Electromotive force in driven topological quantum circuits

Abstract

Time-dependent control of superconducting quantum circuits is a prerequisite for building scalable quantum hardware. The quantum description of these circuits is complicated due to the electromotive force (emf) induced by time-varying magnetic fields. Here, we examine how the emf modifies the fractional Josephson effect. We show that a time-varying flux introduces a new term that depends on the geometry of both the circuit and the applied magnetic field. This term can be probed via current and charge measurements in closed-loop and open-circuit geometries. Our results refine the current understanding of how to properly describe time-dependent control of topological quantum circuits.