Information entropic superconducting microcooler

We consider a design for a cyclic microrefrigerator using a superconducting flux qubit. Adiabatic modulation of the flux combined with thermalization can be used to transfer energy from a lower temperature normal metal thin film resistor to another one at higher temperature. The frequency selectivity of photonic heat conduction is achieved by including the hot resistor as part of a high frequency LC resonator and the cold one as part of a low-frequency oscillator while keeping both circuits in the underdamped regime. We discuss the performance of the device in an experimentally realistic setting. This device illustrates the complementarity of information and thermodynamic entropy as the erasure of the quantum bit directly relates to the cooling of the resistor.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Decoherence of flux qubits due to 1/f flux noise

We have investigated decoherence in Josephson-junction flux qubits. Based on the measurements of decoherence at various bias conditions, we discriminate contributions of different noise sources. In particular, we present a Gaussian decay function of the echo signal as evidence of dephasing due to $1/f$ flux noise whose spectral density is evaluated to be about $(10^{-6} \Phi_0)^2$/Hz at 1 Hz. We also demonstrate that at an optimal bias condition where the noise sources are well decoupled the coherence observed in the echo measurement is mainly limited by energy relaxation of the qubit.Comment: 4 pages, error in Fig.4 corrected, to appear in PR

Interqubit coupling mediated by a high-excitation-energy quantum object

We consider a system composed of two qubits and a high-excitation-energy quantum object used to mediate coupling between the qubits. We treat the entire system quantum mechanically and analyze the properties of the eigenvalues and eigenstates of the total Hamiltonian. After reproducing well-known results concerning the leading term in the mediated coupling, we obtain an expression for the residual coupling between the qubits in the off state. We also analyze the entanglement between the three objects, i.e. the two qubits and the coupler, in the eigenstates of the total Hamiltonian. Although we focus on the application of our results to the recently realized parametric-coupling scheme with two qubits, we also discuss extensions of our results to harmonic-oscillator couplers, couplers that are near resonance with the qubits and multi-qubit systems. In particular, we find that certain errors that are absent for a two-qubit system arise when dealing with multi-qubit systems.Comment: 15 pages (two-column

Survey of charge symmetry breaking operators for dd -> alpha pi0

The charge-symmetry-breaking amplitudes for the recently observed d d -> alpha pi0 reaction are investigated. Chiral perturbation theory is used to classify and identify the leading-order terms. Specific forms of the related one- and two-body tree level diagrams are derived. As a first step toward a full calculation, a few tree-level two-body diagrams are evaluated at each considered order, using a simplified set of d and alpha wave functions and a plane-wave approximation for the initial dd state. The leading-order pion-exchange term is shown to be suppressed in this model because of poor overlap of the initial and final states. The higher-order one-body and short-range (heavy-meson-exchange) amplitudes provide better matching between the initial and final states and therefore contribute significantly and coherently to the cross section. The consequences this might have for a full calculation, with realistic wave functions and a more complete set of amplitudes, are discussed.Comment: REVTeX 4, 35 pages, 8 eps figures, submitted to PR

Large-amplitude driving of a superconducting artificial atom: Interferometry, cooling, and amplitude spectroscopy

Superconducting persistent-current qubits are quantum-coherent artificial atoms with multiple, tunable energy levels. In the presence of large-amplitude harmonic excitation, the qubit state can be driven through one or more of the constituent energy-level avoided crossings. The resulting Landau-Zener-Stueckelberg (LZS) transitions mediate a rich array of quantum-coherent phenomena. We review here three experimental works based on LZS transitions: Mach-Zehnder-type interferometry between repeated LZS transitions, microwave-induced cooling, and amplitude spectroscopy. These experiments exhibit a remarkable agreement with theory, and are extensible to other solid-state and atomic qubit modalities. We anticipate they will find application to qubit state-preparation and control methods for quantum information science and technology.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figure

Parity nonconservation in deuteron photoreactions

We calculate the asymmetries in parity nonconserving deuteron photodisintegration due to circularly polarized photons gamma+d to n+p with the photon laboratory energy ranging from the threshold up to 10 MeV and the radiative capture of thermal polarized neutrons by protons n+p to gamma+d. We use the leading order electromagnetic Hamiltonian neglecting the smaller nuclear exchange currents. Comparative calculations are done by using the Reid93 and Argonne v18 potentials for the strong interaction and the DDH and FCDH "best" values for the weak couplings in a weak one-meson exchange potential. A weak NDelta transition potential is used to incorporate also the Delta(1232)-isobar excitation in the coupled-channels formalism.Comment: 14 pages, 13 figures (18 eps files), LaTeX2

Virtual-pion and two-photon production in pp scattering

Two-photon production in pp scattering is proposed as a means of studying virtual-pion emission. Such a process is complementary to real-pion emission in pp scattering. The virtual-pion signal is embedded in a background of double-photon bremsstrahlung. We have developed a model to describe this background process and show that in certain parts of phase space the virtual-pion signal gives significant contribution. In addition, through interference with the two-photon bremsstrahlung background, one can determine the relative phase of the virtual-pion process

Holonomic quantum gates: A semiconductor-based implementation

We propose an implementation of holonomic (geometrical) quantum gates by means of semiconductor nanostructures. Our quantum hardware consists of semiconductor macroatoms driven by sequences of ultrafast laser pulses ({\it all optical control}). Our logical bits are Coulomb-correlated electron-hole pairs (excitons) in a four-level scheme selectively addressed by laser pulses with different polarization. A universal set of single and two-qubit gates is generated by adiabatic change of the Rabi frequencies of the lasers and by exploiting the dipole coupling between excitons.Comment: 10 Pages LaTeX, 10 Figures include

Sisyphus cooling and amplification by a superconducting qubit

Laser cooling of the atomic motion paved the way for remarkable achievements in the fields of quantum optics and atomic physics, including Bose-Einstein condensation and the trapping of atoms in optical lattices. More recently superconducting qubits were shown to act as artificial two-level atoms, displaying Rabi oscillations, Ramsey fringes, and further quantum effects. Coupling such qubits to resonators brought the superconducting circuits into the realm of quantum electrodynamics (circuit QED). It opened the perspective to use superconducting qubits as micro-coolers or to create a population inversion in the qubit to induce lasing behavior of the resonator. Furthering these analogies between quantum optical and superconducting systems we demonstrate here Sisyphus cooling of a low frequency LC oscillator coupled to a near-resonantly driven superconducting qubit. In the quantum optics setup the mechanical degrees of freedom of an atom are cooled by laser driving the atom's electronic degrees of freedom. Here the roles of the two degrees of freedom are played by the LC circuit and the qubit's levels, respectively. We also demonstrate the counterpart of the Sisyphus cooling, namely Sisyphus amplification. Parallel to the experimental demonstration we analyze the system theoretically and find quantitative agreement, which supports the interpretation and allows us to estimate system parameters.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure