Tunable coupling of qubits: Nonadiabatic corrections

We analyze the coupling of qubits mediated by a tunable and fast element beyond the adiabatic approximation. The nonadiabatic corrections are important and even dominant in parts of the relevant parameter range. As an example, we consider the tunable capacitive coupling between two charge qubits mediated by a gated Josephson junction, as suggested by Averin and Bruder. The nonadiabatic, inductive contribution persists when the capacitive coupling is tuned to zero. On the other hand, the total coupling can be turned off (in the rotating-wave approximation) if the qubits are operated at symmetry points.