Optimal control of stimulated Raman adiabatic passage in a superconducting qudit

Abstract: Stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) is a widely used protocol to realize high-fidelity and robust quantum control in various quantum systems. However, further application of this protocol in superconducting qubits is limited by population leakage caused by the only weak anharmonicity. Here we introduce an optimally controlled shortcut-to-adiabatic (STA) technique to speed up the STIRAP protocol in a superconducting qudit. By modifying the shapes of the STIRAP pulses, we experimentally realize a fast (32 ns) and high-fidelity quantum state transfer. In addition, we demonstrate that our protocol is robust against control parameter perturbations. Our stimulated Raman shortcut-to-adiabatic passage transition provides an efficient and practical approach for quantum information processing.