arXiv subjects

Hiraku Toida

Publications and source records attributed to Hiraku Toida.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Identifying impurities in a silicon substrate by using a superconducting flux qubit

A bismuth-doped silicon substrate was analyzed by using a magnetometer based on a superconducting flux qubit. The temperature dependence of the magnetization indicates that the silicon substrate contains at least two signal sources, intentionally doped bismuth spins and a spin 1/2 system with a ratio of 0.873 to 0.127. In combination with a conventional electron spin resonance spectrometer, a candidate origin of the spin 1/2 system was identified as a dangling bond on the silicon surface. In addition, the spin sensitivity of the magnetometer was also estimated to be 12 spins/$\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$ by using optimized dispersive readout.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Identification of different types of high-frequency defects in superconducting qubits

Parasitic two-level-system (TLS) defects are one of the major factors limiting the coherence times of superconducting qubits. Although there has been significant progress in characterizing basic parameters of TLS defects, exact mechanisms of interactions between a qubit and various types of TLS defects remained largely unexplored due to the lack of experimental techniques able to probe the form of qubit-defect couplings. Here we present an experimental method of TLS defect spectroscopy using a strong qubit drive that allowed us to distinguish between various types of qubit-defect interactions. By applying this method to a capacitively shunted flux qubit, we detected a rare type of TLS defect with a nonlinear qubit-defect coupling due to critical-current fluctuations, as well as conventional TLS defects with a linear coupling to the qubit caused by charge fluctuations. The presented approach could become the routine method for high-frequency defect inspection and quality control in superconducting qubit fabrication, providing essential feedback for fabrication process optimization. The reported method is a powerful tool to uniquely identify the type of noise fluctuations caused by TLS defects, enabling the development of realistic noise models relevant to noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) computing and fault-tolerant quantum control.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Magnetometry of neurons using a superconducting qubit

We demonstrate magnetometry of cultured neurons on a polymeric film using a superconducting flux qubit that works as a sensitive magnetometer in a microscale area. The neurons are cultured in Fe$^{3+}$ rich medium to increase magnetization signal generated by the electron spins originating from the ions. The magnetometry is performed by insulating the qubit device from the laden neurons with the polymeric film while keeping the distance between them around several micrometers. By changing temperature (12.5 - 200 mK) and a magnetic field (2.5 - 12.5 mT), we observe a clear magnetization signal from the neurons that is well above the control magnetometry of the polymeric film itself. From electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrum measured at 10 K, the magnetization signal is identified to originate from electron spins of iron ions in neurons. This technique to detect a bio-spin system can be extended to achieve ESR spectroscopy at the single-cell level, which will give the spectroscopic fingerprint of cells.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Driven-state relaxation of a coupled qubit-defect system in spin-locking measurements

It is widely known that spin-locking noise-spectroscopy is a powerful technique for the characterization of low-frequency noise mechanisms in superconducting qubits. Here we show that the relaxation rate of the driven spin-locking state of a qubit can be significantly affected by the presence of an off-resonant high-frequency two-level-system defect. Thus, both low- and high-frequency defects should be taken into account in the interpretation of spin-locking measurements and other types of driven-state noise-spectroscopy.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Control of transition frequency of a superconducting flux qubit by longitudinal coupling to the photon number degree of freedom in a resonator

We control transition frequency of a superconducting flux qubit coupled to a frequency-tunable resonator comprising a direct current superconducting quantum interference device (dc-SQUID) by microwave driving. The dc-SQUID mediates the coupling between microwave photons in the resonator and a flux qubit. The polarity of the frequency shift depends on the sign of the flux bias for the qubit and can be both positive and negative. The absolute value of the frequency shift becomes larger by increasing the photon number in the resonator. These behaviors are reproduced by a model considering the magnetic interaction between the flux qubit and dc-SQUID. The tuning range of the transition frequency of the flux qubit reaches $\approx$ 1.9 GHz, which is much larger than the ac Stark/Lamb shift observed in the dispersive regime using typical circuit quantum electrodynamics devices.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Electron Spin Resonance with up to 20 Spin Sensitivity Measured using a Superconducting Flux Qubit

