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arXiv:2605.06430

Revisiting the multi-mode rhombus circuit as a biased-noise qubit

Pablo Aramburu Sanchez, Trevyn F. Q. Larson, Anthony P. McFadden, Constantin Schrade, Joshua Combes, András Gyenis

quant-phSubmitted May 7, 2026• Announced May 8, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

In this work, we revisit the idea of using an interferometer of pairs of Josephson junctions as a protected rhombus qubit. Unlike in the original proposal, where the qubit states are encoded into odd and even parity charge states, here, we intentionally alter the energy of one of the junctions to investigate the soft version of the rhombus qubit. This approach allows us to directly probe the qubit transitions over several GHz and reduce the potential drawbacks of the interferometer-based protection. Away from a half flux quantum external field, the large shunting capacitors of the circuit ensure localized qubit states in different phase valleys, leading to a biased-noise qubit. In the realized circuit, we measure an average $T_1\approx500\,μ$s relaxation time in the biased-noise regime (with a Ramsey dephasing time of $T^{R}_\varphi\approx90\,$ns), while an average $T_1\approx27\,μ$s relaxation time at frustration (with $T^{R}_\varphi\approx670\,$ns). Our loss analysis on this multi-mode circuit indicates that at low frequencies, flux noise and quasiparticle tunneling limit the relaxation times, pointing toward the presence of an optimal operating regime of around a few GHz.

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Encoding a qubit in logical quantum states with wave functions characterized by disjoint support and robust energies can offer simultaneous protection against relaxation and pure dephasing. One of the most promising candidates for such a fully protected superconducting qubit is the 0-π circuit [Brooks et al., Phys. Rev. A 87, 052306 (2013)]. Here we realize the proposed circuit topology in an experimentally obtainable parameter regime, where the ground-state degeneracy is lifted but the qubit is still largely noise protected. More precisely, the logical states of this qubit feature disjoint support and are exponentially protected against relaxation and exponentially (first order) protected against dephasing due to charge (flux) noise. We name the resultant device the "soft 0-π qubit."Multitone spectroscopy measurements reveal the energy-level structure of the system, which can be precisely described by a simple two-mode Hamiltonian. Using a Raman-type protocol, we exploit a higher-lying charge-insensitive energy level of the device to realize coherent population transfer and logical operations. The measured relaxation (T1 = 1.6 ms) and dephasing (TR = 9 μs, T2E = 25μs) times demonstrate that the soft 0-π circuit not only broadens the family of superconducting qubits but also constitutes an important step toward quantum computing with intrinsically protected superconducting qubits.

