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arXiv:2602.23544

High-Temporal-Resolution Measurements of the Impacts of Ionizing Radiation on Superconducting Qubits

Jihee Yang, Thomas J. Carroll, Philip Mason, Robert Schwartz, Kenneth M. O'Hara, Jennifer Lund, Michael Gottschalk, Timothy Stephenson, Lawrence H. Friedman, Francisco Yumiceva, Justin Hackley, Aurelius L. Graninger, Chris Rotella, Pat Warner, Jonathan M. Cochran, Adam V. Bruce, Melody Wagner, James Wenner, Stan Steers, Christopher Moore, Alex Marakov, Bradley G. Christensen

quant-phSubmitted Feb 26, 2026• Announced Mar 2, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

We measure the effect of ionizing radiation on superconducting qubits with a timing resolution of 1 $μs$ using microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) fabricated on the same substrate. We observe no correlation between two-level system (TLS) scrambling events and ionizing radiation events detected with the MKIDs, suggesting TLS scrambling events may not arise from ionizing radiation and instead the previously reported apparent correlation may be due to events without sufficient energy to trigger our MKIDs. We characterize the fast-time system recovery of transmons following a radiation event, where we observe the recovery of the enhanced qubit relaxation and excitation to be well-described by an exponential recovery to the baseline quasiparticle density, with a characteristic time of $13\pm1\ μ$s, and a peak quasiparticle density at the junction per deposited energy of $240/μm^3/MeV$. The fast recovery is consistent with literature reported values for Nb-based devices with direct injection of 2$Δ_{\text{Al}}$ phonons, demonstrating the recovery is strongly dependent on the proximity of niobium to the junction.

