A directional superconducting parametric amplifier in the GHz frequency range is designed and analyzed, suitable for low-power read-out of microwave kinetic inductance detectors employed in astrophysics and when combined with a nonreciprocal device at its input also for circuit quantum electrodynamics. It consists of a one-wavelength-long nondegenerate Josephson parametric reflection amplifier circuit. The device has two Josephson-junction oscillators, connected via a tailored impedance to an on-chip passive circuit which directs the in- to the output port. The amplifier provides a gain of 20 dB over a bandwidth of 220 MHz on the signal as well as on the idler portion of the amplified input and the total photon shot noise referred to the input corresponds to maximally approximately $1.3$ photons per second per Hertz of bandwidth. We predict a factor of 4 increase in dynamic range compared to conventional Josephson parametric amplifiers.

Atomic systems display a rich variety of quantum dynamics due to the different possible symmetries obeyed by the atoms. These symmetries result in selection rules that have been essential for the quantum control of atomic systems. Superconducting artificial atoms are mainly governed by parity symmetry. Its corresponding selection rule limits the types of quantum systems that can be built using electromagnetic circuits at their optimal coherence operation points (“sweet spots”). We use third-order nonlinear coupling between the artificial atom and its readout resonator to engineer the selection rules of our atom, allowing us to drive transitions forbidden by the parity selection rule for linear coupling to microwave radiation. A $\mathrm{\Lambda }$-type system emerges from these newly accessible transitions, implemented here in the fluxonium artificial atom coupled to its “antenna” resonator. We demonstrate coherent manipulation of the fluxonium artificial atom at its sweet spot by stimulated Raman transitions. This type of transition enables the creation of previously inaccessible quantum operations, such as the control and readout of physically protected artificial atoms.

Universal quantum gates and quantum error correction (QEC) lie at the heart of quantum-information science. Large-scale quantum computing depends on a universal set of quantum gates, in which some gates may be easily carried out, while others are restricted to certain physical systems. There is a unique three-qubit quantum gate called the Deutsch gate [$\mathbb{D}(\theta )$], from which a circuit can be constructed so that any feasible quantum computing is attainable. We design an easily realizable $\mathbb{D}(\theta )$ by using the Rydberg blockade of neutral atoms, where $\theta$ can be tuned to any value in $[0,\pi ]$ by adjusting the strengths of external control fields. Using similar protocols, we further show that both the Toffoli and controlled-not gates can be achieved with only three laser pulses. The Toffoli gate, being universal for classical reversible computing, is also useful for QEC, which plays an important role in quantum communication and fault-tolerant quantum computation. The possibility and speed of realizing these gates shed light on the study of quantum information with neutral atoms.

Quantum computers require interfaces with classical electronics for efficient qubit control, measurement, and fast data processing. Fabricating the qubit and the classical control layer using the same technology is appealing because it will facilitate the integration process, improving feedback speeds and offering potential solutions to wiring and layout challenges. Integrating classical and quantum devices monolithically, using complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) processes, enables the processor to profit from the most mature industrial technology for the fabrication of large-scale circuits. We demonstrate a CMOS single-electron memory cell composed of a single quantum dot and a transistor that locks charge on the quantum-dot gate. The single-electron memory cell is conditionally read out by gate-based dispersive sensing using a lumped-element $LC$ resonator. The control field-effect transistor (FET) and quantum dot are fabricated on the same chip using fully depleted silicon-on-insulator technology. We obtain a charge sensitivity of $\delta q=95\times {10}^{-6}e{\mathrm{\text{Hz}}}^{-1/2}$ when the quantum-dot readout is enabled by the control FET, comparable to results without the control FET. Additionally, we observe a single-electron retention time on the order of a second when storing a single-electron charge on the quantum dot at millikelvin temperatures. These results demonstrate first steps towards time-based multiplexing of gate-based dispersive readout in CMOS quantum devices opening the path for the development of an all-silicon quantum-classical processor.

