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Notes on implementing generalized measurements with superconducting qubits

Justin Dressel, Todd A. Brun, Alexander N. Korotkov

Published Dec 4, 2013• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

We describe a method to perform any generalized purity-preserving measurement of a qubit with techniques tailored to superconducting systems. We start with considering two methods for realizing a two-outcome partial projection: using a thresholded continuous measurement in the circuit QED setup and using an indirect ancilla qubit measurement. Then we decompose an arbitrary puritypreserving two-outcome measurement into single qubit unitary rotations and a partial projection. Finally, we systematically reduce any multiple-outcome measurement to a sequence of two-outcome measurements and unitary operations.

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Implementing generalized measurements with superconducting qubits

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We describe a method to perform any generalized purity-preserving measurement of a qubit with techniques tailored to superconducting systems. First, we consider two methods for realizing a two-outcome partial projection: using a thresholded continuous measurement in the circuit QED setup and using an indirect ancilla qubit measurement. Second, we decompose an arbitrary purity-preserving two-outcome measurement into single-qubit unitary rotations and a partial projection. Third, we systematically reduce any multiple-outcome measurement to a sequence of such two-outcome measurements and unitary operations. Finally, we consider how to define suitable fidelity measures for multiple-outcome generalized measurements.

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Projective measurement is a commonly used assumption in quantum mechanics. However, advances in quantum measurement techniques allow for partial measurements, which accurately estimate state information while keeping the wavefunction intact. In this dissertation, we employ partial measurements to study two phenomena. First, we investigate an uncertainty relation -- in the style of Heisenberg's 1929 thought experiment -- which includes partial measurements in addition to projective measurements. We find that a weak partial measurement can decrease the uncertainty between two incompatible (non-commuting) observables. In the second study, we investigate the foundation of irreversible dynamics resulting from partial measurements. We do so by comparing the forward and time-reversed probabilities of measurement outcomes resulting from post-selected feedback protocols with both causal and reversed-causal order. We find that the statistics of partial measurements produce entropy in accordance with generalized second laws of thermodynamics. We perform these experiments using superconducting qubits. This dissertation also describes the fabrication process for these devices and details a novel fabrication technique that allows fast, single-step lithography of Josephson-junction superconducting circuits. The technique simplifies processing by utilizing a direct-write photolithography system, in contrast to traditional electron-beam lithography. Despite their large lithographic area, Josephson junctions made with this method have low critical currents and high coherence times.

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J. P. Groen, Diego Ristè, Lars Tornberg +5 more

We realize indirect partial measurement of a transmon qubit in circuit quantum electrodynamics by interaction with an ancilla qubit and projective ancilla measurement with a dedicated readout resonator. Accurate control of the interaction and ancilla measurement basis allows tailoring the measurement strength and operator. The tradeoff between measurement strength and qubit backaction is characterized through the distortion of a qubit Rabi oscillation imposed by ancilla measurement in different bases. Combining partial and projective qubit measurements, we provide the solid-state demonstration of the correspondence between a nonclassical weak value and the violation of a Leggett-Garg inequality.

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Partial Measurements of Quantum Systems

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Projective measurement is a commonly used assumption in quantum mechanics. However, advances in quantum measurement techniques allow for partial measurements, which accurately estimate state information while keeping the wavefunction intact. We employ partial measurements to study two phenomena. First, we investigate an uncertainty relation—in the style of Heisenberg’s 1929 thought experiment—which includes partial measurements in addition to projective measurements. We find that a weak partial measurement can decrease the uncertainty between two incompatible (non-commuting) observables. In the second study, we investigate the foundation of irreversible dynamics resulting from partial measurements. We do so by comparing the forward and time-reversed probabilities of measurement outcomesresulting from post-selected feedback protocols with both causal and reversed-causal order. We find that the statistics of partial measurements produce entropy in accordance with generalized second laws of thermodynamics. We perform these experiments using superconducting qubits. We describe the fabrication process for these devices and detail a novel fabrication technique that allows fast, single-step lithography of Josephson-junction-based superconducting circuits. The technique simplifies processing by utilizing a direct-write photolithography system, in contrast to traditional

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Decomposing qubit positive-operator-valued measurements into continuous destructive weak measurements

Yi‐Hsiang Chen, Todd A. Brun

It has been shown that any generalized measurement can be decomposed into a sequence of weak measurements corresponding to a stochastic process. However, the weak measurements may require almost arbitrary unitaries, which are unlikely to be realized by any real measurement device. Furthermore, many measurement processes are destructive, like photon counting procedures that terminate once all photons are consumed. One cannot expect to have full control of the evolution of a state under such destructive measurements, and the possible unitaries allow only a limited set of weak measurements. In this paper, we consider a qubit model of destructive weak measurements, which is a toy version of an optical cavity, in which the state of an electromagnetic field mode inside the cavity leaks out and is measured destructively while the vacuum state $|0\ensuremath{\rangle}$ leaks into the cavity. At long times, the state of the qubit inevitably evolves to be $|0\ensuremath{\rangle}$, and the only available control is the choice of measurement on the external ancilla system. Surprisingly, this very limited model can still perform an arbitrary projective measurement on the qubit in any basis, where the probability of getting an outcome satisfies the usual Born rule. Combining this method with probabilistic postprocessing, the result can be extended to any generalized measurement with commuting positive-operator-valued measurement (POVM) elements. This implies, among other results, that any two-outcome POVM on a qubit can be decomposed into a sequence of destructive weak measurements by this restricted measurement device.

