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Simulation of quantum-mechanical supersymmetry in a Cooper-pair box shunted by a Josephson rhombus

Jascha Ulrich, Daniel Otten, Fabian Hassler

Published Mar 13, 2015• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Supersymmetries in quantum mechanics offer a way to obtain degeneracies in the excitation spectrum which do not originate from selection rules. The mechanism behind the degeneracies is the same as the one that leads to the miraculous cancellations of divergences in supersymmetric field theories found in the high energy physics context. Even though of importance, there is up to now no realistic proposal of non-integrable systems that show level degeneracies due to a supersymmetric structure. Here, we propose an implementation of a quantum-mechanical supersymmetry in a Cooper-pair box shunted by a Josephson junction rhombus which is effectively $\pi$-periodic in the superconducting phase difference. For a characteristic ratio between the strength of the $2\pi$- and the $\pi$-periodic junction, we find a two-fold degeneracy of all the energy levels all the way from the weak junction/charge qubit limit to the strong junction/transmon regime. We provide explicit values for the parameters of the rhombus and show that tuning in and out of the supersymmetric point is easily achieved by varying an external gate voltage. We furthermore discuss a microwave experiment to detect the supersymmetry and conclude that it could indeed be simulated with currently existing Josephson junction technology.

Related papers

Simulation of supersymmetric quantum mechanics in a Cooper-pair box shunted by a Josephson rhombus

Jascha Ulrich, Daniel Otten, Fabian Hassler

Supersymmetries in quantum mechanics offer a way to obtain degeneracies in the excitation spectrum which do not originate from selection rules. The mechanism behind the degeneracies is the same as the one that leads to the miraculous cancellations of divergences in supersymmetric field theories found in the high energy physics context. There is up to now no realistic proposal of nonintegrable systems that show level degeneracies due to a supersymmetric structure. Here, we propose an implementation of a quantum-mechanical supersymmetry in a Cooper-pair box shunted by a Josephson junction rhombus which is effectively $\ensuremath{\pi}$ periodic in the superconducting phase difference. For a characteristic ratio between the strength of the $2\ensuremath{\pi}$- and the $\ensuremath{\pi}$-periodic junction, we find a twofold degeneracy of all the energy levels all the way from the weak junction/charge qubit limit to the strong junction/transmon regime. We provide explicit experimental values for the parameters of the system and show that tuning in and out of the supersymmetric point is easily achieved by varying an external gate voltage. We furthermore discuss a microwave experiment to detect the supersymmetry and conclude that it can indeed be implemented with currently existing Josephson junction technology.

arXiv:1503.03995•Physical Review B•Dec 31, 2015•8 citations

The single Cooper-pair box as a charge qubit

Kevin Bladh, T. Duty, David Gunnarsson +1 more

We present a series of measurements on nine single Cooper-pair boxes (SCBs), where the charging energy, E C , and the Josephson coupling energy, E J , have been varied. We have investigated both the ground state properties of the SCBs and their quantum coherent properties. The state of the SCBs could be manipulated by an external gate voltage and the charge was measured by coupling it capacitatively to a radio-frequency single-electron-transistor (RF-SET). By ramping the gate voltage and simultaneously measuring the charge of the SCBs using the RF-SET, we could measure the Coulomb staircases of the SCBs. For sufficiently low E C the SCBs showed a fully 2 e periodic Coulomb staircase. For samples with higher E C the staircase showed a short step for odd number of charges indicating quasi-particle 'poisoning'. However, if E C was not too large, the short step could be removed by applying a parallel magnetic field. We attribute this effect to a stronger suppression of the superconducting energy gap in the reservoir than in the box. Using microwave spectroscopy we have determined E C and E J for the SCBs. These values agree well with the shape of the Coulomb staircases which we measure. For a limited range of gate voltage, the SCBs were found to behave as model two-level quantum-mechanical systems. A non-adiabatic change in the induced island charge was used to bring two charge states into resonance. The resulting time evolution showed clear charge oscillations between the ground and excited state, with an amplitude above 70% and a frequency given by the energy level separation divided by Planck's constant. These oscillations had a longest coherence time of T 2 = 9 ns, at a point where the pure charge states are degenerate. The coherence time at this point was found to be limited by the relaxation rate. Away from the charge degeneracy point, the coherence time was limited by the pure dephasing rate. The dependence of T 2 on gate charge suggested that low frequency fluctuators were the main source of dephasing away from the degeneracy point.

