arXiv subjects

A. V. Ustinov

Publications and source records attributed to A. V. Ustinov.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Readout failures in superconducting qubits due to TLS-defects in tunnel junctions

Material defects give rise to parasitic two-level systems (TLS) which present a major source of decoherence in superconducting qubits. Here, we study a strongly coupled TLS that resides in the tunnel barrier of transmon qubit. We use multi-photon spectroscopy and TLS strain tuning to explore the rich spectrum of the interacting three-partite system consisting of TLS, qubit, and its readout resonator. This reveals a strong effective resonant coupling between the TLS and the qubit's readout resonator which dresses the resonator states and results in a resonance frequency shift that spoils the readout signal. Our finding presents yet another way how material defects can interfere with qubit operation and hinder the realization of solid-state quantum processors.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Substrate insulated Josephson junctions for superconducting quantum circuits

We have developed a fabrication technique for Josephson junctions that employs a three-dimensional patterned, low-loss substrate instead of commonly used organic resists. The technique enables the fabrication of high-quality trilayer junctions from a wide range of geometries and materials, including high-melting-point superconductors such as tantalum or niobium. The junction electrodes are free from intentionally introduced oxides and organic materials, which are known sources of decoherence. We fabricate and characterize underdamped Nb/AlOx/Nb junctions of different sizes in several geometries. Such junctions enable manufacturing of quantum circuits operating at higher speeds and elevated temperatures.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Parasitic RF-SQUIDs in superconducting qubits due to wirebonds

Superconducting qubits show great promise to realize practical quantum computers from micro-fabricated integrated circuits. However, their solid-state architecture bears the burden of parasitic modes in qubit materials and the control circuitry which cause decoherence and interfere with qubits. Here, we present evidence that wirebonds, which are used to contact the micro-circuits and to realize chip-to-chip airbridges, may contain parasitic Josephson junctions. In our experiment, such a junction was enclosed in a superconducting loop and so gave rise to the formation an RF-SQUID which interfered with a nearby flux-tunable transmon qubit. Periodic signatures observed in magnetic field sweeps revealed a strong AC-dispersive coupling of the parasitic RF-SQUID to both the qubit and its readout resonator, in addition to the DC-inductive coupling between RF-SQUID and qubit. Our finding sheds light on a previously unknown origin of decoherence due to parasitic Josephson junctions in superconducing circuits.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

Resonant escape in Josephson tunnel junctions under millimeter-wave irradiation

The microwave-driven dynamics of the superconducting phase difference across a Josephson junction is now widely employed in superconducting qubits and quantum circuits. With the typical energy level separation frequency of several GHz, cooling these quantum devices to the ground state requires temperatures below 100 mK. Pushing the operation frequency of superconducting qubits up may allow for operation of superconducting qubits at 1 K and even higher temperatures. Here we present measurements of the switching currents of niobium/aluminum-aluminum oxide/niobium Josephson junctions in the presence of millimeter-wave radiation at frequencies above 100 GHz. The observed switching current distributions display clear double-peak structures, which result from the resonant escape of the Josephson phase from a stationary state. We show that the data can be well explained by the strong-driving model including the irradiation-induced suppression of the potential barrier. While still being measured in the quasi-classical regime, our results point towards a feasibility of operating phase qubits around 100 GHz.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Phase-resolved visualization of radio-frequency standing waves in superconducting spiral resonator for metamaterial applications

Superconducting microcircuits and metamaterials are promising candidates for use in new generation cryogenic electronics. Their functionality is largely justified by the macroscopic distribution of electromagnetic fields in arranged unit cells, rather than by the microscopic properties of composite materials. We present a new method for visualizing the spatial structure of penetrating microwaves with microscopic resolution in planar superconducting macroscopic resonators as the most important circuit-forming elements of modern microelectronics. This method uses a low-temperature laser scanning microscope that examines the phase (i.e., direction) and amplitude of local radio-frequency currents versus the two-dimensional coordinates of the superconducting resonant structure under test. Phase-sensitive contrast is achieved by synchronizing the intensity-modulated laser radiation with the resonant harmonics of the microwave signal passing through the sample. In this case, the laser-beam-induced loss in the illuminated area will strongly depend on the local phase difference between the RF carrier signal and the spatially temporal structure of the focused laser oscillation. This approach eliminates the hardware limitations of the existing technique of radio-frequency microscopy and brings the phase-sensitive demodulation mode to the level necessary for studying the physics of superconducting metamaterials. The advantage of the presented method over the previous method of RF laser scanning microscopy is demonstrated by the example of the formation of standing waves in a spiral superconducting Archimedean resonator up to the 38th eigenmode resonance.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Simulation of the five-qubit quantum error correction code on superconducting qubits

