Searcharxiv⌕ Search

arXiv subjects

Irfan Siddiqi

Publications and source records attributed to Irfan Siddiqi.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Distributed Architecture for FPGA-based Superconducting Qubit Control

Quantum circuits utilizing real time feedback techniques (such as active reset and mid-circuit measurement) are a powerful tool for NISQ-era quantum computing. Such techniques are crucial for implementing error correction protocols, and can reduce the resource requirements of certain quantum algorithms. Realizing these capabilities requires flexible, low-latency classical control. We have developed a custom FPGA-based processor architecture for QubiC, an open source platform for superconducting qubit control. Our architecture is distributed in nature, and consists of a bank of lightweight cores, each configured to control a small (1-3) number of signal generator channels. Each core is capable of executing parameterized control and readout pulses, as well as performing arbitrary control flow based on mid-circuit measurement results. We have also developed a modular compiler stack and domain-specific intermediate representation for programming the processor. Our representation allows users to specify circuits using both gate and pulse-level abstractions, and includes high-level control flow constructs (e.g. if-else blocks and loops). The compiler stack is designed to integrate with quantum software tools and programming languages, such as TrueQ, pyGSTi, and OpenQASM3. In this work, we will detail the design of both the processor and compiler stack, and demonstrate its capabilities with a quantum state teleportation experiment using transmon qubits at the LBNL Advanced Quantum Testbed.

quant-ph↗

Open Hardware Solutions in Quantum Technology

Quantum technologies such as communications, computing, and sensing offer vast opportunities for advanced research and development. While an open-source ethos currently exists within some quantum technologies, especially in quantum computer programming, we argue that there are additional advantages in developing open quantum hardware (OQH). Open quantum hardware encompasses open-source software for the control of quantum devices in labs, blueprints and open-source toolkits for chip design and other hardware components, as well as openly-accessible testbeds and facilities that allow cloud-access to a wider scientific community. We provide an overview of current projects in the OQH ecosystem, identify gaps, and make recommendations on how to close them today. More open quantum hardware would accelerate technology transfer to and growth of the quantum industry and increase accessibility in science.

physics.app-ph↗

Empowering high-dimensional quantum computing by traversing the dual bosonic ladder

High-dimensional quantum information processing has emerged as a promising avenue to transcend hardware limitations and advance the frontiers of quantum technologies. Harnessing the untapped potential of the so-called qudits necessitates the development of quantum protocols beyond the established qubit methodologies. Here, we present a robust, hardware-efficient, and extensible approach for operating multidimensional solid-state systems using Raman-assisted two-photon interactions. To demonstrate its efficacy, we construct a set of multi-qubit operations, realize highly entangled multidimensional states including atomic squeezed states and Schrödinger cat states, and implement programmable entanglement distribution along a qudit array. Our work illuminates the quantum electrodynamics of strongly driven multi-qudit systems and provides the experimental foundation for the future development of high-dimensional quantum applications.

quant-ph↗

Benchmarking quantum logic operations relative to thresholds for fault tolerance

Contemporary methods for benchmarking noisy quantum processors typically measure average error rates or process infidelities. However, thresholds for fault-tolerant quantum error correction are given in terms of worst-case error rates -- defined via the diamond norm -- which can differ from average error rates by orders of magnitude. One method for resolving this discrepancy is to randomize the physical implementation of quantum gates, using techniques like randomized compiling (RC). In this work, we use gate set tomography to perform precision characterization of a set of two-qubit logic gates to study RC on a superconducting quantum processor. We find that, under RC, gate errors are accurately described by a stochastic Pauli noise model without coherent errors, and that spatially-correlated coherent errors and non-Markovian errors are strongly suppressed. We further show that the average and worst-case error rates are equal for randomly compiled gates, and measure a maximum worst-case error of 0.0197(3) for our gate set. Our results show that randomized benchmarks are a viable route to both verifying that a quantum processor's error rates are below a fault-tolerance threshold, and to bounding the failure rates of near-term algorithms, if -- and only if -- gates are implemented via randomization methods which tailor noise.

