L'électrodynamique quantique en circuit est un contexte unique pour l'optique quantique et le calcul quantique. Dans cette architecture où des qubits supraconducteurs, composés de jonctions Josephson, sont fortement couplés au champ électromagnétique de résonateurs coplanaires, la dynamique du système est semblable à celle des atomes dans des cavités optiques. La polyvalence de la conception des circuits supraconducteurs permet d'étudier l'interaction lumière-matière de différents régimes et manières. Ainsi, plusieurs qubits peuvent être couplés à un seul résonateur afin de les enchevêtrer. Une jonction Josephson peut également être intégrée directement au résonateur afin de produire une interaction non linéaire entre les photons. De la même manière, il a été suggéré que le couplage qubit-résonateur pourrait devenir l'échelle d'énergie dominante du système : le régime de couplage ultrafort. Malgré que la dynamique qubit-résonateur soit bien comprise, les modèles actuels ne permettent pas de prédire correctement les effets dispersifs du résonateur sur les qubits tels : le décalage de Lamb, l'interaction d'échange virtuelle et le temps de relaxation. Comme il n'y a pas non plus de modèle général permettant de déterminer les caractéristiques d'un résonateur non linéaire, on comprend mal comment rendre la non-linéarité plus forte, ni même si le régime de couplage ultrafort peut être physiquement réalisé dans ces circuits. Dans le cadre de ma thèse, je me suis intéressé à la modélisation de qubits et de résonateurs afin de mieux comprendre l'interaction lumière-matière en circuits, dans le but de développer des conceptions alternatives d'architectures plus performantes ou qui explorent des régimes d'interactions méconnus. Pour ce faire, j'ai développé une méthode analytique générale permettant de trouver l'hamiltonien exact de circuits distribués non linéaires, une méthode basée sur la mécanique lagrangienne et la représentation des modes propres d'oscillation. La grande qualité de la méthode réside dans la description analytique détaillée des paramètres de l'hamiltonien du système en fonction de la géométrie et des caractéristiques électromagnétiques du circuit. Non seulement le formalisme développé réconcilie le modèle quantique avec l'électromagnétisme classique et la théorie des circuits, mais va bien au-delà en formulant d'importantes prédictions sur la nature des interactions et l'influence des fluctuations du vide du résonateur sur la dynamique des qubits supraconducteurs. À l'aide d'exemples numériques réalistes et compatibles avec les technologies actuelles, je montre comment de simples optimisations de conception permettraient d'augmenter grandement l'efficacité et la rapidité d'exécution de calculs quantiques avec l'architecture, en plus d'atteindre des régimes de non-linéarité et de couplage lumière-matière inédits. En permettant de mieux comprendre l'interaction lumière-matière dans les circuits et d'optimiser l'architecture afin d'atteindre de nouveaux régimes de couplages, la méthode d'analyse de circuit développée dans cette thèse permettra de tester et raffiner nos connaissances sur l'électrodynamique quantique et la physique quantique.

Un électron au dessus de l'hélium présente un spectre quantifié. L'interaction avec l'environnement est estimée suffisamment faible afin de permettre la réalisation d'un bit quantique (qubit) en utilisant les deux premiers niveaux d'énergie.<br />La première étape dans la réalisation de ce qubit consiste à piéger et à contrôler un unique électron. Ceci a été réalisé grâce à un jeu d'électrodes micro-fabriquées définissant un puits de potentiel dans lequel l'électron est piégé. Nous sommes capables avec un tel échantillon de piéger et de détecter un nombre variables d'électrons entre 1 et une vingtaine.<br />Cela nous a alors permis d'étudier le comportement statique d'un petit nombre d'électrons dans un piège. Ils sont supposés cristallisés et formés des structures appelées molécules de Wigner. De telles molécules n'ont pas encore été observées avec des électrons au-dessus de l'hélium. Sans apporter de preuves formelles, nos résultats sont en faveur d'une cristallisation de Wigner.<br />Nous avons ensuite essayé de caractériser plus précisément le qubit. Nous avons cherché à réaliser une lecture projective (dépendant de l'état du qubit) et une mesure du temps de relaxation. Les résultats ont été obtenus en excitant l'électron par un champ électrique incohérent. Une mesure propre du temps de relaxation nécessiterait un champ électrique cohérent. La conclusion ne peut donc pas être définitive mais il semblerait que le temps de relaxation soit plus court que calculé théoriquement. Cela est peut-être dû à une mesure de la relaxation entre les états d'oscillations dans le piège et non entre les états du qubit.