Experimental realization of stabilizer-based quantum error correction (QEC) codes that would yield superior logical qubit performance is one of the formidable task for state-of-the-art quantum processors. A major obstacle towards realizing this goal is the large footprint of QEC codes, even those with a small distance. We propose a circuit based on the minimal distance-3 QEC code, which requires only 5 data qubits and 5 ancilla qubits, connected in a ring with iSWAP gates implemented between neighboring qubits. Using a density-matrix simulation, we show that, thanks to its smaller footprint, the proposed code has a lower logical error rate than Surface-17 for similar physical error rates. We also estimate the performance of a neural network-based error decoder, which can be trained to accommodate the error statistics of a specific quantum processor by training on experimental data.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Microscopic quantum point contact formation as the electromigration mechanism in granular superconductor nanowires

Granular aluminium is a high kinetic inductance thin film superconductor which, when formed into nanowires can undergo an intrinsic electromigration process. We use a combination of experimental and computational approaches to investigate the role of grain morphology and distribution in granular aluminium thin films, when formed into nanowire constrictions. Treating the granular aluminium film as a network of randomly distributed resistors with parameters motivated by the film microstructure allows us to model the electrical characteristics of the nanowires. This model provides estimates of the dependence of sheet resistance on grain size and distribution, and the resulting device to device variation for superconducting nanowires. By fabricating a series of different length nanowires, we study the electromigration process as a function of applied current, and then compare directly to the results of our computational model. In doing so we show that the electromigration is driven by the formation of quantum point contacts between metallic aluminium grains.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Tunable coupling scheme for implementing two-qubit gates on fluxonium qubits

The superconducting fluxonium circuit is an RF-SQUID-type flux qubit that uses a large inductance built from an array of Josephson junctions or a high kinetic inductance material. This inductance suppresses charge sensitivity exponentially and flux sensitivity quadratically. In contrast to the transmon qubit, the anharmonicity of fluxonium can be large and positive, allowing for better separation between the low energy qubit manifold of the circuit and higher-lying excited states. Here, we propose a tunable coupling scheme for implementing two-qubit gates on fixed-frequency fluxonium qubits, biased at half flux quantum. In this system, both qubits and coupler are coupled capacitively and implemented as fluxonium circuits with an additional harmonic mode. We investigate the performance of the scheme by simulating a universal two-qubit fSim gate. In the proposed approach, we rely on a planar on-chip architecture for the whole device. Our design is compatible with existing hardware for transmon-based devices, with the additional advantage of lower qubit frequency facilitating high-precision gating.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Approaching to the deep-strong photon-to-magnon coupling

In this work, the ultra-strong photon-to-magnon coupling is demonstrated for on-chip multilayered superconductor/ferromagnet/insulator hybrid thin film structures reaching the coupling strength above 6 GHz, the coupling ratio about 0.6, the single-spin coupling strength about 350 Hz, and cooperativity about 10^4. High characteristics of coupling are achieved owing to a radical suppression of the photon phase velocity in electromagnetic resonator. With achieved coupling the spectrum reveals inapplicability of the Dicke model, and evidences contribution of the diamagnetic A^2 interaction term in the Hamiltonian of the system, which satisfies the Thomas-Reiche-Kuhn sum rule. The contribution of the A^2 term denotes validity of the Hopfield quantum model and manifests observation of a different hybrid polariton quasi-particle, namely, the plasmon-magnon polariton.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Quantum beats of a magnetic fluxon in a two-cell SQUID

We report a detailed theoretical study of a coherent macroscopic quantum-mechanical phenomenon - quantum beats of a single magnetic fluxon trapped in a two-cell SQUID of high kinetic inductance. We calculate numerically and analytically the low-lying energy levels of the fluxon, and explore their dependence on externally applied magnetic fields. The quantum dynamics of the fluxon shows quantum beats originating from its coherent quantum tunneling between the SQUID cells. We analyze the experimental setup based on a three-cell SQUID, allowing for time-resolved measurements of quantum beats of the fluxon.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Photon transport in a Bose-Hubbard chain of superconducting artificial atoms