•Mar 5, 2021•0 citations
In this work, we revisit the idea of using an interferometer of pairs of Josephson junctions as a protected rhombus qubit. Unlike in the original proposal, where the qubit states are encoded into odd and even parity charge states, here, we intentionally alter the energy of one of the junctions to investigate the soft version of the rhombus qubit. This approach allows us to directly probe the qubit transitions over several GHz and reduce the potential drawbacks of the interferometer-based protection. Away from a half flux quantum external field, the large shunting capacitors of the circuit ensure localized qubit states in different phase valleys, leading to a biased-noise qubit. In the realized circuit, we measure an average T1≈500 μT_1\approx500\,μT1​≈500μs relaxation time in the biased-noise regime (with a Ramsey dephasing time of TφR≈90 T^{R}_\varphi\approx90\,TφR​≈90ns), while an average T1≈27 μT_1\approx27\,μT1​≈27μs relaxation time at frustration (with TφR≈670 T^{R}_\varphi\approx670\,TφR​≈670ns). Our loss analysis on this multi-mode circuit indicates that at low frequencies, flux noise and quasiparticle tunneling limit the relaxation times, pointing toward the presence of an optimal operating regime of around a few GHz.
This dissertation explores three types of protected superconducting qubits: the rhombusqubit, the 0-π qubit, and the gyrator qubit. For the rhombus qubit, we analyze both symmetric and asymmetric circuit variants, quantizing the system and comparing their energy spectra. We find that the symmetric rhombus exhibits exponential protection against both depolarization and charge noise-induced dephasing. Importantly, we show that introducing asymmetry yields a firstorder flux noise sweet spot, which can significantly extend qubit coherence and improve gate depth. For the soft 0-π qubit, we study single- and two-qubit gates using microwave drives. We demonstrate that driving nθ achieves higher-fidelity single qubit X gate than driving nφ, with simulated fidelities ∼ 99.9% and gate time ∼ 30 ns for T1 = Tφ = 30µs. We also develop two kinds of two-qubit gates, CZ and CNOT gates. These gates are realized using both direct and Raman-type transitions, with fidelities ∼ 99.9% and gate times around 160 ns for T1 = Tφ = 30µs. We also propose a method to generate GKP states using parametrically induced gyration between coupled oscillators. We describe a circuit implementation using a modulated inductor and derive the corresponding quantum Hamiltonian. Importantly I show that having an imperfect gyration ratio degrades the code space of gyrator qubit. Finally I develop a graph-theoretic approach to enumerate superconducting circuits and identify candidates with favorable coherence properties. Applying this framework, we compare transmon, fluxonium, and rhombus qubits in terms of relaxation time, dephasing, and expected gate count, finding that the asymmetric rhombus offers competitive, and potentially superior, performance.
We investigate the coherence properties of parity-protected cos⁡(2φ)\cos(2\varphi)cos(2φ) qubits based on interferences between two Josephson elements in a superconducting loop. We show that qubit implementations of a cos⁡(2φ)\cos(2\varphi)cos(2φ) potential using a single loop, such as those employing semiconducting junctions, rhombus circuits, flowermon and KITE structures, can be described by the same Hamiltonian as two multi-harmonic Josephson junctions in a SQUID geometry. We find that, despite the parity protection arising from the suppression of single Cooper pair tunneling, there exists a fundamental trade-off between charge and flux noise dephasing channels. Using numerical simulations, we examine how relaxation and dephasing rates depend on external flux and circuit parameters, and we identify the best compromise for maximum coherence. With currently existing circuit parameters, the qubit lifetime T1T_1T1​ can exceed milliseconds while the dephasing time TφT_\varphiTφ​ remains limited to only a few microseconds due to either flux or charge noise. Our findings establish practical limits on the coherence of this class of qubits and raise questions about the long-term potential of this approach.
The quasiparticle density observed in low-temperature superconducting circuits is several orders of magnitude larger than the value expected at thermal equilibrium. The tunneling of this excess of quasiparticles across Josephson junctions is recognized as one of the main loss and decoherence mechanisms in superconducting qubits. Here we present a unified impedance theory that accounts for quasiparticle energy loss in circuit regions both far from and near to (across) junctions. Our theory leverages the recent experimental demonstration that the excess quasiparticles are in quasiequilibrium [Connolly et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 132, 217001 (2024)] and uses a generalized fluctuation-dissipation theorem to predict the amount of charge and flux noise generated by them. We compute the resulting energy relaxation time T1{T}_{1}T1​ in transmon qubits with and without junction asymmetric gap engineering, and show that quasiparticles residing away from junctions can play a dominant role in the former case. They also may provide an upper limit for resonator quality factors if the density of amorphous two-level systems is reduced. In addition, we show that charge noise from quasiparticles leads to flux noise that is logarithmic in frequency, giving rise to a ``nearly white'' contribution that is comparable to the flux noise observed in flux qubits. This contrasts with amorphous two-level systems, whose associated flux noise is shown to be super-Ohmic. We discuss how this quasiparticle flux noise can limit ${T}_{2}^{\ensuremath{\ast}}$ coherence times in flux-tunable qubits. The final conclusion is that asymmetric gap engineering can greatly reduce noise and increase coherence times in superconducting qubits.
Coherence limitations of a Fourier-engineered cos⁡(2φ)\cos(2\varphi)cos(2φ) transmon qubit
Intrinsically protected superconducting qubits are a promising route toward enhancing coherence times and advancing hardware towards applications in quantum computing. The cos⁡(2φ)\cos(2\varphi)cos(2φ) qubit achieves protection against qubit relaxation by allowing only the coherent tunneling of pairs of Cooper pairs, resulting in Cooper-pair parity symmetry and thereby suppressing charge-induced errors. In this work, we experimentally realize a cos⁡(2φ)\cos(2\varphi)cos(2φ) qubit by Fourier engineering the energy-phase relation in a multi-junction superconducting circuit. Using an interference-based architecture, we are able to suppress the odd harmonics of an effective qubit potential and we observe good agreement between the measured transition spectrum and the effective theoretical model. We further investigate the energy relaxation time as a function of external flux and find that the qubit lifetime at the flux symmetry point is limited by 1/f1/f1/f flux noise. This strong sensitivity arises from residual fluctuations in the first harmonic, which possesses a large prefactor despite being nominally canceled. In contrast, a fluxonium qubit with a similar energy spectrum and noise amplitude is less affected by flux noise, highlighting a key challenge for interference-based protection schemes.
We present a systematic study of the phase coherent dynamics of a superconducting three-Josephson-junction flux qubit. The qubit state is detected with the integrated-pulse method, which is a variant of the pulsed switching-dc-superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) method. In this scheme, the dc SQUID bias current pulse is applied via a capacitor instead of a resistor, giving rise to a narrow bandpass instead of a pure low-pass filter configuration of the electromagnetic environment. Measuring one and the same qubit with both setups allows a direct comparison. With the capacitive method about four times faster switching pulses and an increased visibility are achieved. Furthermore, the deliberate engineering of the electromagnetic environment, which minimizes the noise due to the bias circuit, is facilitated. Right at the degeneracy point, the qubit coherence is limited by energy relaxation. We find two main noise contributions. White noise limits the energy relaxation and contributes to the dephasing far from the degeneracy point. 1∕f1∕f1∕f noise is the dominant source of dephasing in the direct vicinity of the optimal point. The influence of 1∕f1∕f1∕f noise is also supported by nonrandom beatings in the Ramsey and spin echo decay traces. Numeric simulations of a coupled qubit-oscillator system indicate that these beatings are due to the resonant interaction of the qubit with at least one pointlike fluctuator, coupled especially strongly to the qubit.
Encoding a qubit in logical quantum states with wave functions characterized by disjoint support and robust energies can offer simultaneous protection against relaxation and pure dephasing. One of the most promising candidates for such a fully protected superconducting qubit is the 0-π circuit [Brooks et al., Phys. Rev. A 87, 052306 (2013)]. Here we realize the proposed circuit topology in an experimentally obtainable parameter regime, where the ground-state degeneracy is lifted but the qubit is still largely noise protected. More precisely, the logical states of this qubit feature disjoint support and are exponentially protected against relaxation and exponentially (first order) protected against dephasing due to charge (flux) noise. We name the resultant device the "soft 0-π qubit."Multitone spectroscopy measurements reveal the energy-level structure of the system, which can be precisely described by a simple two-mode Hamiltonian. Using a Raman-type protocol, we exploit a higher-lying charge-insensitive energy level of the device to realize coherent population transfer and logical operations. The measured relaxation (T1 = 1.6 ms) and dephasing (TR = 9 μs, T2E = 25μs) times demonstrate that the soft 0-π circuit not only broadens the family of superconducting qubits but also constitutes an important step toward quantum computing with intrinsically protected superconducting qubits.