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Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences

Scalable solid–state qubits: challenging decoherence and read–out

Goran P. Wendin

Published Jul 15, 2003• 9 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We review some basic facts about qubits and qubit processing. After a brief survey of solid-state qubits, we focus on quantized electrical circuits and superconducting qubits based on Josephson junctions. We review the general framework and indicate how the various qubits, such as the superconducting Cooper pair box charge qubit, the persistent current flux qubit, the hybrid charge-phase qubit, and the Andreev-level qubit, can be seen to appear due to different choices of design parameters. Finally, we consider multi-qubit systems and discuss some aspects of decoherence.

DOI
10.1098/rsta.2003.1202

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We review some basic facts about qubits and qubit processing. After a brief survey of solid-state qubits, we focus on quantized electrical circuits and superconducting qubits based on Josephson junctions. We review the general framework and indicate how the various qubits, such as the superconducting Cooper pair box charge qubit, the persistent current flux qubit, the hybrid charge-phase qubit, and the Andreev-level qubit, can be seen to appear due to different choices of design parameters. Finally, we consider multi-qubit systems and discuss some aspects of decoherence.
Superconducting qubits have in recent years become a promising candidate for the implementation of a quantum computer due to their design flexibility, good protection from decohering elementary excitations, and availability of well developed fabrication and measurement techniques. Superconducting flux qubits, for which the effect of offset charge noise is reduced due to the fact that the Josephson energy dominates over the charging energy, correspond to one of the proposed means of designing a superconducting qubit. A nonlinear dispersive readout scheme of flux qubits involving a DC SQUID magnetometer that avoids the effects of on-chip dissipation can be readily implemented, yielding high contrast output for single qubit readout. Coupling schemes via nonlinear Josephson elements have also been realized. On the other hand, while the means of isolating superconducting qubits from external noise sources has been found, the mechanisms by which they undergo relaxation and decoherence due to intrinsic noise sources in the junctions themselves are not very well understood, and the question of how to deal with these noise sources remains unanswered in the general case. Other questions deal with the problem of experimentally observing entanglement in an array of coupled superconducting qubits, and finding the means by which the existence of entanglement in a typical laboratory setup may to some extent be verified by measurements on a global scale. Following a brief introductory review, we will first investigate the influence of a Two-Level Fluctuator on a DC SQUID driven by a finite current bias. Then we introduce a directly measurable signature of multiqubit entanglement for a large system of qubits and show that it is compatible to a recently introduced measure of global entanglement.
Solid state quantum bit circuits (qubits) are candidates for the implementation of quantum processors, which can in principle perform some computational tasks beyond reach of classical sequential processors. Decoherence is there a key issue since electrical circuits are more prone to decoherence than microscopic objects such as atoms. We introduce the different families of solid state qubits, which are either based on single particle states in semiconductor nanostructures, or on global quantum states of superconducting Josephson circuits. We treat more in detail the Cooper pair box Josephson circuit, and the quantronium circuit derived from it. In this device, a decoupling strategy of the circuit from the outside circuitry allows to improve quantum coherence. We expose results obtained on the manipulation of the qubit state in the quantronium. We develop a general framework for understanding decoherence in qubit circuits, and show how coherence time measurements allow to characterize noise sources coup. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
Hybrid semiconductor-superconductor qubits have recently emerged as a promising alternative to traditional platforms, combining material advantages with device-level tunability. A defining feature is their gate-tunable Josephson coupling, enabling superconducting qubit architectures with full electric-field control and offering a path toward scalable, low-crosstalk quantum processors. This approach seeks to merge benefits of superconducting and semiconductor qubits, for instance by encoding quantum information in the spin of a quasiparticle occupying an Andreev bound state, thus combining long coherence times with fast, flexible control. Progress has accelerated through bottom-up engineering of Andreev states in coupled quantum dot arrays, leading to architectures such as minimal Kitaev chains hosting Majorana zero modes. In parallel, Hamiltonian-protected designs aim to enhance resilience against local noise and decoherence by exploiting superconducting phase dynamics and discrete charge or flux degrees of freedom. This article reviews recent theoretical and experimental advances in hybrid qubits, providing an overview of physical mechanisms, device implementations, and emerging architectures, with emphasis on their potential for (topologically) protected quantum information processing. While many designs remain at proof-of-concept stage, rapid progress suggests practical demonstrations may soon be achievable.
Superconducting qubits are solid state electrical circuits fabricated using techniques borrowed from conventional integrated circuits. They are based on the Josephson tunnel junction, the only non-dissipative, strongly non-linear circuit element available at low temperature. In contrast to microscopic entities such as spins or atoms, they tend to be well coupled to other circuits, which make them appealling from the point of view of readout and gate implementation. Very recently, new designs of superconducting qubits based on multi-junction circuits have solved the problem of isolation from unwanted extrinsic electromagnetic perturbations. We discuss in this review how qubit decoherence is affected by the intrinsic noise of the junction and what can be done to improve it.
The field of solid-state quantum computation is expanding rapidly initiated by our original charge qubit demonstrations. Various types of solid-state qubits are being studied, and their coherent properties are improving. The goal of this review is to summarize achievements on Josephson charge qubits. We cover the results obtained in our joint group of NEC Nano Electronics Research Laboratories and RIKEN Advanced Science Institute, also referring to the works done by other groups. Starting from a short introduction, we describe the principle of the Josephson charge qubit, its manipulation and readout. We proceed with coupling of two charge qubits and implementation of a logic gate. We also discuss decoherence issues. Finally, we show how a charge qubit can be used as an artificial atom coupled to a resonator to demonstrate lasing action.
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.