156 research outputs found
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
Observation of quantum capacitance in the Cooper-pair transistor
We have fabricated a Cooper-pair transistor (CPT) with parameters such that
for appropriate voltage biases, the sub-gap charge transport takes place via
slow tunneling of quasiparticles that link two Josephson-coupled charge
manifolds. In between the quasiparticle tunneling events, the CPT behaves
essentially like a single Cooper-pair box (SCB). The effective capacitance of a
SCB can be defined as the derivative of the induced charge with respect to gate
voltage. This capacitance has two parts, the geometric capacitance, C_geom, and
the quantum capacitance C_Q. The latter is due to the level anti-crossing
caused by the Josephson coupling. It depends parametrically on the gate voltage
and is dual to the Josephson inductance. Furthermore, it's magnitude may be
substantially larger than C_geom. We have been able to detect C_Q in our CPT,
by measuring the in-phase and quadrature rf-signal reflected from a resonant
circuit in which the CPT is embedded. C_Q can be used as the basis of a charge
qubit readout by placing a Cooper-pair box in such a resonant circuit.Comment: 3 figure
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
Noise performance of the radio-frequency single-electron transistor
We have analyzed a radio-frequency single-electron-transistor (RF-SET) circuit that includes a high-electron-mobility-transistor (HEMT)amplifier, coupled to the single-electron-transistor (SET) via an impedance transformer. We consider how power is transferred between different components of the circuit, model noise components, and analyze the operating conditions of practical importance. The results are compared with experimental data on SETs. Good agreement is obtained between our noise model and the experimental results. Our analysis shows, also, that the biggest improvement to the present RF-SETs will be achieved by increasing the charging energy and by lowering the HEMT amplifier noise contribution.Peer reviewe
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
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
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
Constraining the thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch phase with resolved stellar populations in the Small Magellanic Cloud
The thermally pulsing asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB) experienced by low-and intermediate-mass stars is one of the most uncertain phases of stellar evolution and the models need to be calibrated with the aid of observations. To this purpose, we couple high-quality observations of resolved stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) with detailed stellar population synthesis simulations computed with the TRILEGAL code. The strength of our approach relies on the detailed spatially resolved star formation history of the SMC, derived from the deep near-infrared photometry of the VISTA survey of the Magellanic Clouds, as well as on the capability to quickly and accurately explore a wide variety of
parameters and effects with the COLIBRI code for the TP-AGB evolution. Adopting a well-characterized set of observations - star counts and luminosity functions - we set up a calibration cycle along which we iteratively change a few key parameters of the TP-AGB models until we eventually reach a good fit to the observations. Our work leads to
identify two best-fitting models that mainly differ in the efficiencies of the third dredge-up and mass-loss in TP-AGB stars with initial masses larger than about 3 M-circle dot. On the basis of these calibrated models, we provide a full characterization of the TP-AGB stellar
population in the SMC in terms of stellar parameters (initial masses, C/O ratios, carbon excess, mass-loss rates). Extensive tables of isochrones including these improved models are publicly available
Bilinear amplitude approximation for piecewise-linear oscillators
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/97069/1/AIAA2012-1793.pd
- …