Quasiparticle Dynamics in a Superconducting Qubit Irradiated by a Localized Infrared Source

A known source of decoherence in superconducting qubits is the presence of broken Cooper pairs, or quasiparticles. These can be generated by high-energy radiation, either present in the environment or purposefully introduced, as in the case of some hybrid quantum devices. Here, we systematically stu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inPhysical review letters Vol. 133; no. 6; p. 060602
Main Authors Benevides, R, Drimmer, M, Bisson, G, Adinolfi, F, Lüpke, U V, Doeleman, H M, Catelani, G, Chu, Y
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 09.08.2024
Online AccessGet more information

Cover

More Information
Summary:A known source of decoherence in superconducting qubits is the presence of broken Cooper pairs, or quasiparticles. These can be generated by high-energy radiation, either present in the environment or purposefully introduced, as in the case of some hybrid quantum devices. Here, we systematically study the properties of a transmon qubit under illumination by focused infrared radiation with various powers, durations, and spatial locations. Despite the high energy of incident photons, our observations agree well with a model of low-energy quasiparticle dynamics dominated by trapping. This technique can be used for understanding and potentially mitigating the effects of high-energy radiation on superconducting circuits with a variety of geometries and materials.
ISSN:1079-7114
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.133.060602