arXiv subjects

S. Ashhab

Publications and source records attributed to S. Ashhab.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2021

Characterization of Control in a Superconducting Qutrit Using Randomized Benchmarking

We characterize control of a qutrit implemented in the lowest three energy levels of a capacitively-shunted flux-biased superconducting circuit. Randomized benchmarking over the qutrit Clifford group yields an average fidelity of 98.89 $\pm$ 0.05%. For a selected subset of the Clifford group, we perform quantum process tomography and observe the behaviour of repeated gate sequences. Each qutrit gate is generated using only two-state rotations via a method applicable to any unitary. We find that errors are due to decoherence primarily and have a significant contribution from level shifts. This work demonstrates high-fidelity qutrit control and outlines avenues for future work on optimal control of superconducting qudits.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Implementation of a Walsh-Hadamard gate in a superconducting qutrit

We have implemented a Walsh-Hadamard gate, which performs a quantum Fourier transform, in a superconducting qutrit. The qutrit is encoded in the lowest three energy levels of a capacitively shunted flux device, operated at the optimal flux-symmetry point. We use an efficient decomposition of the Walsh-Hadamard gate into two unitaries, generated by off-diagonal and diagonal Hamiltonians respectively. The gate implementation utilizes simultaneous driving of all three transitions between the three pairs of energy levels of the qutrit, one of which is implemented with a two-photon process. The gate has a duration of 35 ns and an average fidelity over a representative set of states, including preparation and tomography errors, of 99.2%, characterized with quantum state tomography. Compensation of ac-Stark and Bloch-Siegert shifts is essential for reaching high gate fidelities.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2020

Attempt to find the hidden symmetry in the asymmetric quantum Rabi model

It has been observed that the asymmetric quantum Rabi model (QRM), which does not possess any obvious symmetry, exhibits energy level crossings, which are often associated with symmetries. This observation suggests that there is in fact a symmetry in the asymmetric QRM, even though simple inspection of the model and its Hamiltonian does not reveal the nature of this symmetry. Here we present the results of numerical calculations on the energy eigenstates of the asymmetric QRM in an attempt to elucidate the nature of the symmetry. In particular, we note that the distribution of states in the Hilbert space among different symmetry classes is normally independent of system parameters and test whether this property holds for the asymmetric QRM. We find that it does not, which both helps explain why the symmetry is hidden and adds more intrigue as to what its nature might be.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Order in the ground state of a simple cubic dipole lattice in an external field

Motivated by the presence of a lattice of rotating molecular dipoles in the high temperature phase of methylammonium lead iodide, we investigate the ground state of a simple cubic lattice of dipoles interacting with each other via the dipole-dipole interaction and with an external field via the Zeeman interaction. In the absence of an external field, the ground state is infinitely degenerate, and all the configurations in the ground state manifold are periodic along the three lattice axes with period 2. We numerically determine the ground state of a 1000-dipole lattice interacting with an external field, and we analyze the polarization, dipole orientation statistics and correlations in this state. These calculations show that for some special directions of the external field the two-site periodicity in the dipole configurations is preserved, while in the general case this periodicity is lost and complex dipole configurations form in the presence of the external field.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2019

Spectrum of the Dicke model in a superconducting qubit-oscillator system

We calculate the transmission spectrum of a superconducting circuit realization of the Dicke model and identify spectroscopic features that can serve as signatures of the superradiant phase. In particular, we calculate the resonance frequencies of the system as functions of the bias term, which is usually absent in studies on the Dicke model but is commonly present in superconducting qubit circuits. To avoid over-complicating the proposed circuit, we assume a fixed coupling strength. This situation precludes the possibility of observing signatures of the phase transition by varying the coupling strength across the critical point. We show that the spectrum obtained by varying the bias point under fixed coupling strength can contain signatures of the normal and superradiant phases: in the normal phase one expects to observe two spectral lines, while in the superradiant phase four spectral lines are expected to exist close to the qubits' symmetry point. Provided that parameter fluctuations and decoherence rates are sufficiently small, the four spectral lines should be observable and can serve as a signature of the superradiant phase.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Domain boundaries in Luttinger-Tisza ordered dipole lattices