quant-ph↗

Broadband CPW-based impedance-transformed Josephson parametric amplifier

Quantum-limited Josephson parametric amplifiers play a pivotal role in advancing the field of circuit quantum electrodynamics by enabling the fast and high-fidelity measurement of weak microwave signals. Therefore, it is necessary to develop robust parametric amplifiers with low noise, broad bandwidth, and reduced design complexity for microwave detection. However, current broadband parametric amplifiers either have degraded noise performance or rely on complex designs. Here, we present a device based on the broadband impedance-transformed Josephson parametric amplifier (IMPA) that integrates a horn-like coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission line, which significantly decreases the design and fabrication complexity, while keeping comparable performance. The device shows an instantaneous bandwidth of 700(200) MHz for 15(20) dB gain with an average saturation power of -110 dBm and near quantum-limited added noise. The operating frequency can be tuned over 1.4 GHz using an external flux bias. We further demonstrate the negligible back-action from our device on a transmon qubit. The amplification performance and simplicity of our device promise its wide adaptation in quantum metrology, quantum communication, and quantum information processing.

quant-ph↗

Demonstrating scalable randomized benchmarking of universal gate sets

Randomized benchmarking (RB) protocols are the most widely used methods for assessing the performance of quantum gates. However, the existing RB methods either do not scale to many qubits or cannot benchmark a universal gate set. Here, we introduce and demonstrate a technique for scalable RB of many universal and continuously parameterized gate sets, using a class of circuits called randomized mirror circuits. Our technique can be applied to a gate set containing an entangling Clifford gate and the set of arbitrary single-qubit gates, as well as gate sets containing controlled rotations about the Pauli axes. We use our technique to benchmark universal gate sets on four qubits of the Advanced Quantum Testbed, including a gate set containing a controlled-S gate and its inverse, and we investigate how the observed error rate is impacted by the inclusion of non-Clifford gates. Finally, we demonstrate that our technique scales to many qubits with experiments on a 27-qubit IBM Q processor. We use our technique to quantify the impact of crosstalk on this 27-qubit device, and we find that it contributes approximately 2/3 of the total error per gate in random many-qubit circuit layers.

quant-ph↗

A quantum-classical co-processing protocol towards simulating nuclear reactions on contemporary quantum hardware

Quantum computers hold great promise for arriving at exact simulations of nuclear dynamical processes (e.g., scattering and reactions) that are paramount to the study of nuclear matter at the limit of stability and to explaining the formation of chemical elements in stars. However, quantum simulations of the unitary (real) time dynamics of fermionic many-body systems require a currently prohibitive number of reliable and long-lived qubits. We propose a co-processing algorithm for the simulation of real-time dynamics in which the time evolution of the spatial coordinates is carried out on a classical processor, while the evolution of the spin degrees of freedom is carried out on a quantum processor. This hybrid algorithm is demonstrated by a quantum simulation of the scattering of two neutrons performed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Advanced Quantum Testbed. We show that, after implementation of error mitigation strategies to improve the accuracy of the algorithm in addition to the use of either circuit compression techniques or tomography as methods to elucidate the onset of decoherence, this initial demonstration validates the principle of the proposed co-processing scheme. We anticipate that a generalization of this present scheme will open the way for (real-time) path integral simulations of nuclear scattering.

quant-ph↗

QubiC 2.0: An Extensible Open-Source Qubit Control System Capable of Mid-Circuit Measurement and Feed-Forward

