Characterizing coherent errors using matrix-element amplification

Abstract

Repeating a gate sequence multiple times amplifies systematic errors coherently, making it a useful tool for characterizing quantum gates. However, the precision of such an approach is limited by low-frequency noise, while its efficiency is hindered by time-consuming scans required to match up the phases of the off-diagonal matrix elements being amplified. Here, we overcome both challenges by interleaving the gate of interest with dynamical decoupling sequences in a protocol we call Matrix-Element Amplification using Dynamical Decoupling (MEADD). Using frequency-tunable superconducting qubits from a Google Sycamore quantum processor, we experimentally demonstrate that MEADD surpasses the accuracy and precision of existing characterization protocols for estimating systematic errors in single- and two-qubit gates. We use MEADD to estimate coherent parameters of CZ gates with 5 to 10 times the precision of existing methods and to characterize previously undetectable coherent crosstalk, reaching a precision below one milliradian.