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arXiv:2308.10611 · Physica Scripta

Solving superconducting quantum circuits in Dirac's constraint analysis framework*

Akshat Pandey, Subir Ghosh

Published Oct 17, 2024• 2 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Abstract In this work we exploit Dirac's Constraint Analysis (DCA) in Hamiltonian formalism to study different types of Superconducting Quantum Circuits (SQC) in a unified way. The Lagrangian of a SQC reveals the constraints, that are classified in a Hamiltonian framework, such that redundant variables can be removed to isolate the canonical degrees of freedom for subsequent quantization of the Dirac Brackets via a generalized Correspondence Principle. This purely algebraic approach makes the application of concepts such as graph theory, null vector, loop charge, etc that are in vogue, (each for a specific type of circuit), completely redundant. The universal validity of DCA scheme in SQC, proposed by us, is demonstrated by correctly re-deriving existing results for different SQCs, obtained previously exploiting different formalisms each applicable for a specific SQC. Furthermore, we have also analysed and predicted new results for a generic form of SQC - it will be interesting to see its validation in an explicit circuit implementation.

DOI
10.1088/1402-4896/ad8842

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Abstract In this work we exploit Dirac's Constraint Analysis (DCA) in Hamiltonian formalism to study different types of Superconducting Quantum Circuits (SQC) in a unified way. The Lagrangian of a SQC reveals the constraints, that are classified in a Hamiltonian framework, such that redundant variables can be removed to isolate the canonical degrees of freedom for subsequent quantization of the Dirac Brackets via a generalized Correspondence Principle. This purely algebraic approach makes the application of concepts such as graph theory, null vector, loop charge, etc that are in vogue, (each for a specific type of circuit), completely redundant. The universal validity of DCA scheme in SQC, proposed by us, is demonstrated by correctly re-deriving existing results for different SQCs, obtained previously exploiting different formalisms each applicable for a specific SQC. Furthermore, we have also analysed and predicted new results for a generic form of SQC - it will be interesting to see its validation in an explicit circuit implementation.
In this work, we use Dirac’s constraint analysis (DCA) to solve superconducting quantum circuits (SQCs). The Lagrangian of an SQC reveals the constraints that are classified in a Hamiltonian framework, such that redundant variables can be removed to isolate the canonical degrees of freedom for subsequent quantization of the Dirac brackets. We demonstrate the robustness of DCA unlike certain other set of ideas like null vector and loop charge which are each applicable only to specific types of quantum circuits.
In this work we apply Dirac's Constraint Analysis (DCA) to solve Superconducting Quantum Circuits (SQC). The Lagrangian of a SQC reveals the constraints, that are classified in a Hamiltonian framework, such that redundant variables can be removed to isolate the canonical degrees of freedom for subsequent quantization of the Dirac Brackets. We demonstrate the robustness of DCA unlike certain other set of ideas like null vector and loop charge which are each applicable only to specific types of quantum circuits.
The theory of circuit quantum electrodynamics has successfully analyzed superconducting circuits on the basis of the classical Lagrangian, and the corresponding quantized Hamiltonian, describing these circuits. In many simplified versions of these networks, the modeling involves a Lagrangian that is singular, describing an inherently constrained system. In this work, we demonstrate the failure of the Dirac-Bergmann theory for the quantization of realistic, nearly singular superconducting circuits, both reciprocal and nonreciprocal. The correct treatment of nearly singular systems involves a perturbative Born-Oppenheimer analysis. We rigorously prove the validity of the corresponding perturbation theory using Kato-Rellich theory. We find that the singular limit of this regularized analysis is, in many cases, completely unlike the singular theory. Dirac-Bergmann, which uses the Kirchhoff's (and Tellegen's) laws to deal with constraints, predicts dynamics that depend on the detailed parameters of nonlinear circuit elements, e.g., Josephson inductances. By contrast, the limiting behavior of the low-energy dynamics obtained from the regularized Born-Oppenheimer approach exhibits a fixed point structure, flowing to one of a few universal fixed points as parasitic capacitance values go to zero.
In the quest to produce quantum technology, superconducting networks, working at temperatures just above absolute zero, have arisen as one of the most promising physical implementations. The precise analysis and synthesis of such circuits have required merging the fields of physics, engineering, and mathematics. In this dissertation, we develop mathematically consistent and precise Hamiltonian models to describe ideal superconducting networks made of an arbitrary number of lumped elements, such as capacitors, inductors, Josephson and phase-slip junctions, gyrators, etc., and distributed ones like transmission lines. We give formal proofs for the decoupling at high and low frequencies of lumped degrees of freedom from infinite-dimensional systems in different coupling configurations in models based on the effective Kirchhoff's laws. We extend the standard theory to quantize circuits that include ideal nonreciprocal elements all the way to their Hamiltonian descriptions in a systematic way. Finally, we pave the way on how to quantize general frequency-dependent gyrators and circulators coupled to both transmission lines and other lumped-element networks. We have explicitly shown, that these models, albeit ideal, are finite and present no divergence issues. We explain and dispel misunderstandings from the previous literature. Furthermore, we have demonstrated the usefulness of a redundant basis for performing separation of variables of the transmission line (1D) fields in the presence of point-like (lumped-element) couplings by time-reversal symmetry-breaking terms, i.e. nonreciprocal elements.
Superconducting quantum circuits is one of the leading candidates for a universal quantum computer. Designing novel qubit and multiqubit superconducting circuits requires the ability to simulate and analyze the properties of a general circuit. In particular, going outside the transmon approach, we cannot make assumptions on anharmonicity, thus precluding blackbox quantization approaches and necessitating the formal circuit quantization approach. We consider and solve two issues involved in simulating general superconducting circuits. One of the issues is the handling of free modes in the circuit, that is, circuit modes with no potential term in the Hamiltonian. Another issue is circuit size, namely, the challenge of simulating strongly coupled multimode circuits. The main mathematical tool we use to address these issues is the linear canonical transformation in the setting of quantum mechanics. We address the first issue by giving a provably correct algorithm for removing free modes by performing a linear canonical transformation to completely decouple the free modes from other circuit modes. We address the second by giving a series of different linear canonical transformations to reduce intermode couplings, thereby reducing the problem to the weakly coupled case and greatly mitigating the overhead for classical simulation. We benchmark our decoupling methods by applying them to the circuit of two inductively coupled fluxonium qubits, obtaining several orders of magnitude reduction in the size of the Hilbert space that needs to be simulated.
Large superconducting quantum circuits have a number of important applications in quantum computing. Accurately predicting the performance of these devices from first principles is challenging, as it requires solving the many-body Schrödinger equation. This work introduces a new, general ab-initio method for analyzing large quantum circuits based on lattice field theory, a tool commonly applied in nuclear and particle physics. This method is competitive with state-of-the-art techniques such as tensor networks, but avoids introducing systematic errors due to truncation of the infinite-dimensional Hilbert space associated with superconducting phases. The approach is applied to fluxonium, a specific many-component superconducting qubit with favorable qualities for quantum computation. A systematic study of the influence of impedance on fluxonium is conducted that parallels previous experimental studies, and ground capacitance effects are explored. The qubit frequency and charge noise dephasing rate are extracted from statistical analyses of charge noise, where thousands of instantiations of charge disorder in the Josephson junction array of a fixed fluxonium qubit are explicitly averaged over at the microscopic level. This is difficult to achieve with any other existing method.