Three-qubit gates are highly beneficial operations in quantum computing, enabling compact implementations of quantum algorithms and efficient generation of multipartite entangled states. However, realizing such gates with high fidelity remains challenging due to crosstalk, complex control requirements, and the overhead of parametric or tunable couplers. In this work, we propose and analyze the implementation of fast, high-fidelity three-qubit gates using giant atoms -- artificial atoms coupled to a waveguide at multiple spatially separated points. By leveraging interference effects intrinsic to the giant-atom architecture, we demonstrate that native three-qubit gates, such as the controlled-CZ-SWAP (CCZS) and the dual-iSWAP (DIV), can be realized through simple frequency tuning, without the need for complex pulse shaping or additional hardware. We evaluate gate performance under realistic decoherence and show that fidelities exceeding 99.5% are achievable with current experimental parameters in superconducting circuits. As an application, we present a scalable protocol for preparing three- and five-qubit GHZ states using minimal gate depth, achieving high state fidelity within sub-300ns timescales. Our results position giant-atom systems as a promising platform for entangled-state preparation and low-depth quantum circuit design in near-term quantum computers and quantum simulators.
Three-qubit gates are highly beneficial operations in quantum computing, enabling compact implementations of quantum algorithms and efficient generation of multipartite entangled states. However, realizing such gates with high fidelity remains challenging due to crosstalk, complex control requirements, and the overhead of parametric or tunable couplers. In this work, we propose and analyze the implementation of fast, high-fidelity three-qubit gates using giant atoms -- artificial atoms coupled to a waveguide at multiple spatially separated points. By leveraging interference effects intrinsic to the giant-atom architecture, we demonstrate that native three-qubit gates, such as the controlled-CZ-SWAP (CCZS) and the dual-iSWAP (DIV), can be realized through simple frequency tuning, without the need for complex pulse shaping or additional hardware. We evaluate gate performance under realistic decoherence and show that fidelities exceeding 99.5% are achievable with current experimental parameters in superconducting circuits. As an application, we present a scalable protocol for preparing three- and five-qubit GHZ states using minimal gate depth, achieving high state fidelity within sub-300ns timescales. Our results position giant-atom systems as a promising platform for entangled-state preparation and low-depth quantum circuit design in near-term quantum computers and quantum simulators.
Quantum computation and quantum simulation require a versatile gate set to optimize circuit compilation for practical applications. However, existing platforms are often limited to specific gate types or rely on parametric couplers to extend their gate set, which compromises scalability. Here, we propose a scalable quantum simulator with an extended gate set based on giant-atom three-level systems, which can be implemented with superconducting circuits. Unlike conventional small atoms, giant atoms couple to the environment at multiple points, introducing interference effects that allow exceptional tunability of their interactions. By leveraging this tunability, our setup supports both CZ and iSWAP gates through simple frequency adjustments, eliminating the need for parametric couplers. This dual-gate capability enhances circuit efficiency, reducing the overhead for quantum simulation. As a demonstration, we showcase the simulation of spin dynamics in dissipative Heisenberg XXZ spin chains, highlighting the setup's ability to tackle complex open quantum many-body dynamics. Finally, we discuss how a two-dimensional extension of our system could enable fault-tolerant quantum computation, paving the way for a universal quantum processor.
Giant atoms are quantum emitters coupled to waveguides at multiple, spatially separated points, enabling interference effects that fundamentally change their light-matter interactions. A notable consequence of the interference is the emergence of decoherence-free interaction (DFI), which allows coherent excitation exchange between giant atoms via the waveguide without radiative loss. Leveraging DFI offers a promising route to implementing two-qubit quantum gates without the need for additional resources, positioning giant atoms as a versatile platform for scalable universal quantum simulators. However, existing work has focused primarily on continuous, Markovian waveguides; in structured waveguides, where non-Markovian effects become significant, only iSWAP gates have been explored. To address this gap, we introduce and analyze a protocol for implementing controlled-Z (CZ) gates with giant atoms in structured waveguides. We first show that while a minimal two-point coupling scheme supports DFI, it also exhibits strong non-Markovian effects that substantially degrade gate fidelity. To overcome this limitation, we propose an extended design featuring a third coupling point. This configuration suppresses non-Markovian effects and enables CZ gates with fidelities up to 97.7% (assuming typical values for experimental imperfections). Our results broaden the accessible gate set for giant atoms in structured waveguides to include both iSWAP and CZ gates, advancing these systems as a pathway toward universal quantum simulators operating in non-Markovian environments.
