arXiv subjects

Vitaly Shumeiko

Publications and source records attributed to Vitaly Shumeiko.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

A small footprint travelling-wave parametric amplifier with a high Signal-to-Noise Ratio improvement in a wide band

We characterise a small footprint travelling-wave parametric amplifier (TWPA). The TWPA is built with magnetically flux-tunable superconducting nonlinear asymmetric inductive elements (SNAILs) and parallel-plate capacitors. It implements three-wave mixing (3WM) with resonant phase matching (RPM), a small cutoff frequency for high gain per unitcell and impedance matching networks for large bandwidth impedance matching. The device has 200 unitcells and a physical footprint of only 1.1 mm^2, yet demonstrates an average parametric gain of 19 dB over a 3 GHz bandwidth, an average effective signal-to-noise ratio improvement of 10 dB and a clear speedup of qubit readout time.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2024

Modeling and Harmonic Balance Analysis of Parametric Amplifiers for Qubit Read-out

Predicting the performance of traveling-wave parametric amplifiers (TWPAs) based on nonlinear elements like superconducting Josephson junctions (JJs) is vital for qubit read-out in quantum computers. The purpose of this article is twofold: (a) to demonstrate how nonlinear inductors based on combinations of JJs can be modeled in commercial circuit simulators, and (b) to show how the harmonic balance (HB) is used in the reliable prediction of the amplifier performance e.g., gain and pump harmonic power conversion. Experimental characterization of two types of TWPA architectures is compared with simulations to showcase the reliability of the HB method. We disseminate the modeling know-how and techniques to new designers of parametric amplifiers.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Three-wave mixing traveling-wave parametric amplifier with periodic variation of the circuit parameters

We report the implementation of a near-quantum-limited, traveling-wave parametric amplifier that uses three-wave mixing (3WM). To favor amplification by 3WM, we use the superconducting nonlinear asymmetric inductive element (SNAIL) loops, biased with a dc magnetic flux. In addition, we equip the device with dispersion engineering features to create a stop-band at the second harmonic of the pump and suppress the propagation of the higher harmonics that otherwise degrade the amplification. With a chain of 440 SNAILs, the amplifier provides up to 20 dB gain and a 3-dB bandwidth of 1 GHz. The added noise by the amplifier is found to be less than one photon.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

A high gain travelling-wave parametric amplifier based on three-wave mixing

We extend the theory for a Josephson junction travelling wave parametric amplifier (TWPA) operating in the three-wave mixing regime and we propose a scheme for achieving high gain. The continuous three-mode model [P. K. Tien, J. Appl. Phys. 29, 1347 (1958)] is on one hand extended to describe a discrete chain of Josephson junctions at high frequencies close to the spectral cutoff where there is no up-conversion. On the other hand, we also develop a continuous multimode theory for the low-frequency region where the frequency dispersion is close to linear. We find that in both cases the gain is significantly reduced compared to the prediction by the continuous three-mode model as the result of increasingly strong dispersion at the high frequencies and generation of up-converted modes at the low frequencies. The developed theory is in quantitative agreement with experimental observations. To recover the high gain, we propose to engineer a chain with dispersive features to form a two-band frequency spectrum and to place the pump frequency within the upper band close to the spectral cutoff. We prove that there exists a sweet spot, where the signal and the pump are phase matched, while the up-conversion is inhibited. This results in a high gain which grows exponentially with the length of the TWPA.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Squeezing and multimode entanglement of surface acoustic wave phonons

Exploiting multiple modes in a quantum acoustic device could enable applications in quantum information in a hardware-efficient setup, including quantum simulation in a synthetic dimension and continuous-variable quantum computing with cluster states.We develop a multimode surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonator with a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) integrated in one of the Bragg reflectors. The interaction with the SQUID-shunted mirror gives rise to coupling between the more than 20 accessible resonator modes. We exploit this coupling to demonstrate two-mode squeezing of SAW phonons, as well as four-mode multipartite entanglement. Our results open avenues for continuous-variable quantum computing in a compact hybrid quantum system.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2021

Fast multi-qubit gates through simultaneous two-qubit gates

Near-term quantum computers are limited by the decoherence of qubits to only being able to run low-depth quantum circuits with acceptable fidelity. This severely restricts what quantum algorithms can be compiled and implemented on such devices. One way to overcome these limitations is to expand the available gate set from single- and two-qubit gates to multi-qubit gates, which entangle three or more qubits in a single step. Here, we show that such multi-qubit gates can be realized by the simultaneous application of multiple two-qubit gates to a group of qubits where at least one qubit is involved in two or more of the two-qubit gates. Multi-qubit gates implemented in this way are as fast as, or sometimes even faster than, the constituent two-qubit gates. Furthermore, these multi-qubit gates do not require any modification of the quantum processor, but are ready to be used in current quantum-computing platforms. We demonstrate this idea for two specific cases: simultaneous controlled-Z gates and simultaneous iSWAP gates. We show how the resulting multi-qubit gates relate to other well-known multi-qubit gates and demonstrate through numerical simulations that they would work well in available quantum hardware, reaching gate fidelities well above 99 %. We also present schemes for using these simultaneous two-qubit gates to swiftly create large entangled states like Dicke and Greenberg-Horne-Zeilinger states.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Parametric effects in circuit quantum electrodynamics

