Diagram of FPGA controller monitoring the fluctuations in a superconducting qubit (IMAGE)
Caption
A qubit is the basic unit of a quantum computer, similar to a bit in a classical computer. In this work, the qubit is made from a superconducting circuit whose energy can leak into its environment. The rate of this energy loss is not constant: it fluctuates over time due to environmental noise (top panel). Previous measurement methods were too slow to follow these rapid changes and could only measure an average value. Here, a fast classical controller powered by a field-programmable gate array (FPGA, bottom panel) continuously monitors changes in the energy-loss rate in real time, using the outcomes of repeated measurements (1, 0, 0, …). The controller adapts the timing of control pulses in real time, allowing it to track fluctuations that occur much faster than previously thought.
Credit
Fabrizio Berritta
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