We demonstrate optical readout of a single spin using cavity quantum electrodynamics. The spin is based on a single trapped electron in a quantum dot that has a poor branching ratio of 0.43. Selectively coupling one of the optical transitions of the quantum dot to the cavity mode results in a spin-dependent cavity reflectivity that enables spin readout by monitoring the reflected intensity of an incident optical field. Using this approach, we demonstrate spin-readout fidelity of 0.61. Achieving this fidelity using resonance fluorescence from a bare dot would require 43 times improvement in photon collection efficiency.

Recently, we proposed a simultaneous quantum and classical communication (SQCC) protocol where random numbers for quantum key distribution and bits for classical communication are encoded on the same weak coherent pulse and decoded by the same coherent receiver. Such a scheme could be appealing in practice since a single coherent communication system can be used for multiple purposes. However, previous studies show that the SQCC protocol can tolerate only very small phase noise. This makes it incompatible with the coherent communication scheme using a true local oscillator (LO), which presents a relatively high phase noise due to the fact that the signal and the LO are generated from two independent lasers. We improve the phase noise tolerance of the SQCC scheme using a true LO by adopting a refined noise model where phase noises originating from different sources are treated differently: on the one hand, phase noise associated with the coherent receiver may be regarded as trusted noise since the detector can be calibrated locally and the photon statistics of the detected signals can be determined from the measurement results; on the other hand, phase noise due to the instability of fiber interferometers may be regarded as untrusted noise since its randomness (from the adversary’s point of view) is hard to justify. Simulation results show the tolerable phase noise in this refined noise model is significantly higher than that in the previous study, where all of the phase noises are assumed to be untrusted. We conduct an experiment to show that the required phase stability can be achieved in a coherent communication system using a true LO.

Simulating strongly correlated fermionic systems is notoriously hard on classical computers. An alternative approach, as proposed by Feynman, is to use a quantum computer. We discuss simulating strongly correlated fermionic systems using near-term quantum devices. We focus specifically on two-dimensional (2D) or linear geometry with nearest-neighbor qubit-qubit couplings, typical for superconducting transmon qubit arrays. We improve an existing algorithm to prepare an arbitrary Slater determinant by exploiting a unitary symmetry. We also present a quantum algorithm to prepare an arbitrary fermionic Gaussian state with $O(N^2)$ gates and $O(N)$ circuit depth. Both algorithms are optimal in the sense that the numbers of parameters in the quantum circuits are equal to those describing the quantum states. Furthermore, we propose an algorithm to implement the 2D fermionic Fourier transformation on a 2D qubit array with only $O(N^{1.5})$ gates and $O(\sqrt{N})$ circuit depth, which is the minimum depth required for quantum information to travel across the qubit array. We also present methods to simulate each time step in the evolution of the 2D Fermi-Hubbard model—again on a 2D qubit array—with $O(N)$ gates and $O(\sqrt{N})$ circuit depth. Finally, we discuss how these algorithms can be used to determine the ground-state properties and phase diagrams of strongly correlated quantum systems using the Hubbard model as an example.

Fast-gated avalanche photodiodes (APDs) are the most commonly used single photon detectors for high-bit-rate quantum key distribution (QKD). Their robustness against external attacks is crucial to the overall security of a QKD system, or even an entire QKD network. We investigate the behavior of a gigahertz-gated, self-differencing (In,Ga)As APD under strong illumination, a tactic Eve often uses to bring detectors under her control. Our experiment and modeling reveal that the negative feedback by the photocurrent safeguards the detector from being blinded through reducing its avalanche probability and/or strengthening the capacitive response. Based on this finding, we propose a set of best-practice criteria for designing and operating fast-gated APD detectors to ensure their practical security in QKD.