Motivated by the recent interest in the possible ordering of the CH$_3$NH$_3$ dipoles in the material CH$_3$NH$_3$PbI$_3$, we investigate the properties of domain boundaries in a simple cubic lattice of dipoles. We perform numerical simulations in which we set the boundary conditions such that the dipoles at opposite sides of the simulated sample are ordered in different directions, hence simulating a domain boundary. We calculate the lowest energy configuration under this constraint. We find that if we consider only dipole-dipole interactions the dipole orientations tend to gradually transform between the two orientations at the two opposite ends of the sample. When we take into consideration the finite spatial size of the CH$_3$NH$_3$ molecules and go beyond the point dipole approximation, we find that the domain boundary becomes sharper. For the parameters of CH$_3$NH$_3$PbI$_3$, our results indicate that the optimal energy structure has a boundary region of a width on the order of a single unit cell.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Fast Amplification and Rephasing of Entangled Cat States in a Qubit-Oscillator System

We study a qubit-oscillator system, with a time-dependent coupling coefficient, and present a scheme for generating entangled Schrödinger-cat states with large mean photon numbers and also a scheme that protects the cat states against dephasing caused by the nonlinearity in the system. We focus on the case where the qubit frequency is small compared to the oscillator frequency. We first present the exact quantum state evolution in the limit of infinitesimal qubit frequency. We then analyze the first-order effect of the nonzero qubit frequency. Our scheme works for a wide range of coupling strength values, including the recently achieved deep-strong-coupling regime.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Effect of disorder on transport properties in a tight-binding model for lead halide perovskites

The hybrid organic-inorganic lead halide perovskite materials have emerged as remarkable materials for photovoltaic applications. Their strengths include good electric transport properties in spite of the disorder inherent in them. Motivated by this observation, we analyze the effects of disorder on the energy eigenstates of a tight-binding model of these materials. In particular, we analyze the spatial extension of the energy eigenstates, which is quantified by the inverse participation ratio. This parameter exhibits a tendency, and possibly a phase transition, to localization as the on-site energy disorder strength is increased. However, we argue that the disorder in the lead halide perovskites corresponds to a point in the regime of highly delocalized states. Our results also suggest that the electronic states of mixed-halide materials tend to be more localized than those of pure materials, which suggests a weaker tendency to form extended bonding states in the mixed-halide materials and is therefore not favourable for halide mixing.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Superradiance phase transition in the presence of parameter fluctuations

We theoretically analyze the effect of parameter fluctuations on the superradiance phase transition in a setup where a large number of superconducting qubits are coupled to a single cavity. We include parameter fluctuations that are typical of superconducting architectures, such as fluctuations in qubit gaps, bias points and qubit-cavity coupling strengths. We find that the phase transition should occur in this case, although it manifests itself somewhat differently from the case with no fluctuations. We also find that fluctuations in the qubit gaps and qubit-cavity coupling strengths do not necessarily make it more difficult to reach the transition point. Fluctuations in the bias points, however, increase the coupling strength required to reach the quantum phase transition point and enter the superradiant phase. Similarly, these fluctuations lower the critical temperature for the thermal phase transition.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Landau-Zener-Stueckelberg interferometry with driving fields in the quantum regime

We analyze the dynamics of a two-level quantum system (TLS) under the influence of a strong sinusoidal driving signal whose origin is the interaction of the two-level system with a quantum field. In this approach the driving field is replaced by a harmonic oscillator that is either strongly coupled to the TLS or populated with a large number of photons. Starting from the Rabi model, we derive expressions for the TLS's oscillation frequencies and compare the results with those obtained from the model where the driving signal is treated classically. We show that in the limits of weak coupling and large photon number, the well-known expression for the Rabi frequency in the strong driving regime is recovered. In the opposite limit of strong coupling and small photon number, we find differences between the predictions of the semiclassical and quantum models. The results of the quantum picture can therefore be understood as Landau-Zener-Stueckelberg interferometry in the fully quantum regime.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Landau-Zener transitions in an open multilevel quantum system

We consider the Landau-Zener problem for a multilevel quantum system that is coupled to an external environment. In particular, we consider a number of cases of three-level systems coupled to a harmonic oscillator that represents the external environment. We find that, similar to the case of the Landau-Zener problem with a two-level system, when the quantum system and the environment are both initially in their ground states the probability that the system remains in the same quantum state is not affected by the coupling to the environment. The final occupation probabilities of the other states are well described by a common general principle: the coupling to the environment turns each Landau-Zener transition process in the closed system into a sequence of smaller transitions in the combined Hilbert space of the system and environment, and this sequence of transitions lasts a total duration that increases with increasing system-environment coupling strength. These results provide an intuitive understanding of Landau-Zener transitions in open multilevel quantum systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2015