Practical quantum advantage hinges on executing deep quantum circuits within the coherence limits of noisy intermediate-scale quantum processors. The absence of native, high-fidelity multi-qubit gates remains a major bottleneck, as their decomposition into single- and two-qubit gates leads to prohibitive depth and error overhead. Here, we propose a hardware-efficient protocol that directly implements a native controlled-controlled-Z (CCZ) gate in a tunable-coupler superconducting circuit. Our theoretical protocol activates a resonant three-qubit interaction via a time-frequency correlated virtual process, explicitly relying on the dynamic resonant exchange within the ∣101⟩↔∣020⟩ transition manifold. This approach is compatible with standard tunable-coupler architectures without requiring additional control resources. Through a systematic calibration workflow combining pulse shaping and active cancellation of residual phases, we demonstrate a gate fidelity exceeding 99\% within 165ns -- significantly outperforming decomposed sequences. Comprehensive error budgeting confirms that the gate performance remains robust against realistic experimental imperfections. Furthermore, we show that this scheme can be naturally extended to a continuous CCPhase(θ) gate set. This work provides a direct, high-fidelity route to three-qubit entanglement, offering promising prospects for efficient execution of quantum algorithms on near-term superconducting hardware.
While the common practice of decomposing general quantum algorithms into a collection of single- and two-qubit gates is conceptually simple, in many cases it is possible to have more efficient solutions where quantum gates engaging multiple qubits are used. In the noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) era where a universal error correction is still unavailable, this strategy is particularly appealing since it can significantly reduce the computational resources required for executing quantum algorithms. In this work, we experimentally investigate a three-qubit Controlled-CPHASE-SWAP (CCZS) gate on superconducting quantum circuits. By exploiting the higher energy levels of superconducting qubits, we are able to realize a Fredkin-like CCZS gate with a duration of 40 ns, which is comparable to typical single- and two-qubit gates realized on the same platform. By performing quantum process tomography for the two target qubits, we obtain a process fidelity of 86.0% and 81.1% for the control qubit being prepared in ∣0〉 and ∣1〉, respectively. We also show that our scheme can be readily extended to realize a general CCZS gate with an arbitrary swap angle. The results reported here provide valuable additions to the toolbox for achieving large-scale hardware-efficient quantum circuits.
Three-qubit gates can be constructed using combinations of single-qubit and two-qubit gates, making their independent realization unnecessary. However, direct implementation of three-qubit gates reduces the depth of quantum circuits, streamlines quantum programming, and facilitates efficient circuit optimization, thereby enhancing overall performance in quantum computation. In this work, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a high-fidelity scheme for implementing a three-qubit controlled-controlled-z (ccz) gate in a flip-chip superconducting quantum processor with tunable couplers. This direct ccz gate is implemented by simultaneously leveraging two tunable couplers interspersed between three qubits to enable three-qubit interactions, achieving an average final state fidelity of 97.94% and a process fidelity of 93.54%. This high fidelity cannot be achieved through a simple combination of single- and two-qubit gate sequences from processors with similar performance levels. Our experiments also verify that multilayer direct implementation of the ccz gate exhibits lower leakage compared to decomposed gate approaches. As a showcase, we utilize the ccz gate as an oracle to implement the Grover search algorithm on three qubits, demonstrating high performance with the target probability amplitude significantly enhanced after two iterations. These results highlight the advantage of our approach, and facilitate the implementation of complex quantum circuits.
Abstract The ability to perform entangling quantum operations with low error rates in a scalable fashion is a central element of useful quantum information processing 1 . Neutral-atom arrays have recently emerged as a promising quantum computing platform, featuring coherent control over hundreds of qubits 2,3 and any-to-any gate connectivity in a flexible, dynamically reconfigurable architecture 4 . The main outstanding challenge has been to reduce errors in entangling operations mediated through Rydberg interactions 5 . Here we report the realization of two-qubit entangling gates with 99.5% fidelity on up to 60 atoms in parallel, surpassing the surface-code threshold for error correction 6,7 . Our method uses fast, single-pulse gates based on optimal control 8 , atomic dark states to reduce scattering 9 and improvements to Rydberg excitation and atom cooling. We benchmark fidelity using several methods based on repeated gate applications 10,11 , characterize the physical error sources and outline future improvements. Finally, we generalize our method to design entangling gates involving a higher number of qubits, which we demonstrate by realizing low-error three-qubit gates 12,13 . By enabling high-fidelity operation in a scalable, highly connected system, these advances lay the groundwork for large-scale implementation of quantum algorithms 14 , error-corrected circuits 7 and digital simulations 15 .