6,309 research outputs found
Optimal control of a leaking qubit
Physical implementations of quantum bits can contain coherent transitions to
energetically close non-qubit states. In particular, for anharmonic oscillator
systems such as the superconducting phase qubit and the transmon a two-level
approximation is insufficient. We apply optimal control theory to the envelope
of a resonant Rabi pulse in a qubit in the presence of a single, weakly
off-resonant leakage level. The gate error of a spin flip operation reduces by
orders of magnitude compared to simple pulse shapes. Near-perfect gates can be
achieved for any pulse duration longer than an intrinsic limit given by the
nonlinearity. The pulses can be understood as composite sequences that refocus
the leakage transition. We also discuss ways to improve the pulse shapes.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Optimal control of a qubit coupled to a non-Markovian environment
A central challenge for implementing quantum computing in the solid state is
decoupling the qubits from the intrinsic noise of the material. We investigate
the implementation of quantum gates for a paradigmatic, non-Markovian model: A
single qubit coupled to a two-level system that is exposed to a heat bath. We
systematically search for optimal pulses using a generalization of the novel
open systems Gradient Ascent Pulse Engineering (GRAPE) algorithm. We show and
explain that next to the known optimal bias point of this model, there are
optimal shapes which refocus unwanted terms in the Hamiltonian. We study the
limitations of controls set by the decoherence properties. This can lead to a
significant improvement of quantum operations in hostile environments.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, improved pulse shape
Decoherence of a two-qubit system with a variable bath coupling operator
We examine the decoherence of an asymmetric two-qubit system that is coupled
via a tunable interaction term to a common bath or two individual baths of
harmonic oscillators. The dissipative dynamics are evaluated using the
Bloch-Redfield formalism. It is shown that the behaviour of the decoherence
effects is affected mostly by different symmetries between the qubit operator
which is coupled to the environment and temperature, whereas the differences
between the two bath configurations are very small. Moreover, it is elaborated
that small imperfections of the qubit parameters do not lead to a drastic
enhancement of the decoherence rates.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure
Transient dynamics of a superconducting nonlinear oscillator
We investigate the transient dynamics of a lumped-element oscillator based on
a dc superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). The SQUID is shunted
with a capacitor forming a nonlinear oscillator with resonance frequency in the
range of several GHz. The resonance frequency is varied by tuning the Josephson
inductance of the SQUID with on-chip flux lines. We report measurements of
decaying oscillations in the time domain following a brief excitation with a
microwave pulse. The nonlinearity of the SQUID oscillator is probed by
observing the ringdown response for different excitation amplitudes while the
SQUID potential is varied by adjusting the flux bias. Simulations are performed
on a model circuit by numerically solving the corresponding Langevin equations
incorporating the SQUID potential at the experimental temperature and using
parameters obtained from separate measurements characterizing the SQUID
oscillator. Simulations are in good agreement with the experimental
observations of the ringdowns as a function of applied magnetic flux and pulse
amplitude. We observe a crossover between the occurrence of ringdowns close to
resonance and adiabatic following at larger detuning from the resonance. We
also discuss the occurrence of phase jumps at large amplitude drive. Finally,
we briefly outline prospects for a readout scheme for superconducting flux
qubits based on the discrimination between ringdown signals for different
levels of magnetic flux coupled to the SQUID.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figure
Stereoscopic Polar Plume Reconstructions from Stereo/Secchi Images
We present stereoscopic reconstructions of the location and inclination of
polar plumes of two data sets based on the two simultaneously recorded images
taken by the EUVI telescopes in the SECCHI instrument package onboard the
\emph{STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory)} spacecraft. The ten
plumes investigated show a superradial expansion in the coronal hole in 3D
which is consistent with the 2D results. Their deviations from the local
meridian planes are rather small with an average of . By
comparing the reconstructed plumes with a dipole field with its axis along the
solar rotation axis, it is found that plumes are inclined more horizontally
than the dipole field. The lower the latitude is, the larger is the deviation
from the dipole field. The relationship between plumes and bright points has
been investigated and they are not always associated. For the first data set,
based on the 3D height of plumes and the electron density derived from
SUMER/\emph{SOHO} Si {\sc viii} line pair, we found that electron densities
along the plumes decrease with height above the solar surface. The temperature
obtained from the density scale height is 1.6 to 1.8 times larger than the
temperature obtained from Mg {\sc ix} line ratios. We attribute this
discrepancy to a deviation of the electron and the ion temperatures. Finally,
we have found that the outflow speeds studied in the O {\sc vi} line in the
plumes corrected by the angle between the line of sight and the plume
orientation are quite small with a maximum of 10 . It is
unlikely that plumes are a dominant contributor to the fast solar wind.Comment: 25 pages, 13 figure
The Josephson critical current in a long mesoscopic S-N-S junction
We carry out an extensive experimental and theoretical study of the Josephson
effect in S-N-S junctions made of a diffusive normal metal (N) embedded between
two superconducting electrodes (S). Our experiments are performed on Nb-Cu-Nb
junctions with highly-transparent interfaces. We give the predictions of the
quasiclassical theory in various regimes on a precise and quantitative level.
We describe the crossover between the short and the long junction regimes and
provide the temperature dependence of the critical current using dimensionless
units and where
is the Thouless energy. Experimental and theoretical results are in excellent
quantitative agreement.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, slighly modified version, publishe
Phase Transition in a Stochastic Forest Fire Model and Effects of the Definition of Neighbourhood
We present results on a stochastic forest fire model, where the influence of
the neighbour trees is treated in a more realistic way than usual and the
definition of neighbourhood can be tuned by an additional parameter.
This model exhibits a surprisingly sharp phase transition which can be
shifted by redefinition of neighbourhood. The results can also be interpreted
in terms of disease-spreading and are quite unsettling from the epidemologist's
point of view, since variation of one crucial parameter only by a few percent
can result in the change from endemic to epidemic behaviour.Comment: 23 pages, 13 figure
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