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At least 1,333 records · Page 74

A stress-induced source of phonon bursts and quasiparticle poisoning

Abstract The performance of superconducting qubits is degraded by a poorly characterized set of energy sources breaking the Cooper pairs responsible for superconductivity, creating a condition often called “quasiparticle poisoning”. Both superconducting qubits and low threshold dark matter calorimeters have observed excess bursts of quasiparticles or phonons that decrease in rate with time. Here, we show that a silicon crystal glued to its holder exhibits a rate of low-energy phonon events that is more than two orders of magnitude larger than in a functionally identical crystal suspended from its holder in a low-stress state. The excess phonon event rate in the glued crystal decreases with time since cooldown, consistent with a source of phonon bursts which contributes to quasiparticle poisoning in quantum circuits and the low-energy events observed in cryogenic calorimeters. We argue that relaxation of thermally induced stress between the glue and crystal is the source of these events.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Short-depth QAOA circuits and quantum annealing on higher-order ising models

Abstract We present a direct comparison between QAOA (Quantum Alternating Operator Ansatz), and QA (Quantum Annealing) on 127 qubit problem instances. QAOA with p = 1, 2 rounds is executed on the 127 qubit heavy-hex graph gate-model quantum computer ibm_washington, using on-device grid-searches for angle finding, and QA is executed on two Pegasus-chip D-Wave quantum annealers. The problems are random Ising models whose connectivity matches heavy-hex graphs and the Pegasus graph connectivity, and optionally include hardware-compatible cubic terms ( Z Z Z terms). The QAOA circuits are heavily optimized and of extremely short depth, with a CNOT depth of 6 per round, which allows whole chip usage of the heavy-hex lattice. QAOA and QA are both compared against simulated annealing and the optimal solutions are computed exactly using CPLEX. The noiseless mean QAOA expectation values for p = 1, 2 are computed using classical light-cone based simulations. We find QA outperforms QAOA on the evaluated devices.

127 qubits↗

Probing the Kitaev honeycomb model on a neutral-atom quantum computer

Quantum simulations of many-body systems are among the most promising applications of quantum computers. In particular, models based on strongly correlated fermions are central to our understanding of quantum chemistry and materials problems, and can lead to exotic, topological phases of matter. However, owing to the non-local nature of fermions, such models are challenging to simulate with qubit devices. Here we realize a digital quantum simulation architecture for two-dimensional fermionic systems based on reconfigurable atom arrays. We utilize a fermion-to-qubit mapping based on Kitaev’s model on a honeycomb lattice, in which fermionic statistics are encoded using long-range entangled states. We prepare these states efficiently using measurement and feedforward, realize subsequent fermionic evolution through Floquet engineering with tunable entangling gates interspersed with atom rearrangement, and improve results with built-in error detection. Leveraging this fermion description of the Kitaev spin model, we efficiently prepare topological states across its complex phase diagram and verify the non-Abelian spin-liquid phase by evaluating an odd Chern number. We further explore this two-dimensional fermion system by realizing tunable dynamics and directly probing fermion exchange statistics. Finally, we simulate strong interactions and study the dynamics of the Fermi–Hubbard model on a square lattice. These results pave the way for digital quantum simulations of complex fermionic systems for materials science, chemistry and high-energy physics.

atomic and molecular physics↗

Cooperative pulses for pseudo-pure state preparation

Using an extended version of the optimal-control-based gradient ascent pulse engineering algorithm, cooperative (COOP) pulses are designed for multi-scan experiments to prepare pseudo-pure states in quantum computation. COOP pulses can cancel undesired signal contributions, complementing and generalizing phase cycles. They also provide more flexibility and, in particular, eliminate the need to select specific individual target states and achieve the fidelity of theoretical limit by flexibly choosing appropriate number of scans and duration of pulses. The COOP approach is experimentally demonstrated for three-qubit and four-qubit systems.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Band-selective shaped pulse for high fidelity quantum control in diamond

High fidelity quantum control of qubits is crucially important for realistic quantum computing, and it becomes more challenging when there are inevitable interactions between qubits. We introduce a band-selective shaped pulse, refocusing BURP (REBURP) pulse, to cope with the problems. The electron spin of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond is flipped with high fidelity by the REBURP pulse. In contrast with traditional rectangular pulses, the shaped pulse has almost equal excitation effect in a sharply edged region (in frequency domain). So the three sublevels of host {sup 14}N nuclear spin can be flipped accurately simultaneously, while unwanted excitations of other sublevels (e.g., of a nearby {sup 13}C nuclear spin) is well suppressed. Our scheme can be used for various applications such as quantum metrology, quantum sensing, and quantum information process.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Decoherence suppression combining quantum uncollapsing and dynamical decoupling

