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Jens Koch

Publications and source records attributed to Jens Koch.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Circuit quantization in the presence of time-dependent external flux

Circuit quantization links a physical circuit to its corresponding quantum Hamiltonian. The standard quantization procedure generally assumes any external magnetic flux to be static. Time dependence naturally arises, however, when flux is modulated or when flux noise is considered. In this case, application of the existing quantization procedure can lead to inconsistencies. To resolve these, we generalize circuit quantization to incorporate time-dependent external flux.

quant-ph↗

Gradient-based optimal control of open quantum systems using quantum trajectories and automatic differentiation

We present a gradient-based optimal-control technique for open quantum systems that utilizes quantum trajectories to simulate the quantum dynamics during optimization. Using trajectories allows for optimizing open systems with less computational cost than the regular density matrix approaches in most realistic optimization problems. We introduce an improved-sampling algorithm which minimizes the number of trajectories needed per optimization iteration. Together with employing stochastic gradient descent techniques, this reduces the complexity of optimizing many realistic open quantum systems to the complexity encountered with closed systems. Our optimizer harnesses automatic differentiation to provide flexibility in optimization and to suit the different constraints and diverse parameter regimes of real-life experiments. We utilize the optimizer in a variety of applications to demonstrate how the use of quantum trajectories significantly reduces the computation complexity while achieving a multitude of simultaneous optimization targets. Demonstrated targets include high state-transfer fidelities despite dissipation, faster gate times and maximization of qubit-readout fidelity while maintaining the quantum non-demolition nature of the measurement and allowing for subsequent fast resonator reset.

quant-ph↗

Control and Coherence Time Enhancement of the 0-$π$ Qubit

Kitaev's 0-$π$ qubit encodes quantum information in two protected, near-degenerate states of a superconducting quantum circuit. In a recent work, we have shown that the coherence times of a realistic 0-$π$ device can surpass that of today's best superconducting qubits [Groszkowski et al., New Journal of Physics 20 043053 (2018)]. Here we address controllability of the 0-$π$ qubit. Specifically, we investigate the potential for dispersive control and readout, and introduce a new, fast and high-fidelity single-qubit gate that can interpolate smoothly between logical X and Z. We characterize the action of this gate using a multi-level treatment of the device, and analyze the impact of circuit element disorder and deviations in control and circuit parameters from their optimal values. Furthermore, we propose a cooling scheme to decrease the photon shot-noise dephasing rate, which we previously found to limit the coherence times of 0-$π$ devices within reach of current experiments. Using this approach, we predict coherence time enhancements between one and three orders of magnitude, depending on parameter regime.

quant-ph↗

Quantum control of an oscillator using stimulated nonlinearity

Superconducting circuits extensively rely on the Josephson junction as a nonlinear electronic element for manipulating quantum information and mediating photon interactions. Despite continuing efforts in designing anharmonic Josephson circuits with improved coherence times, the best photon lifetimes have been demonstrated in microwave cavities. Nevertheless, architectures based on quantum memories need a qubit element for addressing these harmonic modules at the cost of introducing additional loss channels and limiting process fidelities. This work focuses on tailoring the oscillator Hilbert space to enable a direct Rabi drive on individual energy levels. For this purpose we implement a flux-tunable inductive coupling between two linear resonators using a superconducting quantum interference device. We dynamically activate a three-wave mixing process through parametric flux modulation in order to selectively address the lowest eigenstates as an isolated two-level system. Measuring the Wigner function confirms we can prepare arbitrary states confined in the single photon manifold, with measured coherence times limited by the oscillator intrinsic quality factor. This architectural shift in engineering oscillators with stimulated nonlinearity can be exploited for designing long-lived quantum modules and offers flexibility in studying non-equilibrium physics with photons in a field-programmable simulator.

quant-ph↗

Universal stabilization of single-qubit states using a tunable coupler

We theoretically analyze a scheme for fast stabilization of arbitrary qubit states with high fidelities, extending a protocol recently demonstrated experimentally [Lu et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 150502 (2017)]. That experiment utilized red and blue sideband transitions in a system composed of a fluxonium qubit, a low-Q LC-oscillator, and a coupler enabling us to tune the interaction between them. Under parametric modulations of the coupling strength, the qubit can be steered into any desired pure or mixed single-qubit state. For realistic circuit parameters, we predict that stabilization can be achieved within 100 ns. By varying the ratio between the oscillator's damping rate and the effective qubit-oscillator coupling strength, we can switch between under-damped, critically-damped, and over-damped stabilization and find optimal working points. We further analyze the effect of thermal fluctuations and show that the stabilization scheme remains robust for realistic temperatures.