We demonstrate non-equilibrium steady-state photon transport through a chain of five coupled artificial atoms simulating the driven-dissipative Bose-Hubbard model. Using transmission spectroscopy, we show that the system retains many-particle coherence despite being coupled strongly to two open spaces. We show that system energy bands may be visualized with high contrast using cross-Kerr interaction. For vanishing disorder, we observe the transition of the system from the linear to the nonlinear regime of photon blockade in excellent agreement with the input-output theory. Finally, we show how controllable disorder introduced to the system suppresses this non-local photon transmission. We argue that proposed architecture may be applied to analog simulation of many-body Floquet dynamics with even larger arrays of artificial atoms paving an alternative way to demonstration of quantum supremacy

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Ultra-strong photon-to-magnon coupling in multilayered heterostructures involving superconducting coherence via ferromagnetic layers

The critical step for future quantum industry demands realization of efficient information exchange between different-platform hybrid systems, including photonic and magnonic systems, that can harvest advantages of distinct platforms. The major restraining factor for the progress in certain hybrid systems is the fundamentally weak coupling parameter between the elemental particles. This restriction impedes the entire field of hybrid magnonics by making realization of scalable on-chip hybrid magnonic systems unattainable. In this work, we propose a general flexible approach for realization of on-chip hybrid magnonic systems with unprecedentedly strong coupling parameters. The approach is based on multilayered micro-structures containing superconducting, insulating and ferromagnetic layers with modified both photon phase velocities and magnon eigen-frequencies. Phenomenologically, the enhanced coupling strength is provided by the radically reduced photon mode volume. The microscopic mechanism of the phonon-to-magnon coupling in studied systems evidences formation of the long-range superconducting coherence via thick strong ferromagnetic layers. This coherence is manifested by coherent superconducting screening of microwave fields by the superconductor/ferromagnet/superconductor three-layers in presence of magnetization precession. This discovery offers new opportunities in microwave superconducting spintronics for quantum technologies.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2020

Magnetization dynamics in proximity-coupled superconductor/ferromagnet/superconductor multilayers

In this work, magnetization dynamics is studied in superconductor/ferromagnet/superconductor three-layered films in a wide frequency, field, and temperature ranges using the broad-band ferromagnetic resonance measurement technique. It is shown that in presence of both superconducting layers and of superconducting proximity at both superconductor/ferromagnet interfaces a massive shift of the ferromagnetic resonance to higher frequencies emerges. The phenomenon is robust and essentially long-range: it has been observed for a set of samples with the thickness of ferromagnetic layer in the range from tens up to hundreds of nanometers. The resonance frequency shift is characterized by proximity-induced magnetic anisotropies: by the positive in-plane uniaxial anisotropy and by the drop of magnetization. The shift and the corresponding uniaxial anisotropy grow with the thickness of the ferromagnetic layer. For instance, the anisotropy reaches 0.27~T in experiment for a sample with 350~nm thick ferromagnetic layer, and about 0.4~T in predictions, which makes it a ferromagnetic film structure with the highest anisotropy and the highest natural resonance frequency ever reported. Various scenarios for the superconductivity-induced magnetic anisotropy are discussed. As a result, the origin of the phenomenon remains unclear. Application of the proximity-induced anisotropies in superconducting magnonics is proposed as a way for manipulations with a spin-wave spectrum.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Microwave impedance readout of a hafnium microbridge detector

