Parametric Multielement Coupling Architecture for Coherent and Dissipative Control of Superconducting Qubits
Gerhard B. P. Huber, Federico A. Roy, L. Koch, Ivan Tsitsilin, Johannes Schirk, Niklas J. Glaser, N. Bruckmoser, Christian Schweizer, João H. Romeiro, Gleb Krylov, M. Singh, Franz X. Haslbeck, Martin Knudsen, Achim Marx, F. Pfeiffer, C. Schneider, F. Wallner, D. Bunch, L. Richard, Lasse Södergren, Klaus Liegener, Max Werninghaus, Stefan Filipp
As systems for quantum computing keep growing in size and number of qubits, challenges in scaling the control capabilities are becoming increasingly relevant. Efficient schemes to simultaneously mediate coherent interactions between multiple quantum systems and to reduce decoherence errors can minimize the control overhead in next-generation quantum processors. Here, we present a superconducting qubit architecture based on tunable parametric interactions to perform two-qubit gates, reset, leakage recovery, and to read out the qubits. In this architecture, parametrically driven multielement couplers selectively couple qubits to resonators and neighboring qubits, according to the frequency of the drive. We consider a system with two qubits and one readout resonator interacting via a single coupling circuit and experimentally demonstrate a controlled- Z gate with a fidelity of 98.30 ± 0.23 % , a reset operation that unconditionally prepares the qubit ground state with a fidelity of 99.80 ± 0.02 % and a leakage recovery operation with a 98.5 ± 0.3 % success probability. Furthermore, we implement a parametric readout with a single-shot assignment fidelity of 88.0 ± 0.4 % . These operations are all realized using a single tunable coupler and a statically decoupled resonator, demonstrating the experimental feasibility of the proposed architecture and its potential for reducing the system complexity in scalable quantum processors.
As systems for quantum computing keep growing in size and number of qubits, challenges in scaling the control capabilities are becoming increasingly relevant. Efficient schemes to simultaneously mediate coherent interactions between multiple quantum systems and to reduce decoherence errors can minimize the control overhead in next-generation quantum processors. Here, we present a superconducting qubit architecture based on tunable parametric interactions to perform two-qubit gates, reset, leakage recovery, and to read out the qubits. In this architecture, parametrically driven multielement couplers selectively couple qubits to resonators and neighboring qubits, according to the frequency of the drive. We consider a system with two qubits and one readout resonator interacting via a single coupling circuit and experimentally demonstrate a controlled- Z gate with a fidelity of 98.30 ± 0.23 % , a reset operation that unconditionally prepares the qubit ground state with a fidelity of 99.80 ± 0.02 % and a leakage recovery operation with a 98.5 ± 0.3 % success probability. Furthermore, we implement a parametric readout with a single-shot assignment fidelity of 88.0 ± 0.4 % . These operations are all realized using a single tunable coupler and a statically decoupled resonator, demonstrating the experimental feasibility of the proposed architecture and its potential for reducing the system complexity in scalable quantum processors.
The realization of fault-tolerant quantum computing requires the execution of quantum error-correction (QEC) schemes, to mitigate the fragile nature of qubits. In this context, to ensure the success of QEC, a protocol capable of implementing both qubit reset and leakage reduction is highly desirable together with the ability to perform fast and high-fidelity readout of the qubit s’ quantum states. In this thesis, we tackle both these challenges in an architecture consisting of fixed-frequency transmon qubits pair-wise coupled via tunable couplers. We demonstrate a readout scheme that combines two microwave techniques: applying a shelving technique to the qubits that reduces the contribution of decay error during readout, and a two-tone excitation of the readout resonators to distinguish among qubits’ populations in higher energy levels. We perform single-shot frequency-multiplexed qubit readout, with a 140 ns readout time, and demonstrate 99.5% assignment fidelity for two-state readout and 96.9% for three-state readout - without using a quantum-limited amplifier. We also demonstrate a reset scheme that is fast, unconditional, and achieves fidelities well above 99%, thus enabling fixed-frequency qubit architectures as future implementations of fault-tolerant quantum computers. Our reset protocol uses the tunable couplers to transfer any undesired qubits’ excitation to the readout resonators of the qubits, from which this excitation decays into the feedline. In total, the combination of qubit reset, leakage reduction, and coupler reset takes only 83 ns to complete. This reset protocol also provides a means to both reduce QEC cycle runtime and improve algorithmic fidelity on quantum processors.