We report on electron spin resonance spectroscopy measurements using a superconducting flux qubit with a sensing volume of 6 fl. The qubit is read out using a frequency-tunable Josephson bifurcation amplifier, which leads to an inferred measurement sensitivity of about 20 spins in a 1 s measurement. This sensitivity represents an order of magnitude improvement when compared with flux-qubit schemes using a dc-SQUID switching readout. Furthermore, noise spectroscopy reveals that the sensitivity is limited by flicker ($1/f$) flux noise.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

A long-lived capacitively shunted flux qubit embedded in a 3D cavity

We report the experimental realization of a 3D capacitively-shunt superconducting flux qubit with long coherence times. At the optimal flux bias point, the qubit demonstrates energy relaxation times in the 60-90 $μ$s range, and Hahn-echo coherence time of about 80 $μ$s which can be further improved by dynamical decoupling. Qubit energy relaxation can be attributed to quasiparticle tunneling, while qubit dephasing is caused by flux noise away from the optimal point. Our results show that 3D c-shunt flux qubits demonstrate improved performance over other types of flux qubits which is advantageous for applications such as quantum magnetometry and spin sensing.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy with a superconducting flux qubit

We theoretically analyze the performance of the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy with a superconducting flux qubit (FQ). Such NMR with the FQ is attractive because of the possibility to detect the relatively small number of nuclear spins in a local region ($\simμ$m) with low temperatures ($\sim$ mK) and low magnetic fields ($\sim$ mT), in which other types of quantum sensing schemes cannot easily access. A sample containing nuclear spins is directly attached on the FQ, and the FQ is used as a magnetometer to detect magnetic fields from the nuclear spins. Especially, we consider two types of approaches to NMR with the FQ. One of them is to use spatially inhomogeneous excitations of the nuclear spins, which are induced by a spatially asymmetric driving with radio frequency~(RF) pulses. Such an inhomogeneity causes a change in the DC magnetic flux penetrating a loop of the FQ, which can be detected by a standard Ramsey measurement on the FQ. The other approach is to use a dynamical decoupling on the FQ to measure AC magnetic fields induced by Larmor precession of the nuclear spins. In this case, neither a spin excitation nor a spin polarization is required since the signal comes from fluctuating magnetic fields of the nuclear spins. We calculate the minimum detectable density (number) of the nuclear spins for the FQ with experimentally feasible parameters. We show that the minimum detectable density (number) of the nuclear spins with these approaches is around $10^{21}$ /cm$^3$ ($10^8$) with an accumulation time of a second.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of Er$^{3+}$:Y$_2$SiO$_5$ Using Josephson Bifurcation Amplifier: Observation of Hyperfine and Quadrupole Structures

We performed magnetic field and frequency tunable electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy of an Er$^{3+}$ doped Y$_2$SiO$_5$ crystal by observing the change in flux induced on a direct current-superconducting quantum interference device (dc-SQUID) loop of a tunable Josephson bifurcation amplifer. The observed spectra show multiple transitions which agree well with the simulated energy levels, taking into account the hyperfine and quadrupole interactions of $^{167}$Er. The sensing volume is about 0.15 pl, and our inferred measurement sensitivity (limited by external flux noise) is approximately $1.5\times10^4$ electron spins for a 1 s measurement. The sensitivity value is two orders of magnitude better than similar schemes using dc-SQUID switching readout.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy using a single artificial atom

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is an important technology in physics, chemistry, materials science, and biology. Sensitive detection with a small sample volume is a key objective in these areas, because it is crucial, for example, for the readout of a highly packed spin based quantum memory or the detection of unlabeled metalloproteins in a single cell. In conventional EPR spectrometers, the energy transfer from the spins to the cavity at a Purcell enhanced rate plays an essential role and requires the spins to be resonant with the cavity, however the size of the cavity (limited by the wavelength) makes it difficult to improve the spatial resolution. Here, we demonstrate a novel EPR spectrometer using a single artificial atom as a sensitive detector of spin magnetization. The artificial atom, a superconducting flux qubit, provides advantages both in terms of its quantum properties and its much stronger coupling with magnetic fields. We have achieved a sensitivity of $\sim$400 spins/$\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$ with a magnetic sensing volume around $10^{-14} λ^3$ (50 femto-liters). This corresponds to an improvement of two-order of magnitude in the magnetic sensing volume compared with the best cavity based spectrometers while maintaining a similar sensitivity as those spectrometers . Our artificial atom is suitable for scaling down and thus paves the way for measuring single spins on the nanometer scale.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

