Stimulated Raman adiabatic passage in a three-level superconducting circuit

TLDR

Adiabatic manipulation of quantum states enables tests of geometrical phases, topological transitions, and offers alternative quantum computing models. The study benchmarks stimulated Raman adiabatic passage in circuit QED using the first three levels of a transmon qubit. The protocol uses two adiabatic Gaussian‑shaped microwave pulses on the transmon ladder, with quantum tomography at successive times to track population transfer, and includes a reversible third pulse for a hybrid nondiabatic–adiabatic sequence on a quasi‑degenerate intermediate level. The experiment achieves over 80 % transfer between the ground and second excited states, demonstrates reversible transfer with a third pulse, and reports results for a quasi‑degenerate intermediate level in a hybrid nondiabatic–adiabatic sequence.

Abstract

Abstract The adiabatic manipulation of quantum states is a powerful technique that opened up new directions in quantum engineering—enabling tests of fundamental concepts such as geometrical phases and topological transitions, and holding the promise of alternative models of quantum computation. Here we benchmark the stimulated Raman adiabatic passage for circuit quantum electrodynamics by employing the first three levels of a transmon qubit. In this ladder configuration, we demonstrate a population transfer efficiency >80% between the ground state and the second excited state using two adiabatic Gaussian-shaped control microwave pulses. By doing quantum tomography at successive moments during the Raman pulses, we investigate the transfer of the population in time domain. Furthermore, we show that this protocol can be reversed by applying a third adiabatic pulse, we study a hybrid nondiabatic–adiabatic sequence, and we present experimental results for a quasi-degenerate intermediate level.