利用超导量子电路中的宏观量子相干性测量弱磁场

超导量子电路可以被等效地看作人造原子,其内部能级结构随外磁场而变化.这里根据这些超导量子电路中的宏观量子相干性,设计了一种新型的磁强计.这种磁强计不仅体积小,而且具有低耗散和高灵敏度的优点.正因为此,它在读取诸如超导磁通量子比特等量子纳米设备方面,具有很大的应用前景.     

Coupling superconducting qubits via a cavity bus

Superconducting circuits are promising candidates for constructing quantum bits (qubits) in a quantum computer; single-qubit operations are now routine, and several examples of two-qubit interactions and gates have been demonstrated. These experiments show that two nearby qubits can be readily coupled with local interactions. Performing gate operations between an arbitrary pair of distant qubits is highly desirable for any quantum computer architecture, but has not yet been demonstrated. An efficient way to achieve this goal is to couple the qubits to a 'quantum bus', which distributes quantum information among the qubits. Here we show the implementation of such a quantum bus, using microwave photons confined in a transmission line cavity, to couple two superconducting qubits on opposite sides of a chip. The interaction is mediated by the exchange of virtual rather than real photons, avoiding cavity-induced loss. Using fast control of the qubits to switch the coupling effectively on and off, we demonstrate coherent transfer of quantum states between the qubits. The cavity is also used to perform multiplexed control and measurement of the qubit states. This approach can be expanded to more than two qubits, and is an attractive architecture for quantum information processing on a chip.     

超导量子比特中的Landau-Zener-Stckelberg干涉

超导量子比特是人工固态量子系统,在低温和弱耗散条件下,具有量子化的能级结构.这些能级之间的间隔可以随外加偏置电磁场连续变化,不同能级在某些偏置场可能形成量子系统中所特有的免交叉.最近研究成果表明,利用这些免交叉,可以在固态量子比特中实现Landau-Zener-Stckelberg（LZS）干涉,为测量系统的能谱、表征系统与环境的耦合、实现量子逻辑门、产生量子纠缠等提供了一个便捷的新手段.     

Demonstration of controlled-NOT quantum gates on a pair of superconducting quantum bits

Quantum computation requires quantum logic gates that use the interaction within pairs of quantum bits (qubits) to perform conditional operations. Superconducting qubits may offer an attractive route towards scalable quantum computing. In previous experiments on coupled superconducting qubits, conditional gate behaviour and entanglement were demonstrated. Here we demonstrate selective execution of the complete set of four different controlled-NOT (CNOT) quantum logic gates, by applying microwave pulses of appropriate frequency to a single pair of coupled flux qubits. All two-qubit computational basis states and their superpositions are used as input, while two independent single-shot SQUID detectors measure the output state, including qubit-qubit correlations. We determined the gate's truth table by directly measuring the state transfer amplitudes and by acquiring the relevant quantum phase shift using a Ramsey-like interference experiment. The four conditional gates result from the symmetry of the qubits in the pair: either qubit can assume the role of control or target, and the gate action can be conditioned on either the 0-state or the 1-state. These gates are now sufficiently characterized to be used in quantum algorithms, and together form an efficient set of versatile building blocks.     

Coherent quantum state storage and transfer between two phase qubits via a resonant cavity

As with classical information processing, a quantum information processor requires bits (qubits) that can be independently addressed and read out, long-term memory elements to store arbitrary quantum states, and the ability to transfer quantum information through a coherent communication bus accessible to a large number of qubits. Superconducting qubits made with scalable microfabrication techniques are a promising candidate for the realization of a large-scale quantum information processor. Although these systems have successfully passed tests of coherent coupling for up to four qubits, communication of individual quantum states between superconducting qubits via a quantum bus has not yet been realized. Here, we perform an experiment demonstrating the ability to coherently transfer quantum states between two superconducting Josephson phase qubits through a quantum bus. This quantum bus is a resonant cavity formed by an open-ended superconducting transmission line of length 7 mm. After preparing an initial quantum state with the first qubit, this quantum information is transferred and stored as a nonclassical photon state of the resonant cavity, then retrieved later by the second qubit connected to the opposite end of the cavity. Beyond simple state transfer, these results suggest that a high-quality-factor superconducting cavity could also function as a useful short-term memory element. The basic architecture presented here can be expanded, offering the possibility for the coherent interaction of a large number of superconducting qubits.     

