Abstract In small-scale superconducting quantum processors based on the circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) architecture, the qubit is typically modeled as coupled to a broad-band, structure-less environment (frequency-independent or slowly varying in frequency), leading to dynamics that is well-approximated by the Markovian approximation. This approximation is usually facilitated by the large detuning between the qubit and the read-out resonator. However, when these systems are scaled up, parasitic couplings between a given qubit and the read-out resonators of the other qubits become unavoidable. In such a case, a qubit experiences a structured (frequency-dependent) environment of the parasitic resonators, some of which may have small detunings, thereby leading to the break-down of the Markovian approximation. In this article, we numerically investigate the effect of such parasitic modes coupled to a qubit for parameters typical of cQED systems. We observe that non-Markovian effects become more pronounced as the resonators are populated with more photons, suggesting that readout of one qubit can parasitically induce non-Markovian behavior in neighboring qubits. We qualitatively analyze the dependence of non-Markovianity on system parameters such as photon number, coupling strength, and detuning, and identify distinct regimes, hence characterizing the non-Markovian behaviour which is quantified using simulations computing the trace-distance metric.
Abstract In small-scale superconducting quantum processors based on the circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) architecture, the qubit is typically modeled as coupled to a broad-band, structure-less environment (frequency-independent or slowly varying in frequency), leading to dynamics that is well-approximated by the Markovian approximation. This approximation is usually facilitated by the large detuning between the qubit and the read-out resonator. However, when these systems are scaled up, parasitic couplings between a given qubit and the read-out resonators of the other qubits become unavoidable. In such a case, a qubit experiences a structured (frequency-dependent) environment of the parasitic resonators, some of which may have small detunings, thereby leading to the break-down of the Markovian approximation. In this article, we numerically investigate the effect of such parasitic modes coupled to a qubit for parameters typical of cQED systems. We observe that non-Markovian effects become more pronounced as the resonators are populated with more photons, suggesting that readout of one qubit can parasitically induce non-Markovian behavior in neighboring qubits. We qualitatively analyze the dependence of non-Markovianity on system parameters such as photon number, coupling strength, and detuning, and identify distinct regimes, hence characterizing the non-Markovian behaviour which is quantified using simulations computing the trace-distance metric.
As the memory effect may be helpful in quantum information processing, non-Markovian dynamics plays an important role in the description of many-body open systems. Among these topics, the system consisting of independent qubits interacting with several coupled environments is of particular interest. In this paper, we study the exact non-Markovian dynamics of two independent qubits. Each of the qubits interacts individually with its environment, and these two environments coupled with each other. We investigate the non-Markovianity measure of the system for the whole parameter regime without the rotating-wave approximation (RWA) and compare the results with that under the RWA. We find that the non-Markovianity measure for two qubits manifests a transition from a non-Markovian to Markovian regime regardless of the coupling strength between the environments. The physical origin of this transition is revealed, and a possible observation of the prediction in superconducting quantum interference devices is discussed.
