Approaching the Fundamental Limit of Single-Shot Qubit Frequency Tracking with an Adiabatic Tangentially-Modulated Pulse

Abstract

Understanding and mitigating noise in two-level quantum systems is essential for achieving high-fidelity qubit control. Conventional frequency tracking techniques, such as Ramsey interferometry, are fundamentally limited by trade-offs between sensitivity, bandwidth, and dynamic range. Here we introduce the adiabatic tangentially-modulated (ATM) pulse, a pulse derived from quantum adiabatic theory that maps qubit detuning onto a sigmoidal, near-binary response. Using numerical simulations supported by analytical modeling, we show that pulse sensitivity and detuning range can be independently engineered through simple design parameters. We derive scaling relations governing these quantities and demonstrate their agreement with simulation. A single-shot ATM measurement achieves sensitivity comparable to that obtained from multi-shot Ramsey averaging, enabling tracking of substantially higher frequency noise components with a lower closed-loop white-noise floor. In addition, this pulse exhibits strong robustness to amplitude fluctuations compared with binary response pulses derived from the Shinnar-Le Roux formalism. Together, these properties establish the ATM pulse as a promising approach for robust qubit frequency tracking.