Non-demolition readout and high-fidelity unconditional reset of qubits are key requirements for practical quantum computation. For superconducting qubits, readout and reset are typically realized using resonators based on dispersive approximation. However, violations of the approximation often lead to detrimental effects on the qubit. In this work, we demonstrate non-demolition fluorescence readout and high-fidelity unconditional reset of a fluxonium qubit via dissipation engineering without employing a resonator. We design and implement a planar filter to protect the qubit from energy relaxation while enhancing the relaxation of the readout transition. By appropriately selecting the readout transition, we achieve fluorescence readout with enhanced quantum non-demolitionness. We also realize fast, high-fidelity and all-microwave unconditional reset of the fluxonium qubit. These results highlight the potential of superconducting-quantum computing architectures without relying on dispersive interaction between qubits and resonators.
Non-demolition readout and high-fidelity unconditional reset of qubits are key requirements for practical quantum computation. For superconducting qubits, readout and reset are typically realized using resonators based on dispersive approximation. However, violations of the approximation often lead to detrimental effects on the qubit. In this work, we demonstrate non-demolition fluorescence readout and high-fidelity unconditional reset of a fluxonium qubit via dissipation engineering without employing a resonator. We design and implement a planar filter to protect the qubit from energy relaxation while enhancing the relaxation of the readout transition. By appropriately selecting the readout transition, we achieve fluorescence readout with enhanced quantum non-demolitionness. We also realize fast, high-fidelity and all-microwave unconditional reset of the fluxonium qubit. These results highlight the potential of superconducting-quantum computing architectures without relying on dispersive interaction between qubits and resonators.
Dispersive readout is widely used to perform high-fidelity measurement of superconducting qubits. Much work has been focused on the qubit readout fidelity, which depends on the achievable signal-to-noise ratio and the qubit relaxation time. As groups have pushed to increase readout fidelity by increasing readout photon number, dispersive readout has been shown to strongly affect the postmeasurement qubit state. Such effects hinder the effectiveness of quantum error correction, which requires measurements that both have high readout fidelity and are quantum nondemolition (QND). Here, we experimentally investigate non-QND effects in the fluxonium. We map out the state evolution of fluxonium qubits in the presence of resonator photons and observe that these photons induce transitions in the fluxonium both within and outside the qubit subspace. We numerically model our system and find that transitions to higher-excited states and coupling to an external spurious mode are necessary to explain observed non-QND effects.
The ability to fast reset a qubit state is crucial for quantum information processing. However, to actively reset a qubit requires engineering a pathway to interact with a dissipative bath, which often comes at the cost of reduced qubit protection from the environment. Here, we present a multipurpose architecture that enables fast reset and protection of superconducting qubits during control and readout. In our design, two on-chip diplexers are connected by two transmission lines. The high-pass branch provides a flat passband for convenient allocation of readout resonators above the qubit frequencies, which is preferred for reducing measurement-induced state transitions. In the low-pass branch, we leverage a standing-wave mode below the maximum qubit frequency for a rapid reset. The qubits are located in the common stopband to inhibit dissipation during coherent operations. We demonstrate resetting a transmon qubit from its first excited state to the ground state in 100 ns, achieving a residual population of 2.7%. The reset time may be further shortened to 27 ns by exploiting the coherent population inversion effect. We further extend the technique to resetting the qubit from its second excited state. Our approach promises scalable implementation of fast reset and qubit protection during control and readout, adding to the toolbox of dissipation engineering.
Fast, precise, and quantum-non-demolition (QND) readout of superconducting qubits is a fundamental component of high-fidelity quantum sensing and computation. Conventional approaches typically operate in the dispersive regime, where the qubit-resonator coupling g is weak compared to the detuning Δ. While exhibiting good QND properties, the readout rate is limited to ∼g2N/Δ≪g, where N is the number of photons in the resonator. QND readout in the nondispersive regime, where the readout rate reaches its full potential ∼g, relies on parameter sweeps that may encounter resonances, leading to measurement-induced state transitions (MIST). In this work, we study a nondispersive readout protocol that replaces these sweeps by sudden quenches of the coupling constant, using a resonator that is preloaded with photons. We call this protocol bang-bang readout, and show that it realizes single-shot projective measurements. The fidelity and QNDness of the qubit post-measurement are remarkably high, with an error that decreases like 1/N. We show that the protocol can also be implemented without preloading the resonator by instead strongly driving the qubit, e.g., with a classical flux drive.
In the pursuit of large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computation, various superconducting architectures have been investigated as the potential building blocks for these systems. With the need for fast operations with low error rates, fluxonium qubits have recently gained an increasing amount of attention. The fluxonium qubit offers numerous advantages including a large anharmonicity, long coherence times, protection against flux noise, and resilience against dielectric loss. In an effort to maximize the potential of these devices, we employ flux-pulse-assisted readout to increase the signal to noise ratio and, thus, minimize the readout time required. This readout scheme capitalizes on the high dispersive shift afforded by avoided crossings between the readout resonator and higher order fluxonium transitions. We present experimental results in which we display an advantage of flux-pulse-assisted readout over static readout at the so-called "sweet-spot" on multiple fluxonium qubits.
Achieving high-fidelity qubit readout and reset while maintaining qubit coherence is crucial for quantum error correction and advanced quantum algorithms. Here, we design and experimentally demonstrate a scalable architecture based on frequency-tunable nonlinear Purcell filters, which enables flexible readout and rapid unconditional reset of multiple superconducting qubits. Our readout protocol dynamically adjusts the effective linewidth of the readout resonator through a tunable Purcell filter, optimizing the signal-to-noise ratio during measurement while suppressing photon noise during idle periods. Combined with a multilevel readout protocol, we achieve the highest readout fidelity of 99.3% without any quantum-limited amplifier, even with a small dispersive shift. Moreover, by leveraging a reset channel formed via the adjacent coupling between the filter and the coupler, we realize unconditional qubit reset of both leakage-induced |2⟩ and |1⟩ states within 200 ns and reset of the |1⟩ state alone within 75 ns, with error rates ≤1%. The filter also mitigates both photon-induced dephasing and the Purcell effect, thereby preserving qubit coherence. This scalable Purcell filter architecture shows exceptional performance in qubit readout, reset, and protection, marking it as a promising hardware component for advancing fault-tolerant quantum computing systems.
Rapid reset and readout of qubit states are essential for quantum error correction, yet accelerating these operations through stronger coupling to a dissipative environment inevitably increases qubit decay via the Purcell effect. Here we present a broadband Purcell filter that decouples the reset and readout paths, enabling both operations to be independently optimized without compromising qubit coherence. The filter employs two engineered notches - an intrinsic notch and a bandstop notch - to provide broadband Purcell protection, together with an additional reset stub that creates a reset mode below the protected band. To enable fast reset while suppressing filter-mediated interactions between qubits, we couple each qubit to a dedicated reset resonator. We experimentally demonstrate Purcell-limited relaxation times exceeding 1 ms across a 1.2 GHz bandwidth, simultaneously with 500 ns readout without a Josephson parametric amplifier and 100 ns reset with 99.6% efficiency. The reset resonator is designed with a deliberate kappa-chi mismatch, which suppresses photon-shot-noise-induced dephasing by a factor of 70 compared to the readout resonator. Our work provides a scalable hardware solution that resolves the traditional trade-off between fast qubit operations and qubit protection, advancing the prospects for fault-tolerant quantum computing.