Efficient decoupling of a non-linear qubit mode from its environment

TL;DR

This paper introduces a superconducting circuit design with symmetry-protected modes that significantly reduces qubit decoherence by decoupling it from environmental interactions, enhancing quantum coherence for scalable quantum computing.

Contribution

The authors propose a novel multi-mode superconducting circuit with symmetry protection that achieves Purcell protection and reduces photon-induced dephasing of qubits.

Findings

Qubit relaxation times are independent of dispersive coupling.

Coherence is maintained by detuning the mediator mode from the readout resonator.

The protected qubit exhibits enhanced coherence suitable for scalable quantum processors.

Abstract

To control and measure the state of a quantum system it must necessarily be coupled to external degrees of freedom. This inevitably leads to spontaneous emission via the Purcell effect, photon-induced dephasing from measurement back-action, and errors caused by unwanted interactions with nearby quantum systems. To tackle this fundamental challenge, we make use of the design flexibility of superconducting quantum circuits to form a multi-mode element -- an artificial molecule -- with symmetry-protected modes. The proposed circuit consists of three superconducting islands coupled to a central island via Josephson junctions. It exhibits two essential non-linear modes, one of which is flux-insensitive and used as the protected qubit mode. The second mode is flux-tunable and serves via a cross-Kerr type coupling as a mediator to control the dispersive coupling of the qubit mode to the readout resonator. We demonstrate the Purcell protection of the qubit mode by measuring relaxation times that are independent of the mediated dispersive coupling. We show that the coherence of the qubit is not limited by photon-induced dephasing when detuning the mediator mode from the readout resonator and thereby reducing the dispersive coupling. The resulting highly protected qubit with tunable interactions may serve as a basic building block of a scalable quantum processor architecture, in which qubit decoherence is strongly suppressed.