Aharonov-Bohm (AB) caging is a complete localization phenomenon in two-dimensional lattices due to destructive interference induced by the background gauge fields. However, current investigations of AB caging are mostly restricted to the Abelian gauge field case, and the observation of AB caging under non-Abelian gauge fields in a quantum system still remains elusive. Here, we report experimental realization of tunable synthetic non-Abelian SU(2) gauge fields in a rhombic lattice, engineered within the synthetic dimensions of a vibrating trapped ion with multiple levels. We realize AB caging under both Abelian and non-Abelian gauge fields and systematically investigate the distinctive transport properties of the non-Abelian case. In particular, we observe typical emergent quantum dynamics unique to non-Abelian AB caging, including initial-state-dependent dynamics, second-order effects, and asymmetric caging behavior. These observations demonstrate the trapped ion system as a powerful platform for simulating emergent phenomena in high-dimensional quantum systems with exotic synthetic gauge fields.
Aharonov-Bohm (AB) caging is the complete wavefunction localization effect in translational-invariant lattices induced by destructive phase interference. These phases originate from the gauge fields such as the penetrated magnetic fields, which are directly related to several novel topological quantum states of matter. Recently, this effect has demonstrated significant potential for applications in quantum simulation and topological quantum computation. Here, we propose a scalable protocol to derive universal conditions for AB caging with multi-flux. The numerical simulations validate the theoretical predictions by directly observing AB caging phenomena. We also investigate the breakage of the caging effect with onsite detuning. Our protocol can be directly tested in several quantum many-body platforms and provides an alternative approach for advancing quantum simulation of exotic state matter.
As a cornerstone of advanced quantum techniques, parameter estimation is fundamental to precision measurement in physics. Although quantum-enhanced estimation of single parameter has been demonstrated in various two-level systems, measurable parameters remain highly limited. While multilevel quantum systems are capable of measuring diverse parameters, achieving this under general quantum dynamics remains a daunting challenge. Here, we propose a versatile framework for parameter estimation in multilevel systems under general quantum dynamics. Furthermore, we experimentally demonstrate quantum-enhanced measurement of relative values between multiple parameters using a superconducting qutrit sensor. In our experiments, two resonant microwave drives with distinct phases and amplitudes are used to coherently encode parameters into the qutrit. We achieve quantum-enhanced measurement of the ratio of two Rabi frequencies, the phase sum, and the phase difference between the microwave fields, demonstrating precision approaching the Heisenberg limit. Our Letter advances the frontier of quantum metrology and offers new possibilities for high-precision, resource-efficient measurements, with broad applications across science and technology.
In the lattice system, when the synthetic flux reaches a π phase along a closed loop under the synthetic gauge field, destructive interference occurs and gives rise to the localization phenomenon. This is known as the Aharonov-Bohm (AB) caging effect. It provides a powerful tool for the study of quantum transportation and dynamical effects. In the system where lattice sites possess internal structure and the underlying gauge field is non-Abelian, localization can also occur, forming the non-Abelian AB caging. Here, we propose an experimental scheme to synthesize non-Abelian gauge fields with a single trapped ion by coupling multiple internal levels and Fock states in its motion via laser fields. In contrast to the Abelian AB caging, we numerically observe that the non-Abelian AB caging occurs either when the interference matrix is nilpotent, or when the initial state is specifically set. Our experimental scheme broadens the study of localization phenomena and provides a novel tool for the study of non-Abelian physics.
The Hamiltonian, which determines the evolution of a quantum system, is fundamental in quantum physics. Therefore, it is crucial to implement high-precision generation and measurement of the Hamiltonian in a practical quantum system. Here, we experimentally demonstrate ultrahigh-precision Hamiltonian parameter estimation with a significant quantum advantage in a superconducting circuit via sequential control. We first observe the commutation relation for noncommuting operations determined by the system Hamiltonian, both with and without adding quantum control, verifying the commuting property of controlled noncommuting operations. Based on this control-induced commuting property, we further demonstrate Hamiltonian parameter estimation for polar and azimuth angles in superconducting circuits, achieving ultrahigh metrological gains in measurement precision exceeding the standard quantum limit by up to 16.0 and 16.1 dB at N 1/4 100, respectively.