Sepsis, a life-threatening condition which results from a dysregulation of host response to infection and leads to multiple organ dysfunction, is a cause for great concern. The current gold standard of detection – Blood culturing – is a highly time-consuming process and so, research has proposed the use of biomarkers. Current biomarkers, C-reactive protein and Procalcitonin, though good indicators, individually show certain limitations with respect to the specificity and sensitivity. Hence, as a step forward from singleplex biomarkers, the development of a multi-marker panel was suggested. For this purpose, the use of microRNAs (miRNAs) were employed to serve as potential biomarkers for the detection of sepsis. The aim of this study was to determine whether a higher concentration of miRNA would be obtained from a larger volume of plasma as well as to see if the miRNA present in blood can be used for the diagnosis of sepsis. Extractions were carried out using the QIAGEN exoRNeasy Plasma: Midi &amp; Maxi Kits from plasma and Norgen’s Total RNA Purification Kit from blood. The samples were analysed and quantified using the Qubit® microRNA assay kit &amp; Qubit® 3.0 Fluorometer and the NanoDrop™ 2000 Spectrophotometer. Statistical analysis of the results revealed that there was a significant difference between miRNA concentrations in the two volumes of plasma analysed. Based on the accurate Qubit measurements and readings, it was concluded that a larger volume of plasma, does yield a higher concentration of miRNA. In addition, it was also established that the miRNA detected in blood, could be used as probable biomarkers for the diagnosis of sepsis.

Structures that demonstrate nonclassicality are of foundational interest in quantum mechanics, and can also be seen as resources for numerous applications in quantum information processing - particularly in the Hilbert space of N qubits. The theory of entanglement, quantum contextuality, and quantum nonlocality within the N-qubit Pauli group is further developed in this thesis. The Strong Kochen-Specker theorem and the structures that prove it are introduced and explored in detail. The pattern of connections between structures that show entanglement, contextuality, and nonlocality is explained. Computational search algorithms and related tools were developed and used to perform complete searches for minimal nonclassical structures within the N-qubit Pauli group up to values of N limited by our computational resources. Our results are surveyed and prescriptions are given for using the elementary nonclassical structures we have found to construct more complex types of such structures. Families of nonclassical structures are presented for all values of N, including the most compact family of projector-based parity proofs of the Kochen-Specker theorem yet discovered in all dimensions of the form 2N, where N>=2. The applications of our results and their connection with other work is also discussed.

Cette thèse décrit une série d’expériences mettant en lumière l’action en retour de la mesure et la décohérence pour un système quantique ouvert élémentaire, le qubit supraconducteur. Ces observations sont rendues possibles grâce au développement récent d’amplificateurs Josephson proches de la limite quantique. L’information extraite du système peut être utilisée dans des boucles de rétroaction quantique. Pour stabiliser un état arbitraire prédéterminé du qubit, une mesure projective est réalisée périodiquement et une boucle de rétroaction permet de corriger les erreurs détectées. En se substituant à l'environnement et en réalisant une mesure hétérodyne continue de la fluorescence du qubit, nous reconstituons des trajectoires quantiques individuelles lors de sa relaxation. En conditionnant cette détection au résultat d'une mesure projective postérieure, nous déterminons les weak values du signal de fluorescence. En formant une boucle de rétroaction continue à partir de ce signal, nous stabilisons également un état arbitraire du qubit. Enfin, nous observons dans une dernière expérience la dynamique quantique Zénon d'un mode micro-onde, induite par son couplage au qubit. / This thesis presents a series of experiments highlighting measurement back action and decoherence in a basic open quantum system, the superconducting qubit. These observations are enabled by recent advances in amplification close to the quantum limit using Josephson circuits. The information extracted from the system can then be used as input in quantum feedback. A stroboscopic projective readout is performed and a feedback loop is used to correct for detected errors, thus stabilizing an arbitrary predetermined state of the qubit. When monitoring continuously the environment of the qubit by heterodyne detection of its fluorescence, we reconstruct individual quantum trajectories during relaxation. Conditioning this detection to the outcome of a following projective measurement, we access the weak values of the fluorescence signal. Included in a continuous feedback loop, this detection is also used to stabilize an arbitrary state of the qubit. Finally, a last experiment witnesses quantum Zeno dynamics of a resonant microwave mode, entailed by its coupling to the qubit.