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Readout of superconducting qubits

D. Esteve

Abstract The course summarized in this chapter covered the readout of superconducting qubits in the general framework of quantum measurement theory.

•Jun 12, 2014•0 citations
We describe a method to perform any generalized purity-preserving measurement of a qubit with techniques tailored to superconducting systems. We start with considering two methods for realizing a two-outcome partial projection: using a thresholded continuous measurement in the circuit QED setup and using an indirect ancilla qubit measurement. Then we decompose an arbitrary puritypreserving two-outcome measurement into single qubit unitary rotations and a partial projection. Finally, we systematically reduce any multiple-outcome measurement to a sequence of two-outcome measurements and unitary operations.
We describe a method to perform any generalized purity-preserving measurement of a qubit with techniques tailored to superconducting systems. First, we consider two methods for realizing a two-outcome partial projection: using a thresholded continuous measurement in the circuit QED setup and using an indirect ancilla qubit measurement. Second, we decompose an arbitrary purity-preserving two-outcome measurement into single-qubit unitary rotations and a partial projection. Third, we systematically reduce any multiple-outcome measurement to a sequence of such two-outcome measurements and unitary operations. Finally, we consider how to define suitable fidelity measures for multiple-outcome generalized measurements.
Projective measurement is a commonly used assumption in quantum mechanics. However, advances in quantum measurement techniques allow for partial measurements, which accurately estimate state information while keeping the wavefunction intact. In this dissertation, we employ partial measurements to study two phenomena. First, we investigate an uncertainty relation -- in the style of Heisenberg's 1929 thought experiment -- which includes partial measurements in addition to projective measurements. We find that a weak partial measurement can decrease the uncertainty between two incompatible (non-commuting) observables. In the second study, we investigate the foundation of irreversible dynamics resulting from partial measurements. We do so by comparing the forward and time-reversed probabilities of measurement outcomes resulting from post-selected feedback protocols with both causal and reversed-causal order. We find that the statistics of partial measurements produce entropy in accordance with generalized second laws of thermodynamics. We perform these experiments using superconducting qubits. This dissertation also describes the fabrication process for these devices and details a novel fabrication technique that allows fast, single-step lithography of Josephson-junction superconducting circuits. The technique simplifies processing by utilizing a direct-write photolithography system, in contrast to traditional electron-beam lithography. Despite their large lithographic area, Josephson junctions made with this method have low critical currents and high coherence times.
We realize indirect partial measurement of a transmon qubit in circuit quantum electrodynamics by interaction with an ancilla qubit and projective ancilla measurement with a dedicated readout resonator. Accurate control of the interaction and ancilla measurement basis allows tailoring the measurement strength and operator. The tradeoff between measurement strength and qubit backaction is characterized through the distortion of a qubit Rabi oscillation imposed by ancilla measurement in different bases. Combining partial and projective qubit measurements, we provide the solid-state demonstration of the correspondence between a nonclassical weak value and the violation of a Leggett-Garg inequality.
Projective measurement is a commonly used assumption in quantum mechanics. However, advances in quantum measurement techniques allow for partial measurements, which accurately estimate state information while keeping the wavefunction intact. We employ partial measurements to study two phenomena. First, we investigate an uncertainty relation—in the style of Heisenberg’s 1929 thought experiment—which includes partial measurements in addition to projective measurements. We find that a weak partial measurement can decrease the uncertainty between two incompatible (non-commuting) observables. In the second study, we investigate the foundation of irreversible dynamics resulting from partial measurements. We do so by comparing the forward and time-reversed probabilities of measurement outcomesresulting from post-selected feedback protocols with both causal and reversed-causal order. We find that the statistics of partial measurements produce entropy in accordance with generalized second laws of thermodynamics. We perform these experiments using superconducting qubits. We describe the fabrication process for these devices and detail a novel fabrication technique that allows fast, single-step lithography of Josephson-junction-based superconducting circuits. The technique simplifies processing by utilizing a direct-write photolithography system, in contrast to traditional
It has been shown that any generalized measurement can be decomposed into a sequence of weak measurements corresponding to a stochastic process. However, the weak measurements may require almost arbitrary unitaries, which are unlikely to be realized by any real measurement device. Furthermore, many measurement processes are destructive, like photon counting procedures that terminate once all photons are consumed. One cannot expect to have full control of the evolution of a state under such destructive measurements, and the possible unitaries allow only a limited set of weak measurements. In this paper, we consider a qubit model of destructive weak measurements, which is a toy version of an optical cavity, in which the state of an electromagnetic field mode inside the cavity leaks out and is measured destructively while the vacuum state $|0\ensuremath{\rangle}$ leaks into the cavity. At long times, the state of the qubit inevitably evolves to be $|0\ensuremath{\rangle}$, and the only available control is the choice of measurement on the external ancilla system. Surprisingly, this very limited model can still perform an arbitrary projective measurement on the qubit in any basis, where the probability of getting an outcome satisfies the usual Born rule. Combining this method with probabilistic postprocessing, the result can be extended to any generalized measurement with commuting positive-operator-valued measurement (POVM) elements. This implies, among other results, that any two-outcome POVM on a qubit can be decomposed into a sequence of destructive weak measurements by this restricted measurement device.