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At least 631 records · Page 35
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Intrinsic and induced quantum quenches for enhancing qubit-based quantum noise spectroscopy

Quantum sensing protocols that exploit the dephasing of a probe qubit are powerful and ubiquitous methods for interrogating an unknown environment. They have a variety of applications, ranging from noise mitigation in quantum processors, to the study of correlated electron states. Here, we discuss a simple strategy for enhancing these methods, based on the fact that they often give rise to an inadvertent quench of the probed system: there is an effective sudden change in the environmental Hamiltonian at the start of the sensing protocol. These quenches are extremely sensitive to the initial environmental state, and lead to observable changes in the sensor qubit evolution. We show how these new features give access to environmental response properties. This enables methods for direct measurement of bath temperature, and for detecting non-thermal equilibrium states. We also discuss how to deliberately control and modulate this quench physics, which enables reconstruction of the bath spectral function. Extensions to non-Gaussian quantum baths are also discussed, as is the application of our ideas to a range of sensing platforms (e.g., nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond, semiconductor quantum dots, and superconducting circuits).

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Realization of a Quantum Slide Rule for 1+1 Dimensional Quantum Field Theories Using Josephson Superconducting Circuits

We have built a special type of electronic circuit—a “superconducting quantum simulator”—that allows us to mimic the behavior of complex quantum systems that are impossible to compute with ordinary computers. Our device is a long transmission line made of thousands of tiny superconducting junctions, acting as a one-dimensional “vacuum” for microwave photons. By terminating this line with a tunable, weak Josephson junction, we can control how strongly photons interact with each other.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Quantifying trapped magnetic vortex losses in niobium resonators at mK temperatures

Trapped magnetic vortices in niobium introduce microwave losses that degrade the performance of superconducting resonators. While such losses have been extensively studied above 1 K, we report here their direct quantification in the millikelvin and low-photon regime relevant to quantum devices. Using a high-quality factor 3D niobium cavity cooled through its superconducting transition in controlled magnetic fields, we isolate vortex-induced losses and find the resistive component of the sensitivity to trapped flux S to be approximately 2 n Ω/mG at 10 mK and 6 GHz. The decay rate is initially dominated by two-level system (TLS) losses from the native niobium pentoxide, with vortex-induced degradation of T 1 occurring above B trap ∼ 50 mG. In the absence of the oxide, even 10 mG of trapped flux limits performance, Q 0 ∼ 10 10 , or T 1 ∼ 350 ms, underscoring the need for stringent magnetic shielding. The resistive sensitivity, S, decreases with temperature and remains largely field-independent, whereas the reactive component, S′, exhibits a maximum near 0.8 K. These behaviors are well modeled within the Coffey–Clem framework in the zero-creep limit, under the assumption that vortex pinning is enhanced by thermally activated processes. Our results suggest that niobium-based transmon qubits can tolerate vortex-induced dissipation at trapped field levels up to several hundred mG, but achieving long coherence times still requires careful magnetic shielding to suppress lower-field losses from other mechanisms.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2022

Dynamical topological phase realized in a trapped-ion quantum simulator

Nascent platforms for programmable quantum simulation offer unprecedented access to new regimes of far-from-equilibrium quantum many-body dynamics in almost isolated systems. Here achieving precise control over quantum many-body entanglement is an essential task for quantum sensing and computation. Extensive theoretical work indicates that these capabilities can enable dynamical phases and critical phenomena that show topologically robust methods to create, protect and manipulate quantum entanglement that self-correct against large classes of errors. However, so far, experimental realizations have been confined to classical (non-entangled) symmetry-breaking orders. In this work, we demonstrate an emergent dynamical symmetry-protected topological phase, in a quasiperiodically driven array of ten 171 Yb + hyperfine qubits in Quantinuum’s System Model H1 trapped-ion quantum processor. This phase shows edge qubits that are dynamically protected from control errors, cross-talk and stray fields. Crucially, this edge protection relies purely on emergent dynamical symmetries that are absolutely stable to generic coherent perturbations. Here, this property is special to quasiperiodically driven systems: as we demonstrate, the analogous edge states of a periodically driven qubit array are vulnerable to symmetry-breaking errors and quickly decohere. Our work paves the way for implementation of more complex dynamical topological orders that would enable error-resilient manipulation of quantum information.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2024

Slow thermalization and subdiffusion in $U$(1) conserving Floquet random circuits