Fock states with a well-defined number of photons in an oscillator have shown a wide range of applications in quantum information science. Nonetheless, their usefulness has been marred by single and multiple photon losses due to unavoidable environment-induced dissipation. Though several dissipation engineering methods have been developed to counteract the leading single-photon loss error, averting multiple photon losses remains elusive. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a dissipation engineering method that autonomously stabilizes multi-photon Fock states against losses of multiple photons using a cascaded selective photon-addition operation in a superconducting quantum circuit. Through measuring the photon-number populations and Wigner tomography of the oscillator states, we observe a prolonged preservation of nonclassical Wigner negativities for the stabilized Fock states $\vert N\rangle$ with $N=1,2,3$ for a duration of about 10 ms. Furthermore, the dissipation engineering method demonstrated here also facilitates the implementation of a non-unitary operation for resetting a binomially-encoded logical qubit. These results highlight potential applications in error-correctable quantum information processing against multi-photon-loss errors.
High-fidelity universal quantum gates are widely acknowledged as essential for scalable quantum computation. However, in solid-state quantum systems, which hold promise as physical implementation platforms for quantum computation, the inevitable $ZZ$ crosstalk resulting from interqubit interactions significantly impairs quantum operation performance. Here we propose a scalable protocol to achieve $ZZ$-crosstalk mitigation in universal quantum gates. This method converts the noisy Hamiltonian with $ZZ$ crosstalk into a framework that efficiently suppresses all $ZZ$-crosstalk effects, leading to ideal target quantum operations. Specifically, we first analytically derive the $ZZ$-crosstalk mitigation conditions and then apply them to enhance the performance of target universal quantum gates. Moreover, numerical simulations validate the effectiveness of $ZZ$-crosstalk mitigation when multiple qubit gates operate concurrently. As a result, our protocol presents a promising approach for implementing practical parallel quantum gates in large-scale quantum computation scenarios.
Quantum metrology uses non-classical states, such as Fock states with a specific number of photons, to achieve an advantage over classical sensing methods. Typically, quantum metrological performance can be enhanced by increasing the involved excitation numbers, for example, by using large-photon-number Fock states. However, manipulating these states and demonstrating a quantum metrological advantage is experimentally challenging. Here we present an efficient method for generating large Fock states approaching 100 photons within a superconducting microwave cavity through the development of a programmable photon number filter. Using these states in displacement and phase measurements, we demonstrate quantum-enhanced metrology approaching the Heisenberg scaling for 40-photon Fock states and achieve a maximum metrological gain of up to 14.8 dB, highlighting the metrological advantages of large Fock states. Our study could be readily extended to mechanical and optical systems, promising potential applications in weak force detection and dark matter searches. Non-classical states with a large, definite number of photons can now be produced in a superconducting cavity and used for quantum-enhanced sensing.
Quantum error correction (QEC) aims to protect logical qubits from noises by using the redundancy of a large Hilbert space, which allows errors to be detected and corrected in real time1. In most QEC codes2-8, a logical qubit is encoded in some discrete variables, for example photon numbers, so that the encoded quantum information can be unambiguously extracted after processing. Over the past decade, repetitive QEC has been demonstrated with various discrete-variable-encoded scenarios9-17. However, extending the lifetimes of thus-encoded logical qubits beyond the best available physical qubit still remains elusive, which represents a break-even point for judging the practical usefulness of QEC. Here we demonstrate a QEC procedure in a circuit quantum electrodynamics architecture18, where the logical qubit is binomially encoded in photon-number states of a microwave cavity8, dispersively coupled to an auxiliary superconducting qubit. By applying a pulse featuring a tailored frequency comb to the auxiliary qubit, we can repetitively extract the error syndrome with high fidelity and perform error correction with feedback control accordingly, thereby exceeding the break-even point by about 16% lifetime enhancement. Our work illustrates the potential of hardware-efficient discrete-variable encodings for fault-tolerant quantum computation19.
The hybrid quantum system composed of superconductor and cold atoms is expected to achieve fast quantum gates, long-life quantum storage and long-distance transmission through optical fibers, making it one of the most promising hybrid quantum systems to realize optical interconnection between two superconducting quantum computers. In this paper, we comprehensively review the recent research advancements in the optical interconnection of two superconducting quantum computers, based on the superconductor and cold atoms hybrid quantum system, specifically the review covers the coherent coupling between superconducting chips and cold atoms, the coherent microwave-to-optics conversion, and the long-range microwave interconnection between superconducting qubits and quantum converters. The system is expected to provide a physical and technical foundation for practical optical-fiber interconnection of two superconducting quantum computers, and have broad applications in distributed superconducting quantum computation and hybrid quantum networks.
