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Superconducting-qubit decoherence correlated with detected radiation events

Alessandro R. Castelli*, Kristin M. Beck, Loren D. H. Alegria, Luis A. Martinez, Kevin R. Chaves, Sean R. O’Kelley, Nicholas Materise, Jonathan L DuBois, and Yaniv J. Rosen

  • *Contact author: castelli1@llnl.gov
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Phys. Rev. Applied 26, 044052 – Published 19 October, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/ddyy-t37l

Abstract

Most quantum error-correction (QEC) protocols for superconducting qubits assume spatially and temporally uncorrelated decoherence events; however, recent evidence suggests that cosmic radiation induces spatially correlated errors. We present a platform that sandwiches a superconducting transmon qubit between two microwave kinetic inductance detector (MKID) arrays, enabling real-time detection of radiation-induced phonon bursts. By synchronizing MKID event detection with single-shot measurements of qubit energy relaxation (T1) and phase coherence (T2), we observe statistically significant reductions in both T1 and T2—up to 30.5%—immediately following dual MKID events attributed to penetrating muons. Our findings directly link radiating events to correlated qubit decoherence. Furthermore, our experimental platform provides a foundation for systematic studies of radiation effects, the development of shielding and mitigation techniques, and the refinement of error-correction algorithms tailored to correlated noise sources.

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Phys. Rev. Applied 26, 044052– Published 19 October, 2026
  • Received 14 January 2026
  • Revised 9 July 2026
  • Accepted 13 August 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

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