Quantum state transfer in a disordered one-dimensional lattice

We investigate the effect of disorder on the transfer of quantum states across a one-dimensional lattice with varying levels of control resources. We find that the application of properly designed control signals, even when applied only to the two ends of the lattice, allows perfect state transfer up to disorder strengths that would not allow a generic quantum state to propagate the length of the lattice. At sufficiently large disorder strengths, however, the local control signals fail to send the quantum state from one end of the system to the other end. Our results shed light on the interplay between disorder and controlled transport in one-dimensional systems.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2014

Landau-Zener transitions in a two-level system coupled to a finite-temperature harmonic oscillator

We analyze the dynamics and final populations in a Landau-Zener problem for a two level system (or qubit) when this system interacts with one harmonic oscillator mode that is initially set to a finite-temperature thermal equilibrium state. The harmonic oscillator could represent an external mode that is strongly coupled to the qubit, e.g. an ionic oscillation mode in a molecule, or it could represent a prototypical uncontrolled environment. We analyze the qubit's occupation probabilities at the final time in a number of different regimes, varying the qubit and oscillator frequencies, their coupling strength and the temperature. In particular we find some surprising non-monotonic dependence on the coupling strength and temperature.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Simulating systems of itinerant spin-carrying particles using arrays of superconducting qubits and resonators

We propose possible approaches for the quantum simulation of itinerant spin-carrying particles in a superconducting qubit-resonator array. The standard Jaynes-Cummings-Hubbard setup considered in several recent studies can readily be used as a quantum simulator for a number of relevant phenomena, including the interaction with external magnetic fields and spin-orbit coupling. A more complex setup where multiple qubits and multiple resonator modes are utilized in the simulation gives a higher level of complexity, including the simulation of particles with high spin values and allowing more direct control on processes related to spin-orbit coupling. This proposal could be implemented in state-of-the-art superconducting circuits in the near future.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Quantum Simulation

Simulating quantum mechanics is known to be a difficult computational problem, especially when dealing with large systems. However, this difficulty may be overcome by using some controllable quantum system to study another less controllable or accessible quantum system, i.e., quantum simulation. Quantum simulation promises to have applications in the study of many problems in, e.g., condensed-matter physics, high-energy physics, atomic physics, quantum chemistry and cosmology. Quantum simulation could be implemented using quantum computers, but also with simpler, analog devices that would require less control, and therefore, would be easier to construct. A number of quantum systems such as neutral atoms, ions, polar molecules, electrons in semiconductors, superconducting circuits, nuclear spins and photons have been proposed as quantum simulators. This review outlines the main theoretical and experimental aspects of quantum simulation and emphasizes some of the challenges and promises of this fast-growing field.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Superradiance transition in a system with a single qubit and a single oscillator

We consider the phase-transition-like behaviour in the Rabi model containing a single two-level system, or qubit, and a single harmonic oscillator. The system experiences a sudden transition from an uncorrelated state to an increasingly correlated one as the qubit-oscillator coupling strength is varied and increased past a critical point. This singular behaviour occurs in the limit where the oscillator's frequency is much lower than the qubit's frequency; away from this limit one obtains a finite-width transition region. By analyzing the energy-level structure, the value of the oscillator field and its squeezing and the qubit-oscillator correlation, we gain insight into the nature of the transition and the associated critical behaviour.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Observation of Time-domain Rabi Oscillations in the Landau-Zener Regime with a Single Electronic Spin

Under resonant conditions, a long sequence of landau-zener transitions can lead to Rabi oscillations. Using a nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center spin in diamond, we investigated the interference between more than 100 Landau-Zener processes. We observed the new type of Rabi oscillations of the electron spin resulting from the interference between successive Landau-Zener processes in various regimes, including both slow and fast passages. The combination of the control techniques and the favorable coherent properties of NV centers provides an excellent experimental platform to study a variety of quantum dynamical phenomena.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2012

Two-qubit gate operations in superconducting circuits with strong coupling and weak anharmonicity

We investigate theoretically the implementation of two-qubit gates in a system of two coupled superconducting qubits. In particular, we analyze two-qubit gate operations under the condition that the coupling strength is comparable to or even larger than the anharmonicity of the qubits. By numerically solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation, we obtain the dependence of the two-qubit gate fidelity on the system parameters in the case of direct and indirect qubit-qubit coupling. Our numerical results can be used to identify the "safe" parameter regime for experimentally implementing two-qubit gates with high fidelity in these systems.

quant-ph↗