The superconductor and cold atoms hybrid quantum system is poised to realize fast quantum gates, long-life quantum storage and long-distance transmission through optical fibers, making it one of the most promising hybrid quantum systems for achieving optical interconnection between two superconducting quantum computers. This paper provides a comprehensive review of recent research advancements in the optical interconnection of two superconducting quantum computers, based on the superconductor and cold atoms hybrid quantum system. This encompasses the coherent coupling between superconducting chips and cold atoms, the coherent microwave-to-optics conversion, and the long-range microwave interconnection between superconducting qubits and quantum converters. The system is expected to provide a physical and technical foundation for practical optical-fiber interconnection of two superconducting quantum computers, and have broad applications in distributed superconducting quantum computation and hybrid quantum networks.
For larger-scale quantum information processing, qubit reset plays an important role, as the coherent times for qubits are limited. However, previous schemes require either long reset times or a complex pulse calibration technique, leading to low efficiency in qubit reset. Here, we propose a fast and simple reset protocol for superconducting transmon qubits based on the coupler-coupled qubits architecture. In this setup, a mixing pulse is used to transfer the qubit excitation to the combined excitation of a low-qulity coupler and readout resonator, which will quickly decay to their respectively ground states, leading to efficient qubit reset to the ground state. Our numerical results show that the residual population of the qubit's excited state can be suppressed to 0.04% within 28 ns; the reset time will be 283 ns if photon depletion of the readout resonator is required. Thus, our protocol provides a promising way for the high-efficiency superconducting qubit reset.
Unwanted ZZ interaction is a quantum-mechanical crosstalk phenomenon which correlates qubit dynamics and is ubiquitous in superconducting qubit systems. It adversely affects the quality of quantum operations and can be detrimental in scalable quantum information processing. Here we propose and experimentally demonstrate a practically extensible approach for complete cancellation of residual ZZ interaction between fixed-frequency transmon qubits, which are known for long coherence and simple control. We apply to the intermediate coupler that connects the qubits a weak microwave drive at a properly chosen frequency in order to noninvasively induce an ac Stark shift for ZZ cancellation. We verify the cancellation performance by measuring vanishing two-qubit entangling phases and ZZ correlations. In addition, we implement a randomized benchmarking experiment to extract the idling gate fidelity which shows good agreement with the coherence limit, demonstrating the effectiveness of ZZ cancellation. Our method allows independent addressability of each qubit-qubit connection and is applicable to both nontunable and tunable couplers, promising better compatibility with future large-scale quantum processors.
Implementing quantum algorithms on realistic devices requires translating high-level global operations into sequences of hardware-native logic gates, a process known as quantum compiling. Physical limitations, such as constraints in connectivity and gate alphabets, often result in unacceptable implementation costs. To enable successful near-term applications, it is crucial to optimize compilation by exploiting the capabilities of existing hardware. Here we implement a resource-efficient construction for a quantum version of AND logic that can reduce the compilation overhead, enabling the execution of key quantum circuits. On a high-scalability superconducting quantum processor, we demonstrate low-depth synthesis of high-fidelity generalized Toffoli gates with up to 8 qubits and Grover’s search algorithm in a search space of up to 64 entries. Our experimental demonstration illustrates a scalable and widely applicable approach to implementing quantum algorithms, bringing more meaningful quantum applications on noisy devices within reach.
Quantum state transfer (QST) and entangled state generation (ESG) are important building blocks for modern quantum information processing. To achieve these tasks, convention wisdom is to consult the quantum adiabatic evolution, which is time-consuming, and thus is of low fidelity. Here, using the shortcut to adiabaticity technique, we propose a general method to realize high-fidelity fast QST and ESG in a cavity-coupled many qubits system via its dark pathways, which can be further designed for high-fidelity quantum tasks with different optimization purpose. Specifically, with a proper dark pathway, QST and ESG between any two qubits can be achieved without decoupling the others, which simplifies experimental demonstrations. Meanwhile, ESG among all qubits can also be realized in a single step. In addition, our scheme can be implemented in many quantum systems, and we illustrate its implementation on superconducting quantum circuits. Therefore, we propose a powerful strategy for selective quantum manipulation, which is promising in cavity coupled quantum systems and could find many convenient applications in quantum information processing.