Researchers manipulate and measure quantum processing units via the classical electronics control system. We developed an open-source FPGA-based quantum bit control system called QubiC for superconducting qubits. After a few years of qubit calibration and testing experience on QubiC 1.0, we recognized the need for mid-circuit measurements and feed-forward capabilities to implement advanced quantum algorithms effectively. Moreover, following the development of RFSoC technology, we upgraded the system to QubiC 2.0 on an Xilinx ZCU216 evaluation board and developed all these enriched features. The system uses portable FPGA gateware with a simplified processor to handle commands on-the-fly. For design simplicity and straightforward scaling, we adopted a multi-core distributed architecture, assigning one processor core per qubit. The actual pulses combine the unique pulse envelope and carrier information specified in a command. Each pulse envelope is pre-stored on FPGA's block RAMs, ensuring the speed and reusability during the whole circuit. The pulse parameters including amplitude, phase, and frequency can be updated from pulse to pulse. The software stack is developed in Python, running on both the FPGA's ARM core and host computer via XML-RPC. The quantum circuit can be described in a high-level language, which supports programming at both pulse-level and native-gate level, and includes high-level control flow constructs. The QubiC software stack compiles these quantum programs into binary commands that can be loaded into the FPGA. With Qubic 2.0, we successfully achieved multi-FPGA synchronization in bench tests and demonstrated simplified feed-forward experiments on conditional circuits. The enhanced QubiC system represents a significant step forward in quantum computing, providing researchers with powerful tools to explore and implement advanced quantum algorithms and applications.

quant-ph↗

High-Fidelity Qutrit Entangling Gates for Superconducting Circuits

Ternary quantum information processing in superconducting devices poses a promising alternative to its more popular binary counterpart through larger, more connected computational spaces and proposed advantages in quantum simulation and error correction. Although generally operated as qubits, transmons have readily addressable higher levels, making them natural candidates for operation as quantum three-level systems (qutrits). Recent works in transmon devices have realized high fidelity single qutrit operation. Nonetheless, effectively engineering a high-fidelity two-qutrit entanglement remains a central challenge for realizing qutrit processing in a transmon device. In this work, we apply the differential AC Stark shift to implement a flexible, microwave-activated, and dynamic cross-Kerr entanglement between two fixed-frequency transmon qutrits, expanding on work performed for the $ZZ$ interaction with transmon qubits. We then use this interaction to engineer efficient, high-fidelity qutrit CZ$^†$ and CZ gates, with estimated process fidelities of 97.3(1)% and 95.2(3)% respectively, a significant step forward for operating qutrits on a multi-transmon device.

quant-ph↗

High-fidelity three-qubit iToffoli gate for fixed-frequency superconducting qubits

The development of noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) devices has extended the scope of executable quantum circuits with high-fidelity single- and two-qubit gates. Equipping NISQ devices with three-qubit gates will enable the realization of more complex quantum algorithms and efficient quantum error correction protocols with reduced circuit depth. Several three-qubit gates have been implemented for superconducting qubits, but their use in gate synthesis has been limited due to their low fidelity. Here, using fixed-frequency superconducting qubits, we demonstrate a high-fidelity iToffoli gate based on two-qubit interactions, the so-called cross-resonance effect. As with the Toffoli gate, this three-qubit gate can be used to perform universal quantum computation. The iToffoli gate is implemented by simultaneously applying microwave pulses to a linear chain of three qubits, revealing a process fidelity as high as 98.26(2)%. Moreover, we numerically show that our gate scheme can produce additional three-qubit gates which provide more efficient gate synthesis than the Toffoli and iToffoli gates. Our work not only brings a high-fidelity iToffoli gate to current superconducting quantum processors but also opens a pathway for developing multi-qubit gates based on two-qubit interactions.

quant-ph↗

Extending the Computational Reach of a Superconducting Qutrit Processor

Quantum computing with qudits is an emerging approach that exploits a larger, more-connected computational space, providing advantages for many applications, including quantum simulation and quantum error correction. Nonetheless, qudits are typically afflicted by more complex errors and suffer greater noise sensitivity which renders their scaling difficult. In this work, we introduce techniques to tailor and mitigate arbitrary Markovian noise in qudit circuits. We experimentally demonstrate these methods on a superconducting transmon qutrit processor, and benchmark their effectiveness for multipartite qutrit entanglement and random circuit sampling, obtaining up to 3x improvement in our results. To the best of our knowledge, this constitutes the first ever error mitigation experiment performed on qutrits. Our work shows that despite the intrinsic complexity of manipulating higher-dimensional quantum systems, noise tailoring and error mitigation can significantly extend the computational reach of today's qudit processors.