Coherent coupling of a superconducting flux qubit to an electron spin ensemble in diamond

During the past decade, research into superconducting quantum bits (qubits) based on Josephson junctions has made rapid progress. Many foundational experiments have been performed, and superconducting qubits are now considered one of the most promising systems for quantum information processing. However, the experimentally reported coherence times are likely to be insufficient for future large-scale quantum computation. A natural solution to this problem is a dedicated engineered quantum memory based on atomic and molecular systems. The question of whether coherent quantum coupling is possible between such natural systems and a single macroscopic artificial atom has attracted considerable attention since the first demonstration of macroscopic quantum coherence in Josephson junction circuits. Here we report evidence of coherent strong coupling between a single macroscopic superconducting artificial atom (a flux qubit) and an ensemble of electron spins in the form of nitrogen-vacancy colour centres in diamond. Furthermore, we have observed coherent exchange of a single quantum of energy between a flux qubit and a macroscopic ensemble consisting of about 3?×?10(7) such colour centres. This provides a foundation for future quantum memories and hybrid devices coupling microwave and optical systems.     

Efficient Scheme for Optimizing Quantum Fourier Circuits

In quantum circuits, importing of additional qubits can reduce the operation time and prevent decoherence induced by the environment. However, excessive qubits may make the quantum system vulnerable. This paper describes how to relax existing qubits without additional qubits to significantly reduce the operation time of the quantum Fourier circuit compared to a circuit without optimization. The results indicate that this scheme makes full use of the qubits relaxation. The concepts can be applied to improve similar quantum circuits and guide the physical implementations of quantum algorithms or devices.     

Preparation and measurement of three-qubit entanglement in a superconducting circuit

Traditionally, quantum entanglement has been central to foundational discussions of quantum mechanics. The measurement of correlations between entangled particles can have results at odds with classical behaviour. These discrepancies grow exponentially with the number of entangled particles. With the ample experimental confirmation of quantum mechanical predictions, entanglement has evolved from a philosophical conundrum into a key resource for technologies such as quantum communication and computation. Although entanglement in superconducting circuits has been limited so far to two qubits, the extension of entanglement to three, eight and ten qubits has been achieved among spins, ions and photons, respectively. A key question for solid-state quantum information processing is whether an engineered system could display the multi-qubit entanglement necessary for quantum error correction, which starts with tripartite entanglement. Here, using a circuit quantum electrodynamics architecture, we demonstrate deterministic production of three-qubit Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) states with fidelity of 88 per cent, measured with quantum state tomography. Several entanglement witnesses detect genuine three-qubit entanglement by violating biseparable bounds by 830?±?80 per cent. We demonstrate the first step of basic quantum error correction, namely the encoding of a logical qubit into a manifold of GHZ-like states using a repetition code. The integration of this encoding with decoding and error-correcting steps in a feedback loop will be the next step for quantum computing with integrated circuits.     

超导非绝热几何量子计算及其优化控制

为实现量子门的高保真度和强鲁棒性,提出基于超导量子电路体系的非绝热几何量子计算方案.仅通过对超导比特施加含时共振微波驱动的方式,可以在超导比特上实现任意的单比特几何量子门.同时,在2个电容耦合的超导比特体系中,非平庸的2比特几何量子门也可以类似地实现.结果表明:提出的非绝热几何量子计算方案不仅对几何量子操作具有较好的鲁棒性,还可以与优化控制技术兼容,进一步增强量子门的鲁棒性.该方案的提出使容错固态量子计算的研究与发展向前迈出了重要的一步.     

Atomic physics and quantum optics using superconducting circuits

Superconducting circuits based on Josephson junctions exhibit macroscopic quantum coherence and can behave like artificial atoms. Recent technological advances have made it possible to implement atomic-physics and quantum-optics experiments on a chip using these artificial atoms. This Review presents a brief overview of the progress achieved so far in this rapidly advancing field. We not only discuss phenomena analogous to those in atomic physics and quantum optics with natural atoms, but also highlight those not occurring in natural atoms. In addition, we summarize several prospective directions in this emerging interdisciplinary field.     

Demonstration of an all-optical quantum controlled-NOT gate

The promise of tremendous computational power, coupled with the development of robust error-correcting schemes, has fuelled extensive efforts to build a quantum computer. The requirements for realizing such a device are confounding: scalable quantum bits (two-level quantum systems, or qubits) that can be well isolated from the environment, but also initialized, measured and made to undergo controllable interactions to implement a universal set of quantum logic gates. The usual set consists of single qubit rotations and a controlled-NOT (CNOT) gate, which flips the state of a target qubit conditional on the control qubit being in the state 1. Here we report an unambiguous experimental demonstration and comprehensive characterization of quantum CNOT operation in an optical system. We produce all four entangled Bell states as a function of only the input qubits' logical values, for a single operating condition of the gate. The gate is probabilistic (the qubits are destroyed upon failure), but with the addition of linear optical quantum non-demolition measurements, it is equivalent to the CNOT gate required for scalable all-optical quantum computation.     

