786 research outputs found
Superconducting resonators as beam splitters for linear-optics quantum computation
A functioning quantum computer will be a machine that builds up, in a
programmable way, nonclassical correlations in a multipartite quantum system.
Linear optics quantum computation (LOQC) is an approach for achieving this
function that requires only simple, reliable linear optical elements, namely
beam splitters and phase shifters. Nonlinear optics is only required in the
form of single-photon sources for state initialization, and detectors. However,
the latter remain difficult to achieve with high fidelity. A new setting for
quantum optics has arisen in circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) using
superconducting (SC) quantum devices, and opening up the way to LOQC using
microwave, rather than visible photons. Much progress is being made in SC
qubits and cQED: high-fidelity Fock state generation and qubit measurements
provide single photon sources and detection. Here we show that the LOQC toolkit
in cQED can be completed with high-fidelity (>99.92%) linear optical elements.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Energy spectrum and Landau levels in bilayer graphene with spin-orbit interaction
We present a theoretical study of the bandstructure and Landau levels in
bilayer graphene at low energies in the presence of a transverse magnetic field
and Rashba spin-orbit interaction in the regime of negligible trigonal
distortion. Within an effective low energy approach (L\"owdin partitioning
theory) we derive an effective Hamiltonian for bilayer graphene that
incorporates the influence of the Zeeman effect, the Rashba spin-orbit
interaction, and inclusively, the role of the intrinsic spin-orbit interaction
on the same footing. Particular attention is spent to the energy spectrum and
Landau levels. Our modeling unveil the strong influence of the Rashba coupling
in the spin-splitting of the electron and hole bands. Graphene
bilayers with weak Rashba spin-orbit interaction show a spin-splitting linear
in momentum and proportional to , but scales inversely proportional
to the interlayer hopping energy . However, at robust spin-orbit
coupling the energy spectrum shows a strong warping behavior near
the Dirac points. We find the bias-induced gap in bilayer graphene to be
decreasing with increasing Rashba coupling, a behavior resembling a topological
insulator transition. We further predict an unexpected assymetric
spin-splitting and crossings of the Landau levels due to the interplay between
the Rashba interaction and the external bias voltage. Our results are of
relevance for interpreting magnetotransport and infrared cyclotron resonance
measurements, including also situations of comparatively weak spin-orbit
coupling.Comment: 25 pages, 5 figure
Orbital entanglement and violation of Bell inequalities in mesoscopic conductors
We propose a spin-independent scheme to generate and detect two-particle
entanglement in a mesoscopic normal-superconductor system. A superconductor,
weakly coupled to the normal conductor, generates an orbitally entangled state
by injecting pairs of electrons into different leads of the normal conductor.
The entanglement is detected via violation of a Bell inequality, formulated in
terms of zero-frequency current cross-correlators. It is shown that the Bell
inequality can be violated for arbitrary strong dephasing in the normal
conductor.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Relaxation and Dephasing in a Flux-qubit
We report detailed measurements of the relaxation and dephasing time in a
flux-qubit measured by a switching DC SQUID. We studied their dependence on the
two important circuit bias parameters: the externally applied magnetic flux and
the bias current through the SQUID in two samples. We demonstrate two
complementary strategies to protect the qubit from these decoherence sources.
One consists in biasing the qubit so that its resonance frequency is stationary
with respect to the control parameters ({\it optimal point}) ; the second
consists in {\it decoupling} the qubit from current noise by chosing a proper
bias current through the SQUID. At the decoupled optimal point, we measured
long spin-echo decay times of up to .Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Letter
Dephasing of a superconducting qubit induced by photon noise
We have studied the dephasing of a superconducting flux-qubit coupled to a
DC-SQUID based oscillator. By varying the bias conditions of both circuits we
were able to tune their effective coupling strength. This allowed us to measure
the effect of such a controllable and well-characterized environment on the
qubit coherence. We can quantitatively account for our data with a simple model
in which thermal fluctuations of the photon number in the oscillator are the
limiting factor. In particular, we observe a strong reduction of the dephasing
rate whenever the coupling is tuned to zero. At the optimal point we find a
large spin-echo decay time of .Comment: New version of earlier paper arXiv/0507290 after in-depth rewritin
Electromagnetically induced transparency in superconducting quantum circuits : Effects of decoherence, tunneling and multi-level cross-talk
We explore theoretically electromagnetically-induced transparency (EIT) in a
superconducting quantum circuit (SQC). The system is a persistent-current flux
qubit biased in a configuration. Previously [Phys. Rev. Lett. 93,
087003 (2004)], we showed that an ideally-prepared EIT system provides a
sensitive means to probe decoherence. Here, we extend this work by exploring
the effects of imperfect dark-state preparation and specific decoherence
mechanisms (population loss via tunneling, pure dephasing, and incoherent
population exchange). We find an initial, rapid population loss from the
system for an imperfectly prepared dark state. This is followed by a
