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High-fidelity transmon reset with a multimode acoustic resonator

Andraž Omahen*, Simon Storz, Igor Kladarić, and Yiwen Chu

  • Department of Physics, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland and Quantum Center, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland

  • *Contact author: aomahen@phys.ethz.ch
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Phys. Rev. Applied 26, L031005 – Published 16 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/smfk-gfkm

Abstract

Achieving sufficiently low residual excited-state populations remains a key challenge in superconducting quantum circuits, particularly for protocols operating close to noise limits or requiring repeated qubit initialization. Existing protocols primarily address this challenge through sophisticated control, engineered dissipation, or feedback mechanisms. Here, we demonstrate an alternative approach in which a superconducting qubit is reset using a physically distinct, intrinsically colder phononic bath. Specifically, we interface a transmon with a high-overtone bulk acoustic resonator (HBAR), enabling cooling of the qubit into GHz-frequency modes. Using this approach, we achieve a mean residual excited-state population of the qubit below 10−4 and an upper error bar below 3×10−4 with 95% confidence, representing an improvement of 1 to 2 orders of magnitude compared with typical reset schemes. These results highlight the potential of phononic baths as a resource for high-fidelity qubit initialization in superconducting circuits.

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Outline

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Phys. Rev. Applied 26, L031005– Published 16 September, 2026
  • Received 9 April 2026
  • Revised 21 July 2026
  • Accepted 29 July 2026
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