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arXiv:2210.07255 · npj Quantum Information

Spectral kissing and its dynamical consequences in the squeeze-driven Kerr oscillator

Jorge Chávez-Carlos, Talía L. M. Lezama, Rodrigo G. Cortiñas, Jayameenakshi Venkatraman, Michel Devoret, Víctor S. Batista, Francisco Pérez-Bernal, Léa Ferreira dos Santos

Published Jul 28, 2023• 43 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Transmon qubits are the predominant element in circuit-based quantum information processing, such as existing quantum computers, due to their controllability and ease of engineering implementation. But more than qubits, transmons are multilevel nonlinear oscillators that can be used to investigate fundamental physics questions. Here, they are explored as simulators of excited state quantum phase transitions (ESQPTs), which are generalizations of quantum phase transitions to excited states. We show that the spectral kissing (coalescence of pairs of energy levels) experimentally observed in the effective Hamiltonian of a driven SNAIL-transmon is an ESQPT precursor. We explore the dynamical consequences of the ESQPT, which include the exponential growth of out-of-time-ordered correlators, followed by periodic revivals, and the slow evolution of the survival probability due to localization. These signatures of ESQPT are within reach for current superconducting circuits platforms and are of interest to experiments with cold atoms and ion traps.

DOI
10.1038/s41534-023-00745-1

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Transmon qubits are the predominant element in circuit-based quantum information processing, such as existing quantum computers, due to their controllability and ease of engineering implementation. But more than qubits, transmons are multilevel nonlinear oscillators that can be used to investigate fundamental physics questions. Here, they are explored as simulators of excited state quantum phase transitions (ESQPTs), which are generalizations of quantum phase transitions to excited states. We show that the spectral kissing (coalescence of pairs of energy levels) experimentally observed in the effective Hamiltonian of a driven SNAIL-transmon is an ESQPT precursor. We explore the dynamical consequences of the ESQPT, which include the exponential growth of out-of-time-ordered correlators, followed by periodic revivals, and the slow evolution of the survival probability due to localization. These signatures of ESQPT are within reach for current superconducting circuits platforms and are of interest to experiments with cold atoms and ion traps.
Excited-state quantum phase transitions (ESQPTs) generalize the concept of quantum phase transitions to excited levels. Here we investigate how such ESQPTs can emerge in Kerr nonlinear oscillators, where a bosonic mode with a Kerr nonlinearity is subject to both coherent (one-photon) and parametric (two-photon) driving. We determine the structure and properties of the complete phase diagram by defining proper dimensionless parameters. Rich phases and phase transitions exist in the phase diagram, including phases with two or four critical energies above the ground-state level and first-order quantum phase transitions. We characterize the ESQPTs by singularities in the density of states, which show universal logarithmic divergence or discontinuity at the critical energies. Furthermore, we find that observables such as the photon number also exhibit singular behaviors at the critical energies and obey scaling laws. These results may extend our understanding of the driven Kerr oscillator and ESQPTs in finite-component systems.
Spectral kissing, recently realized in a Kerr parametric oscillator (KPO), refers to the merging of pairs of energy levels and arises as a manifestation of an excited-state quantum phase transition (ESQPT). Here, we show that this phenomenon has a dissipative counterpart encoded in the spectrum of the steady-state density matrix. Using a dissipative KPO as a representative example, we demonstrate that, in the weak-dissipation regime, the eigenvalues of the steady-state density matrix organize into quasi-degenerate pairs that mirror the spectral kissing of the corresponding closed system. As the dissipation strength increases, this pairing gradually disappears. By analyzing the classical limit of the system, we derive analytical expressions for the critical lines governing both the onset of steady-state spectral kissing and its disappearance at a dissipative phase transition.
By applying a microwave drive to a specially designed Josephson circuit, we have realized an elementary quantum optics model, the squeezed Kerr oscillator. This model displays, as the squeezing amplitude is increased, a cross-over from a single ground state regime to a doubly-degenerate ground state regime. In the latter case, the ground state manifold is spanned by Schrödinger-cat states, i.e. quantum superpositions of coherent states with opposite phases. For the first time, having resolved up to the tenth excited state in a spectroscopic experiment, we confirm that the proposed emergent static effective Hamiltonian correctly describes the system, despite its driven character. We also find that the lifetime of the coherent state components of the cat states increases in steps as a function of the squeezing amplitude. We interpret the staircase pattern as resulting from pairwise level kissing in the excited state spectrum. Considering the Kerr-cat qubit encoded in this ground state manifold, we achieve for the first time quantum nondemolition readout fidelities greater than 99%, and enhancement of the phase-flip lifetime by more than two orders of magnitude, while retaining universal quantum control. Our experiment illustrates the crucial role of parametric drive Hamiltonian engineering for hardware-efficient quantum computation.
By applying a microwave drive to a specially designed Josephson circuit, we have realized a double-well model system: a Kerr oscillator submitted to a squeezing force. We have observed, for the first time, the spectroscopic fingerprint of a quantum double-well Hamiltonian when its barrier height is increased: a pairwise level kissing (coalescence) corresponding to the exponential reduction of tunnel splitting in the excited states as they sink under the barrier. The discrete levels in the wells also manifest themselves in the activation time across the barrier which, instead of increasing smoothly as a function of the barrier height, presents steps each time a pair of excited states is captured by the wells. This experiment illustrates the quantum regime of Arrhenius’s law, whose observation is made possible here by the unprecedented combination of low dissipation, time-resolved state control, 98.5% quantum nondemolition single shot measurement fidelity, and complete microwave control over all Hamiltonian parameters in the quantum regime. Direct applications to quantum computation and simulation are discussed. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
Quantum Kerr parametric oscillators (KPOs) are systems out of equilibrium with a wide range of applications in quantum computing, quantum sensing, and fundamental research. They have been realized in superconducting circuits and photonic platforms. In this work, we explore the onset of ground-state and excited-state quantum phase transitions in KPOs, focusing on the role of the phase-space rotational symmetry when the driving frequency is $\ensuremath{\mu}$ times the oscillator's natural frequency, specifically for $\ensuremath{\mu}=1,2,3,4$. These cases are experimentally accessible in superconducting circuits, where the Floquet quasienergy spectrum can also be studied as a function of tunable control parameters. Using the classical Hamiltonian of the system, we identify the stationary points associated with quantum phase transitions and analyze the emergence of both real and avoided level crossings, examining their influence on the energy spectrum and tunneling dynamics. Our findings provide insights into the engineering of robust quantum states, quantum dynamics control, and onset of quantum phase transitions with implications for critical quantum sensing.