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We measure the effect of ionizing radiation on superconducting qubits with a timing resolution of 1 μsμsμs using microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs) fabricated on the same substrate. We observe no correlation between two-level system (TLS) scrambling events and ionizing radiation events detected with the MKIDs, suggesting TLS scrambling events may not arise from ionizing radiation and instead the previously reported apparent correlation may be due to events without sufficient energy to trigger our MKIDs. We characterize the fast-time system recovery of transmons following a radiation event, where we observe the recovery of the enhanced qubit relaxation and excitation to be well-described by an exponential recovery to the baseline quasiparticle density, with a characteristic time of 13±1 μ13\pm1\ μ13±1 μs, and a peak quasiparticle density at the junction per deposited energy of 240/μm3/MeV240/μm^3/MeV240/μm3/MeV. The fast recovery is consistent with literature reported values for Nb-based devices with direct injection of 2ΔAlΔ_{\text{Al}}ΔAl​ phonons, demonstrating the recovery is strongly dependent on the proximity of niobium to the junction.
Most quantum error-correction (QEC) protocols for superconducting qubits assume spatially and temporally uncorrelated decoherence events; however, recent evidence suggests that cosmic radiation induces spatially correlated errors. We present a platform that sandwiches a superconducting transmon qubit between two microwave kinetic inductance detector (MKID) arrays, enabling real-time detection of radiation-induced phonon bursts. By synchronizing MKID event detection with single-shot measurements of qubit energy relaxation ( T 1 ) and phase coherence ( T 2 ), we observe statistically significant reductions in both T 1 and T 2 —up to 30.5%—immediately following dual MKID events attributed to penetrating muons. Our findings directly link radiating events to correlated qubit decoherence. Furthermore, our experimental platform provides a foundation for systematic studies of radiation effects, the development of shielding and mitigation techniques, and the refinement of error-correction algorithms tailored to correlated noise sources.
Most quantum error correction (QEC) protocols for superconducting qubits assume spatially and temporally uncorrelated decoherence events; however, recent evidence suggests that cosmic radiation induces spatially correlated errors. We present a platform that sandwiches a superconducting transmon qubit between two microwave kinetic inductance detector (MKID) arrays, enabling real-time detection of radiation-induced phonon bursts. By synchronizing MKID event detection with single-shot measurements of qubit energy relaxation (T1T_1T1​) and phase coherence (T2T_2T2​), we observe statistically significant reductions in both T1T_1T1​ and T2T_2T2​-up to 30.5%-immediately following dual MKID events attributed to penetrating muons. Our findings directly link radiating events to correlated qubit decoherence. Furthermore, our experimental platform provides a foundation for systematic studies of radiation effects, the development of shielding and mitigation techniques, and the refinement of error-correction algorithms tailored to correlated noise sources.
Ionizing radiation is a known source of correlated errors in superconducting quantum processors, inhibiting the functionality of quantum error correction surface codes. High-energy photons and charged particles deposit pair-breaking energy into these systems leading to excess quasiparticles near Josephson junctions that increase qubit decoherence. Previous investigations of this problem have relied on ambient, stochastic sources of ionizing radiation or alternative methods of quasiparticle generation. Here, we present a facility that couples an electron linear accelerator (linac) to a dilution refrigerator to study ionizing radiation in quantum systems. A single linac electron closely mimics the energy deposition characteristics of a typical cosmic-ray muon, and we demonstrate the facility's usefulness with a multi-qubit superconducting transmon chip. Characteristic radiation-induced relaxation errors are quickly and easily collected with the speed and timing information of the linac. Additionally, we present qubit excitation and detuning errors that can be difficult to detect without the on-demand source of ionizing radiation. These error signatures are shown to be dependent on the junction placement and surrounding superconducting gaps.
Superconducting qubit lifetimes must be both long and stable to provide an adequate foundation for quantum computing. This stability is imperiled by two-level systems (TLSs), currently a dominant loss mechanism, which exhibit slow spectral dynamics that destabilize qubit lifetimes on hour timescales. Stability is also threatened at millisecond timescales, where ionizing radiation has recently been found to cause bursts of correlated multi-qubit decays, complicating quantum error correction. Here we study both ionizing radiation and TLS dynamics on a 27-qubit processor, repurposing the standard transmon qubits as sensors of both radiation impacts and TLS dynamics. Unlike prior literature, we observe resilience of the qubit lifetimes to the transient quasiparticles generated by the impact of radiation. However, we also observe a new interaction between these two processes, "TLS scrambling," in which a radiation impact causes multiple TLSs to jump in frequency, which we suggest is due to the same charge rearrangement sensed by qubits near a radiation impact. As TLS scrambling brings TLSs out of or in to resonance with the qubit, the lifetime of the qubit increases or decreases. Our findings thus identify radiation as a new contribution to fluctuations in qubit lifetimes, with implications for efforts to characterize and improve device stability
We investigate qubit error bursts in 5- and 7-transmon processors of similar design, fabrication and packaging, but with different types of qubit Josephson junctions. Measurements for each are performed in two refrigerators to discern device-specific from refrigerator-dependent characteristics. The duration and rate of bursts are device specific but within the range of prior experiments and consistent with ionizing radiation. We observe two unforeseen signatures specifically in the processor with Dolan junctions. First, increasing the rate of πππ pulsing in the detection scheme shortens the recovery time to equilibrium, which is explained by a quasiparticle pumping mechanism. The second signature is an anomalous time dependence in the burst rate: a surge happens days or weeks after cooldown, followed by a strong suppression that persists until thermal cycling.
Quasiparticle poisoning following particle impacts poses a significant challenge to the development of fault-tolerant superconducting quantum computers, as a sudden excess of quasiparticles can simultaneously degrade the coherence of multiple qubits across large device arrays. In this work, we present a statistical analysis that models the time evolution of radiation-induced qubit energy relaxation through quasiparticle density dynamics. This study provides insight into quasiparticle loss processes by distinguishing between recombination and trapping decay channels and assessing their respective impact on qubit performance. We precisely measure quasiparticle recombination in multiple transmon qubits and uncover an unexpected dependence of qubit relaxation dynamics on deposited energy. By linking correlated relaxation events across qubits to ballistic phonon propagation, we introduce a statistical localization approach to extract the energy deposited in the substrate, which is in good agreement with Monte Carlo simulation. This work establishes the quantitative framework for using an arbitrary subset of superconducting transmon qubits in a QPU as energy-resolving witness particle detectors.