45,533 research outputs found
Designing all-graphene nanojunctions by covalent functionalization
We investigated theoretically the effect of covalent edge functionalization,
with organic functional groups, on the electronic properties of graphene
nanostructures and nano-junctions. Our analysis shows that functionalization
can be designed to tune electron affinities and ionization potentials of
graphene flakes, and to control the energy alignment of frontier orbitals in
nanometer-wide graphene junctions. The stability of the proposed mechanism is
discussed with respect to the functional groups, their number as well as the
width of graphene nanostructures. The results of our work indicate that
different level alignments can be obtained and engineered in order to realize
stable all-graphene nanodevices
Effects of quasiparticle tunneling in a circuit-QED realization of a strongly driven two-level system
We experimentally and theoretically study the frequency shift of a driven
cavity coupled to a superconducting charge qubit. In addition to previous
studies, we here also consider drive strengths large enough to energetically
allow for quasiparticle creation. Quasiparticle tunneling leads to the
inclusion of more than two charge states in the dynamics. To explain the
observed effects, we develop a master equation for the microwave dressed charge
states, including quasiparticle tunneling. A bimodal behavior of the frequency
shift as a function of gate voltage can be used for sensitive charge detection.
However, at weak drives the charge sensitivity is significantly reduced by
non-equilibrium quasiparticles, which induce transitions to a non-sensitive
state. Unexpectedly, at high enough drives, quasiparticle tunneling enables a
very fast relaxation channel to the sensitive state. In this regime, the charge
sensitivity is thus robust against externally injected quasiparticles and the
desired dynamics prevail over a broad range of temperatures. We find very good
agreement between theory and experiment over a wide range of drive strengths
and temperatures.Comment: 25 pages, 7 figure
Pairing state in the rutheno-cuprate superconductor RuSr2GdCu2O8: A point contact Andreev Reflection Spectroscopy study
The results of Point Contact Andreev Reflection
Spectroscopy on polycrystalline RuSrGdCuO pellets are presented.
The wide variety of the measured spectra are all explained in terms of a
modified BTK model considering a \emph{d-wave} symmetry of the superconducting
order parameter. Remarkably low values of the energy gap and of the ratio are inferred. From the
temperature evolution of the vs characteristics we extract a
sublinear temperature dependence of the superconducting energy gap. The
magnetic field dependence of the conductance spectra at low temperatures is
also reported. From the vs evolution, a critical magnetic field
is inferred. To properly explain the curves showing
gap-like features at higher voltages, we consider the formation of a Josephson
junction in series with the Point Contact junction, as a consequence of the
granularity of the sample.Comment: 8 pages, 7 EPS figures. Accepted in Phys. Rev.
Optimizing the flux coupling between a nanoSQUID and a magnetic particle using atomic force microscope nanolithography
We present results of Niobium based SQUID magnetometers for which the
weak-links are engineered by the local oxidation of thin films using an Atomic
Force Microscope (AFM). Firstly, we show that this technique allows the
creation of variable thickness bridges with 10 nm lateral resolution. Precise
control of the weak-link milling is offered by the possibility to realtime
monitor weak-link conductance. Such a process is shown to enhance the magnetic
field modulation hence the sensitivity of the magnetometer. Secondly, AFM
lithography is used to provide a precise alignment of NanoSQUID weak-links with
respect to a ferromagnetic iron dot. The magnetization switching of the
near-field coupled particle is studied as a junction of the applied magnetic
field direction
Controlling trapping potentials and stray electric fields in a microfabricated ion trap through design and compensation
Recent advances in quantum information processing with trapped ions have
demonstrated the need for new ion trap architectures capable of holding and
manipulating chains of many (>10) ions. Here we present the design and detailed
characterization of a new linear trap, microfabricated with scalable
complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) techniques, that is well-suited
to this challenge. Forty-four individually controlled DC electrodes provide the
many degrees of freedom required to construct anharmonic potential wells,
shuttle ions, merge and split ion chains, precisely tune secular mode
frequencies, and adjust the orientation of trap axes. Microfabricated
capacitors on DC electrodes suppress radio-frequency pickup and excess
micromotion, while a top-level ground layer simplifies modeling of electric
fields and protects trap structures underneath. A localized aperture in the
substrate provides access to the trapping region from an oven below, permitting
deterministic loading of particular isotopic/elemental sequences via
species-selective photoionization. The shapes of the aperture and
radio-frequency electrodes are optimized to minimize perturbation of the
trapping pseudopotential. Laboratory experiments verify simulated potentials
and characterize trapping lifetimes, stray electric fields, and ion heating
rates, while measurement and cancellation of spatially-varying stray electric
fields permits the formation of nearly-equally spaced ion chains.Comment: 17 pages (including references), 7 figure
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