Topologically protected quantum bits using Josephson junction arrays

All physical implementations of quantum bits (or qubits, the logical elements in a putative quantum computer) must overcome conflicting requirements: the qubits should be manipulable through external signals, while remaining isolated from their environment. Proposals based on quantum optics emphasize optimal isolation, while those following the solid-state route exploit the variability and scalability of nanoscale fabrication techniques. Recently, various designs using superconducting structures have been successfully tested for quantum coherent operation, however, the ultimate goal of reaching coherent evolution over thousands of elementary operations remains a formidable task. Protecting qubits from decoherence by exploiting topological stability is a qualitatively new proposal that holds promise for long decoherence times, but its physical implementation has remained unclear. Here we show how strongly correlated systems developing an isolated twofold degenerate quantum dimer liquid ground state can be used in the construction of topologically stable qubits; we discuss their implementation using Josephson junction arrays. Although the complexity of their architecture challenges the technology base available today, such topological qubits greatly benefit from their built-in fault-tolerance.     

电荷比特的超强藕合实现及量子态转移

基于超导量子电路中光与物质相互作用强度的可调性, 研究了库珀对盒子(Cooper-pair box, CPB)与LC谐振电路耦合的电路模型, 证明了可以通过减小CPB的约瑟夫森能量和增加LC谐振子阻抗, 实现光与物质的超强耦合(ultra-strong coupling, USC)和深度强耦合(deep-strong coupling, DSC)相互作用. 在此基础上, 进一步提出了具有一定抗噪性的 USC 双比特超导电路模型, 并以该模型作为非相干中介实现了两个Transmon系统间的量子态转移(quantum-state transfer, QST). 研究结果为在超导量子系统中实现USC相互作用提供了新的方案, 并有望进一步应用于量子调控、量子模拟和量子信息处理等领域.     

Entanglement of single-atom quantum bits at a distance

Quantum information science involves the storage, manipulation and communication of information encoded in quantum systems, where the phenomena of superposition and entanglement can provide enhancements over what is possible classically. Large-scale quantum information processors require stable and addressable quantum memories, usually in the form of fixed quantum bits (qubits), and a means of transferring and entangling the quantum information between memories that may be separated by macroscopic or even geographic distances. Atomic systems are excellent quantum memories, because appropriate internal electronic states can coherently store qubits over very long timescales. Photons, on the other hand, are the natural platform for the distribution of quantum information between remote qubits, given their ability to traverse large distances with little perturbation. Recently, there has been considerable progress in coupling small samples of atomic gases through photonic channels, including the entanglement between light and atoms and the observation of entanglement signatures between remotely located atomic ensembles. In contrast to atomic ensembles, single-atom quantum memories allow the implementation of conditional quantum gates through photonic channels, a key requirement for quantum computing. Along these lines, individual atoms have been coupled to photons in cavities, and trapped atoms have been linked to emitted photons in free space. Here we demonstrate the entanglement of two fixed single-atom quantum memories separated by one metre. Two remotely located trapped atomic ions each emit a single photon, and the interference and detection of these photons signals the entanglement of the atomic qubits. We characterize the entangled pair by directly measuring qubit correlations with near-perfect detection efficiency. Although this entanglement method is probabilistic, it is still in principle useful for subsequent quantum operations and scalable quantum information applications.     

Demonstration of conditional gate operation using superconducting charge qubits

Following the demonstration of coherent control of the quantum state of a superconducting charge qubit, a variety of qubits based on Josephson junctions have been implemented. Although such solid-state devices are not currently as advanced as microscopic qubits based on nuclear magnetic resonance and ion trap technologies, the potential scalability of the former systems--together with progress in their coherence times and read-out schemes--makes them strong candidates for the building block of a quantum computer. Recently, coherent oscillations and microwave spectroscopy of capacitively coupled superconducting qubits have been reported; the next challenging step towards quantum computation is the realization of logic gates. Here we demonstrate conditional gate operation using a pair of coupled superconducting charge qubits. Using a pulse technique, we prepare different input states and show that their amplitude can be transformed by controlled-NOT (C-NOT) gate operation, although the phase evolution during the gate operation remains to be clarified.     