We review recent advances in the research on quantum parametric phenomena in superconducting circuits with Josephson junctions. We discuss physical processes in parametrically driven tunable cavity and outline theoretical foundations for their description. Amplification and frequency conversion are discussed in detail for degenerate and non-degenerate parametric resonance, including quantum noise squeezing and photon entanglement. Experimental advances in this area played decisive role in successful development of quantum limited parametric amplifiers for superconducting quantum information technology. We also discuss nonlinear down-conversion processes and experiments on self-sustained parametric and subharmonic oscillations.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Period multiplication in a parametrically driven superconducting resonator

We report on the experimental observation of period multiplication in parametrically driven tunable superconducting resonators. We modulate the magnetic flux through a superconducting quantum interference device, attached to a quarter-wavelength resonator, with frequencies $nω$ close to multiples, $n=2,\,3,\,4,\,5$, of the resonator fundamental mode and observe intense output radiation at $ω$. The output field manifests $n$-fold degeneracy with respect to the phase, the $n$ states are phase shifted by $2π/n$ with respect to each other. Our demonstration verifies the theoretical prediction by Guo et al. in PRL 111, 205303 (2013), and paves the way for engineering complex macroscopic quantum cat states with microwave photons.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Nondegenerate parametric oscillations in a tunable superconducting resonator

We investigate nondegenerate parametric oscillations in a multimode superconducting microwave resonator that is terminated by a SQUID. The parametric effect is achieved by modulating magnetic flux through the SQUID at a frequency close to the sum of two resonator-mode frequencies. For modulation amplitudes exceeding an instability threshold, self-sustained oscillations are observed in both modes. The amplitudes of these oscillations show good quantitative agreement with a theoretical model. The oscillation phases are found to be correlated and exhibit strong fluctuations which broaden the oscillation spectral linewidths. These linewidths are significantly reduced by applying a weak on-resonance tone, which also suppresses the phase fluctuations. When the weak tone is detuned, we observe synchronization of the oscillation frequency with the frequency of the input. For the detuned input, we also observe an emergence of three idlers in the output. This observation is in agreement with theory indicating four-mode amplification and squeezing of a coherent input.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Period-tripling subharmonic oscillations in a driven superconducting resonator

We have observed period-tripling subharmonic oscillations, in a superconducting coplanar waveguide resonator operated in the quantum regime, $k_B T \ll \hbarω$. The resonator is terminated by a tunable inductance that provides a Kerr-type nonlinearity. We detected the output field quadratures at frequencies near the fundamental mode, $ω/2π\sim 5\,$GHz, when the resonator was driven by a current at $3ω$ with an amplitude exceeding an instability threshold. The output radiation was red-detuned from the fundamental mode. We observed three stable radiative states with equal amplitudes and phase-shifted by $120^\circ$. The downconversion from $3ω$ to $ω$ is strongly enhanced by resonant excitation of the second mode of the resonator, and the cross-Kerr effect. Our experimental results are in quantitative agreement with a model for the driven dynamics of two coupled modes.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2017

Microwave photon generation in a doubly tunable superconducting resonator

We have developed and tested a doubly tunable resonator, with the intention to simulate fast motion of the resonator boundaries in real space. Our device is a superconducting coplanar-waveguide half-wavelength microwave resonator, with fundamental resonant frequency ~5 GHz. Both of its ends are terminated by dc-SQUIDs, which serve as magnetic-flux-controlled inductances. Applying a flux to either SQUID allows tuning of the resonant frequency by approximately 700 MHz. By using two separate on-chip magnetic-flux lines, we modulate the SQUIDs with two tones of equal frequency, close to twice that of the resonator's fundamental mode. We observe photon generation, at the fundamental frequency, above a certain pump amplitude threshold. By varying the relative phase of the two pumps we are able to control the photon generation threshold, in good agreement with a theoretical model for the modulation of the boundary conditions. At the same time, some of our observations deviate from the theoretical predictions, which we attribute to parasitic couplings, resulting in current driving of the SQUIDs.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Non-degenerate parametric resonance in tunable superconducting cavity

We develop a theory for non-degenerate parametric resonance in a tunable superconducting cavity. We focus on nonlinear effects that are caused by nonlinear Josephson elements connected to the cavity. We analyze parametric amplification in a strong nonlinear regime at the parametric instability threshold, and calculate maximum gain values. Above the threshold, in the parametric oscillator regime the linear cavity response diverges at the oscillator frequency at all pump strengths. We show that this divergence is related to the continuous degeneracy of the free oscillator state with respect to the phase. Applying on-resonance input lifts the degeneracy and removes the divergence. We also investigate the quantum noise squeezing. It is shown that in the strong amplification regime the noise undergoes four-mode squeezing, and that in this regime the output signal to noise ratio can significantly exceed the input value. We also analyze the intermode frequency conversion and identify parameters at which full conversion is achieved.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Single-shot Readout of a Superconducting Qubit using a Josephson Parametric Oscillator

We propose and demonstrate a new read-out technique for a superconducting qubit by dispersively coupling it to a Josephson parametric oscillator. We employ a tunable quarter-wavelength superconducting resonator and modulate its resonant frequency at twice its value with an amplitude surpassing the threshold for parametric instability. We map the qubit states onto two distinct states of classical parametric oscillation: one oscillating state, with $185\pm15$ photons in the resonator, and one with zero oscillation amplitude. This high contrast obviates a following quantum-limited amplifier. We demonstrate proof-of-principle, single-shot readout performance, and present an error budget indicating that this method can surpass the fidelity threshold required for quantum computing.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Charge transport in InAs nanowire Josephson junctions

We present an extensive experimental and theoretical study of the proximity effect in InAs nanowires connected to superconducting electrodes. We fabricate and investigate devices with suspended gate-controlled nanowires and nonsuspended nanowires, with a broad range of lengths and normal-state resistances. We analyze the main features of the current-voltage characteristics: the Josephson current, excess current, and subgap current as functions of length, temperature, magnetic field, and gate voltage, and compare them with theory. The Josephson critical current for a short-length device, L = 30 nm, exhibits a record high magnitude of 800 nA at low temperature that comes close to the theoretically expected value. The critical current in all other devices is typically reduced compared to the theoretical values. The excess current is consistent with the normal resistance data and agrees well with the theory. The subgap current shows a large number of structures; some of them are identified as subharmonic gap structures generated by multiple Andreev reflection. The other structures, detected in both suspended and nonsuspended devices, have the form of voltage steps at voltages that are independent of either the superconducting gap or length of the wire. By varying the gate voltage in suspended devices, we are able to observe a crossover from typical tunneling transport at large negative gate voltage, with suppressed subgap current and negative excess current, to pronounced proximity junction behavior at large positive gate voltage, with enhanced Josephson current and subgap conductance as well as a large positive excess current.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2013

Investigation of nonlinear effects in Josephson parametric oscillators used in circuit QED

We experimentally study the behavior of a parametrically pumped nonlinear oscillator, which is based on a superconducting λ/4 resonator, and is terminated by a flux-tunable SQUID. We extract parameters for two devices. In particular, we study the effect of the nonlinearities in the system and compare to theory. The Duffing nonlinearity, α, is determined from the probe-power dependent frequency shift of the oscillator, and the nonlinearity, β, related to the parametric flux pumping, is determined from the pump amplitude for the onset of parametric oscillations. Both nonlinearities depend on the parameters of the device and can be tuned in-situ by the applied dc flux. We also suggest how to cancel the effect of βby adding a small dc flux and a pump tone at twice the pump frequency.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Quantized conductance and its correlation to the supercurrent in a nanowire connected to superconductors

We report conductance and supercurrent of InAs nanowires coupled to Al-superconducting electrodes with short channel lengths and good Ohmic contacts. The nanowires are suspended 15\,nm above a local gate electrode. The charge density in the nanowires can be controlled by a small change in the gate voltage. For large negative gate voltages, the number of conducting channels is reduced gradually and we observe a stepwise decrease of both conductance and critical current before the conductance vanishes completely.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Parametric resonance in tunable superconducting cavities

We develop a theory of parametric resonance in tunable superconducting cavities. The nonlinearity introduced by the SQUID attached to the cavity, and damping due to connection of the cavity to a transmission line are taken into consideration. We study in detail the nonlinear classical dynamics of the cavity field below and above the parametric threshold for the degenerate parametric resonance, featuring regimes of multistability and parametric radiation. We investigate the phase-sensitive amplification of external signals on resonance, as well as amplification of detuned signals, and relate the amplifier performance to that of linear parametric amplifiers. We also discuss applications of the device for dispersive qubit readout. Beyond the classical response of the cavity, we investigate small quantum fluctuations around the amplified classical signals. We evaluate the noise power spectrum both for the internal field in the cavity and the output field. Other quantum statistical properties of the noise are addressed such as squeezing spectra, second order coherence, and two-mode entanglement.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2009

Non-equilibrium supercurrent through a quantum dot: current harmonics and proximity effect due to a normal metal lead

We consider a Hamiltonian model for a quantum dot which is placed between two superconducting leads with a constant bias imposed between these leads. Using the non-equilibrium Keldysh technique, we focus on the subgap current, where it is known that multiple Andreev reflections (MAR) are responsible for charge transfer through the dot. Attention is put on the DC current and on the first harmonics of the supercurrent. Varying the energy and width of the resonant level on the dot, we first investigate a cross-over from a quantum dot regime to a quantum point contact regime when there is zero coupling to the normal probe. We then study the effect on the supercurrent of the normal probe which is attached to the dot. This normal probe is understood to lead to dephasing, or alternatively to induce reverse proximity effect. We describe the full crossover from zero dephasing to the incoherent case. We also compute the Josephson current in the presence of the normal lead, and find it in excellent agreement with the values of the non-equlibrium current extrapolated at zero voltage.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