We demonstrate a protocol, that combines quantum uncollapsing and dynamical decoupling, to protect the quantum state stored in a qubit against decoherence errors. The protocol can simultaneously suppress the two kinds of decoherence processes: the energy relaxation and the low-frequency noise induced dephasing. We present the analytical derivation and numerical simulations in detail. We also provide a preliminary experimental test in superconducting phase qubits, using the process fidelity to calibrate the performance of the protocol. Our results suggest that the protocol can be effective against errors due to both energy relaxation and the low-frequency dephasing noise, except at a reduced probability of success.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Characterization and reduction of microfabrication-induced decoherence in superconducting quantum circuits

Many superconducting qubits are highly sensitive to dielectric loss, making the fabrication of coherent quantum circuits challenging. To elucidate this issue, we characterize the interfaces and surfaces of superconducting coplanar waveguide resonators and study the associated microwave loss. We show that contamination induced by traditional qubit lift-off processing is particularly detrimental to quality factors without proper substrate cleaning, while roughness plays at most a small role. Aggressive surface treatment is shown to damage the crystalline substrate and degrade resonator quality. We also introduce methods to characterize and remove ultra-thin resist residue, providing a way to quantify and minimize remnant sources of loss on device surfaces.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Coherent manipulation of an NV center and one carbon nuclear spin

We study a three-qubit system formed by the NV center’s electronic and nuclear spin plus an adjacent spin 1/2 carbon {sup 13}C. Specifically, we propose a manipulation scheme utilizing the hyperfine coupling of the effective S=1 degree of freedom of the vacancy electrons to the two adjacent nuclear spins to achieve accurate coherent control of all three qubits.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Compressed quantum simulation

Here, I summarize the results presented in B. Kraus, Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 250503 (2011). Recently, it has been shown that certain circuits, the so-called match gate circuits, can be compressed to an exponentially smaller universal quantum computation. We use this result to demonstrate that the simulation of a 1-D Ising chain consisting of n qubits can be performed on a universal quantum computer running on only log(n) qubits. We show how the adiabatic evolution can be simulated on this exponentially smaller system and how the magnetization can be measured. Since the Ising model displays a quantum phase transition, this result implies that a quantum phase transition of a very large system can be observed with current technology.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Qubus ancilla-driven quantum computation

Hybrid matter-optical systems offer a robust, scalable path to quantum computation. Such systems have an ancilla which acts as a bus connecting the qubits. We demonstrate how using a continuous variable qubus as the ancilla provides savings in the total number of operations required when computing with many qubits.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Precision spectral manipulation: A demonstration using a coherent optical memory

The ability to coherently spectrally manipulate quantum information has the potential to improve qubit rates across quantum channels and find applications in optical quantum computing. Here we present experiments that use a multi-element solenoid combined with the three-level gradient echo memory scheme to perform precision spectral manipulation of optical pulses. If applied in a quantum information network, these operations would enable frequency-based multiplexing of qubits.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Ball-grid array architecture for microfabricated ion traps

State-of-the-art microfabricated ion traps for quantum information research are approaching nearly one hundred control electrodes. We report here on the development and testing of a new architecture for microfabricated ion traps, built around ball-grid array (BGA) connections, that is suitable for increasingly complex trap designs. In the BGA trap, through-substrate vias bring electrical signals from the back side of the trap die to the surface trap structure on the top side. Gold-ball bump bonds connect the back side of the trap die to an interposer for signal routing from the carrier. Trench capacitors fabricated into the trap die replace area-intensive surface or edge capacitors. Wirebonds in the BGA architecture are moved to the interposer. These last two features allow the trap die to be reduced to only the area required to produce trapping fields. The smaller trap dimensions allow tight focusing of an addressing laser beam for fast single-qubit rotations. Performance of the BGA trap as characterized with {sup 40}Ca{sup +} ions is comparable to previous surface-electrode traps in terms of ion heating rate, mode frequency stability, and storage lifetime. We demonstrate two-qubit entanglement operations with {sup 171}Yb{sup +} ions in a second BGA trap.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Coherent-state storage and retrieval between superconducting cavities using parametric frequency conversion

