1,497 research outputs found
Observation of quantum jumps in a superconducting artificial atom
A continuously monitored quantum system prepared in an excited state will
decay to its ground state with an abrupt jump. The jump occurs stochastically
on a characteristic time scale T1, the lifetime of the excited state. These
quantum jumps, originally envisioned by Bohr, have been observed in trapped
atoms and ions, single molecules, photons, and single electrons in cyclotrons.
Here we report the first observation of quantum jumps in a macroscopic quantum
system, in our case a superconducting "artificial atom" or quantum bit (qubit)
coupled to a superconducting microwave cavity. We use a fast, ultralow-noise
parametric amplifier to amplify the microwave photons used to probe the qubit
state, enabling continuous high-fidelity monitoring of the qubit. This
technique represents a major step forward for solid state quantum information
processing, potentially enabling quantum error correction and feedback, which
are essential for building a quantum computer. Our technology can also be
readily integrated into hybrid circuits involving molecular magnets, nitrogen
vacancies in diamond, or semiconductor quantum dots.Comment: Updated draft including supplementary information. 8 pages, 6
figures. Supplementary videos are available on our website at
http://physics.berkeley.edu/research/siddiqi/docs/supps
Improving wafer-scale Josephson junction resistance variation in superconducting quantum coherent circuits
Quantum bits, or qubits, are an example of coherent circuits envisioned for
next-generation computers and detectors. A robust superconducting qubit with a
coherent lifetime of (100 s) is the transmon: a Josephson junction
functioning as a non-linear inductor shunted with a capacitor to form an
anharmonic oscillator. In a complex device with many such transmons, precise
control over each qubit frequency is often required, and thus variations of the
junction area and tunnel barrier thickness must be sufficiently minimized to
achieve optimal performance while avoiding spectral overlap between neighboring
circuits. Simply transplanting our recipe optimized for single, stand-alone
devices to wafer-scale (producing 64, 1x1 cm dies from a 150 mm wafer)
initially resulted in global drifts in room-temperature tunneling resistance of
30%. Inferring a critical current variation from this
resistance distribution, we present an optimized process developed from a
systematic 38 wafer study that results in 3.5% relative standard deviation
(RSD) in critical current () for 3000 Josephson junctions (both single-junctions and
asymmetric SQUIDs) across an area of 49 cm. Looking within a 1x1 cm moving
window across the substrate gives an estimate of the variation characteristic
of a given qubit chip. Our best process, utilizing ultrasonically assisted
development, uniform ashing, and dynamic oxidation has shown = 1.8% within 1x1 cm, on average,
with a few 1x1 cm areas having 1.0% (equivalent to 0.5%). Such stability would drastically improve the yield of
multi-junction chips with strict critical current requirements.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures. Revision includes supplementary materia
Quantum Fluctuations in the Chirped Pendulum
An anharmonic oscillator when driven with a fast, frequency chirped voltage
pulse can oscillate with either small or large amplitude depending on whether
the drive voltage is below or above a critical value-a well studied classical
phenomenon known as autoresonance. Using a 6 GHz superconducting resonator
embedded with a Josephson tunnel junction, we have studied for the first time
the role of noise in this non-equilibrium system and find that the width of the
threshold for capture into autoresonance decreases as the square root of T, and
saturates below 150 mK due to zero point motion of the oscillator. This unique
scaling results from the non-equilibrium excitation where fluctuations, both
quantum and classical, only determine the initial oscillator motion and not its
subsequent dynamics. We have investigated this paradigm in an electrical
circuit but our findings are applicable to all out of equilibrium nonlinear
oscillators.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
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