Tunable couplings are a central requirement for scalable quantum processing with superconducting quantum circuits. Practical quantum processors must dynamically reconfigure their interaction landscape to accommodate different quantum operations, including idle, single-qubit gates, two-qubit gates, readout, and reset, while maintaining high coherence and suppressing spurious couplings. While widely used tunable interaction approaches rely on single-mode mediation, they are often constrained by nearest-neighbor connectivity, limited on-off ratios, and stringent requirements on qubit frequency allocation. This thesis develops and studies novel strategies for tailoring tunable interactions by moving beyond single-mode mediation, spanning multimode engineered interactions and modeless interaction schemes ("many to no modes"), while accounting for realistic constraints in superconducting hardware. Using a microwave metamaterial waveguide realized by coupled resonator arrays, I demonstrate tunable dissipative interactions that allow on-demand, fast, and high switching-ratio photon emission from a transmon used as a multi-level quantum emitter. This capability is leveraged to achieve deterministic generation of multidimensional photonic cluster states, as well as unconditional reset and leakage reduction of frequency-tunable superconducting qubits. Complementary to these multimode dissipative tunable interactions, this thesis also introduces architectures that realize tunable interactions mediated by many coherent modes or by no mediating modes. I discuss a long-range interaction scheme between superconducting dual-rail qubits mediated by spatially extended eigenmodes of a coupled-resonator array bus. Finally, I propose and analyze a novel modeless coupling architecture based on a SQUID coupler which provides intrinsic cross-Kerr interactions, enabling fast, hybridization-free CZ gates for far-detuned pairs, and discuss its implications for miniaturization of superconducting quantum processors.
Tunable couplers have enabled two-qubit gate fidelities in superconducting quantum processors to approach 99.9%, yet simultaneously suppressing residual interactions and maintaining flexible qubit-frequency allocation remain central challenges for scaling. Here, we propose a double-resonator coupler (DRC) consisting of two resonators interconnected by a single Josephson junction and a capacitor. The hybridized resonator modes provide two mediated exchange paths whose interference controls the qubit-qubit interaction. The DRC enables complete cancellation of residual ZZ interaction for qubit-qubit detunings well outside the straddling regime, even in the absence of direct qubit-qubit coupling, thereby relaxing constraints on frequency allocation and qubit placement. Away from the idle point, the same circuit provides a strong ZZ interaction of approximately 70MHz, enabling a 20ns controlled-Z gate with simulated coherent infidelity below 10−5. These results establish the DRC as a flexible single-junction coupler architecture for high-fidelity superconducting quantum processors.
Future quantum information processors require tunable coupling architectures that can produce high-fidelity logical gates between two or more qubits. Parametric coupling is a powerful technique for generating tunable interactions between many qubits. Here, we present a highly flexible parametric coupling scheme with superconducting qubits that provides complete removal of residual Z Z coupling and the implementation of driven SWAP or SWAP-free controlled- Z ( C Z ) gates. Our fully integrated two-dimensional on-chip coupler design is only weakly flux tunable, cancels static linear coupling between the qubits, avoids internal coupler dynamics or excitations, and is extensible to multiqubit circuit-QED systems. Exploring gate fidelity versus gate duration allows us to maximize two-qubit gate fidelity, while providing insights into possible error sources for these gates. Randomized benchmarking over several hours reveals that the parametric SWAP C Z gate achieves an average fidelity of 99.44 ± 0.09 % in a gate duration of 70 ns and that a dispersively driven parametric SWAP-free C Z gate attains an average fidelity of 99.47 ± 0.07 % in only 30 ns. The fidelity remained above this value for over 8 h and peaked twice with a maximum of 99.67 ± 0.14 % . Overall, our parametric approach combines versatility, precision, speed, and high performance in one compact coupler design.
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.
Abstract Superconducting fluxonium qubits provide a promising alternative to transmons on the path toward large-scale superconductor-based quantum computing due to their better coherence and larger anharmonicity. A major challenge for multi-qubit fluxonium devices is the experimental demonstration of a scalable crosstalk-free multi-qubit architecture with high-fidelity single-qubit and two-qubit gates, single-shot readout, and state initialization. Here, we present a two-qubit fluxonium-based quantum processor with a tunable coupler element. We experimentally demonstrate fSim-type and controlled-Z-gates with 99.55 and 99.23% fidelities, respectively. The residual ZZ interaction is suppressed down to the few kHz levels. Using a galvanically coupled flux control line, we implement high-fidelity single-qubit gates and ground state initialization with a single arbitrary waveform generator channel per qubit.