In superconducting quantum information, machined aluminum superconducting cavities have proven to be a well-controlled, low-dissipation electromagnetic environment for quantum circuits such as qubits. They can possess large internal quality factors, Q{sub int} > 10{sup 8}, and present the possibility of storing quantum information for times far exceeding those of microfabricated circuits. However, in order to be useful as a storage element, these cavities require a fast “read/write” mechanism—in other words, they require tunable coupling between other systems of interest such as other cavity modes and qubits, as well as any associated readout hardware. In this work, we demonstrate these qualities in a simple dual cavity architecture in which a low-Q “readout” mode is parametrically coupled to a high-Q “storage” mode, allowing us to store and retrieve classical information. Specifically, we employ a flux-driven Josephson junction-based coupling scheme to controllably swap coherent states between two cavities, demonstrating full, sequenced control over the coupling rates between modes.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Interface-induced heavy-hole/light-hole splitting of acceptors in silicon

The energy spectrum of spin-orbit coupled states of individual sub-surface boron acceptor dopants in silicon have been investigated using scanning tunneling spectroscopy at cryogenic temperatures. The spatially resolved tunnel spectra show two resonances, which we ascribe to the heavy- and light-hole Kramers doublets. This type of broken degeneracy has recently been argued to be advantageous for the lifetime of acceptor-based qubits [R. Ruskov and C. Tahan, Phys. Rev. B 88, 064308 (2013)]. The depth dependent energy splitting between the heavy- and light-hole Kramers doublets is consistent with tight binding calculations, and is in excess of 1 meV for all acceptors within the experimentally accessible depth range (<2 nm from the surface). These results will aid the development of tunable acceptor-based qubits in silicon with long coherence times and the possibility for electrical manipulation.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Quantum nonunital dynamics of spin-bath-assisted Fisher information

The nonunital non-Markovian dynamics of qubits immersed in a spin bath is studied without any Markovian approximation. The environmental effects on the precisions of quantum parameter estimation are taken into account. The time-dependent transfer matrix and inhomogeneity vector are obtained for the description of the open dynamical process. The dynamical behaviour of one qubit coupled to a spin bath is geometrically described by the Bloch vector. It is found out that the nonunital non-Markovian effects can engender the improvement of the precision of quantum parameter estimation. This result contributes to the environment-assisted quantum information theory.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Growth and characterization of high-quality Zr doped AlN epilayers

AlN stands out for its remarkable figures of merit for electronic and photonic devices, attributed to its ultrawide bandgap of ∼6.1 eV and an exceptionally high critical field of ∼15 MV/cm. More recently, zirconium (Zr) doped AlN (AlN:Zr) has also been identified as a promising material platform for the exploration of solid-state qubits for quantum information and technology, high performance piezoelectric acoustic wave resonators, and optically triggered ultrafast power switching devices facilitated by optically activating Zr related impurities. Despite the significant potential, the ability for producing AlN:Zr epitaxial structures has yet to be established. In this study, we have achieved AlN:Zr epilayers with a high Zr doping level [NZr] of up to 1020 cm−3 using industrial standard metal-organic chemical vapor deposition growth technique. High crystalline quality of AlN:Zr was confirmed by x-ray diffraction, revealing a narrow full width at half maximum of the (002) rocking curve at 216 arcsec for 1.8 μm thick epilayers deposited on sapphire at [NZr]=1020 cm−3. Zr doping was observed to slightly increase the c-lattice constant to 4.992 Å for AlN:Zr (at [NZr]=1020 cm−3) compared to 4.980 Å for undoped AlN. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurement results verified the substitution of Zr at the Al site (ZrAl). The formation of (ZrAl–VN) complexes, which are predicted to possess all the desired properties required by quantum qubits, was confirmed through optical absorption studies. The realization of high-quality AlN:Zr epilayers significantly broadens the scope of technologically significant device applications for AlN.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Scalable optical quantum computer

A way of designing a scalable optical quantum computer based on the photon echo effect is proposed. Individual rare earth ions Pr{sup 3+}, regularly located in the lattice of the orthosilicate (Y{sub 2}SiO{sub 5}) crystal, are suggested to be used as optical qubits. Operations with qubits are performed using coherent and incoherent laser pulses. The operation protocol includes both the method of measurement-based quantum computations and the technique of optical computations. Modern hybrid photon echo protocols, which provide a sufficient quantum efficiency when reading recorded states, are considered as most promising for quantum computations and communications. (quantum computer)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Resonant dipole – dipole interaction of Rydberg atoms for realisation of quantum computations

We report the application of the resonant dipole – dipole interaction of Rydberg atoms for the realisation of quantum computations with ultracold neutral atoms. Coherent population oscillations between the collective states of systems consisting of two interacting atoms make it possible to implement two-qubit phase gates, which are necessary for universal quantum computations. The schemes studied are alternatives to two-qubit gates based on the Rydberg dipole blockade effect. In contrast, the schemes we propose do not require large dipole – dipole interaction energies and can be realised for atoms that are at a considerable distance from each other. The bibliography includes 27 references. (paper)

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