slower population loss due to both the detuning of the microwave fields from
the EIT resonance and the existing decoherence mechanisms. We find analytic
expressions for the slow loss rate, with coefficients that depend on the
particular decoherence mechanisms, thereby providing a means to probe,
identify, and quantify various sources of decoherence with EIT. We go beyond
the rotating wave approximation to consider how strong microwave fields can
induce additional off-resonant transitions in the SQC, and we show how these
effects can be mitigated by compensation of the resulting AC Stark shifts
RNA secondary structure design
We consider the inverse-folding problem for RNA secondary structures: for a
given (pseudo-knot-free) secondary structure find a sequence that has that
structure as its ground state. If such a sequence exists, the structure is
called designable. We implemented a branch-and-bound algorithm that is able to
do an exhaustive search within the sequence space, i.e., gives an exact answer
whether such a sequence exists. The bound required by the branch-and-bound
algorithm are calculated by a dynamic programming algorithm. We consider
different alphabet sizes and an ensemble of random structures, which we want to
design. We find that for two letters almost none of these structures are
designable. The designability improves for the three-letter case, but still a
significant fraction of structures is undesignable. This changes when we look
at the natural four-letter case with two pairs of complementary bases:
undesignable structures are the exception, although they still exist. Finally,
we also study the relation between designability and the algorithmic complexity
of the branch-and-bound algorithm. Within the ensemble of structures, a high
average degree of undesignability is correlated to a long time to prove that a
given structure is (un-)designable. In the four-letter case, where the
designability is high everywhere, the algorithmic complexity is highest in the
region of naturally occurring RNA.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figure
Semiclassical theory of spin-polarized shot noise in mesoscopic diffusive conductors
We study fluctuations of spin-polarized currents in a three-terminal
spin-valve system consisting of a diffusive normal metal wire connected by
tunnel junctions to three ferromagnetic terminals. Based on a spin-dependent
Boltzmann-Langevin equation, we develop a semiclassical theory of charge and
spin currents and the correlations of the currents fluctuations. In the three
terminal system, we show that current fluctuations are strongly affected by the
spin-flip scattering in the normal metal and the spin polarizations of the
terminals, which may point in different directions. We analyze the dependence
of the shot noise and the cross-correlations on the spin-flip scattering rate
in the full range of the spin polarizations and for different magnetic
configurations. Our result demonstrate that noise measurements in
multi-terminal devices allow to determine the spin-flip scattering rate by
changing the polarizations of ferromagnetic terminals.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure
Electrical current noise of a beam splitter as a test of spin-entanglement
We investigate the spin entanglement in the superconductor-quantum dot system
proposed by Recher, Sukhorukov and Loss, coupling it to an electronic
beam-splitter. The superconductor-quantum dot entangler and the beam-splitter
are treated within a unified framework and the entanglement is detected via
current correlations. The state emitted by the entangler is found to be a
linear superposition of non-local spin-singlets at different energies, a
spin-entangled two-particle wavepacket. Colliding the two electrons in the
beam-splitter, the singlet spin-state gives rise to a bunching behavior,
detectable via the current correlators. The amount of bunching depends on the
relative positions of the single particle levels in the quantum dots and the
scattering amplitudes of the beam-splitter. The singlet spin entanglement,
insensitive to orbital dephasing but suppressed by spin dephasing, is
conveniently quantified via the Fano factors. It is found that the
entanglement-dependent contribution to the Fano factor is of the same magnitude
as the non-entangled, making an experimental detection feasible. A detailed
comparison between the current correlations of the non-local spin-singlet state
and other states, possibly emitted by the entangler, is performed. This
provides conditions for an unambiguous identification of the non-local singlet
spin entanglement.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures, section on quantification of entanglement adde
Asymmetry and decoherence in a double-layer persistent-current qubit
Superconducting circuits fabricated using the widely used shadow evaporation
technique can contain unintended junctions which change their quantum dynamics.
We discuss a superconducting flux qubit design that exploits the symmetries of
a circuit to protect the qubit from unwanted coupling to the noisy environment,
in which the unintended junctions can spoil the quantum coherence. We present a
theoretical model based on a recently developed circuit theory for
superconducting qubits and calculate relaxation and decoherence times that can
be compared with existing experiments. Furthermore, the coupling of the qubit
to a circuit resonance (plasmon mode) is explained in terms of the asymmetry of
the circuit. Finally, possibilities for prolonging the relaxation and
decoherence times of the studied superconducting qubit are proposed on the
basis of the obtained results.Comment: v.2: published version; 8 pages, 12 figures; added comparison with
experiment, improved discussion of T_ph
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