Spectral properties of a quantum circuit are efficiently read out by monitoring the resonance frequency shift it induces in a microwave resonator coupled to it. When the two systems are strongly detuned, theory attributes the shift to an effective resonator capacitance or inductance that depends on the quantum circuit state. At small detuning, the shift arises from the exchange of virtual photons, as described by the Jaynes-Cummings model. Here we present a theory bridging these two limits and illustrate, with several examples, its necessity for a general description of quantum circuits readout. Circuit Quantum Electrodynamics (cQED) is at the heart of most advanced superconducting quantum technologies. Different types of superconducting qubits can be strongly coupled to microwave resonators thus achieving regimes and phenomenena which cannot be reached within the realm of quantum optics [1]. More recently, strong coupling between microwave resonators and a variety of other quantum systems not necessarily involving superconductors has been achieved [2], extending further the realm of cQED. In all these applications the measurement of the qubit or the hybrid device state is achieved by monitoring the resonator properties. Theoretically , two regimes have been approached using disconnected descriptions [3]: the dispersive regime, where the qubit-resonator detuning is larger than the coupling strength yet small enough to allow the exchange of virtual photons, and the adiabatic regime, where the de-tuning is sufficiently large for virtual processes to be strongly suppressed. The dispersive regime, which describes level repulsion between those of the quantum circuit and of the resonator, is typically dealt with using a Jaynes-Cummings Hamiltonian within different levels of approximation [3-10]. In contrast, the adiabatic regime accounts for the renormalization of the resonator capaci-tance/inductance by the effective capacitance of the circuit , including its "quantum capacitance" [11, 12], or its effective inductance [13, 14], which modifies the resonator frequency [15, 16]. However, there is no actual border between these two regimes which could justify a separate treatment, as illustrated by recent experiments on hybrid cQED setups [17] that reveal features of both regimes for the same device. This situation claims for a unified description of quantum circuits readout, going beyond the standard Jaynes-Cummings model, which could be applied to different types of devices over a large range of parameters. * Corresponding author : a.l.yeyati@uam.es In the present Letter we derive a general expression for the resonator frequency shift when coupled to a generic quantum circuit. This expression naturally interpolates between the adiabatic and the dispersive regimes, thus allowing to clarify their origin from the same coupling Hamiltonian. In addition our formalism is not restricted to the usual two-level approximations but any multilevel situation can be described on the same footing. We illustrate the importance of the different terms in our expression by analyzing well-known models like a short single channel superconducting weak link hosting Andreev states, the RF-SQUID and the Cooper pair box. Resonator-quantum circuit coupling.-The system we consider comprises a resonant circuit and a quantum circuit coupled through phase or charge fluctuations as depicted in Figs. 1(a), 2(a) and in the inset of Fig. 3. The resonant circuit is represented as a lumped-element LC resonator with bare resonance frequency f r = ω r /2π, with ω r = 1/ √ L r C r. Introducing the photon annihilation (creation) operators a (a †), it can be described by the Hamiltonian H r = ω r a † a. On the other hand, the quantum circuit Hamiltonian,Ĥ qc (x), depends on a dimensionless control parameter x, corresponding to an excess charge on a capacitor or a flux through a loop. We denote by |Φ i (x) the eigenstates of the uncoupled quantum circuit,Ĥ qc (x)|Φ i (x) = E i (x)|Φ i (x). Flux (charge) fluctuations in the resonator lead to x → x 0 +x r , wherex r = λ(s a + s * a †) with a coupling constant λ, depending on a coupling scheme [19], and s = 1 (−i). We assume λ 1 in accordance with experiments. The resonator-quantum circuit coupling HamiltonianĤ c is obtained by expandingĤ qc (x 0 +x r) up to second order inx rĤ c (x 0) =x rĤ qc (x 0) +x 2 r 2Ĥ qc (x 0), (1) where the prime stands for the derivative with respect to x. The Hamiltonian describing resonator, quantum
We consider a circuit-QED setup that allows the induction and control of non-Markovian dynamics of a qubit. Non-Markovianity is enforced over the qubit by means of its direct coupling to a bosonic mode which is controllably coupled to another qubit-mode system. We show that this configuration can be achieved in a circuit-QED setup consisting of two initially independent superconducting circuits, each formed by one charge qubit and one transmission-line resonator, which are put in interaction by coupling the resonators to a current-biased Josephson junction. We solve this problem exactly and then proceed with a thorough investigation of the emergent non-Markovianity in the dynamics of the qubits. Our study might serve the context for the first experimental assessment of non-Markovianity in a multielement solid-state device.
Circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED), exemplified by a coupled system of a superconducting qubit and a microwave cavity, is a powerful framework for the quantum control and measurement of macroscopic quantum states in solid-state circuits. Quantum circuits based on superconducting qubits have emerged as one of the leading platforms in the pursuit of fault-tolerant quantum computing. Despite significant progress in extending qubit lifetimes, refining experimental protocols, and scaling up quantum processors, errors arising from the control and measurement of superconducting qubits continue to hinder the realization of a universal quantum computer. To investigate the error mechanisms for state-of-the-art qubits, we realize long-lived superconducting transmon qubits that exhibit fluctuating lifetimes, with an average of 0.2 ms and a maximum exceeding 0.4 ms. We then investigate their dominant error mechanism. By introducing novel time-resolved error measurements that are synchronized with the operation of the pulse tube cooler in a dilution refrigerator, we find that mechanical vibrations from the pulse tube induce nonequilibrium dynamics in highly coherent qubits, leading to their correlated bit-flip errors. Our findings not only deepen our understanding of qubit error mechanisms but also provide valuable insights into potential error-mitigation strategies for achieving fault tolerance by decoupling superconducting qubits from their mechanical environments. We also present a novel scheme for operating a cQED system in a regime where the cavity is largely displaced. We find that a qubit drive at the bare cavity frequency can effectively displace the cavity field while minimizing the cavity-drive-induced dephasing and the ac Stark shift. Furthermore, we demonstrate that standard cQED protocols, such as qubit control, readout, and cavity single-photon generation, remain compatible with largely displaced cavity fields, even beyond the critical photon number. These findings open new pathways for exploring cQED dynamics in large-photon-number regimes, including the study of nonlinear phenomena in microwave cavities, the saturation of two-level system baths for extending the coherence of microwave quantum states, and the acceleration of the dispersive readout. Finally, mechanical resonators have emerged as integral components in quantum computing for storing and transducing quantum information. Low-frequency mechanical resonators, with extremely low energy dissipation rates, are particularly interesting for extending the lifetimes of stored quantum information. However, integrating low-frequency mechanical resonators with qubits is challenging because their small energy gaps make coherent energy exchange and ground-state preparation difficult. In this thesis, we report the first steps towards the characterization of a hybrid quantum device, consisting of a Transmon qubit and a circuit optomechanical system, both coupled to a 3D microwave cavity.
We investigate the simultaneous control of quantum parameter-estimation precision and non-Markovian memory effects in a driven two-qubit system that is collectively coupled to a leaky cavity. Using a dressed-state formalism, we derive analytical solutions for identical and non-identical qubits and analyze how classical driving and detuning affect metrological performance. Classical driving enhances the quantum Fisher information (QFI) by sustaining coherence and shifting effective transitions away from cavity resonance, thereby suppressing decoherence in both weak- and strong-coupling regimes. The steady-state QFI is further improved by positive classical-field detuning, which reduces spectral overlap with the lossy reservoir. To characterize memory effects, we examine the QFI-flow and the Breuer–Laine–Piilo (BLP) trace-distance measure. Our results reveal a nontrivial control trade-off: increasing the Rabi frequency suppresses non-Markovian information backflow, whereas increasing qubit detuning enhances memory effects by promoting system–environment correlations. Despite their different definitions, the QFI-flow and BLP measures yield consistent qualitative behavior in this system. These findings demonstrate that classical-field parameter tuning empowers researchers to optimize estimation precision and non-Markovianity in dissipative cavity-QED, with direct applicability to superconducting circuit platforms.
We study Landau-Zener-St\"uckelberg (LZS) interferometry in a cQED architecture under the effects of dissipation. To be specific, we consider a superconducting qubit driven by a dc+ac signal and coupled to a transmission line resonator, but our results are valid for general qubit-resonators devices. To take the environment into account, we assume that the resonator is coupled to an Ohmic quantum bath. The Floquet-Born-Markov master equation is numerically solved to obtain the dynamics of the system for an arbitrary amplitude of the drive and different timescales. We unveil important differences in the resonant patterns between the strong coupling and ultrastrong coupling regimes in the qubit-resonator interaction, which are mainly due to the magnitude of photonic gaps in the energy spectrum of the system. We identify in the LZS patterns the contribution of the qubit gap and the photonic gaps, showing that for large driving amplitudes the patterns present a weaving structure due to the combined intercrossing of the different gaps contributions.