Quantum Error Correction in the Surface Code (Part I): Stabilizer Measurements and State Initialization

Quantum error correction codes offer ways to compensate errors in quantum systems to a level which enables solving classically intractable problems. The surface code [A. G. Fowler, et al., Phys. Rev. A 86, 032324 (2012)] is one of the major candidates for a scalable quantum computing architecture because of its high tolerance to errors and its simple 2D-grid qubit-arrangement. In this talk, we discuss our progress towards the experimental realization of a distance-3 surface code on a 17-qubit superconducting qubit device. We verify the performance of essential components of the surface code including the realization of weight-2 stabilizers and weight-4 stabilizers, and the initialization of logical-qubit states. We discuss which type of errors are most prominent and whether or not they are correctable.