An ultracompact dilution refrigerator for fast quantum device characterization

Abstract:Rapid thermal cycling is a central bottleneck in the development of superconducting quantum devices: conventional dilution refrigerators require cooldowns of a day or more and substantial cryogenic infrastructure, which throttles the fabricate-measure-redesign loop. We present an ultracompact dilution refrigerator (3 kg in mass and 100 mm in diameter) that completes a full cooldown-warm-up cycle to a base temperature of 70 mK in 1.2 hours when unloaded, and in 2.1 hours when fully equipped with the microwave wiring required for qubit measurements, while delivering 20 microW of cooling power at 100 mK. We validate the platform through a complete characterization of a two-fluxonium device: we extract the full circuit Hamiltonian by two-tone spectroscopy, measure energy-relaxation and coherence times, and benchmark single-qubit control. Although the relaxation time is limited by the base temperature of the system, we reach a single-qubit gate fidelity of up to 99%, at the coherence limit set by our operating temperature. These results demonstrate that compact, fast-cycling dilution refrigeration can support state-of-the-art quantum-device characterization without sacrificing measurement quality, offering a practical route to high-throughput quantum-hardware development.

Quantum Physics (quant-ph); Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)

arXiv:2608.18699 [quant-ph]

(or arXiv:2608.18699v1 [quant-ph] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2608.18699 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)

arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website.

Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them.

Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs.