Practical quantum realization of the ampere from the electron charge

One major change of the future revision of the International System of Units (SI) is a new definition of the ampere based on the elementary charge \emph{e}. Replacing the former definition based on Amp\`ere's force law will allow one to fully benefit from quantum physics to realize the ampere. However, a quantum realization of the ampere from \emph{e}, accurate to within $10^{-8}$ in relative value and fulfilling traceability needs, is still missing despite many efforts have been spent for the development of single-electron tunneling devices. Starting again with Ohm's law, applied here in a quantum circuit combining the quantum Hall resistance and Josephson voltage standards with a superconducting cryogenic amplifier, we report on a practical and universal programmable quantum current generator. We demonstrate that currents generated in the milliampere range are quantized in terms of $ef_\mathrm{J}$ ($f_\mathrm{J}$ is the Josephson frequency) with a measurement uncertainty of $10^{-8}$. This new quantum current source, able to deliver such accurate currents down to the microampere range, can greatly improve the current measurement traceability, as demonstrated with the calibrations of digital ammeters. Beyond, it opens the way to further developments in metrology and in fundamental physics, such as a quantum multimeter or new accurate comparisons to single electron pumps.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figure

Size quantization of Dirac fermions in graphene constrictions

Quantum point contacts (QPCs) are cornerstones of mesoscopic physics and central building blocks for quantum electronics. Although the Fermi wave-length in high-quality bulk graphene can be tuned up to hundreds of nanometers, the observation of quantum confinement of Dirac electrons in nanostructured graphene systems has proven surprisingly challenging. Here we show ballistic transport and quantized conductance of size-confined Dirac fermions in lithographically-defined graphene constrictions. At high charge carrier densities, the observed conductance agrees excellently with the Landauer theory of ballistic transport without any adjustable parameter. Experimental data and simulations for the evolution of the conductance with magnetic field unambiguously confirm the identification of size quantization in the constriction. Close to the charge neutrality point, bias voltage spectroscopy reveals a renormalized Fermi velocity ($v_F \approx 1.5 \times 10^6 m/s$) in our graphene constrictions. Moreover, at low carrier density transport measurements allow probing the density of localized states at edges, thus offering a unique handle on edge physics in graphene devices.Comment: 24 pages including 20 figures and 1 table. Corrected typos. To appear in Nature Communication

Nonlinear Transport of Graphene in the Quantum Hall Regime

We have studied the breakdown of the integer quantum Hall (QH) effect with fully broken symmetry, in an ultra-high mobility graphene device sandwiched between two single crystal hexagonal boron nitride substrates. The evolution and stabilities of the QH states are studied quantitatively through the nonlinear transport with dc Hall voltage bias. The mechanism of the QH breakdown in graphene and the movement of the Fermi energy with the electrical Hall field are discussed. This is the first study in which the stabilities of fully symmetry broken QH states are probed all together. Our results raise the possibility that the v=6 states might be a better target for the quantum resistance standard.Comment: 15 pages,6 figure

Secure and Private Implementation of Dynamic Controllers Using Semi-Homomorphic Encryption

This paper presents a secure and private implementation of linear time-invariant dynamic controllers using Paillier's encryption, a semi-homomorphic encryption method. To avoid overflow or underflow within the encryption domain, the state of the controller is reset periodically. A control design approach is presented to ensure stability and optimize performance of the closed-loop system with encrypted controller.Comment: Improved numerical exampl