We measure the quantum fluctuations of a pumped nonlinear resonator, using a superconducting artificial atom as an in-situ probe. The qubit excitation spectrum gives access to the frequency and temperature of the intracavity field fluctuations. These are found to be in agreement with theoretical predictions; in particular we experimentally observe the phenomenon of quantum heating.
We study the backaction of a driven nonlinear resonator on a multi-level superconducting qubit. Using unitary transformations on the multi-level Jaynes-Cummings Hamiltonian and quantum optics master equation, we derive an analytical model that goes beyond linear response theory. Within the limits of validity of the model, we obtain quantitative agreement with experimental and numerical data, both in the bifurcation and in the parametric amplification regimes of the nonlinear resonator. We show in particular that the measurement-induced dephasing rate of the qubit can be rather small at high drive power. This is in contrast to measurement with a linear resonator where this rate increases with the drive power. Finally, we show that, for typical parameters of circuit quantum electrodynamics, correctly describing measurement-induced dephasing requires a model going beyond linear response theory, such as the one presented here.
We propose an experimentally realizable hybrid quantum circuit for achieving a strong coupling between a spin ensemble and a transmission-line resonator via a superconducting flux qubit used as a data bus. The resulting coupling can be used to transfer quantum information between the spin ensemble and the resonator. In particular, in contrast to the direct coupling without a data bus, our approach requires far less spins to achieve a strong coupling between the spin ensemble and the resonator (e.g., three to four orders of magnitude less). This proposed hybrid quantum circuit could enable a long-time quantum memory when storing information in the spin ensemble, and allows the possibility to explore nonlinear effects in the ultrastrong-coupling regime.
The length of time that a quantum system can exist in a superposition state is determined by how strongly it interacts with its environment. This interaction entangles the quantum state with the inherent fluctuations of the environment. If these fluctuations are not measured, the environment can be viewed as a source of noise, causing random evolution of the quantum system from an initially pure state into a statistical mixture-a process known as decoherence. However, by accurately measuring the environment in real time, the quantum system can be maintained in a pure state and its time evolution described by a quantum trajectory conditioned on the measurement outcome. We employ weak measurements to monitor a microwave cavity embedding a superconducting qubit and track the individual quantum trajectories of the system. In this architecture, the environment is dominated by the fluctuations of a single electromagnetic mode of the cavity. Using a near-quantum-limited parametric amplifier, we selectively measure either the phase or amplitude of the cavity field, and thereby confine trajectories to either the equator or a meridian of the Bloch sphere. We perform quantum state tomography at discrete times along the trajectory to verify that we have faithfully tracked the state of the quantum system as it diffuses on the surface of the Bloch sphere. Our results demonstrate that decoherence can be mitigated by environmental monitoring and validate the foundations of quantum feedback approaches based on Bayesian statistics. Moreover, our experiments suggest a new route for implementing what Schrodinger termed quantum steering-harnessing action at a distance to manipulate quantum states via measurement.
Building a quantum computer is a daunting challenge since it requires good control but also good isolation from the environment to minimize decoherence. It is therefore important to realize quantum gates efficiently, using as few operations as possible, to reduce the amount of required control and operation time and thus improve the quantum state coherence. Here we propose a superconducting circuit for implementing a tunable system consisting of a qutrit coupled to two qubits. This system can efficiently accomplish various quantum information tasks, including generation of entanglement of the two qubits and conditional three-qubit quantum gates, such as the Toffoli and Fredkin gates. Furthermore, the system realizes a conditional geometric gate which may be used for holonomic (non-adiabatic) quantum computing. The efficiency, robustness and universality of the presented circuit makes it a promising candidate to serve as a building block for larger networks capable of performing involved quantum computational tasks.
In addition to their central role in quantum information processing, qubits have proven to be useful tools in a range of other applications such as enhanced quantum sensing and as spectrometers of quantum noise. Here we show that a superconducting qubit strongly coupled to a nonlinear resonator can act as a probe of quantum fluctuations of the intra-resonator field. Building on previous work [M. Boissoneault et al. Phys. Rev. A 85, 022305 (2012)], we derive an effective master equation for the qubit which takes into account squeezing of the resonator field. We show how sidebands in the qubit excitation spectrum that are predicted by this model can reveal information about squeezing and quantum heating. The main results of this paper have already been successfully compared to experimental data [F. R. Ong et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 047001 (2013)] and we present here the details of the derivations.