jump operators, even when the qubit and resonator are appreciably hybridized. In this work we revisit this setting using a microscopic Bloch-Redfield approach, where dissipation is constructed in the eigenbasis of the coupled qubit-resonator Hamiltonian with a complete, frequency dependent, open system description of the transmission line environment. Here, we show that the Lindblad and Bloch-Redfield decay rates can be quantitatively different in the absence of driving, while in the driven case we demonstrate that the time-independent Redfield dissipator and its time-dependent generalization can show qualitatively different behaviors as a function of driving strength. Finally, we investigate the effects of driving in structured spectral densities, recovering the suppression of measurement-induced relaxation in the presence of a so called Purcell filter.
We present a systematic method to implement a perturbative Hamiltonian diagonalization based on the time-dependent Schrieffer-Wolff transformation. Applying our method to strong parametric interactions we show how, even in the dispersive regime, full Rabi model physics is essential to describe the dressed spectrum. Our results unveil several qualitatively different results, including realization of large energy-level shifts, tunable in magnitude and sign with the frequency and amplitude of the pump mediating the parametric interaction. Crucially, Bloch-Siegert shifts, typically thought to be important only in the ultrastrong or deep-strong coupling regimes, can be rendered large even for weak dispersive interactions to realize points of exact cancelation of dressed shifts (``blind spots'') at specific pump frequencies. The framework developed here highlights the rich physics accessible with time-dependent interactions and serves to significantly expand the functionalities for control and readout of strongly interacting quantum systems.
Measurement backaction degrades dispersive readout of superconducting qubits even at modest drive strengths, often via the reduction of qubit lifetimes during readout. In this work, we theoretically and experimentally study this degradation and show how it can result from the interplay between detuned two-level systems (TLSs) and a drive-renormalized qubit spectrum. For modest to strong readout, the qubit emission spectrum becomes non-Lorentzian and depends sensitively on the readout drive frequency (even when measurement rate is fixed). We combine the readout-modified qubit emission spectrum with time-dependent perturbation theory to predict qubit lifetimes in the presence of a TLS bath. Master equation simulations and experimental measurements on a frequency-tunable transmon confirm these predictions quantitatively. In particular, we find that driving at the resonator frequency associated with the qubit ground state yields the narrowest qubit emission spectrum and the least lifetime degradation for a fixed measurement rate, providing a practical guideline for optimizing readout protocols in future quantum processors.
Motivated by correlated decay processes producing gain, loss, and lasing in driven semiconductor quantum dots [Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 036801 (2014); Science 347, 285 (2015); Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 196802 (2015)], we develop a theoretical technique by using Keldysh diagrammatic perturbation theory to derive a Lindblad master equation that goes beyond the usual second-order perturbation theory. We demonstrate the method on the driven dissipative Rabi model, including terms up to fourth order in the interaction between the qubit and both the resonator and environment. This results in a large class of Lindblad dissipators and associated rates which go beyond the terms that have previously been proposed to describe similar systems. All of the additional terms contribute to the system behavior at the same order of perturbation theory. We then apply these results to analyze the phonon-assisted steady-state gain of a microwave field driving a double quantum dot in a resonator. We show that resonator gain and loss are substantially affected by dephasing-assisted dissipative processes in the quantum-dot system. These additional processes, which go beyond recently proposed polaronic theories, are in good quantitative agreement with experimental observations.
Modern quantum physics is very modular: we first understand basic building blocks (``XXZ Hamiltonian'' ``Jaynes-Cummings'' etc.) and then combine them to explore novel effects. A typical example is placing known systems inside an optical cavity. The Schrieffer-Wolff perturbation method is particularly suited for dealing with these problems, since it casts the perturbation expansion in terms of operator corrections to a Hamiltonian, which is more intuitive than energy level corrections, as in traditional time-independent perturbation theory. However, the method lacks a systematic approach.% and has largely remained a niche topic. In these notes we discuss how \emph{eigenoperator decompositions}, a concept largely used in open quantum systems, can be employed to construct an intuitive and systematic formulation of Schrieffer-Wolff perturbation theory. To illustrate this we revisit various papers in the literature, old and new, and show how they can instead be solved using eigenoperators. Particular emphasis is given to perturbations that couple two systems with very different transition frequencies (highly off-resonance), leading to the so-called dispersive interactions.
The speed and fidelity of dispersive readout of superconducting qubits should improve by increasing the amplitude of the measurement drive. Experiments show, however, that beyond some drive amplitude there is always a saturation or drop in fidelity, often associated with a decrease in qubit energy relaxation time T1T_1T1​. A simple Lindblad master equation does not capture the latter effect. More involved approaches based on effective master equations rely on strong assumptions about the spectra of the system and the bath and only partially agree with observations. Here, we perform a first-principles simulation of the full unitary dynamics of dispersive readout by considering the circuit QED Hamiltonian coupled to a microscopic model for the measurement transmission line, allowing for its arbitrary spectrum, including filters. Our access to the dynamics of the bath degrees of freedom allows us to investigate the emission spectrum of the system as a function of drive power. We show how the dependence of qubit T1T_1T1​ on readout drive amplitude is sensitive to the details of the bath spectrum. In particular, we find that T1T_1T1​ drops with increasing drive amplitude when a Purcell notch filter is placed at the qubit frequency, and that the Lindblad master equation shows general qualitative defects compared to the first-principles model.