quant-ph↗

Dynamically Reconfigurable Photon Exchange in a Superconducting Quantum Processor

Realizing the advantages of quantum computation requires access to the full Hilbert space of states of many quantum bits (qubits). Thus, large-scale quantum computation faces the challenge of efficiently generating entanglement between many qubits. In systems with a limited number of direct connections between qubits, entanglement between non-nearest neighbor qubits is generated by a series of nearest neighbor gates, which exponentially suppresses the resulting fidelity. Here we propose and demonstrate a novel, on-chip photon exchange network. This photonic network is embedded in a superconducting quantum processor (QPU) to implement an arbitrarily reconfigurable qubit connectivity graph. We show long-range qubit-qubit interactions between qubits with a maximum spatial separation of $9.2~\text{cm}$ along a meandered bus resonator and achieve photon exchange rates up to $g_{\text{qq}} = 2π\times 0.9~\text{MHz}$. These experimental demonstrations provide a foundation to realize highly connected, reconfigurable quantum photonic networks and opens a new path towards modular quantum computing.

quant-ph↗

Broadband Squeezed Microwaves and Amplification with a Josephson Traveling-Wave Parametric Amplifier

Squeezing of the electromagnetic vacuum is an essential metrological technique used to reduce quantum noise in applications spanning gravitational wave detection, biological microscopy, and quantum information science. In superconducting circuits, the resonator-based Josephson-junction parametric amplifiers conventionally used to generate squeezed microwaves are constrained by a narrow bandwidth and low dynamic range. In this work, we develop a dual-pump, broadband Josephson traveling-wave parametric amplifier that combines a phase-sensitive extinction ratio of 56 dB with single-mode squeezing on par with the best resonator-based squeezers. We also demonstrate two-mode squeezing at microwave frequencies with bandwidth in the gigahertz range that is almost two orders of magnitude wider than that of contemporary resonator-based squeezers. Our amplifier is capable of simultaneously creating entangled microwave photon pairs with large frequency separation, with potential applications including high-fidelity qubit readout, quantum illumination and teleportation.

quant-ph↗

Quantum Computation of Frequency-Domain Molecular Response Properties Using a Three-Qubit iToffoli Gate

The quantum computation of molecular response properties on near-term quantum hardware is a topic of significant interest. While computing time-domain response properties is in principle straightforward due to the natural ability of quantum computers to simulate unitary time evolution, circuit depth limitations restrict the maximum time that can be simulated and hence the extraction of frequency-domain properties. Computing properties directly in the frequency domain is therefore desirable, but the circuits require large depth when the typical hardware gate set consisting of single- and two-qubit gates is used. Here, we report the experimental quantum computation of the response properties of diatomic molecules directly in the frequency domain using a three-qubit iToffoli gate, enabling a reduction in circuit depth by a factor of two. We show that the molecular properties obtained with the iToffoli gate exhibit comparable or better agreement with theory than those obtained with the native CZ gates. Our work is among the first demonstrations of the practical usage of a native multi-qubit gate in quantum simulation, with diverse potential applications to the simulation of quantum many-body systems on near-term digital quantum computers.