We present proof-of-operation for a new method of electron thermometry using microwave impedance of a hafnium micro-absorber. The new method leads to an ultimate THz-range detector suitable for microwave readout and frequency division multiplexing. The sensing part of the device is a hot-electron-gas absorber responding to the incident radiation by variation of its impedance measured at probing frequency about 1.5 GHz. The absorber is a microbridge made from hafnium (Tc = 375 mK, RN = 30 Ohm) sized 2.5 um by 2.5 um by 50 nm and integrated with a planar 600-700 GHz antenna placed near the open end of a quarter-wave CPW resonator (Q-factor about 10^4). All elements of the circuit, except the microbridge, are made from 100-nm thick Nb, including the resonator, which is weakly coupled to a throughput line. The device was tested at 50-350 mK smoothly responding with its transmission coefficient S21 to applied microwave power at the resonance frequency. We have found that the power absorbed by the bridge fits to the model of hot electron gas, P=k(Te^n-Tph^n) (n = 5...6). The idle NEP down to about 10^-18 W/Hz^(-1/2) and the corresponding cross-over temperature for photon background about 5 K are estimated from the measured data. The saturation power of about 1 pW and possibility of moderate gain are anticipated for a practicable device operating at temperature 200 mK. Since the optimum readout frequency is found exactly at the resonance, the detector is insensitive to most phase instabilities at the probing frequency.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2019

Automated analysis of single-tone spectroscopic data for cQED systems

Physical systems for quantum computation require calibration of the control parameters based on their physical characteristics by performing a chain of experiments that gather most precise information about the given device. It follows that there is a need for automated data acquisition and interpretation. In this work, we have developed a tool that allows for automatic analysis of single-tone spectroscopy (STS) results for a single cell consisting of qubit and resonator in the circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) architecture. Using analytic approaches and maximum likelihood estimation, our algorithm is capable of finding all relevant physical characteristics of the cell by using only the measured STS data. The described approach is fast and robust to noise, and its open-source Python implementation can readily be used to calibrate transmon qubits coupled to notch-port resonators.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Two-tone spectroscopy of a SQUID metamaterial in the nonlinear regime

Compact microwave resonantors made of superconducting rings containing Josephson junctions (SQUIDs) are attractive candidates for building frequency tunable metamaterials with low losses and pronounced nonlinear properties. We explore the nonlinearity of a SQUID metamaterial by performing a two-tone resonant spectroscopy. The small-amplitude response of the metamaterial under strong driving by a microwave pump tone is investigated experimentally and theoretically. The transmission coefficient $S_{21}$ of a weak probe signal is measured in the presence of the pump tone. Increasing the power of the pump, we observe pronounced oscillations of the SQUID's resonance frequency $f_{\textrm{res}}$. The shape of these oscillations varies significantly with the frequency of the pump tone $f_{\textrm{dr}}$. The response to the probe signal displays instabilities and sidebands. A state with strong second harmonic generation is observed. We provide a theoretical analysis of these observations, which is in good agreement with the experimental results.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2019

Mode Structure in Superconducting Metamaterial Transmission Line Resonators

Superconducting metamaterials are a promising resource for quantum information science. In the context of circuit QED, they provide a means to engineer on-chip, novel dispersion relations and a band structure that could ultimately be utilized for generating complex entangled states of quantum circuitry, for quantum reservoir engineering, and as an element for quantum simulation architectures. Here we report on the development and measurement at millikelvin temperatures of a particular type of circuit metamaterial resonator composed of planar superconducting lumped-element reactances in the form of a discrete left-handed transmission line (LHTL). We discuss the details of the design, fabrication, and circuit properties of this system. As well, we provide an extensive characterization of the dense mode spectrum in these metamaterial resonators, which we conducted using both microwave transmission measurements and laser scanning microscopy (LSM). Results are observed to be in good quantitative agreement with numerical simulations and also an analytical model based upon current-voltage relationships for a discrete transmission line. In particular, we demonstrate that the metamaterial mode frequencies, spatial profiles of current and charge densities, and damping due to external loading can be readily modeled and understood, making this system a promising tool for future use in quantum circuit applications and for studies of complex quantum systems.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2019

Interplay of magnetization dynamics with microwave waveguide at cryogenic temperatures

In this work, magnetization dynamics is studied at low temperatures in a hybrid system that consists of thin epitaxial magnetic film coupled with superconducting planar microwave waveguide. The resonance spectrum was observed in a wide magnetic field range, including low fields below the saturation magnetization and both polarities. Analysis of the spectrum via a developed fitting routine allowed to derive all magnetic parameters of the film at cryogenic temperatures, to detect waveguide-induced uniaxial magnetic anisotropies of the first and the second order, and to uncover a minor misalignment of magnetic field. A substantial influence of the superconducting critical state on resonance spectrum is observed and discussed.

physics.app-ph↗