Qubit readout is an indispensable element of any quantum information processor. In this work, we experimentally demonstrate a non-perturbative cross-Kerr coupling between a transmon and a polariton mode which enables an improved quantum non-demolition (QND) readout for superconducting qubits. The new mechanism uses the same experimental techniques as the standard QND qubit readout in the dispersive approximation, but due to its non-perturbative nature, it maximizes the speed, the single-shot fidelity and the QND properties of the readout. In addition, it minimizes the effect of unwanted decay channels such as the Purcell effect. We observed a single-shot readout fidelity of 97.4 % for short 50 ns pulses, and we quantified a QND-ness of 99 % for long measurement pulses with repeated single-shot readouts. arXiv:1905.00271v5 [quant-ph]

Electromagnetic fields possess zero point fluctuations which lead to observable effects such as the Lamb shift and the Casimir effect. In the traditional quantum optics domain, these corrections remain perturbative due to the smallness of the fine structure constant. To provide a direct observation of non-perturbative effects driven by zero point fluctuations in an open quantum system we wire a highly non-linear Josephson junction to a high impedance transmission line, allowing large phase fluctuations across the junction. Consequently, the resonance of the former acquires a relative frequency shift that is orders of magnitude larger than for natural atoms. Detailed modeling confirms that this renormalization is non-linear and quantum. Remarkably, the junction transfers its non-linearity to about thirty environmental modes, a striking back-action effect that transcends the standard Caldeira-Leggett paradigm. This work opens many exciting prospects for longstanding quests such as the tailoring of many-body Hamiltonians in the strongly non-linear regime, the observation of Bloch oscillations, or the development of high-impedance qubits.