quant-ph↗

Programmable Heisenberg interactions between Floquet qubits

The fundamental trade-off between robustness and tunability is a central challenge in the pursuit of quantum simulation and fault-tolerant quantum computation. In particular, many emerging quantum architectures are designed to achieve high coherence at the expense of having fixed spectra and consequently limited types of controllable interactions. Here, by adiabatically transforming fixed-frequency superconducting circuits into modifiable Floquet qubits, we demonstrate an XXZ Heisenberg interaction with fully adjustable anisotropy. This interaction model is on one hand the basis for many-body quantum simulation of spin systems, and on the other hand the primitive for an expressive quantum gate set. To illustrate the robustness and versatility of our Floquet protocol, we tailor the Heisenberg Hamiltonian and implement two-qubit iSWAP, CZ, and SWAP gates with estimated fidelities of 99.32(3)%, 99.72(2)%, and 98.93(5)%, respectively. In addition, we implement a Heisenberg interaction between higher energy levels and employ it to construct a three-qubit CCZ gate with a fidelity of 96.18(5)%. Importantly, the protocol is applicable to various fixed-frequency high-coherence platforms, thereby unlocking a suite of essential interactions for high-performance quantum information processing. From a broader perspective, our work provides compelling avenues for future exploration of quantum electrodynamics and optimal control using the Floquet framework.

quant-ph↗

Time-Dependent Hamiltonian Reconstruction using Continuous Weak Measurements

Reconstructing the Hamiltonian of a quantum system is an essential task for characterizing and certifying quantum processors and simulators. Existing techniques either rely on projective measurements of the system before and after coherent time evolution and do not explicitly reconstruct the full time-dependent Hamiltonian or interrupt evolution for tomography. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that an a priori unknown, time-dependent Hamiltonian can be reconstructed from continuous weak measurements concurrent with coherent time evolution in a system of two superconducting transmons coupled by a flux-tunable coupler. In contrast to previous work, our technique does not require interruptions, which would distort the recovered Hamiltonian. We introduce an algorithm which recovers the Hamiltonian and density matrix from an incomplete set of continuous measurements and demonstrate that it reliably extracts amplitudes of a variety of single qubit and entangling two qubit Hamiltonians. We further demonstrate how this technique reveals deviations from a theoretical control Hamiltonian which would otherwise be missed by conventional techniques. Our work opens up novel applications for continuous weak measurements, such as studying non-idealities in gates, certifying analog quantum simulators, and performing quantum metrology.

quant-ph↗

Machine Learning for Continuous Quantum Error Correction on Superconducting Qubits

Continuous quantum error correction has been found to have certain advantages over discrete quantum error correction, such as a reduction in hardware resources and the elimination of error mechanisms introduced by having entangling gates and ancilla qubits. We propose a machine learning algorithm for continuous quantum error correction that is based on the use of a recurrent neural network to identify bit-flip errors from continuous noisy syndrome measurements. The algorithm is designed to operate on measurement signals deviating from the ideal behavior in which the mean value corresponds to a code syndrome value and the measurement has white noise. We analyze continuous measurements taken from a superconducting architecture using three transmon qubits to identify three significant practical examples of non-ideal behavior, namely auto-correlation at temporal short lags, transient syndrome dynamics after each bit-flip, and drift in the steady-state syndrome values over the course of many experiments. Based on these real-world imperfections, we generate synthetic measurement signals from which to train the recurrent neural network, and then test its proficiency when implementing active error correction, comparing this with a traditional double threshold scheme and a discrete Bayesian classifier. The results show that our machine learning protocol is able to outperform the double threshold protocol across all tests, achieving a final state fidelity comparable to the discrete Bayesian classifier.

quant-ph↗

Effects of Laser-Annealing on Fixed-Frequency Superconducting Qubits

As superconducting quantum processors increase in complexity, techniques to overcome constraints on frequency crowding are needed. The recently developed method of laser-annealing provides an effective post-fabrication method to adjust the frequency of superconducting qubits. Here, we present an automated laser-annealing apparatus based on conventional microscopy components and demonstrate preservation of highly coherent transmons. In one case, we observe a two-fold increase in coherence after laser-annealing and perform noise spectroscopy on this qubit to investigate the change in defect features, in particular two-level system defects. Finally, we present a local heating model as well as demonstrate aging stability for laser-annealing on the wafer scale. Our work constitutes an important first step towards both understanding the underlying physical mechanism and scaling up laser-annealing of superconducting qubits.

quant-ph↗