Geometric phases are robust against certain types of local noises, and thus provide a promising way towards high-fidelity quantum gates. However, comparing with the dynamical ones, previous implementations of nonadiabatic geometric quantum gates usually require longer evolution time, due to the needed longer evolution path. Here, we propose a scheme to realize nonadiabatic geometric quantum gates with short paths based on simple pulse control techniques, instead of deliberated pulse control in previous investigations, which can thus further suppress the influence from the environment induced noises. Specifically, we illustrate the idea on a superconducting quantum circuit, which is one of the most promising platforms for realizing practical quantum computer. As the current scheme shortens the geometric evolution path, we can obtain ultra-high gate fidelity, especially for the two-qubit gate case, as verified by our numerical simulation. Therefore, our protocol suggests a promising way towards high-fidelity and roust quantum computation on a solid-state quantum system.
Sai Li,1, 2, 3, ∗ Bao-Jie Liu,1, 4, ∗ Zhongchu Ni,1, 4 Libo Zhang,1, 2, 3 Zheng-Yuan Xue,5, 6, 2 Jian Li,1, 2, 3 Fei Yan,1, 2, 3 Yuanzhen Chen,1, 4, † Song Liu,1, 2, 3, ‡ Man-Hong Yung,1, 4, § Yuan Xu,1, 2, 3, ¶ and Dapeng Yu1, 2, 3 Shenzhen Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Quantum Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China Department of Physics, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Engineering and Quantum Materials, and School of Physics and Telecommunication Engineering, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory of Quantum Matter, and Frontier Research Institute for Physics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Besides its fundamental importance, non-reciprocity has also found many potential applications in quantum technology. Recently, many quantum systems have been proposed to realize non-reciprocity, but stable non-reciprocal process is still experimentally difficult in general, due to the needed cyclical interactions in artificial systems or operational difficulties in solid state materials. Here, we propose a new kind of interaction induced non-reciprocal operation, based on the conventional stimulated-Raman-adiabatic-passage (STIRAP) setup, which removes the experimental difficulty of requiring cyclical interaction, and thus it is directly implementable in various quantum systems. Furthermore, we also illustrate our proposal on a chain of three coupled superconducting transmons, which can lead to a non-reciprocal circulator with high fidelity without a ring coupling configuration as in the previous schemes or implementations. Therefore, our protocol provides a promising way to explore fundamental non-reciprocal quantum physics as well as realize non-reciprocal quantum device.
For circuit-based quantum computation, experimental implementation of a universal set of quantum logic gates with high-fidelity and strong robustness is essential and central. Quantum gates induced by geometric phases, which depend only on global properties of the evolution paths, have built-in noise-resilience features. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate nonadiabatic holonomic single-qubit quantum gates on two dark paths in a trapped 171Yb+ ion based on four-level systems with resonant drives. We confirm the implementation with measured gate fidelity through both quantum process tomography and randomized benchmarking methods. Meanwhile, we find that nontrivial holonomic two-qubit quantum gates can also be realized within current experimental technologies. Compared with previous implementations, our experiments share both the advantages of fast nonadiabatic evolution and robustness against systematic errors. Therefore, our experiments confirm a promising method for fast and robust holonomic quantum computation.
High-fidelity quantum gates are essential for large-scale quantum computation. However, any quantum manipulation will inevitably affected by noises, systematic errors and decoherence effects, which lead to infidelity of a target quantum task. Therefore, implementing high-fidelity, robust and fast quantum gates is highly desired. Here, we propose a fast and robust scheme to construct high-fidelity holonomic quantum gates for universal quantum computation based on resonant interaction of three-level quantum systems via shortcuts to adiabaticity. In our proposal, the target Hamiltonian to induce noncyclic non-Abelian geometric phases can be inversely engineered with less evolution time and demanding experimentally, leading to high-fidelity quantum gates in a simple setup. Besides, our scheme is readily realizable in physical system currently pursued for implementation of quantum computation. Therefore, our proposal represents a promising way towards fault-tolerant geometric quantum computation.