arXiv subjects

Jürgen Lisenfeld

Publications and source records attributed to Jürgen Lisenfeld.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2017

Rabi noise spectroscopy of individual two-level tunneling defects

Understanding the nature of two-level tunneling defects is important for minimizing their disruptive effects in various nano-devices. By exploiting the resonant coupling of these defects to a superconducting qubit, one can probe and coherently manipulate them individually. In this work we utilize a phase qubit to induce Rabi oscillations of single tunneling defects and measure their dephasing rates as a function of the defect's asymmetry energy, which is tuned by an applied strain. The dephasing rates scale quadratically with the external strain and are inversely proportional to the Rabi frequency. These results are analyzed and explained within a model of interacting standard defects, in which pure dephasing of coherent high-frequency (GHz) defects is caused by interaction with incoherent low-frequency thermally excited defects.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2016

Decoherence spectroscopy with individual two-level tunneling defects

Recent progress with microfabricated quantum devices has revealed that an ubiquitous source of noise originates in tunneling material defects that give rise to a sparse bath of parasitic two-level systems (TLSs). For superconducting qubits, TLSs residing on electrode surfaces and in tunnel junctions account for a major part of decoherence and thus pose a serious roadblock to the realization of solid-state quantum processors. Here, we utilize a superconducting qubit to explore the quantum state evolution of coherently operated TLSs in order to shed new light on their individual properties and environmental interactions. We identify a frequency-dependence of TLS energy relaxation rates that can be explained by a coupling to phononic modes rather than by anticipated mutual TLS interactions. Most investigated TLSs are found to be free of pure dephasing at their energy degeneracy points, around which their Ramsey and spin-echo dephasing rates scale linearly and quadratically with asymmetry energy, respectively. We provide an explanation based on the standard tunneling model, and identify interaction with incoherent low-frequency (thermal) TLSs as the major mechanism of the pure dephasing in coherent high-frequency TLS.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2015

Interacting two-level defects as sources of fluctuating high-frequency noise in superconducting circuits

Since the very first experiments, superconducting circuits have suffered from strong coupling to environmental noise, destroying quantum coherence and degrading performance. In state-of-the-art experiments, it is found that the relaxation time of superconducting qubits fluctuates as a function of time. We present measurements of such fluctuations in a 3D-Transmon circuit and develop a qualitative model based on interactions within a bath of background two-level systems (TLS) which emerge from defects in the device material. In our model, the time-dependent noise density acting on the qubit emerges from its near-resonant coupling to high-frequency TLS which experience energy fluctuations due to their interaction with thermally fluctuating TLS at low frequencies. We support the model by providing experimental evidence of such energy fluctuations observed in a single TLS in a phase qubit circuit.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Observation of directly interacting coherent two-level systems in a solid

Parasitic two-level tunneling systems originating from structural material defects affect the functionality of various microfabricated devices by acting as a source of noise. In particular, superconducting quantum bits may be sensitive to even single defects when these reside in the tunnel barrier of the qubit's Josephson junctions, and this can be exploited to observe and manipulate the quantum states of individual tunneling systems. Here, we detect and fully characterize a system of two strongly interacting defects using a novel technique for high-resolution spectroscopy. Mutual defect coupling has been conjectured to explain various anomalies of glasses, and was recently suggested as the origin of low frequency noise in superconducting devices. Our study provides conclusive evidence of defect interactions with full access to the individual constituents, demonstrating the potential of superconducting qubits for studying material defects. All our observations are consistent with the assumption that defects are generated by atomic tunneling.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2010

Multi-photon spectroscopy of a hybrid quantum system

We report on experimental multi-photon spectroscopy of a hybrid quantum system consisting of a superconducting phase qubit coherently coupled to an intrinsic two-level defect. We directly probe hybridized states of the combined qubit-defect system in the strongly interacting regime, where both the qubit-defect coupling and the driving cannot be considered as weak perturbations. This regime is described by a theoretical model which incorporates anharmonic corrections, multi-photon processes and decoherence. We present a detailed comparison between experiment and theory and find excellent agreement over a wide range of parameters.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