arXiv subjects

Sébastien Léger

Publications and source records attributed to Sébastien Léger.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Dynamically suppressing cavity dephasing induced by frequency fluctuations of a coupled nonlinear mode

High-coherence superconducting cavities offer a promising platform for quantum information, with long coherence times and negligible intrinsic dephasing. However, cavity control generally relies on nonlinear Josephson elements whose frequency fluctuations are inherited by the cavity as dephasing, potentially limiting control fidelities and eroding the noise bias used in error-correction protocols. Here, we introduce Stark-Assisted Flux-noise Evasion (SAFE), a hardware-efficient protocol that protects the cavity from inherited dephasing using only a weak off-resonant microwave drive applied to the nonlinear element. As a concrete setup, we analyze a 3D superconducting cavity dispersively coupled to a flux-tunable transmon (FTT) subject to $1/f$ flux noise. Analytical predictions are confirmed by Monte Carlo simulations with realistic parameters, which show that SAFE can extend the cavity dephasing time by more than an order of magnitude while keeping residual drive-induced decoherence subdominant.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Implementation of a quantum addressable router using superconducting qubits

The implementation of a quantum router capable of performing both quantum signal routing and quantum addressing (a Q2-router) represents a key step toward building quantum networks and quantum random access memories. We realize a Q2-router that uses fixed-frequency transmon qubits to implement a routing protocol based on two native controlled-iSWAP gates. These gates leverage a large ZZ interaction to selectively route information according to a quantum address. We find an estimated average routing fidelity of 95.3%, with errors arising primarily from decoherence or state preparation and measurement. We present a comprehensive calibration and characterization of both the c-iSWAP gates and the overall routing protocol through randomized benchmarking techniques and state tomography.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

First-order quantum breakdown of superconductivity in amorphous superconductors

Continuous quantum phase transitions are widely assumed and frequently observed in various systems of quantum particles or spins. Their characteristic trait involves scaling laws governing a second-order, gradual suppression of the order parameter as the quantum critical point is approached. The localization of Cooper pairs in disordered superconductors and the resulting breakdown of superconductivity have long stood as a prototypical example. Here, we show a departure from this paradigm, showcasing that amorphous superconducting films of indium oxide undergo a distinctive, discontinuous first-order quantum phase transition tuned by disorder. Through systematic measurements of the plasmon spectrum in superconducting microwave resonators, we provide evidence for a marked jump of both the zero-temperature superfluid stiffness and the transition temperature at the critical disorder. This discontinuous transition sheds light on the previously overlooked role of repulsive interactions between Cooper pairs and the subsequent competition between superconductivity and insulating Cooper-pair glass. Furthermore, our investigation shows that the critical temperature of the films no longer relates to the pairing amplitude but aligns with the superfluid stiffness, consistent with the pseudogap regime of preformed Cooper pairs. Our findings raise fundamental new questions into the role of disorder in quantum phase transitions and carry implications for superinductances in quantum circuits.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Direct detection of down-converted photons spontaneously produced at a single Josephson junction

We study spontaneous photon decay into multiple photons triggered by strong non-linearities in a superconducting quantum simulator of the boundary sine-Gordon impurity model. Previously, spectroscopic signatures of photon-conversion were reported and evidenced as resonances in the many-body spectrum of these systems. Here, we report on the observation of multi-mode fluorescence of a small Josephson junction embedded in a high impedance superconducting transmission line. Measurement of the down-converted photons is achieved using state-of-the-art broadband parametric amplifiers. Photon triplet emission is explicitly demonstrated at a given frequency as the counterpart of inelastic photon decay at three-times the emission frequency. These results open exciting prospects for the burgeoning field of many-body quantum optics and offer a direct signature of the ultra-strong light-matter coupling.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Using bi-fluxon tunneling to protect the Fluxonium qubit

Encoding quantum information in quantum states with disjoint wave-function support and noise insensitive energies is the key behind the idea of qubit protection. While fully protected qubits are expected to offer exponential protection against both energy relaxation and pure dephasing, simpler circuits may grant partial protection with currently achievable parameters. Here, we study a fluxonium circuit in which the wave-functions are engineered to minimize their overlap while benefiting from a first-order-insensitive flux sweet spot. Taking advantage of a large superinductance ($L\sim 1~μ\rm{H}$), our circuit incorporates a resonant tunneling mechanism at zero external flux that couples states with the same fluxon parity, thus enabling bifluxon tunneling. The states $|0\rangle$ and $|1\rangle$ are encoded in wave-functions with parities 0 and 1, respectively, ensuring a minimal form of protection against relaxation. Two-tone spectroscopy reveals the energy level structure of the circuit and the presence of $4 π$ quantum-phase slips between different potential wells corresponding to $m=\pm 1$ fluxons, which can be precisely described by a simple fluxonium Hamiltonian or by an effective bifluxon Hamiltonian. Despite suboptimal fabrication, the measured relaxation ($T_1 = 177\pm 3 ~μs$) and dephasing ($T_2^E = 75\pm 5~μ\rm{s}$) times not only demonstrate the relevance of our approach but also opens an alternative direction towards quantum computing using partially-protected fluxonium qubits.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Revealing the finite-frequency response of a bosonic quantum impurity

Quantum impurities are ubiquitous in condensed matter physics and constitute the most stripped-down realization of many-body problems. While measuring their finite-frequency response could give access to key characteristics such as excitations spectra or dynamical properties, this goal has remained elusive despite over two decades of studies in nanoelectronic quantum dots. Conflicting experimental constraints of very strong coupling and large measurement bandwidths must be met simultaneously. We get around this problem using cQED tools, and build a precisely characterized quantum simulator of the boundary sine-Gordon model, a non-trivial bosonic impurity problem. We succeeded to fully map out the finite frequency linear response of this system. Its reactive part evidences a strong renormalisation of the nonlinearity at the boundary in agreement with non-perturbative calculations. Its dissipative part reveals a dramatic many-body broadening caused by multi-photon conversion. The experimental results are matched quantitatively to a resummed diagrammatic calculation based on a microscopically calibrated model. Furthermore, we push the device into a regime where diagrammatic calculations break down, which calls for more advanced theoretical tools to model many-body quantum circuits. We also critically examine the technological limitations of cQED platforms to reach universal scaling laws. This work opens exciting perspectives for the future such as quantifying quantum entanglement in the vicinity of a quantum critical point or accessing the dynamical properties of non-trivial many-body problems.

quant-ph↗