Andreev spin qubits bound to Josephson vortices in spin-orbit coupled planar Josephson junctions

TL;DR

This paper introduces vortex spin qubits in spin-orbit coupled Josephson junctions, leveraging Josephson vortices to host low-energy states for quantum computing, potentially reducing device complexity.

Contribution

It proposes a novel vortex spin qubit design in Josephson junctions, utilizing Josephson vortices and spin-orbit coupling for improved quantum control and readout.

Findings

Vortex spin qubits can be stabilized in certain parameter regimes.

Single-qubit gates are achievable via flux driving.

Two-qubit gates can be implemented with ac current drive.

Abstract

We propose a variant of Andreev spin qubits (ASQs) defined in planar Josephson junctions based on spin-orbit coupled two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) in a weak out-of-plane magnetic field. The magnetic field induces a linear phase gradient across the junction, generating Josephson vortices that can host low-energy Andreev bound states (ABSs). We show that, in certain parameter regimes, the combined effect of the phase gradient and spin-orbit coupling stabilizes an odd-fermion parity ground state, where a single Josephson vortex binds a spinful low-energy degree of freedom that is energetically separated from the other ABSs. This low-energy degree of freedom can be exploited to define a special type of ASQ, which we dub the vortex spin qubit (VSQ). We show that single-qubit gates for VSQs can be performed via flux driving, while readout can be achieved by adapting standard circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) techniques developed for conventional ASQs. We further outline how an entangling two-qubit gate can be performed using an ac current drive. We argue that VSQs offer prospects for a substantial reduction in device complexity and hardware overhead compared to conventional ASQ implementations, while preserving key advantages such as supercurrent-based readout, single-qubit gates, and long-range two-qubit gates.