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Adaptive Rotating-Wave Approximation for Driven Open Quantum Systems

We present a numerical method to approximate the long-time asymptotic solution $ρ_\infty(t)$ to the Lindblad master equation for an open quantum system under the influence of an external drive. The proposed scheme uses perturbation theory to rank individual drive terms according to their dynamical relevance, and adaptively determines an effective Hamiltonian. In the constructed rotating frame, $ρ_\infty$ is approximated by a time-independent, nonequilibrium steady-state. This steady-state can be computed with much better numerical efficiency than asymptotic long-time evolution of the system in the lab frame. We illustrate the use of this method by simulating recent transmission measurements of the heavy-fluxonium device, for which ordinary time-dependent simulations are severely challenging due to the presence of metastable states with lifetimes of the order of milliseconds.

quant-ph↗

Realization of a $Λ$ system with metastable states of a capacitively-shunted fluxonium

We realize a $Λ$ system in a superconducting circuit, with metastable states exhibiting lifetimes up to 8\,ms. We exponentially suppress the tunneling matrix elements involved in spontaneous energy relaxation by creating a "heavy" fluxonium, realized by adding a capacitive shunt to the original circuit design. The device allows for both cavity-assisted and direct fluorescent readout, as well as state preparation schemes akin to optical pumping. Since direct transitions between the metastable states are strongly suppressed, we utilize Raman transitions for coherent manipulation of the states.

quant-ph↗

Coherence properties of the 0-$π$ qubit

Superconducting circuits rank among the most interesting architectures for the implementation of quantum information processing devices. The recently proposed 0-$π$ qubit [Brooks et al., Phys. Rev. A ${\bf 87}$, 52306 (2013)] promises increased protection from spontaneous relaxation and dephasing. In practice, this ideal behavior is only realized if the parameter dispersion among nominally identical circuit elements vanishes. In this paper we present a theoretical study of the more realistic scenario of slight variations in circuit elements. We discuss how the coupling to a spurious, low-energy mode affects the coherence properties of the 0-$π$ device, investigate the relevant decoherence channels, and present estimates for achievable coherence times in multiple parameter regimes.

quant-ph↗

Mapping repulsive to attractive interaction in driven-dissipative quantum systems

Repulsive and attractive interactions usually lead to very different physics. Striking exceptions exist in the dynamics of driven-dissipative quantum systems. For the example of a photonic Bose-Hubbard dimer, we establish a one-to-one mapping relating the cases of onsite repulsion and attraction. We prove that the mapping is valid for an entire class of Markovian open quantum systems with time-reversal invariant Hamiltonian and physically meaningful inverse-sign Hamiltonian. To underline the broad applicability of the mapping, we illustrate the one-to-one correspondence between the nonequilibrium dynamics in a geometrically frustrated spin lattice and that in a non-frustrated partner lattice.

quant-ph↗

Universal stabilization of a parametrically coupled qubit

We autonomously stabilize arbitrary states of a qubit through parametric modulation of the coupling between a fixed frequency qubit and resonator. The coupling modulation is achieved with a tunable coupler design, in which the qubit and the resonator are connected in parallel to a superconducting quantum interference device. This allows for quasi-static tuning of the qubit-cavity coupling strength from 12 MHz to more than 300 MHz. Additionally, the coupling can be dynamically modulated, allowing for single photon exchange in 6 ns. Qubit coherence times exceeding 20 $μ$s are maintained over the majority of the range of tuning, limited primarily by the Purcell effect. The parametric stabilization technique realized using the tunable coupler involves engineering the qubit bath through a combination of photon non-conserving sideband interactions realized by flux modulation, and direct qubit Rabi driving. We demonstrate that the qubit can be stabilized to arbitrary states on the Bloch sphere with a worst-case fidelity exceeding 80 %.

quant-ph↗

Random access quantum information processors

Qubit connectivity is an important property of a quantum processor, with an ideal processor having random access -- the ability of arbitrary qubit pairs to interact directly. Here, we implement a random access superconducting quantum information processor, demonstrating universal operations on a nine-bit quantum memory, with a single transmon serving as the central processor. The quantum memory uses the eigenmodes of a linear array of coupled superconducting resonators. The memory bits are superpositions of vacuum and single-photon states, controlled by a single superconducting transmon coupled to the edge of the array. We selectively stimulate single-photon vacuum Rabi oscillations between the transmon and individual eigenmodes through parametric flux modulation of the transmon frequency, producing sidebands resonant with the modes. Utilizing these oscillations for state transfer, we perform a universal set of single- and two-qubit gates between arbitrary pairs of modes, using only the charge and flux bias of the transmon. Further, we prepare multimode entangled Bell and GHZ states of arbitrary modes. The fast and flexible control, achieved with efficient use of cryogenic resources and control electronics, in a scalable architecture compatible with state-of-the-art quantum memories is promising for quantum computation and simulation.

quant-ph↗

Speedup for quantum optimal control from automatic differentiation based on graphics processing units

We implement a quantum optimal control algorithm based on automatic differentiation and harness the acceleration afforded by graphics processing units (GPUs). Automatic differentiation allows us to specify advanced optimization criteria and incorporate them in the optimization process with ease. We show that the use of GPUs can speed up calculations by more than an order of magnitude. Our strategy facilitates efficient numerical simulations on affordable desktop computers, and exploration of a host of optimization constraints and system parameters relevant to real-life experiments. We demonstrate optimization of quantum evolution based on fine-grained evaluation of performance at each intermediate time step, thus enabling more intricate control on the evolution path, suppression of departures from the truncated model subspace, as well as minimization of the physical time needed to perform high-fidelity state preparation and unitary gates.

