192 research outputs found
Coherent dynamics of a Josephson charge qubit
We have fabricated a Josephson charge qubit by capacitively coupling a
single-Cooper-pair box (SCB) to an electrometer based upon a single-electron
transistor configured for radio-frequency readout (RF-SET). Charge quantization
of 2e is observed and microwave spectroscopy is used to extract the Josephson
and charging energies of the box. We perform coherent manipulation of the SCB
by using very fast DC pulses and observe quantum oscillations in time of the
charge that persist to ~=10ns. The observed contrast of the oscillations is
high and agrees with that expected from the finite E_J/E_C ratio and finite
rise-time of the DC pulses. In addition, we are able to demonstrate nearly 100%
initial charge state polarization. We also present a method to determine the
relaxation time T_1 when it is shorter than the measurement time T_{meas}.Comment: accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.
Radio-frequency operation of a double-island single-electron transistor
We present results on a double-island single-electron transistor (DISET)
operated at radio-frequency (rf) for fast and highly sensitive detection of
charge motion in the solid state. Using an intuitive definition for the charge
sensitivity, we compare a DISET to a conventional single-electron transistor
(SET). We find that a DISET can be more sensitive than a SET for identical,
minimum device resistances in the Coulomb blockade regime. This is of
particular importance for rf operation where ideal impedance matching to 50 Ohm
transmission lines is only possible for a limited range of device resistances.
We report a charge sensitivity of 5.6E-6 e/sqrt(Hz) for a rf-DISET, together
with a demonstration of single-shot detection of small (<=0.1e) charge signals
on microsecond timescales.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure
Multiple Current States of Two Phase-Coupled Superconducting Rings
The states of two phase-coupled superconducting rings have been investigated.
Multiple current states have been revealed in the dependence of the critical
current on the magnetic field. The performed calculations of the critical
currents and energy states in a magnetic field have made it possible to
interpret the experiment as the measurement of energy states into which the
system comes with different probabilities because of the equilibrium and
non-equilibrium noises upon the transition from the resistive state to the
superconducting state during the measurement of the critical currentComment: 5 pages, 5 figure
Constraining dust properties in circumstellar envelopes of C-stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud: optical constants and grain size of carbon dust
We present a new approach aimed at constraining the typical size and optical properties of carbon dust grains in circumstellar envelopes (CSEs) of carbon-rich stars (C-stars) in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). To achieve this goal, we apply our recent dust growth description, coupled with a radiative transfer code to the CSEs of C-stars evolving along the thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch, for which we compute spectra and colours. Then, we compare our modelled colours in the near- and mid-infrared (NIR and MIR) bands with the observed ones, testing different assumptions in our dust scheme and employing several data sets of optical constants for carbon dust available in the literature. Different assumptions adopted in our dust scheme change the typical size of the carbon grains produced. We constrain carbon dust properties by selecting the combination of grain size and optical constants which best reproduce several colours in the NIR and MIR at the same time. The different choices of optical properties and grain size lead to differences in the NIR and MIR colours greater than 2 mag in some cases. We conclude that the complete set of observed NIR and MIR colours are best reproduced by small grains, with sizes between ~0.035 and ~0.12 μm, rather than by large grains between ~0.2 and 0.7 μm. The inability of large grains to reproduce NIR and MIR colours seems independent of the adopted optical data set. We also find a possible trend of the grain size with mass-loss and/or carbon excess in the CSEs of these stars. © 2016 The Authors
Josephson charge-phase qubit with radio frequency readout: coupling and decoherence
The charge-phase Josephson qubit based on a superconducting single charge
transistor inserted in a low-inductance superconducting loop is considered. The
loop is inductively coupled to a radio-frequency driven tank circuit enabling
the readout of the qubit states by measuring the effective Josephson inductance
of the transistor. The effect of qubit dephasing and relaxation due to electric
and magnetic control lines as well as the measuring system is evaluated.
Recommendations for operation of the qubit in magic points producing minimum
decoherence are given.Comment: 11 pages incl. 6 fig
Comparative Modelling of the Spectra of Cool Giants
Our ability to extract information from the spectra of stars depends on
reliable models of stellar atmospheres and appropriate techniques for spectral
synthesis. Various model codes and strategies for the analysis of stellar
spectra are available today. We aim to compare the results of deriving stellar
parameters using different atmosphere models and different analysis strategies.
The focus is set on high-resolution spectroscopy of cool giant stars. Spectra
representing four cool giant stars were made available to various groups and
individuals working in the area of spectral synthesis, asking them to derive
stellar parameters from the data provided. The results were discussed at a
workshop in Vienna in 2010. Most of the major codes currently used in the
astronomical community for analyses of stellar spectra were included in this
experiment. We present the results from the different groups, as well as an
additional experiment comparing the synthetic spectra produced by various codes
for a given set of stellar parameters. Similarities and differences of the
results are discussed. Several valid approaches to analyze a given spectrum of
a star result in quite a wide range of solutions. The main causes for the
differences in parameters derived by different groups seem to lie in the
physical input data and in the details of the analysis method. This clearly
shows how far from a definitive abundance analysis we still are.Comment: accepted for publication in A&A. This version includes also the
online tables. Reference spectra will later be available via the CD
Numerical analysis of the radio-frequency single-electron transistor operation
We have analyzed numerically the response and noise-limited charge
sensitivity of a radio-frequency single-electron transistor (RF-SET) in a
non-superconducting state using the orthodox theory. In particular, we have
studied the performance dependence on the quality factor Q of the tank circuit
for Q both below and above the value corresponding to the impedance matching
between the coaxial cable and SET.Comment: 14 page
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