Temperature dependence of coherent oscillations in Josephson phase qubits

We experimentally investigate the temperature dependence of Rabi oscillations and Ramsey fringes in superconducting phase qubits driven by microwave pulses. In a wide range of temperatures, we find that both the decay time and the amplitude of these coherent oscillations remain nearly unaffected by thermal fluctuations. The oscillations are observed well above the crossover temperature from thermally activated escape to quantum tunneling for undriven qubits. In the two-level limit, coherent qubit response rapidly vanishes as soon as the energy of thermal fluctuations kT becomes larger than the energy level spacing of the qubit. Our observations shed new light on the origin of decoherence in superconducting qubits. The experimental data suggest that, without degrading already achieved coherence times, phase qubits can be operated at temperatures much higher than those reported till now.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Entangling microscopic defects via a macroscopic quantum shuttle

In the microscopic world, multipartite entanglement has been achieved with various types of nanometer sized two-level systems such as trapped ions, atoms and photons. On the macroscopic scale ranging from micrometers to millimeters, recent experiments have demonstrated bipartite and tripartite entanglement for electronic quantum circuits with superconducting Josephson junctions. It remains challenging to bridge these largely different length scales by constructing hybrid quantum systems. Doing this may allow for manipulating the entanglement of individual microscopic objects separated by macroscopically large distances in a quantum circuit. Here we report on the experimental demonstration of induced coherent interaction between two intrinsic two-level states (TLSs) formed by atomic-scale defects in a solid via a superconducting phase qubit. The tunable superconducting circuit serves as a shuttle communicating quantum information between the two microscopic TLSs. We present a detailed comparison between experiment and theory and find excellent agreement over a wide range of parameters. We then use the theoretical model to study the creation and movement of entanglement between the three components of the quantum system.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure

Enhanced Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling in Bi2_2Sr2_2CaCu2_2O8+δ_{8+\delta} Intrinsic Josephson Junction Stacks

We have investigated macroscopic quantum tunneling in Bi$_2$Sr$_2$CaCu$_2$O$_{8+\delta}$ intrinsic Josephson junctions at millikelvin temperatures using microwave irradiation. Measurements show that the escape rate for uniformly switching stacks of N junctions is about $N^2$ times higher than that of a single junction having the same plasma frequency. We argue that this gigantic enhancement of macroscopic quantum tunneling rate in stacks is boosted by current fluctuations which occur in the series array of junctions loaded by the impedance of the environment.Comment: 4 pages and 5 figure

Measuring the temperature dependence of individual two-level systems by direct coherent control

We demonstrate a new method to directly manipulate the state of individual two-level systems (TLS) in phase qubits. It allows one to characterize the coherence properties of TLS using standard microwave pulse sequences, while the qubit is used only for state readout. We apply this method to measure the temperature dependence of TLS coherence for the first time. The energy relaxation time $T_1$ is found to decrease quadratically with temperature for the two TLS studied in this work, while their dephasing time measured in Ramsey and spin-echo experiments is found to be $T_1$ limited at all temperatures.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Fluxon-semifluxon interaction in an annular long Josephson 0-pi-junction

We investigate theoretically the interaction between integer and half-integer Josephson vortices (fluxons and semifluxons) in an annular Josephson junction. Semifluxons usually appear at the 0-$\pi$-boundary where there is a $\pi$-discontinuity of the Josephson phase. We study the simplest, but the most interesting case of one $\pi$-discontinuity in a loop, which can be created only artificially. We show that measuring the current-voltage characteristic after injection of an integer fluxon, one can determine the polarity of a semifluxon. Depending on the relative polarity of fluxon and semifluxon the static configuration may be stable or unstable, but in the dynamic state both configurations are stable. We also calculate the depinning current of $N$ fluxons pinned by an arbitrary fractional vortex.Comment: 8pages, 6 figures, submitted to PR

Observation of directly interacting coherent two-level systems in a solid

Parasitic two-level tunneling systems originating from structural material defects affect the functionality of various microfabricated devices by acting as a source of noise. In particular, superconducting quantum bits may be sensitive to even single defects when these reside in the tunnel barrier of the qubit's Josephson junctions, and this can be exploited to observe and manipulate the quantum states of individual tunneling systems. Here, we detect and fully characterize a system of two strongly interacting defects using a novel technique for high-resolution spectroscopy. Mutual defect coupling has been conjectured to explain various anomalies of glasses, and was recently suggested as the origin of low frequency noise in superconducting devices. Our study provides conclusive evidence of defect interactions with full access to the individual constituents, demonstrating the potential of superconducting qubits for studying material defects. All our observations are consistent with the assumption that defects are generated by atomic tunneling.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures. Includes supplementary materia

Quantitative evaluation of defect-models in superconducting phase qubits

We use high-precision spectroscopy and detailed theoretical modelling to determine the form of the coupling between a superconducting phase qubit and a two-level defect. Fitting the experimental data with our theoretical model allows us to determine all relevant system parameters. A strong qubit-defect coupling is observed, with a nearly vanishing longitudinal component. Using these estimates, we quantitatively compare several existing theoretical models for the microscopic origin of two-level defects.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures. Supplementary material, lclimits_supp.pd

Superconducting RF Metamaterials Made with Magnetically Active Planar Spirals

Superconducting metamaterials combine the advantages of low-loss, large inductance (with the addition of kinetic inductance), and extreme tunability compared to their normal metal counterparts. Therefore, they allow realization of compact designs operating at low frequencies. We have recently developed radio frequency (RF) metamaterials with a high loaded quality factor and an electrical size as small as $\sim$$\lambda$658, ($\lambda$ is the free space wavelength) by using Nb thin films. The RF metamaterial is composed of truly planar spirals patterned with lithographic techniques. Linear transmission characteristics of these metamaterials show robust Lorentzian resonant peaks in the sub- 100 MHz frequency range below the $T_c$ of Nb. Though Nb is a non-magnetic material, the circulating currents in the spirals generated by RF signals produce a strong magnetic response, which can be tuned sensitively either by temperature or magnetic field thanks to the superconducting nature of the design. We have also observed strong nonlinearity and meta-stable jumps in the transmission data with increasing RF input power until the Nb is driven into the normal state. We discuss the factors modifying the induced magnetic response from single and 1-D arrays of spirals in the light of numerical simulations.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figure

Nonlinear Seebeck Effect in a Model Granular Superconductor

The change of the Josephson supercurrent density of a weakly-connected granular superconductor in response to externally applied arbitrary thermal gradient dT/dx (nonlinear Seebeck effect) is considered within a model of 3D Josephson junction arrays. For dT/dx>(dT/dx)_c, where (dT/dx)_c is estimated to be of the order of 10^4 K/m for YBCO ceramics with an average grain's size of 10 microns, the weak-links-dominated thermopower S (Seebeck coefficient) is predicted to become strongly dT/dx-dependent.Comment: REVTEX, no figure