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Coherent Manipulation of Multi-Partite Quantum States in a Qubit-TLS System via Landau-Zener Transition

Bo Mao

Published Sep 12, 2010• 1 citation
OpenAlex

Abstract

A radio frequency (rf) superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) is a macroscopic quantum object consisting of a superconducting loop interrupted by a Josephson junction. Superconducting phase quantum bits (qubits) based on rf SQUIDs have been proven to be one of the most promising candidates for building a quantum computer. They exploit the unique resources of quantum superposition and entanglement and are exponentially faster than classical computers in solving certain problems, such as factoring. Compared to other approaches to quantum computing, superconducting phase qubits allow stronger and more flexible inter-qubit coupling and thus are easier to scale up. However, phase qubits couple to the environment and are subject to considerable decoherence. The resulting coherence time (also called decoherence time) is on the order of 100 ns, about two orders of magnitude shorter than that required for fault-tolerant quantum computing. One possible solution is to develop faster quantum gates in phase qubits. In this dissertation, coherent manipulation of multi-partite quantum states via Landau-Zener (LZ) transitions was investigated in a phase qubit, which was coupled to two microscopic two-level systems (TLSs) embedded in the tunnel barrier of the Josephson junction. The qubit chip was measured at temperatures below 30 mK in an ultra-low noise environment with excellent electrical and magnetic filtering and shielding. All parameters of the phase qubit were calibrated independently. The phase qubit's decoherence times have been carefully measured as well. Fast and precise coherent control of the tripartite quantum states has been successfully demonstrated by the observation of the Landau-Zener-Stückelberg (LZS) interference in the coupled qubit-TLS system. Furthermore, it is shown that utilizing LZ transitions to create multi-partite entangled states, such as the W state, is significantly more efficient than conventional methods which require a sequence of single-qubit and two-qubit gates. Hence, coherent manipulation of multi-partite quantum states via LZ transitions is a promising basis for a new family of fast multi-qubit quantum gates.

