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Nondegenerate Josephson Mixers with Enhanced Bandwidth and Saturation Power for Quantum Signal Amplification and Transduction

Baleegh Abdo*, Dongbing Shao, Shayne Cairns, Jae-woong Nah, Oblesh Jinka, Srikanth Srinivasan, Thomas McConkey, Vincent Arena, and Corrado Mancini

  • *Contact author: babdo@us.ibm.com
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PRX Quantum 7, 020344 – Published 1 June, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/s1s8-r7y2

Abstract

Nondegenerate Josephson mixers (JMs), formed by coupling two different transmission-line resonators to Josephson ring modulators (JRMs), are vital and versatile devices capable of processing microwave signals at the quantum limit. Owing to the lossless nondegenerate three-wave mixing process enabled by the JRM, JMs can perform phase-preserving amplification of quantum signals, generate two-mode squeezed states, and perform noiseless frequency conversion. However, due to their limited bandwidth and saturation power, such resonator-based JMs are generally unable to simultaneously process frequency-multiplexed signals required in large quantum processors. To overcome this longstanding dual challenge, we redesign the JRM parameters by optimizing its inductances to suppress higher order mixing products and engineer its electromagnetic environment by incorporating lumped-element coupled-mode networks between the JRM and the two distinct ports of the JM. By implementing these strategies, we measure for JMs realized with four coupled modes per port, operated in amplification (conversion), bandwidths of about 400 MHz (700 MHz) with power reflections above 10 dB (below −10 dB) and saturation powers of about −110 dBm at 15 dB (−91 dBm at −26 dB). Similarly, we demonstrate for a low external quality factor resonant-mode JM operated in conversion, a maximum bandwidth of about 670 MHz with power reflections below −10 dB and a maximum saturation power of about −86 dBm at −17 dB. Such nondegenerate JMs with enhanced bandwidths and saturation powers could serve in a variety of frequency-multiplexed settings ranging from high-fidelity qubit readout and unidirectional routing of quantum signals to the generation of remote entanglement with continuous variables.

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Popular Summary

Amplifying weak coherent signals with minimum added noise and converting their frequencies coherently without loss are two elementary and useful operations in the toolbox of analog quantum information processing. Such operations can be performed in the microwave domain using wave mixing processes in parametrically driven Josephson-based circuits. One prominent example of such a nonlinear device is the nondegenerate Josephson mixer (JM), which is formed by coupling a nonlinear three-wave mixing medium, known as the Josephson ring modulator (JRM), to two different transmission-line resonators. While JMs have been quite instrumental in enabling high-fidelity qubit readout, unidirectional routing of signals, and generation of highly entangled microwave modes, they are generally precluded from frequency-multiplexed setups required in large quantum processors due to their narrow bandwidths and low saturation powers.

In this work, we overcome this longstanding dual challenge by re-engineering the JRM parameters and their electromagnetic environment. In particular, we design and integrate impedance matching networks in the form of capacitively coupled lumped-element LC resonators between the JRM and the two external ports of the device. Using this coupled-mode design, we demonstrate significant enhancement in the bandwidth (x25) and saturation power (x100–1000) of JMs in the amplification and conversion mode of operation compared to the standard resonant-based design.

Such nondegenerate coupled-mode JMs with enhanced bandwidths and saturation powers could serve in a variety of frequency-multiplexed settings ranging from high fidelity readout of multiple qubits and unidirectional routing of numerous quantum signals to generation of remote entanglement with continuous variables in modular quantum computers.

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PRX Quantum 7, 020344– Published 1 June, 2026
  • Received 8 August 2025
  • Revised 20 January 2026
  • Accepted 22 April 2026
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