Superconducting qubit based on twisted cuprate van der Waals heterostructures

Abstract: Van-der-Waals (vdW) assembly enables the fabrication of novel Josephson junctions utilizing an atomically sharp interface between two exfoliated and relatively twisted $\rm{Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+x}}$ (Bi2212) flakes. In a range of twist angles around $45^\circ$, the junction provides a regime where the interlayer two-Cooper pair tunneling dominates the current-phase relation. Here we propose to employ this novel junction to realize a capacitively shunted qubit that we call flowermon. The $d$-wave nature of the order parameter endows the flowermon with inherent protection against charge-noise-induced relaxation and quasiparticle-induced dissipation. This inherently protected qubit paves the way to a new class of high-coherence hybrid superconducting quantum devices based on unconventional superconductors.