Random quantum circuits are paradigmatic models of minimally structured and analytically tractable chaotic dynamics. We study a family of Floquet unitary circuits with Haar random U(1) charge conserving dynamics; the minimal such model has nearest-neighbor gates acting on spin-1/2 qubits, and a single layer of even/odd gates repeated periodically in time. We find that this minimal model is not robustly thermalizing at numerically accessible system sizes, and displays slow subdiffusive dynamics for long times. We map out the thermalization dynamics in a broader parameter space of charge conserving circuits, and understand the origin of the slow dynamics in terms of proximate localized and integrable regimes in parameter space. In contrast, we find that small extensions to the minimal model are sufficient to achieve robust thermalization; these include (i) increasing the interaction range to three-site gates, (ii) increasing the local Hilbert space dimension by appending an additional unconstrained qubit to the conserved charge on each site, or (iii) using a larger Floquet period comprised of two independent layers of gates. Furthermore, our results should inform future studies of charge conserving circuits, which are relevant for a wide range of topical theoretical questions.

1-dimensional spin chains↗
DOE OSTI2023

Topology, criticality, and dynamically generated qubits in a stochastic measurement-only Kitaev model

Here we consider a paradigmatic solvable model of topological order in two dimensions, Kitaev's honeycomb Hamiltonian, and turn it into a measurement-only dynamics consisting of stochastic measurements of two-qubit bond operators. We find an entanglement phase diagram that resembles that of the Hamiltonian problem in some ways, while being qualitatively different in others. When one type of bond is dominantly measured, we find area-law entangled phases that protect two topological qubits (on a torus) for a time exponential in system size. This generalizes the recently proposed idea of Floquet codes, where logical qubits are dynamically generated by a time-periodic measurement schedule, to a stochastic setting. When all types of bonds are measured with comparable frequency, we find a critical phase with a logarithmic violation of the area law, which sharply distinguishes it from its Hamiltonian counterpart. The critical phase has the same set of topological qubits, as diagnosed by the tripartite mutual information, but protects them only for a time polynomial in system size. Furthermore, we observe an unusual behavior for the dynamical purification of mixed states, characterized at late times by the dynamical exponent z = $\frac{1}{2}$ a superballistic dynamics made possible by measurements.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2026

Fusion dynamics of Majorana zero modes

Braiding and fusion of Majorana zero modes are key elements of any future topological Majorana-based quantum computer. In this article, we investigate the fusion dynamics of Majorana zero modes in the spinless Kitaev model, as well as in a spinful model describing magnet-superconductor hybrid structures. We consider various scenarios allowing us to reproduce the fusion rules of the Ising anyon model. Particular emphasis is given to the charge of the fermion obtained after fusing two Majorana zero modes: as long as it remains on the superconductor, charge quantization is absent. When moving the fermion to a nonsuperconducting region, such as a quantum dot, nearly quantized charge can be measured. Our findings confirm for both platforms that fusion dynamics of Majorana zero modes can indeed be used for the readout of Majorana qubits.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Advances in SRF cavity architectures for quantum computing

Superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities offer an excellent platform for storing and processing quantum information due to their exceptionally long lifetimes and large accessible Hilbert spaces. A common strategy to manipulate the quantum states is to use a nonlinear element like a transmon. Nevertheless, constructing a 3D SRF architecture with sustained cavity lifetimes presents several challenges. In this talk, we present our successful integration of transmons with single-cell Nb SRF cavities, enabling the preparation of several non-classical states. Preliminary results reveal the potential of this platform to build a qudit-based quantum computer, departing from traditional qubit-based architectures. We discuss strategies to enhance coherence times, develop high-fidelity gate schemes, and expand the system for constructing a multi-qudit quantum processor. Furthermore, we explore how this architecture can bolster dark matter detection efficiency through multi-photon quantum state preparation.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Nanomagnonic Cavities for Strong Spin-Magnon Coupling and Magnon-Mediated Spin-Spin Interactions

We present a theoretical approach to use ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic nanoparticles as microwave nanomagnonic cavities to concentrate microwave magnetic fields into deeply subwavelength volumes ~ 10 –13 mm 3 . In this work, we show that the field in such nanocavities can efficiently couple to isolated spin emitters (spin qubits) positioned close to the nanoparticle surface reaching the single magnon-spin strong-coupling regime and mediate efficient long-range quantum state transfers between isolated spin emitters. Nanomagnonic cavities thus pave the way toward magnon-based quantum networks and magnon-mediated quantum gates.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2024

Formation and Microwave Losses of Hydrides in Superconducting Niobium Thin Films Resulting from Fluoride Chemical Processing

