Decoherence in Superconducting Qubits from Surface Magnetic States

Unpaired spins in amorphous surface oxides can act as a source of decoherence in superconducting and other solid-state qubits. A density of surface spins can give rise to low-frequency magnetic flux noise, which in turn leads to dephasing of the qubit state. In addition, magnetic surface states can couple to high-frequency resonant magnetic fields, and thereby contribute to energy relaxation of the qubit. We present the results of low-frequency measurements of the nonlinear and imaginary spin susceptibility of surface magnetic states in superconducting devices at millikelvin temperatures. In addition, we describe high-frequency magnetic resonance measurements that directly probe the surface spin density of states. We present calculations that connect the measurement results to qubit energy relaxation and dephasing times.