A Josephson parametric amplifier (JPA) can create squeezed states of microwave light, lowering the noise associated with certain quantum measurements. We experimentally study how the JPA’s pump influences the phase-sensitive amplification and deamplification of a coherent tone’s amplitude when that amplitude is commensurate with vacuum fluctuations. We predict and demonstrate that, by operating the JPA with a single current pump whose power is greater than the value that maximizes gain, the amplifier distortion is reduced and, consequently, squeezing is improved. Optimizing the singly pumped JPA’s operation in this fashion, we directly observe $3.87\pm 0.03\mathrm{dB}$ of vacuum squeezing over a bandwidth of 30 MHz.

In spin-based quantum-information-processing devices, the presence of control and detection circuitry can change the local environment of a spin by introducing strain and electric fields, altering its resonant frequencies. These resonance shifts can be large compared to intrinsic spin linewidths, and it is therefore important to study, understand, and model such effects in order to better predict device performance. We investigate a sample of bismuth donor spins implanted in a silicon chip, on top of which a superconducting aluminum microresonator is fabricated. The on-chip resonator provides two functions: it produces local strain in the silicon due to the larger thermal contraction of the aluminum, and it enables sensitive electron spin-resonance spectroscopy of donors close to the surface that experience this strain. Through finite-element strain simulations, we are able to reconstruct key features of our experiments, including the electron spin-resonance spectra. Our results are consistent with a recently observed mechanism for producing shifts of the hyperfine interaction for donors in silicon, which is linear with the hydrostatic component of an applied strain.

Strong photon-photon interactions are a required ingredient for deterministic two-photon optical quantum logic gates. Multiphoton transitions in dense atomic vapors have been shown to be a promising avenue for producing such interactions. The strength of a multiphoton interaction can be enhanced by conducting the interaction in highly confined geometries such as small-cross-section optical waveguides. We demonstrate, both experimentally and theoretically, that the strength of such interactions scale only with the optical mode diameter, $d$, not $d^2$ as might be initially expected. This weakening of the interaction arises from atomic motion inside the waveguides. We create an interaction between two optical signals, at 780 and 776 nm, using the $5S_{1/2}\to 5D_{5/2}$ two-photon transition in rubidium vapor within a range of hollow-core fibers with different core sizes. The interaction strength is characterized by observing the absorption and phase shift induced on the 780-nm beam, which is in close agreement with theoretical modeling that accounts for the atomic motion inside the fibers. These observations demonstrate that transit-time effects upon multiphoton transitions are of key importance when engineering photon-photon interactions within small-cross-section waveguides that might otherwise be thought to lead to enhanced optical nonlinearity through increased intensities.

An optoelectromechanical system formed by a nanomembrane capacitively coupled to an $LC$ resonator and to an optical interferometer has recently been employed for the highly sensitive optical readout of rf signals [T. Bagci et al., Nature (London) 507, 81 (2013)]. We propose and experimentally demonstrate how the bandwidth of such a transducer can be increased by controlling the interference between two electromechanical interaction pathways of a two-mode mechanical system. With a proof-of-principle device operating at room temperature, we achieve a sensitivity of $300\mathrm{nV}/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$ over a bandwidth of 15 kHz in the presence of radio-frequency noise, and an optimal shot-noise-limited sensitivity of $10\mathrm{nV}/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$ over a bandwidth of 5 kHz. We discuss strategies for improving the performance of the device, showing that, for the same given sensitivity, a mechanical multimode transducer can achieve a bandwidth significantly larger than that for a single-mode one.

We present a fully fiber-coupled source of high-fidelity single photons. An (In,Ga)As semiconductor quantum dot is embedded in an optical Fabry-Perot microcavity with a robust design and rigidly attached single-mode fibers, which enables through-fiber cross-polarized resonant laser excitation and photon extraction. Even without spectral filtering, we observe that the incident coherent light pulses are transformed into a stream of single photons with high purity (97%) and indistinguishability (90%), which is measured at an in-fiber brightness of 5% with an excellent cavity-mode-to-fiber coupling efficiency of 85%. Our results pave the way for fully fiber-integrated photonic quantum networks. Furthermore, our method is equally applicable to fiber-coupled solid-state cavity-QED-based photonic quantum gates.