A strict experimental test of macroscopic realism in a superconducting flux qubit

Macroscopic realism is the name for a class of modifications to quantum theory that allow macroscopic objects to be described in a measurement-independent manner, while largely preserving a fully quantum mechanical description of the microscopic world. Objective collapse theories are examples which aim to solve the quantum measurement problem through modified dynamical laws. Whether such theories describe nature, however, is not known. Here we describe and implement an experimental protocol capable of constraining theories of this class, that is more noise tolerant and conceptually transparent than the original Leggett-Garg test. We implement the protocol in a superconducting flux qubit, and rule out (by ~84 s.d.) those theories which would deny coherent superpositions of 170 nA currents over a ~10 ns timescale. Further, we address the 'clumsiness loophole' by determining classical disturbance with control experiments. Our results constitute strong evidence for the superposition of states of nontrivial macroscopic distinctness.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Observation of collective coupling between an engineered ensemble of macroscopic artificial atoms and a superconducting resonator

The hybridization of distinct quantum systems is now seen as an effective way to engineer the properties of an entire system leading to applications in quantum metamaterials, quantum simulation, and quantum metrology. One well known example is superconducting circuits coupled to ensembles of microscopic natural atoms. In such cases, the properties of the individual atom are intrinsic, and so are unchangeable. However, current technology allows us to fabricate large ensembles of macroscopic artificial atoms such as superconducting flux qubits, where we can really tailor and control the properties of individual qubits. Here, we demonstrate coherent coupling between a microwave resonator and several thousand superconducting flux qubits, where we observe a large dispersive frequency shift in the spectrum of 250 MHz induced by collective behavior. These results represent the largest number of coupled superconducting qubits realized so far. Our approach shows that it is now possible to engineer the properties of the ensemble, opening up the way for the controlled exploration of the quantum many-body system.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy using a dc-SQUID magnetometer directly coupled to an electron spin ensemble

We demonstrate electron spin polarization detection and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy using a direct current superconducting quantum interference device (dc-SQUID) magnetometer. Our target electron spin ensemble is directly glued on the dc-SQUID magnetometer that detects electron spin polarization induced by a external magnetic field or EPR in micrometer-sized area. The minimum distinguishable number of polarized spins and sensing volume of the electron spin polarization detection and the EPR spectroscopy are estimated to be $\sim$$10^6$ and $\sim$$10^{-10}$ $\mathrm{cm}^{3}$ ($\sim$0.1 pl), respectively.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Improving the lifetime of the NV center ensemble coupled with a superconducting flux qubit by applying magnetic fields

One of the promising systems to realize quantum computation is a hybrid system where a superconducting flux qubit plays a role of a quantum processor and the NV center ensemble is used as a quantum memory. We have theoretically and experimentally studied the effect of magnetic fields on this hybrid system, and found that the lifetime of the vacuum Rabi oscillation is improved by applying a few mT magnetic field to the NV center ensemble. Here, we construct a theoretical model to reproduce the vacuum Rabi oscillations with/without magnetic fields applied to the NV centers, and we determine the reason why magnetic fields can affect the coherent properties of the NV center ensemble. From our theoretical analysis, we quantitatively show that the magnetic fields actually suppress the inhomogeneous broadening from the strain in the NV centers.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Improving the coherence time of a quantum system via a coupling with an unstable system

Here, we propose a counter-intuitive use of a hybrid system where the coherence time of a quantum system is actually improved via a coupling with an unstable system. If we couple a two-level system with a single NV center, then a dark state of the NV center naturally forms after the hybridization. We show that this dark state becomes robust against environmental fluctuations due to the coupling even when the coherence time of the two-level system is much shorter than that of the NV center. Our proposal opens a new way to use a quantum hybrid system for the realization of robust quantum information processing

quant-ph↗