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arXiv:cond-mat/0510771 · Physical Review B

Rapid ballistic readout for flux qubits

D. V. Averin, Kristian Rabenstein, Vasili K. Semenov

Published Mar 8, 2006• 68 citations
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Abstract

We suggest a magnetic flux detector that can be optimized with respect to the measurement back action, e.g., for the situation of quantum measurements. The detector is based on manipulation of ballistic motion of individual fluxons in a Josephson transmission line (JTL), with the output information contained in either probabilities of fluxon transmission and reflection, or time delay associated with the fluxon propagation through the JTL. We calculate the detector characteristics of the JTL and derive equations for conditional evolution of the measured system both in the transmission and reflection and the time-delay regimes. Combination of the quantum-limited detection with control over individual fluxons should make the JTL detector suitable for implementation of nontrivial quantum measurement strategies, including conditional measurements and feedback control schemes.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.73.094504

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We suggest a magnetic flux detector that can be optimized with respect to the measurement back action, e.g., for the situation of quantum measurements. The detector is based on manipulation of ballistic motion of individual fluxons in a Josephson transmission line (JTL), with the output information contained in either probabilities of fluxon transmission and reflection, or time delay associated with the fluxon propagation through the JTL. We calculate the detector characteristics of the JTL and derive equations for conditional evolution of the measured system both in the transmission and reflection and the time-delay regimes. Combination of the quantum-limited detection with control over individual fluxons should make the JTL detector suitable for implementation of nontrivial quantum measurement strategies, including conditional measurements and feedback control schemes.
A detailed design is given for a flux qubit readout using ballistic fluxons. In this scheme, fluxons propagate through an underdamped Josephson transmission line (JTL) coupled to the qubit, whose state affects the fluxon propagation time. For strong qubit–JTL coupling, and far from the symmetry point, a qubit can be measured with fidelity greater than 99% and measurement time of 4 ns. The readout circuit requires additional rapid single flux quantum (RSFQ) interface circuitry to launch and receive the delayed flux solitons. The parameters of this driver and receiver have been optimized to produce low fluxon speed at launch and impedance matching at the receiver. The delayed solitons are compared to a reference line using a detector with time resolution of better than 16 ps. Both the JTL and RSFQ interface were designed for the Nb 30 A cm −2 process developed at VTT, Finland, with postdeposition of the Al qubit at IPHT, Germany.
We describe the readout process of the state of a Josephson flux qubit via solitons in Josephson transmission lines (JTLs) as they are in use in the standard rapid single flux quantum technology. We consider the situation where the information about the state of the qubit is stored in the time delay of the soliton. We analyze dissipative underdamped JTLs, take into account their jitter, and provide estimates of the measuring time and efficiency of the measurement for relevant experimental parameters.
We theoretically investigate a readout scheme of the quantum state of a superconducting qubit based on time delay of a single flux quantum (SFQ), also known as a fluxon, propagating in a Josephson transmission line (JTL). We concretely study the time-delay readout based on capacitive coupling between a transmon qubit and a JTL, and we evaluate the time delay depending on the qubit state. We also reveal a feature of the absence of fluxon pinning and exponential suppression of nonadiabatic transitions caused by the propagating fluxon, which is advantageous for the time-delay readout. We extend the analysis to a multi-level transmon as well. Owing to the spectral gap in the JTL, the radiative decay of the qubit mediated by the JTL is exponentially suppressed, and thus the transmission line itself also serves as a filter protecting the qubit. The readout scheme requires neither complicated wiring to low-temperature stages nor bulky microwave components, which are bottlenecks for integration of a large-scale superconducting quantum computer.
Abstract The results of the study of the impact of single-quantum magnetic flux pulses moving along the Josephson transmission lines (JTL) on the dynamics of states of qubits magnetically coupled with such lines are presented. The JTL dynamics was calculated in the frame of resistively shunted junction model with different damping coefficients. This allowed us to find the form of control current pulses (fluxon) acting on a superconducting qubit. Numerical simulations of the simplest logic operations with superconducting qubit due to calculated fluxon impact are presented.
The readout speed of qubits is a major limitation for error correction in quantum information science. We show simulations of a proposed device that gives readout of a fluxonium qubit using a ballistic fluxon with an estimated readout time of less than 1 nanosecond, without the need for an input microwave tone. This contrasts the prevalent readout based on circuit quantum electrodynamics, but is related to previous studies where a fluxon moving in a single long Josephson junction (LJJ) can exhibit a time delay depending on the state of a coupled qubit. Our readout circuit contains two LJJs and a qubit coupled at their interface. We find that the device can exhibit single-shot readout of a qubit -- one qubit state leads to a single dynamical bounce at the interface and fluxon reflection, and the other qubit state leads to a couple of bounces at the interface and fluxon transmission. Dynamics are initially computed with a separate degree of freedom for all Josephson junctions of the circuit. However, a collective coordinate model reduces the dynamics to three degrees of freedom: one for the fluxonium Josephson junction and one for each LJJ. The large mass imbalance in this model allows us to simulate the mixed quantum-classical dynamics, as an approximation for the full quantum dynamics. Calculations give backaction on the qubit at ≤0.1%\leq 0.1\%≤0.1%.
Superconducting qubits demonstrate good perspectives as scalable blocks for quantum information processing. These systems can be individually readout, addressed, and controlled, making them some of the most attractive thin-film qubits. Quantum measurements should be performed in order to readout the final state of flux qubits. To observe the dynamics of such systems, one requires a fast magnetometer with exceptional sensitivity and low back-action. We address the problem of reducing the back-action of an RF SQUID readout circuit, which may significantly destroy a Josephson flux qubit in the case of the circuits integration. The main sources of such back-action in conventional RF SQUID and DC SQUID circuits are low-ohmic shunting resistors ensuring high damping. The advantage of flux qubits is the presence of an optimal bias point at which, in the first-order approximation, the device is immune to fluctuations in readout and control lines. Nonetheless, even such systems have characteristics limited by a second-order dissipation. The dissipation can be eliminated by using an “ideal parametric readout” based on an RF SQUID acting in non-hysteretic adiabatic mode. In this paper, we propose an RF SQUID in a non-hysteretic regime as a fast, sensitive, and scalable readout system with low back-action for measurements of a single MW photon counter based on a flux qubit.