Continuously decoupling single-qubit operations from a perturbing thermal bath of scalar bosons

Abstract

We investigate the use of continuously-applied external fields to maximize the fidelity of quantum logic operations performed on a decohering qubit. Assuming a known error operator and an environment represented by a scalar boson field at a finite temperature, we show how decoherence during logical operations can be efficiently reduced by applying a superposition of two external vector fields: one rotating orthogonally to the direction of the other, which remains static. The required field directions, frequency of rotation and amplitudes to decouple noise dynamically are determined by the coupling constants and the desired logical operation. We illustrate these findings numerically for a Hadamard quantum gate and an environment with ohmic spectral density.