Estudamos o emaranhamento quântico de estados puros emaranhados tri-partidos quando uma das partes é um qubit. Apresentamos um método para encontrar as decomposições do estado tri-partido mais simples do que sucessivas decomposições de Schmidt. Esse método permite encontrar uma grande quantidade de diferentes famílias de estados emaranhados tri-partidos. Essas famílias são classificadas de acordo com dimensão dos blocos de Jordan de uma matriz obtida do estado emaranhado. Além disso, também demonstramos que estados pertencentes a famílias distintas não podem ser convertidos um no outro por operações locais estocásticas com comunicação clássica (SLOCC). No caso de dois estados pertencentes à mesma família, obtemos condições necessárias e su cientes para sabermos se estes podem ser convertidos um no outro por SLOCC. No caso de serão, também podemos obter a operação do tipo SLOCC que realiza a conversão. / We study the quantum entanglement of tripartite pure states when one of the parties is a qubit. We present a method to find the decompositions of tripartite entangled states which are simpler than two successive Schmidt decompositions. We will find many distinct families of entangled states with distinct decompositions. These families are classified according to the dimensions of the Jordan blocks of a matrix obtained from the entangled state. Furthermore, we show that states belonging to distinct families can not be converted into each other by stochastic local operations and classical communication (SLOCC). In case of two states belonging to the same family, we nd necessary and su?cient conditions to convert one state to the other. We can also find the SLOCC which realizes this conversion.

In the most recent two decades, the development of impurity controls with ultra-high precision in semiconductors motivates people to put more and more attentions on the solotronic devices, whose properties depend on one or a few dopants. One of the most promising applications of solotronic device is the qubit in quantum computing. In the procedure of exploring qubit candidates, the most straightforward challenges we need face include that the qubit must be highly isolated and can be initialized/manipulated efficiently with high fidelities. It has been proved that qubits based on single defects have excellent performances as quits. For instance, the NV center in diamond forms a ground spin triplet which can be manipulated at room temperature with electromagnetic fields. This work focuses on searching for new single defects as qubit candidates with density functional theory. Lanthanides element possesses excellent optical characteristics and extremely long nuclear coherence time. Therefore, combining it into the diamond platform can be possible design for integrated quantum information processing devices in the future. To investigate the stability of lanthanides dopants in the diamond matrix, the formation energies of charge states of complexes are calculated. The broadening of Eu(III) peak in the photoluminescence spectrum can be verified according to the existence of more than stable configuration and steady 4f electron occupation. In the case of transition-metal dopant in the silicon carbide, it is found that both silicon and carbon substituted nickels in 3C-SiC shows a magnetic-antimagnetic transition under applied strains. The virtual hopping rate of electrons strongly depends on the distance between the spin pair residing in the nickel and dangling bonds. Therefore, the Heisenberg exchange coupling between them can be adjusted subtly by controlling the external strain. According to the the spin Hamiltonian of the defect, the spin state can be manipulated universally with strain and electromagnetic fields. In contrast, the nickel dopant in 4H-SiC exhibits a very stable magnetic property. Other than that, the electronic structure of Cr in 4H-SiC implies that optical manipulations of spin states might be realized in the excited state.

