Phase-slip flux qubits
Abstract
In thin superconducting wires, phase-slip by thermal activation near the critical temperature is a well-known effect. It has recently become clear that phase-slip by quantum tunnelling through the energy barrier can also have a significant rate at low temperatures. In this paper it is suggested that quantum phase-slip can be used to realize a superconducting quantum bit without Josephson junctions. A loop containing a nanofabricated very thin wire is biased with an externally applied magnetic flux of half a flux quantum, resulting in two states with opposite circulating current and equal energy. Quantum phase-slip should provide coherent coupling between these two macroscopic states. Numbers are given for a wire of amorphous niobium-silicon that can be fabricated with advanced electron beam lithography.
Cite
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0508440,
title = {Phase-slip flux qubits},
author = {J. E. Mooij and C. J. P. M. Harmans},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0508440},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
Submitted to New Journal of Physics, special issue solid state quantum information