New Journal of Physics•Aug 26, 2005•37 citations

Coherent control of macroscopic quantum states in a single-Cooper-pair box

Yasunobu Nakamura, Yu. A. Pashkin, J. S. Tsai

Abstract A nanometre-scale superconducting electrode connected to a reservoir via a Josephson junction constitutes an artificial two-level electronic system: a single-Cooper-pair box. The two levels consist of charge states (differing by 2e, where e is the electronic charge) that are coupled by tunnelling of Cooper pairs through the junction. Although the two-level system is macroscopic, containing a large number of electrons, the two charge states can be coherently superposed1, 2, 3, 4. The Cooper-pair box has therefore been suggested5, 6, 7 as a candidate for a quantum bit or ‘qubit’—the basic component of a quantum computer. Here we report the observation of quantum oscillations in a single-Cooper-pair box. By applying a short voltage pulse via a gate electrode, we can control the coherent quantum state evolution: the pulse modifies the energies of the two charge states non-adiabatically, bringing them into resonance. The resulting state—a superposition of the two charge states—is detected by a tunnelling current through a probe junction. Our results demonstrate electrical coherent control of a qubit in a solid-state electronic device.

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Interference effects in isolated Josephson junction arrays with geometric symmetries

Dmitri A. Ivanov, L. B. Ioffe, V. B. Geshkenbeǐn +1 more

Reducing the size of the junctions in a Josephson junction array takes the system from the classical to the quantum regime and turns the condensate phases on the islands into periodic quantum variables. Under suitable conditions such quantum arrays exhibit Aharonov-Bohm-Casher-type interference effects which change the spectrum of this macroscopic object by the addition of one Cooper pair to the array. We discuss the case of an isolated symmetric loop of N identical junctions encircling one half superconducting quantum of magnetic flux. We argue that the ground state is nondegenerate if the total number of Cooper pairs on the array is divisible by N, and doubly degenerate otherwise (after the stray charges are compensated by the gate voltages). This result is first established in the two opposite limits of dominating Josephson and charging energies, and is further explained using symmetry arguments. As long as the ground-state symmetry is preserved, its degeneracy remains unchanged in the entire range of charging-to-Josephson energy ratio. Such interference effects may be relevant in applications of superconducting junction arrays for quantum computing.

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Quantum coherent dynamics of two coupled superconducting charge qubits

Yu. A. Pashkin, O. V. Astafiev, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto +5 more

We have analyzed and measured the quantum coherent dynamics of a circuit containing two coupled superconducting charge qubits. Each qubit is based on a Cooper pair box connected to a reservoir electrode through a Josephson junction. Two qubits are coupled electrostatically by a small island overlapping both Cooper pair boxes. Quantum state manipulation ofthe qubit circuit is done by applying non-adiabatic voltage pulses to the common gate. We read out each qubit by means of probe electrodes connected to Cooper pair boxes through high-Ohmic tunnel junctions. With such a setup the measured pulse-induced probe currents are proportional to the probability for each qubit to have an extra Cooper pai1r after the manipulation. As expected from theory and observed experimentally the measured pulse-induced current in each probe has two frequency components whose position on the frequency axis can be externally controlled. This is a result ofthe inter-qubit coupling which is also responsible for the avoided level crossing that we observed in the qubits' spectra. Our simulations show that in the absence of decoherence and with a rectangular pulse shape the system remains entangled most ofthe time reaching maximally entangled states at certain instances.

Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE•Jun 1, 2005•0 citations

Hybrid Josephson Rhombus: A Superconducting Element with Tailored Current-Phase Relation

Luca Banszerus, C. W. Andersson, W. Marshall +4 more

Controlling the current-phase relation (CPR) of Josephson elements is essential for tailoring the eigenstates of superconducting qubits, tuning the properties of parametric amplifiers, and designing nonreciprocal superconducting devices. Here, we introduce the hybrid Josephson rhombus, a highly tunable superconducting circuit containing four semiconductor-superconductor hybrid Josephson junctions embedded in a loop. Combining magnetic frustration with gate-voltage-controlled tuning of individual Josephson couplings provides deterministic control of the harmonic content of the rhombus CPR. We show that, for balanced Josephson couplings at full frustration, the hybrid rhombus displays a π -periodic cos ( 2 φ ) potential, indicating coherent charge- 4 e transport. Tuning away from the balanced configuration, we observe a superconducting diode effect with efficiency exceeding 25%. These results showcase the potential of hybrid Josephson rhombi as fundamental building blocks for noise-resilient qubits and quantum devices with custom transport properties.

arXiv:2406.20082•Physical Review X•Feb 4, 2025•14 citations
Supersymmetries in quantum mechanics offer a way to obtain degeneracies in the excitation spectrum which do not originate from selection rules. The mechanism behind the degeneracies is the same as the one that leads to the miraculous cancellations of divergences in supersymmetric field theories found in the high energy physics context. Even though of importance, there is up to now no realistic proposal of non-integrable systems that show level degeneracies due to a supersymmetric structure. Here, we propose an implementation of a quantum-mechanical supersymmetry in a Cooper-pair box shunted by a Josephson junction rhombus which is effectively π\piπ-periodic in the superconducting phase difference. For a characteristic ratio between the strength of the 2π2\pi2π- and the π\piπ-periodic junction, we find a two-fold degeneracy of all the energy levels all the way from the weak junction/charge qubit limit to the strong junction/transmon regime. We provide explicit values for the parameters of the rhombus and show that tuning in and out of the supersymmetric point is easily achieved by varying an external gate voltage. We furthermore discuss a microwave experiment to detect the supersymmetry and conclude that it could indeed be simulated with currently existing Josephson junction technology.
Supersymmetries in quantum mechanics offer a way to obtain degeneracies in the excitation spectrum which do not originate from selection rules. The mechanism behind the degeneracies is the same as the one that leads to the miraculous cancellations of divergences in supersymmetric field theories found in the high energy physics context. There is up to now no realistic proposal of nonintegrable systems that show level degeneracies due to a supersymmetric structure. Here, we propose an implementation of a quantum-mechanical supersymmetry in a Cooper-pair box shunted by a Josephson junction rhombus which is effectively $\ensuremath{\pi}$ periodic in the superconducting phase difference. For a characteristic ratio between the strength of the $2\ensuremath{\pi}$- and the $\ensuremath{\pi}$-periodic junction, we find a twofold degeneracy of all the energy levels all the way from the weak junction/charge qubit limit to the strong junction/transmon regime. We provide explicit experimental values for the parameters of the system and show that tuning in and out of the supersymmetric point is easily achieved by varying an external gate voltage. We furthermore discuss a microwave experiment to detect the supersymmetry and conclude that it can indeed be implemented with currently existing Josephson junction technology.
We present a series of measurements on nine single Cooper-pair boxes (SCBs), where the charging energy, E C , and the Josephson coupling energy, E J , have been varied. We have investigated both the ground state properties of the SCBs and their quantum coherent properties. The state of the SCBs could be manipulated by an external gate voltage and the charge was measured by coupling it capacitatively to a radio-frequency single-electron-transistor (RF-SET). By ramping the gate voltage and simultaneously measuring the charge of the SCBs using the RF-SET, we could measure the Coulomb staircases of the SCBs. For sufficiently low E C the SCBs showed a fully 2 e periodic Coulomb staircase. For samples with higher E C the staircase showed a short step for odd number of charges indicating quasi-particle 'poisoning'. However, if E C was not too large, the short step could be removed by applying a parallel magnetic field. We attribute this effect to a stronger suppression of the superconducting energy gap in the reservoir than in the box. Using microwave spectroscopy we have determined E C and E J for the SCBs. These values agree well with the shape of the Coulomb staircases which we measure. For a limited range of gate voltage, the SCBs were found to behave as model two-level quantum-mechanical systems. A non-adiabatic change in the induced island charge was used to bring two charge states into resonance. The resulting time evolution showed clear charge oscillations between the ground and excited state, with an amplitude above 70% and a frequency given by the energy level separation divided by Planck's constant. These oscillations had a longest coherence time of T 2 = 9 ns, at a point where the pure charge states are degenerate. The coherence time at this point was found to be limited by the relaxation rate. Away from the charge degeneracy point, the coherence time was limited by the pure dephasing rate. The dependence of T 2 on gate charge suggested that low frequency fluctuators were the main source of dephasing away from the degeneracy point.