Realization of quantum error correction

Scalable quantum computation and communication require error control to protect quantum information against unavoidable noise. Quantum error correction protects information stored in two-level quantum systems (qubits) by rectifying errors with operations conditioned on the measurement outcomes. Error-correction protocols have been implemented in nuclear magnetic resonance experiments, but the inherent limitations of this technique prevent its application to quantum information processing. Here we experimentally demonstrate quantum error correction using three beryllium atomic-ion qubits confined to a linear, multi-zone trap. An encoded one-qubit state is protected against spin-flip errors by means of a three-qubit quantum error-correcting code. A primary ion qubit is prepared in an initial state, which is then encoded into an entangled state of three physical qubits (the primary and two ancilla qubits). Errors are induced simultaneously in all qubits at various rates. The encoded state is decoded back to the primary ion one-qubit state, making error information available on the ancilla ions, which are separated from the primary ion and measured. Finally, the primary qubit state is corrected on the basis of the ancillae measurement outcome. We verify error correction by comparing the corrected final state to the uncorrected state and to the initial state. In principle, the approach enables a quantum state to be maintained by means of repeated error correction, an important step towards scalable fault-tolerant quantum computation using trapped ions.     

Quantum oscillations in two coupled charge qubits

A practical quantum computer, if built, would consist of a set of coupled two-level quantum systems (qubits). Among the variety of qubits implemented, solid-state qubits are of particular interest because of their potential suitability for integrated devices. A variety of qubits based on Josephson junctions have been implemented; these exploit the coherence of Cooper-pair tunnelling in the superconducting state. Despite apparent progress in the implementation of individual solid-state qubits, there have been no experimental reports of multiple qubit gates--a basic requirement for building a real quantum computer. Here we demonstrate a Josephson circuit consisting of two coupled charge qubits. Using a pulse technique, we coherently mix quantum states and observe quantum oscillations, the spectrum of which reflects interaction between the qubits. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of coupling multiple solid-state qubits, and indicate the existence of entangled two-qubit states.     

Coherent manipulation of semiconductor quantum bits with terahertz radiation

Quantum bits (qubits) are the fundamental building blocks of quantum information processors, such as quantum computers. A qubit comprises a pair of well characterized quantum states that can in principle be manipulated quickly compared to the time it takes them to decohere by coupling to their environment. Much remains to be understood about the manipulation and decoherence of semiconductor qubits. Here we show that hydrogen-atom-like motional states of electrons bound to donor impurities in currently available semiconductors can serve as model qubits. We use intense pulses of terahertz radiation to induce coherent, damped Rabi oscillations in the population of two low-lying states of donor impurities in GaAs. Our observations demonstrate that a quantum-confined extrinsic electron in a semiconductor can be coherently manipulated like an atomic electron, even while sharing space with approximately 10(5) atoms in its semiconductor host. We anticipate that this model system will be useful for measuring intrinsic decoherence processes, and for testing both simple and complex manipulations of semiconductor qubits.     

A scalable quantum computer with ions in an array of microtraps

Quantum computers require the storage of quantum information in a set of two-level systems (called qubits), the processing of this information using quantum gates and a means of final readout. So far, only a few systems have been identified as potentially viable quantum computer models--accurate quantum control of the coherent evolution is required in order to realize gate operations, while at the same time decoherence must be avoided. Examples include quantum optical systems (such as those utilizing trapped ions or neutral atoms, cavity quantum electrodynamics and nuclear magnetic resonance) and solid state systems (using nuclear spins, quantum dots and Josephson junctions). The most advanced candidates are the quantum optical and nuclear magnetic resonance systems, and we expect that they will allow quantum computing with about ten qubits within the next few years. This is still far from the numbers required for useful applications: for example, the factorization of a 200-digit number requires about 3,500 qubits, rising to 100,000 if error correction is implemented. Scalability of proposed quantum computer architectures to many qubits is thus of central importance. Here we propose a model for an ion trap quantum computer that combines scalability (a feature usually associated with solid state proposals) with the advantages of quantum optical systems (in particular, quantum control and long decoherence times).     

Quantum state transformation and general design scheme on teleportation protocols

We present a scheme for probabilistic transformation of special quantum states assisted by auxiliary qubits.In our scheme,if quantum states can be rewritten in a particular form,it is possible to transform such states into other states using lowerdimensional unitary operations that can be more easily realized in physical experiments.Furthermore,as an important application,we propose a generalized scheme that helps construct faithful quantum channels via various probabilistic channels when considering the existence of nonmaximally-entangled states.