Four-qubit device with mixed couplings

We present the first experimental results on a device with more than two superconducting qubits. The circuit consists of four three-junction flux qubits, with simultaneous ferro- and antiferromagnetic coupling implemented using shared Josephson junctions. Its response, which is dominated by the ground state, is characterized using low-frequency impedance measurement with a superconducting tank circuit coupled to the qubits. The results are found to be in excellent agreement with the quantum-mechanical predictions.Comment: REVTeX 4, 5pp., 7 EPS figure files. N.B.: "Alec" is my first, and "Maassen van den Brink" my family name. v2: final published version, with changed title, different sample micrograph, and several clarification

Degenerate ground state in a mesoscopic YBaCuO grain boundary Josephson junction

We have measured the current-phase relationship (CPR) of symmetric 45 degree YBaCuO grain boundary Josephson junctions. Substantial deviations of the CPR from conventional tunnel-junction behavior have been observed: (i) The critical current exhibits, as a function of temperature T, a local minimum at a temperature T*. (ii) At T approximately equal to T*, the first harmonic of the CPR changes sign. (iii) For T<T*, the second harmonic of the CPR is comparable to the first harmonic, and (iv) the ground state of the junction becomes degenerate. The results are in good agreement with a microscopic model of Josephson junctions between d-wave superconductors.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, a reference adde

Controllable pi junction in a Josephson quantum-dot device with molecular spin

We consider a model for a single molecule with a large frozen spin sandwiched in between two BCS superconductors at equilibrium, and show that this system has a $\pi$ junction behavior at low temperature. The $\pi$ shift can be reversed by varying the other parameters of the system, e.g., temperature or the position of the quantum dot level, implying a controllable $\pi$ junction with novel application as a Josephson current switch. We show that the mechanism leading to the $\pi$ shift can be explained simply in terms of the contributions of the Andreev bound states and of the continuum of states above the superconducting gap. The free energy for certain configuration of parameters shows a bistable nature, which is a necessary pre-condition for achievement of a qubit

Josephson effect in d-wave superconductor junctions in a lattice model

Josephson current between two d-wave superconductors is calculated by using a lattice model. Here we consider two types of junctions, $i.e.$, the parallel junction and the mirror-type junction. The maximum Josephson current $(J_{c})$ shows a wide variety of temperature ($T$) dependence depending on the misorientation angles and the types of junctions. When the misorientation angles are not zero, the Josephson current shows the low-temperature anomaly because of a zero energy state (ZES) at the interfaces. In the case of mirror-type junctions, $J_c$ has a non monotonic temperature dependence. These results are consistent with the previous results based on the quasiclassical theory. [Y. Tanaka and S. Kashiwaya: Phys. Rev. B \textbf{56} (1997) 892.] On the other hand, we find that the ZES disappears in several junctions because of the Freidel oscillations of the wave function, which is peculiar to the lattice model. In such junctions, the temperature dependence of $J_{c}$ is close to the Ambegaokar-Baratoff relation.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figures, using jpsj2.cls and oversite.st

Wideband-tuneable, nanotube mode-locked, fibre laser

Ultrashort-pulse lasers with spectral tuning capability have widespread applications in fields such as spectroscopy, biomedical research and telecommunications1–3. Mode-locked fibre lasers are convenient and powerful sources of ultrashort pulses4, and the inclusion of a broadband saturable absorber as a passive optical switch inside the laser cavity may offer tuneability over a range of wavelengths5. Semiconductor saturable absorber mirrors are widely used in fibre lasers4–6, but their operating range is typically limited to a few tens of nanometres7,8, and their fabrication can be challenging in the 1.3–1.5 mm wavelength region used for optical communications9,10. Single-walled carbon nanotubes are excellent saturable absorbers because of their subpicosecond recovery time, low saturation intensity, polarization insensitivity, and mechanical and environmental robustness11–16. Here, we engineer a nanotube–polycarbonate film with a wide bandwidth (>300 nm) around 1.55 mm, and then use it to demonstrate a 2.4 ps Er31-doped fibre laser that is tuneable from 1,518 to 1,558 nm. In principle, different diameters and chiralities of nanotubes could be combined to enable compact, mode-locked fibre lasers that are tuneable over a much broader range of wavelengths than other systems