Nous avons étudié la dynamique des sauts quantiques de phase (quantum phase-slips) dans différents types de chaînes de jonctions Josephson. Les sauts de phase sont contrôlés par le rapport entre l'énergie Josephson et l'énergie de charge de chaque jonction. Nous avons mesuré l'effet des sauts de phase sur l'état fondamental de la chaîne et nous avons observé l'interférence quantique de sauts de phase (effet Aharonov-Casher). Les résultats de nos mesures sont en très bon accord avec les prédictions théoriques. Nous avons montré qu'une chaîne de jonctions Josephson polarisée en phase, présente un comportement collectif, similaire à un objet macroscopique. Les résultats de cette thèse ouvrent la voie pour la conception de nouveaux circuits Josephson, comme par exemple un qubit topologiquement protégé ou un dispositif quantique pour la conversion courant-fréquence.

<p>This thesis is concerned with employing the statistics of charge transfer in a conductor as a tool for quantum measurement. The physical systems studied are electronic devices made by nanoscale manufacturing techniques. In this context quantum measurement appears not as a postulate, but as physical process. In this thesis I am considering a quantum system, in particular a qubit or a nanomechanical resonator, interacting with a tunnel junction. The effect of coupling a quantum system to a tunnel junction is twofold: The state of the quantum system will be changed and there will be information about the quantum system in the statistics of charge transfer of the tunnel junction. As the first example a quantum measurement process of a qubit is considered. A common description of the system and charge dynamics is found by introducing a new quantity, the charge specific density matrix. By deriving and solving a Markovian master equation for this quantity the measurement process is analyzed. The measurement is shown to be a dynamical process, where correlations between the initial state of the qubit and the number of charges transferred in the tunnel junction arise on a typical timescale, the measurement time. As another example of a quantum system a nanomechanical oscillator is considered. It is found, that the biased tunnel junction, acting as a non-equilibrium environment to the oscillator, increases the temperature of the oscillator from its thermal equilibrium value. The current in the junction is modulated by the interaction with the oscillator, but the influence vanishes for bias voltages smaller than the oscillator frequency. For an asymmetric junction and non-vanishing oscillator momentum a current is shown to flow through the junction even at zero bias. The current noise spectrum induced by the oscillator in the tunnel junction consists of a noise floor and a peaked structure with peaks at zero frequency, the oscillator frequency and double the oscillator frequency. The peak heights are dependent on the coupling strength between oscillator and junction, the occupation number of the oscillator, the bias voltage and the junction temperature. I show how the peak height can be used as a measure of the oscillator temperature, demonstrating that the noise of a tunnel junction can be used for electronic thermometry of a nanomechanical oscillator.</p>

Josephson junction qubits are promising candidates for a scalable quantum processor. Such qubits are commonly manipulated by means of sequences of rf-pulses and different methods are used to determine their quantum state. The readout should be able to distinguish the two qubit states with high accuracy and be faster than the relaxation time of the qubit. We discuss and experiment with a readout method based on the switching of a Josephson junction from the zero voltage state to a finite voltage state. The Josephson junction circuit has a non-linear dynamics and when it is brought to a bifurcation point, it can be made arbitrarily sensitive to small perturbations. This extreme sensitivity at a bifurcation point can be used to distinguish the two quantum states if the topology of the phase space of the circuit leads to a quick separation into the final states where re-crossings of the bifurcation point are negligible. We optimize a switching current detector by analyzing the phase space of a Josephson junction circuit with frequency dependent damping. A pulse and hold technique is used where an initial current pulse brings the junction close to its bifurcation point and the subsequent hold level is used to give the circuit enough time to evolve until the two states can be distinguished by the measuring instrument. We generate the pulse and hold waveform by a new technique where a voltage step with following linear voltage rise is applied to a bias capacitor. The frequency dependent damping is realized by an on-chip RC-environment fabricated with optical lithography. Josephson junction circuits are added on by means of e-beam lithography. Measurements show that switching currents can be detected with pulses as short as 5 ns and a resolution of 2.5% for a sample directly connected to the measurement leads of the cryostat. Detailed analysis of the switching currents in the RC-environment show that pulses with a duration of 20 us can be explained by a generalization of Kramers' escape theory, whereas switching the same sample with 25 ns pulses occurs out of thermal equilibrium, with sensitivity and speed adequate for qubit readout. / QC 20100924