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A radio frequency (rf) superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) is a macroscopic quantum object consisting of a superconducting loop interrupted by a Josephson junction. Superconducting phase quantum bits (qubits) based on rf SQUIDs have been proven to be one of the most promising candidates for building a quantum computer. They exploit the unique resources of quantum superposition and entanglement and are exponentially faster than classical computers in solving certain problems, such as factoring. Compared to other approaches to quantum computing, superconducting phase qubits allow stronger and more flexible inter-qubit coupling and thus are easier to scale up. However, phase qubits couple to the environment and are subject to considerable decoherence. The resulting coherence time (also called decoherence time) is on the order of 100 ns, about two orders of magnitude shorter than that required for fault-tolerant quantum computing. One possible solution is to develop faster quantum gates in phase qubits. In this dissertation, coherent manipulation of multi-partite quantum states via Landau-Zener (LZ) transitions was investigated in a phase qubit, which was coupled to two microscopic two-level systems (TLSs) embedded in the tunnel barrier of the Josephson junction. The qubit chip was measured at temperatures below 30 mK in an ultra-low noise environment with excellent electrical and magnetic filtering and shielding. All parameters of the phase qubit were calibrated independently. The phase qubit's decoherence times have been carefully measured as well. Fast and precise coherent control of the tripartite quantum states has been successfully demonstrated by the observation of the Landau-Zener-Stückelberg (LZS) interference in the coupled qubit-TLS system. Furthermore, it is shown that utilizing LZ transitions to create multi-partite entangled states, such as the W state, is significantly more efficient than conventional methods which require a sequence of single-qubit and two-qubit gates. Hence, coherent manipulation of multi-partite quantum states via LZ transitions is a promising basis for a new family of fast multi-qubit quantum gates.
Coherent control of quantum states is at the heart of implementing solid-state quantum processors and testing quantum mechanics at the macroscopic level. Despite significant progress made in recent years in controlling single- and bi-partite quantum systems, coherent control of quantum wave function in multipartite systems involving artificial solid-state qubits has been hampered due to the relatively short decoherence time and lack of precise control methods. Here we report the creation and coherent manipulation of quantum states in a tripartite quantum system, which is formed by a superconducting qubit coupled to two microscopic two-level systems (TLSs). The avoided crossings in the system's energy-level spectrum due to the qubit–TLS interaction act as tunable quantum beam splitters of wave functions. Our result shows that the Landau–Zener–Stückelberg interference has great potential in precise control of the quantum states in the tripartite system. Coherent control of solid-state multi-qubit systems is highly desirable for quantum information. Here the authors show coupling, and control through Landau–Zener interference, of a superconducting qubit and two microscopic two-level systems, creating an interesting platform for quantum computation.
At low temperature and low damping, the magnetic flux of a rf Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID) acts as a macroscopic quantum variable whose dynamic is described by a double well potential. A rf SQUID consists of a superconducting loop interrupted by a thin insulating barrier, known as a Josephson junction. The modified rf SQUID design discussed in this thesis has independent, in situ, controls that allow varying the barrier height between the potential wells and their relative tilt. This high level of control of the potential together with the capability to implement an experimental setup optimized to reduce coupling to external sources of noise, made this system ideal not only for tests of quantum transition at a macroscopic level, but also as a scalable solid state device for quantum computation. A variety of measurements of quantum phenomena are reported in this thesis, including microwave level spectroscopy, coherent oscillations, and macroscopic resonant tunneling (MRT). These measurements are compared with theoretical models to study the possible sources of decoherence in a rf SQUID qubit. The analysis confirmed that the main source of decoherence is not due to coupling to the external environment, but it can be linked to intrinsic low frequency flux noise. Work from many groups over the last several years has shown that the performance of a superconductive qubit is limited by coupling to spurious defects in the materials used for the device fabrication. In this work we analyze the possibility of using the MRT as a tool for future studies of effects of materials and fabrication process in the realization of improved qubits, and we also explore the feasibility for measurements of quantum phenomena that involve fast pulsing of the potential barrier height.
Constructing a universal operation scheme for Majorana qubits remains a central issue for the topological quantum computation. We study the Landau-Zener-St\"uckelberg interference in a Majorana qubit and show that this interference can be used to achieve controllable operations. The Majorana qubit consists of an rf superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) with a topological nanowire Josephson junction which hosts Majorana bound states. In the SQUID, a magnetic flux pulse can drive the quantum evolution of the Majorana qubit. The qubit experiences two Landau-Zener transitions when the amplitude of the pulse is tuned around the superconducting flux quanta h/2eh/2eh/2e. The Landau-Zener-St\"uckelberg interference between the two transitions rotates the Majorana qubit, with the angle controlled by the time scale of the pulse. This rotation operation implements a high-speed single-qubit gate on the Majorana qubit, which is a necessary ingredient for the topological quantum computation.
We propose and demonstrate gates between two superconducting qubits based on quantum interference of consecutive Landau-Zener (LZ) transitions. This gate mechanism bridges between baseband and parametric two-qubit control, enabling in situ tuning of the control frequency across a continuous interval up to hundreds of MHz. Another advantage compared to dispersive couplers is that the speed of the LZ gate is on the order of the full coupling strength. We experimentally demonstrate the gate on two platforms, a modular chiplet architecture of coupled generalized flux qubits, and on a monolithic transmon architecture. The combination of tunability and gate speed establishes the LZ gate as a unique tool for multiplexing control pulses and interconnecting superconducting chiplet architectures.
Among the potential physical implementations of quantum bits (qubits) solid state devices appear most promising for large scale applications and integration in electronic circuits. Devices based on low-capacitance Josephson junctions exploit the coherence of the superconducting state, combined with the possibility to control individual charges by Coulomb blockade effects. The logical states in these systems differ by one Cooper-pair charge. Single- and two-bit operations can be performed by applying a sequence of gate voltages. The phase coherence time is sufficiently long to allow a series of these steps. If, in addition, the strength of the Josephson coupling is controlled (e.g. by currents in SQUID loops) the system is ideal for quantum computation. Recent experiments by Nakamura et al. show the feasibility of this approach. In addition to the manipulations of qubits the resulting quantum state has to be read out. This quantum measurement process can be accomplished by coupling a single-electron transistor (SET) capacitively to the qubit. We investigate the process by analyzing the time-evolution of the density matrix of the coupled system. The measurement process is characterized by three time scales: the dephasing time, which is fast when a dissipative current flows in the SET, a longer ‘measurement time’ needed to read out the signal, and a third, even longer ‘mixing time’, characterizing measurement induced transitions which destroy the information about the initial quantum state. The noise spectrum of the current in the SET displays these time scales and allows their direct observation.
Superconducting qubits are artificial solid state quantum systems which present quantized energy level at low temperature and low dissipation. The energy difference between levels can be tuned by external driving electro-magnetic field, leading to avoided level crossings under certain conditions. Recent research has shown Landau-Zener-Stückelberg(LZS) interference can be realized in solid state qubits with such avoided level crossings. This provides a new method for the measurement of energy spectroscopy, the characterization of coupling between quantum system and environment, as well as the realization of quantum logic gates and quantum entanglement.