7 research outputs found
Phase preserving amplification near the quantum limit with a Josephson Ring Modulator
Recent progress in solid state quantum information processing has stimulated
the search for ultra-low-noise amplifiers and frequency converters in the
microwave frequency range, which could attain the ultimate limit imposed by
quantum mechanics. In this article, we report the first realization of an
intrinsically phase-preserving, non-degenerate superconducting parametric
amplifier, a so far missing component. It is based on the Josephson ring
modulator, which consists of four junctions in a Wheatstone bridge
configuration. The device symmetry greatly enhances the purity of the
amplification process and simplifies both its operation and analysis. The
measured characteristics of the amplifier in terms of gain and bandwidth are in
good agreement with analytical predictions. Using a newly developed noise
source, we also show that our device operates within a factor of three of the
quantum limit. This development opens new applications in the area of quantum
analog signal processing
A Single-Photon Imager Based on Microwave Plasmonic Superconducting Nanowire
Detecting spatial and temporal information of individual photons by using
single-photon-detector (SPD) arrays is critical to applications in
spectroscopy, communication, biological imaging, astronomical observation, and
quantum-information processing. Among the current SPDs1,detectors based on
superconducting nanowires have outstanding performance2, but are limited in
their ability to be integrated into large scale arrays due to the engineering
difficulty of high-bandwidth cryogenic electronic readout3-8. Here, we address
this problem by demonstrating a scalable single-photon imager using a single
continuous photon-sensitive superconducting nanowire microwave-plasmon
transmission line. By appropriately designing the nanowire's local
electromagnetic environment so that the nanowire guides microwave plasmons, the
propagating voltages signals generated by a photon-detection event were slowed
down to ~ 2% of the speed of light. As a result, the time difference between
arrivals of the signals at the two ends of the nanowire naturally encoded the
position and time of absorption of the photon. Thus, with only two readout
lines, we demonstrated that a 19.7-mm-long nanowire meandered across an area of
286 {\mu}m * 193 {\mu}m was capable of resolving ~590 effective pixels while
simultaneously recording the arrival times of photons with a temporal
resolution of 50 ps. The nanowire imager presents a scalable approach to
realizing high-resolution photon imaging in time and space
A Novel Particle/Photon Detector Based on a Superconducting Proximity Array of Nanodots
The current frontiers in the investigation of high-energy particles demand for new detection methods. Higher sensitivity to low-energy deposition, high-energy resolution to identify events and improve the background rejection, and large detector masses have to be developed to detect even an individual particle that weakly interacts with ordinary matter. Here, we will describe the concept and the layout of a novel superconducting proximity array which show dynamic vortex Mott insulator to metal transitions, as an ultra-sensitive compact radiation-particle detector