quant-ph↗

Observation of a dissipative phase transition in a one-dimensional circuit QED lattice

Condensed matter physics has been driven forward by significant experimental and theoretical progress in the study and understanding of equilibrium phase transitions based on symmetry and topology. However, nonequilibrium phase transitions have remained a challenge, in part due to their complexity in theoretical descriptions and the additional experimental difficulties in systematically controlling systems out of equilibrium. Here, we study a one-dimensional chain of 72 microwave cavities, each coupled to a superconducting qubit, and coherently drive the system into a nonequilibrium steady state. We find experimental evidence for a dissipative phase transition in the system in which the steady state changes dramatically as the mean photon number is increased. Near the boundary between the two observed phases, the system demonstrates bistability, with characteristic switching times as long as 60 ms -- far longer than any of the intrinsic rates known for the system. This experiment demonstrates the power of circuit QED systems for studying nonequilibrium condensed matter physics and paves the way for future experiments exploring nonequilbrium physics with many-body quantum optics.

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Nematic quantum liquid crystals of bosons in frustrated lattices

The problem of interacting bosons in frustrated lattices is an intricate one due to the absence of a unique minimum in the single-particle dispersion where macroscopic number of bosons can condense. Here we consider a family of tight-binding models with macroscopically degenerate lowest energy band, separated from other bands by a gap. We predict the formation of exotic states that spontaneously break rotational symmetry at relatively low filling. These states belong to three nematic phases: Wigner crystal, supersolid, and superfluid. The Wigner crystal phase is established exactly at low filling. Supersolid and superfluid phases, at larger filling, are obtained by making use of a projection onto the flat band, construction of an appropriate Wannier basis, and subsequent mean-field treatment. The nematic superfluid that we predict is uniform in real space but has an anisotropic momentum distribution, providing a novel scenario for Bose condensation with an additional nematic order. Our findings open up a promising direction of studying microscopic quantum liquid crystalline phases of bosons.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

Resummation for Nonequilibrium Perturbation Theory and Application to Open Quantum Lattices

Lattice models of fermions, bosons, and spins have long served to elucidate the essential physics of quantum phase transitions in a variety of systems. Generalizing such models to incorporate driving and dissipation has opened new vistas to investigate nonequilibrium phenomena and dissipative phase transitions in interacting many-body systems. We present a framework for the treatment of such open quantum lattices based on a resummation scheme for the Lindblad perturbation series. Employing a convenient diagrammatic representation, we utilize this method to obtain relevant observables for the open Jaynes-Cummings lattice, a model of special interest for open-system quantum simulation. We demonstrate that the resummation framework allows us to reliably predict observables for both finite and infinite Jaynes-Cummings lattices with different lattice geometries. The resummation of the Lindblad perturbation series can thus serve as a valuable tool in validating open quantum simulators, such as circuit-QED lattices, currently being investigated experimentally.

quant-ph↗

Imaging Photon Lattice States by Scanning Defect Microscopy

Microwave photons inside lattices of coupled resonators and superconducting qubits can exhibit surprising matter-like behavior. Realizing such open-system quantum simulators presents an experimental challenge and requires new tools and measurement techniques. Here, we introduce Scanning Defect Microscopy as one such tool and illustrate its use in mapping the normal-mode structure of microwave photons inside a 49-site Kagome lattice of coplanar waveguide resonators. Scanning is accomplished by moving a probe equipped with a sapphire tip across the lattice. This locally perturbs resonator frequencies and induces shifts of the lattice resonance frequencies which we determine by measuring the transmission spectrum. From the magnitude of mode shifts we can reconstruct photon field amplitudes at each lattice site and thus create spatial images of the photon-lattice normal modes.

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Understanding degenerate ground states of a protected quantum circuit in the presence of disorder

A recent theoretical proposal suggests that a simple circuit utilizing two superinductors may produce a qubit with ground state degeneracy [P. Brooks et al., Phys. Rev. A 87, 052306 (2013)]. We perform a full circuit analysis along with exact diagonalization of the circuit Hamiltonian to elucidate the nature of the spectrum and low-lying wave functions of this $0-π$ device. We show that the ground state degeneracy is robust to disorder in charge, flux and critical current as well as insensitive to modest variations in the circuit parameters. Our treatment is non-perturbative, provides access to excited states and matrix elements, and is immediately applicable also to intermediate parameter regimes of experimental interest.

quant-ph↗

Perturbative approach to Markovian open quantum systems

Perturbation theory (PT) is a powerful and commonly used tool in the investigation of closed quantum systems. In the context of open quantum systems, PT based on the Markovian quantum master equation is much less developed. The investigation of open systems mostly relies on exact diagonalization of the Liouville superoperator or quantum trajectories. In this approach, the system size is rather limited by current computational capabilities. Analogous to closed-system PT, we develop a PT suitable for open quantum systems. This proposed method is useful in the analytical understanding of open systems as well as in the numerical calculation of system properties, which would otherwise be impractical.

quant-ph↗