Abstract Superconducting niobium (Nb) thin films have recently attracted significant attention due to their utility for quantum information technologies. In the processing of Nb thin films, fluoride‐based chemical etchants are commonly used to remove surface oxides that are known to affect superconducting quantum devices adversely. However, these same etchants can also introduce hydrogen to form Nb hydrides, potentially negatively impacting microwave loss performance. Here, comprehensive materials characterization of Nb hydrides formed in Nb thin films as a function of fluoride chemical treatments is presented. In particular, secondary‐ion mass spectrometry, X‐ray scattering, and transmission electron microscopy reveal the spatial distribution and phase transformation of Nb hydrides. The rate of hydride formation is determined by the fluoride solution acidity and the etch rate of Nb 2 O 5, which acts as a diffusion barrier for hydrogen into Nb. The resulting Nb hydrides are detrimental to Nb superconducting properties and lead to increased power‐independent microwave loss in coplanar waveguide resonators. However, Nb hydrides do not correlate with two‐level system loss or device aging mechanisms. Overall, this work provides insight into the formation of Nb hydrides and their role in microwave loss, thus guiding ongoing efforts to maximize coherence time in superconducting quantum devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Solving the Bernstein-Vazirani problem using Majorana-based topological quantum algorithms

Executing quantum algorithms using Majorana zero modes—a major milestone for the field of topological quantum computing—requires a platform that can be scaled to large quantum registers, can be controlled in real time and space, and a braiding protocol that uses the unique properties of these exotic particles. Here, we demonstrate the first successful simulation of a Majorana-based, fault-tolerant quantum algorithm to solve the Bernstein-Vazirani problem in two-dimensional magnet-superconductor hybrid structures from initialization to read-out of the final many-body state. Utilizing the Majorana zero modes’ topological properties, we introduce an optimized braiding protocol for the algorithm and a scalable architecture for its implementation with an arbitrary number of qubits. We visualize the algorithm protocol in real time and space by computing the non-equilibrium density of states, which is proportional to the time-dependent differential conductance, and the non-equilibrium charge density, which assigns a unique signature to each final state of the algorithm.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Quantum algorithms for disordered physics

We show how a quantum computer may efficiently simulate a disordered Hamiltonian, by incorporating a pseudo-random number generator directly into the time evolution circuit. This technique is applied to quantum simulation of few-body disordered systems in the large volume limit; in particular, Anderson localization. The method requires a number of (error corrected) qubits proportional to the logarithm of the volume of the system, and each time evolution step requires a number of gates polylogarithmic in the volume. We simulate the method to observe the metal-insulator transition on a three-dimensional lattice. Additionally, we demonstrate the algorithm on a one-dimensional lattice, using physical quantum processors.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Enhancement of microwave to optical spin-based quantum transduction via a magnon mode

We propose a method for converting single microwave photons to single optical sideband photons based on spinful impurities in magnetic materials. This hybrid system is advantageous over previous proposals because (i) the implementation allows much higher transduction rates (10 3 times faster at the same optical pump Rabi frequency) than state-of-the-art devices, (ii) high-efficiency transduction is found to happen in a significantly larger space of device parameters (in particular, over 1 GHz microwave detuning), and (iii) it does not require mode volume matching between optical and microwave resonators. We identify the needed magnetic interactions as well as potential materials systems to enable this speed up using erbium dopants for telecom compatibility. This is an important step towards realizing high-fidelity entangling operations between remote qubits and will provide additional control of the transduction through perturbation of the magnet.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2023

Sample-efficient verification of continuously-parameterized quantum gates for small quantum processors

Most near-term quantum information processing devices will not be capable of implementing quantum error correction and the associated logical quantum gate set. Instead, quantum circuits will be implemented directly using the physical native gate set of the device. These native gates often have a parameterization (e.g., rotation angles) which provide the ability to perform a continuous range of operations. Verification of the correct operation of these gates across the allowable range of parameters is important for gaining confidence in the reliability of these devices. In this work, we demonstrate a procedure for sample-efficient verification of continuously-parameterized quantum gates for small quantum processors of up to approximately 10 qubits. This procedure involves generating random sequences of randomly-parameterized layers of gates chosen from the native gate set of the device, and then stochastically compiling an approximate inverse to this sequence such that executing the full sequence on the device should leave the system near its initial state. We show that fidelity estimates made via this technique have a lower variance than fidelity estimates made via cross-entropy benchmarking. This provides an experimentally-relevant advantage in sample efficiency when estimating the fidelity loss to some desired precision. We describe the experimental realization of this technique using continuously-parameterized quantum gate sets on a trapped-ion quantum processor from Sandia QSCOUT and a superconducting quantum processor from IBM Q, and we demonstrate the sample efficiency advantage of this technique both numerically and experimentally.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2021