Although various defect centers have displayed promise as either quantum sensors, single photon emitters, or light-matter interfaces, the search for an ideal defect with multifunctional ability remains open. In this spirit, we study the dichroic silicon vacancies in silicon carbide that feature two well-distinguishable zero-phonon lines and analyze the quantum properties in their optical emission and spin control. We demonstrate that this center combines 40% optical emission into the zero-phonon lines showing the contrasting difference in optical properties with varying temperature and polarization, and a 100% increase in the fluorescence intensity upon the spin resonance, and long spin coherence time of their spin-$3/2$ ground states up to 0.6 ms. These results single out this defect center as a promising system for spin-based quantum technologies.

Quantum computing architectures rely on classical electronics for control and readout. Employing classical electronics in a feedback loop with the quantum system allows us to stabilize states, correct errors, and realize specific feedforward-based quantum computing and communication schemes such as deterministic quantum teleportation. These feedback and feedforward operations are required to be fast compared to the coherence time of the quantum system to minimize the probability of errors. We present a field-programmable-gate-array-based digital signal processing system capable of real-time quadrature demodulation, a determination of the qubit state, and a generation of state-dependent feedback trigger signals. The feedback trigger is generated with a latency of 110 ns with respect to the timing of the analog input signal. We characterize the performance of the system for an active qubit initialization protocol based on the dispersive readout of a superconducting qubit and discuss potential applications in feedback and feedforward algorithms.

We present measurements of low-frequency charge noise and conductance drift in modulation-doped $\mathrm{GaAs}/{\text{Al}}_x{\text{Ga}}_{1-x}\text{As}$ heterostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy in which the silicon doping density is varied from $2.4\times {10}^{18}$ (critically doped) to $6.0\times {10}^{18}{\mathrm{cm}}^{-3}$ (overdoped). Quantum point contacts are used to detect charge fluctuations. A clear reduction of both short-time-scale telegraphic noise and long-time-scale conductance drift with decreased doping density is observed. These measurements indicate that the neutral doping region plays a significant role in charge noise and conductance drift.

Spin noise (SN) spectroscopy measurements on delicate semiconductor spin systems, like single (In,Ga)As quantum dots, are currently not limited by optical shot noise but rather by the electronic noise of the detection system. We report on a realization of homodyne SN spectroscopy enabling shot-noise-limited SN measurements. The proof-of-principle measurements on impurities in an isotopically enriched rubidium atom vapor show that homodyne SN spectroscopy can be utilized even in the low-frequency spectrum, which facilitates advanced semiconductor spin research like higher order SN measurements on spin qubits.

In a specially designed semiconductor device consisting of three capacitively coupled double quantum dots, we achieve strong and tunable coupling between a target qubit and two control qubits. We demonstrate how to completely switch on and off the target qubit’s coherent rotations by presetting two control qubits’ states. A Toffoli gate is, therefore, possible based on these control effects. This research paves a way for realizing full quantum-logic operations in semiconductor multiqubit systems.

We use microwave radiation generated by a semiconductor double-quantum-dot (DQD) micromaser for charge-state detection. A cavity is populated with $n_c\sim 6000$ photons by driving a current through an emitter DQD. These photons are used to sense the charge state of a target DQD that is located at the opposite end of the cavity. The charge dynamics in the target DQD influences the output power and emission frequency of the maser. Three different readout mechanisms are compared. The detection scheme requires no cavity input field and may potentially be used to improve the scalability of semiconductor and superconducting qubit readout technologies.

We experimentally demonstrate quantum-coherent dynamics of a triple-dot-based multielectron hybrid qubit. Pulsed experiments show that this system can be conveniently initialized, controlled, measured electrically, and has a good ratio $Q\sim 29$ between the coherence time and gate time. Furthermore, the current multielectron hybrid qubit has an operation frequency that is tunable in a wide range, from 2 to about 15 GHz. We also provide a qualitative understanding of the experimental observations by mapping them onto a three-electron system. The demonstration of the high tunability in a triple dot system could be potentially useful for future quantum control.