Jed D. Whittaker

Circuit cavity electromechanics in the strong-coupling regime

Demonstrating and exploiting the quantum nature of macroscopic mechanical objects would help us to investigate directly the limitations of quantum-based measurements and quantum information protocols, as well as to test long-standing questions about macroscopic quantum coherence. Central to this effort is the necessity of long-lived mechanical states. Previous efforts have witnessed quantum behaviour, but for a low-quality-factor mechanical system. The field of cavity optomechanics and electromechanics, in which a high-quality-factor mechanical oscillator is parametrically coupled to an electromagnetic cavity resonance, provides a practical architecture for cooling, manipulation and detection of motion at the quantum level. One requirement is strong coupling, in which the interaction between the two systems is faster than the dissipation of energy from either system. Here, by incorporating a free-standing, flexible aluminium membrane into a lumped-element superconducting resonant cavity, we have increased the single-photon coupling strength between these two systems by more than two orders of magnitude, compared to previously obtained coupling strengths. A parametric drive tone at the difference frequency between the mechanical oscillator and the cavity resonance dramatically increases the overall coupling strength, allowing us to completely enter the quantum-enabled, strong-coupling regime. This is evidenced by a maximum normal-mode splitting of nearly six bare cavity linewidths. Spectroscopic measurements of these ‘dressed states’ are in excellent quantitative agreement with recent theoretical predictions. The basic circuit architecture presented here provides a feasible path to ground-state cooling and subsequent coherent control and measurement of long-lived quantum states of mechanical motion.

Architectural Considerations in the Design of a Superconducting Quantum Annealing Processor

We have developed a quantum annealing processor, based on an array of tunable coupled rf-SQUID flux qubits, fabricated in a superconducting integrated circuit process. Implementing this type of processor at a scale of 512 qubits and 1472 programmable interqubit couplers and operating at ~ 20 mK has required attention to a number of considerations that one may ignore at the smaller scale of a few dozen or so devices. Here, we discuss some of these considerations, and the delicate balance necessary for the construction of a practical processor that respects the demanding physical requirements imposed by a quantum algorithm. In particular, we will review some of the design tradeoffs at play in the floor planning of the physical layout, driven by the desire to have an algorithmically useful set of interqubit couplers, and the simultaneous need to embed programmable control circuitry into the processor fabric. In this context, we have developed a new ultralow-power embedded superconducting digital-to-analog flux converter (DAC) used to program the processor with zero static power dissipation, optimized to achieve maximum flux storage density per unit area. The 512 single-stage, 3520 two-stage, and 512 three-stage flux DACs are controlled with an XYZ addressing scheme requiring 56 wires. Our estimate of on-chip dissipated energy for worst-case reprogramming of the whole processor is ~ 65 fJ. Several chips based on this architecture have been fabricated and operated successfully at our facility, as well as two outside facilities (see, for example, the recent reporting by Jones).

Measurement crosstalk between two phase qubits coupled by a coplanar waveguide

We investigate measurement crosstalk in a system with two flux-biased phase qubits coupled by a resonant coplanar waveguide cavity. After qubit measurement, the superconducting phase undergoes damped oscillations in a deep anharmonic potential producing a frequency chirped voltage or crosstalk signal. We show experimentally that a coplanar waveguide cavity acts as a bandpass filter that can significantly reduce the propagation of this crosstalk signal when the qubits are far off resonance from the cavity. The transmission of the crosstalk signal

Low-loss superconducting resonant circuits using vacuum-gap-based microwave components

\ensuremath{\propto}{({\ensuremath{\omega}}_{q}{C}_{x})}^{2}

rf-SQUID-Mediated Coherent Tunable Coupling between a Superconducting Phase Qubit and a Lumped-Element Resonator

can be further minimized by reducing the qubit frequencies and the coupling capacitance to the cavity. We model the large amplitude crosstalk signal and qubit response classically with results that agree well with the experimental data. We find that the maximum energy transferred by the crosstalk generating qubit roughly saturates for long energy relaxation times

Tripartite interactions between two phase qubits and a resonant cavity

({T}_{1}g100\text{ }\text{ns})

Coherent interactions between phase qubits, cavities, and TLS defects

while the delay time necessary for the crosstalk signal to propagate to the cavity scales linearly with

Tunable-cavity QED with phase qubits

{T}_{1}

A frequency and sensitivity tunable microresonator array for high-speed quantum processor readout

. Ultimately, the use of resonant cavities as coupling elements and crosstalk filters is extremely beneficial for future architectures incorporating many coupled qubits.

Low-Dissipation Multiplexed Flux-Sensitive Readout in Superconducting Circuits

We have produced high-quality complex microwave circuits, such as multiplexed resonators and superconducting phase qubits, using a “vacuum-gap” technology that eliminates lossy dielectric materials. We have improved our design and fabrication strategy beyond our earlier work, leading to increased yield, enabling the realization of these complex circuits. We incorporate both novel vacuum-gap wiring crossovers for gradiometric inductors and vacuum-gap capacitors (VGC) on chip to produce resonant circuits that have large internal quality factors (30 000<QI<165 000) at 50 mK, outperforming most dielectric-filled devices. Resonators with VGCs as large as 180 pF confirm single mode behavior of our lumped-element components.