Abstract A nanometre-scale superconducting electrode connected to a reservoir via a Josephson junction constitutes an artificial two-level electronic system: a single-Cooper-pair box. The two levels consist of charge states (differing by 2e, where e is the electronic charge) that are coupled by tunnelling of Cooper pairs through the junction. Although the two-level system is macroscopic, containing a large number of electrons, the two charge states can be coherently superposed1, 2, 3, 4. The Cooper-pair box has therefore been suggested5, 6, 7 as a candidate for a quantum bit or ‘qubit’—the basic component of a quantum computer. Here we report the observation of quantum oscillations in a single-Cooper-pair box. By applying a short voltage pulse via a gate electrode, we can control the coherent quantum state evolution: the pulse modifies the energies of the two charge states non-adiabatically, bringing them into resonance. The resulting state—a superposition of the two charge states—is detected by a tunnelling current through a probe junction. Our results demonstrate electrical coherent control of a qubit in a solid-state electronic device.
Reducing the size of the junctions in a Josephson junction array takes the system from the classical to the quantum regime and turns the condensate phases on the islands into periodic quantum variables. Under suitable conditions such quantum arrays exhibit Aharonov-Bohm-Casher-type interference effects which change the spectrum of this macroscopic object by the addition of one Cooper pair to the array. We discuss the case of an isolated symmetric loop of N identical junctions encircling one half superconducting quantum of magnetic flux. We argue that the ground state is nondegenerate if the total number of Cooper pairs on the array is divisible by N, and doubly degenerate otherwise (after the stray charges are compensated by the gate voltages). This result is first established in the two opposite limits of dominating Josephson and charging energies, and is further explained using symmetry arguments. As long as the ground-state symmetry is preserved, its degeneracy remains unchanged in the entire range of charging-to-Josephson energy ratio. Such interference effects may be relevant in applications of superconducting junction arrays for quantum computing.
We have analyzed and measured the quantum coherent dynamics of a circuit containing two coupled superconducting charge qubits. Each qubit is based on a Cooper pair box connected to a reservoir electrode through a Josephson junction. Two qubits are coupled electrostatically by a small island overlapping both Cooper pair boxes. Quantum state manipulation ofthe qubit circuit is done by applying non-adiabatic voltage pulses to the common gate. We read out each qubit by means of probe electrodes connected to Cooper pair boxes through high-Ohmic tunnel junctions. With such a setup the measured pulse-induced probe currents are proportional to the probability for each qubit to have an extra Cooper pai1r after the manipulation. As expected from theory and observed experimentally the measured pulse-induced current in each probe has two frequency components whose position on the frequency axis can be externally controlled. This is a result ofthe inter-qubit coupling which is also responsible for the avoided level crossing that we observed in the qubits' spectra. Our simulations show that in the absence of decoherence and with a rectangular pulse shape the system remains entangled most ofthe time reaching maximally entangled states at certain instances.
Controlling the current-phase relation (CPR) of Josephson elements is essential for tailoring the eigenstates of superconducting qubits, tuning the properties of parametric amplifiers, and designing nonreciprocal superconducting devices. Here, we introduce the hybrid Josephson rhombus, a highly tunable superconducting circuit containing four semiconductor-superconductor hybrid Josephson junctions embedded in a loop. Combining magnetic frustration with gate-voltage-controlled tuning of individual Josephson couplings provides deterministic control of the harmonic content of the rhombus CPR. We show that, for balanced Josephson couplings at full frustration, the hybrid rhombus displays a π -periodic cos ( 2 φ ) potential, indicating coherent charge- 4 e transport. Tuning away from the balanced configuration, we observe a superconducting diode effect with efficiency exceeding 25%. These results showcase the potential of hybrid Josephson rhombi as fundamental building blocks for noise-resilient qubits and quantum devices with custom transport properties.