Probabilistic simulation of quantum circuits using a deep-learning architecture

The fundamental question of how to best simulate quantum systems using conventional computational resources lies at the forefront of condensed matter and quantum computation. It impacts both our understanding of quantum materials and our ability to emulate quantum circuits. Here we present an exact formulation of quantum dynamics via factorized generalized measurements which maps quantum states to probability distributions with the advantage that local unitary dynamics and quantum channels map to local quasistochastic matrices. This representation provides a general framework for using state-of-the-art probabilistic models in machine learning for the simulation of quantum many-body dynamics. Using this framework, we have developed a practical algorithm to simulate quantum circuits using an attention network based on a powerful neural network ansatz responsible for the most recent breakthroughs in natural language processing. We demonstrate our approach by simulating circuits that build Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger and linear graph states of up to 60 qubits, as well as a variational quantum eigensolver circuit for preparing the ground state of the transverse field Ising model on several system sizes. Our methodology constitutes a modern machine learning approach to the simulation of quantum physics with applicability both to quantum circuits as well as other quantum many-body systems.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2024

Quasiparticle spectroscopy in technologically relevant niobium using London penetration depth measurements: experiment and theory

Abstract The London penetration depth, λ ( T ) , was measured in various forms of niobium, including foils, thin films, single crystals, and samples from superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities. We observed a significant difference in λ ( T ) at low temperatures, T < T c / 3 , due to low-energy quasiparticles. In particular, an unusual downturn of λ ( T ) on cooling in the SRF cavity samples required to take into account deep in-gap bound states. Theoretical modeling using the generalized Dynes density of states shows that such in-gap states lead to a downturn or a peak in λ ( T ) upon cooling. Combined, experimental and theoretical findings provide a method for detecting two-level systems or states related to magnetic impurities in the bulk of niobium. This result is particularly relevant for the quantum informatics sciences technologies used in qubits and circuit quantum electrodynamics architecture based on SRF cavities.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2026

A cryogenic muon tagging system based on kinetic inductance detectors for superconducting quantum processors

Ionizing radiation has emerged as a potential limiting factor for superconducting quantum processors, inducing quasiparticle bursts and correlated errors that challenge fault-tolerant operation. Atmospheric muons are particularly problematic due to their high energy and penetration power, making passive shielding ineffective. Therefore, monitoring the real-time muon flux is crucial to guide the development of alternative error-correction or mitigation strategies. We present the design, simulation, and first operation of a cryogenic muon-tagging system based on kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs), developed as a stand-alone cryogenic particle-tagging module for superconducting quantum processors. The system consists of two KIDs arranged in a vertical stack and operated at ∼20 mK. Monte Carlo simulations based on Geant4 guided the prototype design and provided reference expectations for muon-tagging efficiency and accidental coincidences due to ambient γ-rays. We observed a muon-induced coincidence rate among the top and bottom detectors of (192 ± 9) $\times\,10^{-3}$ events s$^{−1}$, in excellent agreement with the Monte Carlo prediction. The prototype achieves a muon-tagging efficiency of about 90% with negligible dead time. These results demonstrate the feasibility of operating a muon-tagging system at millikelvin temperatures and represent a key step toward the integration of cryogenic veto systems with multi-qubit chips to mitigate muon-induced errors.

Mariani, Ambra [INFN, Rome] (ORCID:000000028184857↗
DOE OSTI2024

Scalable Experimental Bounds for Entangled Quantum State Fidelities

Estimating the state preparation fidelity of highly entangled states on noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices is important for benchmarking and application considerations. Unfortunately, exact fidelity measurements quickly become prohibitively expensive, as they scale exponentially as O(3 N for N-qubit states, using full state tomography with measurements in all Pauli bases combinations. However, Somma et al.established that the complexity could be drastically reduced when looking at fidelity lower bounds for states that exhibit symmetries, such as Dicke states and GHZ states. These bounds must still be tight enough for larger states to provide reasonable estimations on NISQ devices. For the first time and more than 15 years after the theoretical introduction, we report meaningful lower bounds for the state preparation fidelity of all Dicke states up to N=10 and all GHZ states up to N=20 on Quantinuum H1 ion-trap systems using efficient implementations of recently proposed scalable circuits for these states. Our achieved lower bounds match or exceed previously reported exact fidelities on superconducting systems for much smaller states. Furthermore, we provide evidence that for large Dicke states |$D^{N}_{N/2}\rangle$, we may resort to a GHZ-based approximate state preparation to achieve better fidelity. This work provides a path forward to benchmarking entanglement as NISQ devices improve in size and quality.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