arXiv subjects

André Vallières

Publications and source records attributed to André Vallières.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Oxide-Nitride Heteroepitaxy for Low-Loss Dielectrics in Superconducting Quantum Circuits

Superconducting qubits show great promise for the realization of fault-tolerant quantum computing, but lossy, amorphous dielectrics limit current technology. Identifying highly crystalline and stoichiometric dielectrics with intrinsically low microwave loss is therefore a central materials challenge, yet experimentally validated platforms remain scarce. This work integrates a crystalline dielectric into a heteroepitaxial TiN/$γ$-Al$_2$O$_3$/TiN trilayer grown via pulsed laser deposition. Correlative high-resolution imaging, diffraction, and spectroscopy measurements confirm the single-crystal quality and chemical integrity of all layers, with minimal defects and limited anion interdiffusion across the oxide-nitride interfaces. Using microwave lumped-element resonators with parallel-plate capacitors, this work establishes an experimentally-measured upper bound for the dielectric loss of $γ$-Al$_2$O$_3$, which has a low intrinsic two-level system loss of $δ_{\text{TLS}}^0 = (2.8 \pm 0.1) \times 10^{-5}$. These results establish heteroepitaxial oxides on transition metal nitrides as an attractive materials platform for superconducting quantum circuits, particularly for integration into compact device architectures such as merged-element transmons and microwave kinetic inductance detectors.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Systematic Construction of Time-Dependent Hamiltonians for Microwave-Driven Josephson Circuits

Time-dependent electromagnetic drives are fundamental for controlling complex quantum systems, including superconducting Josephson circuits. In these devices, accurate time-dependent Hamiltonian models are imperative for predicting their dynamics and designing high-fidelity quantum operations. Existing numerical methods, such as black-box quantization (BBQ) and energy-participation ratio (EPR), excel at modeling the static Hamiltonians of Josephson circuits. However, these techniques do not fully capture the behavior of driven circuits stimulated by external microwave drives, nor do they include a generalized approach to account for the inevitable noise and dissipation that enter through microwave ports. Here, we introduce numerical techniques that leverage classical microwave simulations, efficiently executable in finite-element solvers, to obtain the time-dependent Hamiltonian of microwave-driven superconducting circuits with arbitrary geometries under charge, flux, or mixed electromagnetic modulation. Importantly, our techniques do not rely on a lumped-element description of the superconducting circuit, in contrast to previous approaches to tackling this problem. We demonstrate the versatility of our approach by characterizing the driven properties of realistic circuit devices in complex electromagnetic environments, including coherent dynamics due to charge and flux modulation, as well as drive-induced relaxation and dephasing. Our techniques offer a powerful toolbox for optimizing circuit designs and advancing practical applications in superconducting quantum computing.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Loss tangent fluctuations due to two-level systems in superconducting microwave resonators

Superconducting microwave resonators are critical to quantum computing and sensing technologies. Additionally, they are common proxies for superconducting qubits when determining the effects of performance-limiting loss mechanisms such as from two-level systems (TLS). The extraction of these loss mechanisms is often performed by measuring the internal quality factor $Q_i$ as a function of power or temperature. In this work, we investigate large temporal fluctuations of $Q_i$ at low powers over periods of 12 to 16 hours (relative standard deviation $σ_{Q_i}/Q_i = 13\%$). These fluctuations are ubiquitous across multiple resonators, chips and cooldowns. We are able to attribute these fluctuations to variations in the TLS loss tangent due to two main indicators. First, measured fluctuations decrease as power and temperature increase. Second, for interleaved measurements, we observe correlations between low- and medium-power $Q_i$ fluctuations and an absence of correlations with high-power fluctuations. Agreement with the TLS loss tangent mean is obtained by performing measurements over a time span of a few hours. We hypothesize that, in addition to decoherence due to coupling to individual near-resonant TLS, superconducting qubits are affected by these observed TLS loss tangent fluctuations.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Relationship between the Mandelbrot Algorithm and the Platonic Solids

This paper focuses on the dynamics of the eight tridimensional principal slices of the tricomplex Mandelbrot set: the Tetrabrot, the Arrowheadbrot, the Mousebrot, the Turtlebrot, the Hourglassbrot, the Metabrot, the Airbrot (octahedron) and the Firebrot (tetrahedron). In particular, we establish a geometrical classification of these 3D slices using the properties of some specific sets that correspond to projections of the bicomplex Mandelbrot set on various two-dimensional vector subspaces, and we prove that the Firebrot is a regular tetrahedron. Finally, we construct the so-called "Stella octangula" as a tricomplex dynamical system composed of the union of the Firebrot and its dual, and after defining the idempotent 3D slices of $\mathcal{M}_{3}$, we show that one of them corresponds to a third Platonic solid: the cube.

math.DS↗

arXiv2018

Trajectories of two identical particles on a plane in a constant magnetic field subject to non-Coulomb potentials

Study of the classical motion of two identical particles on a plane subject to non-Coulomb potentials in a constant magnetic field presented in polar coordinates. With the rigorous analysis of the potentials and the constants of motion, we are able to give necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of bounded and periodic orbits. We also show and analyze numerical solutions of Newton equations of motion.

math-ph↗