74 research outputs found
Kinetics of non-equilibrium quasiparticle tunneling in superconducting charge qubits
We directly observe low-temperature non-equilibrium quasiparticle tunneling
in a pair of charge qubits based on the single Cooper-pair box. We measure
even- and odd-state dwell time distributions as a function of temperature, and
interpret these results using a kinetic theory. While the even-state lifetime
is exponentially distributed, the odd-state distribution is more heavily
weighted to short times, implying that odd-to-even tunnel events are not
described by a homogenous Poisson process. The mean odd-state dwell time
increases sharply at low temperature, which is consistent with quasiparticles
tunneling out of the island before reaching thermal equilibrium.Comment: Replaced Figure 1 with color version, corrected more typos. Version
submitted to PR
Characterization of a Differential Radio-Frequency Single-Electron Transistor
We have fabricated and characterized a new type of electrometer that couples
two parallel single-electron transistors (SETs) to a radio-frequency tank
circuit for use as a differential RF-SET. We demonstrate operation of this
device in summing, differential, and single-SET operation modes, and use it to
measure a Coulomb staircase from a differential single Cooper-pair box. In
differential mode, the device is sensitive to uncorrelated input signals while
screening out correlated ones.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Applied Physics Letter
The Quantum Capacitance Detector: A concept for a pair-breaking radiation detector based on the single Cooper-pair box
We present a proposed design for a pair-breaking photodetector for
far-infrared and sub-millimeter radiation. Antenna-coupled radiation generates
quasiparticles in a superconducting absorber, the density of which are measured
using a single Cooper-pair box. Readout is performed using an electromagnetic
oscillator or a microwave resonator, which is well suited for frequency
multiplexing in large arrays. Theoretical limits to detector sensitivity are
discussed and modeled, with predicted sensitivities rivaling transition-edge
sensors and microwave kinetic inductance detectors. We anticipate that this
detector can be used to address key scientific goals in far-infrared and
sub-millimeter astronomy.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures. Corrected expression for Fano noise NEP,
improved Fig. 9, removed section on energy resolutio
Non-ohmicity and energy relaxation in diffusive 2D metals
We analyze current-voltage characteristics taken on Au-doped indium-oxide
films. By fitting a scaling function to the data, we extract the
electron-phonon scattering rate as function of temperature, which yields a
quadratic dependence of the electron-phonon scattering rate on temperature from
1K down to 0.28K. The origin of this enhanced electron-phonon scattering rate
is ascribed to the mechanism proposed by Sergeev and Mitin.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
Universal saturation of electron dephasing in three-dimensional disordered metals
We have systematically investigated the low-temperature electron dephasing
times in more than 40 three-dimensional polycrystalline impure
metals with distinct material characteristics. In all cases, a saturation of
the dephasing time is observed below about a (few) degree(s) Kelvin, depending
on samples. The value of the saturated dephasing time [] falls basically in the range 0.005 to 0.5 ns for
all samples. Particularly, we find that scales with the electron
diffusion constant as , with close to or
slightly larger than 1, for over two decades of from about 0.1 to 10
cm/s. Our observation suggests that the saturation behavior of
is universal and intrinsic in three-dimensional polycrystalline impure metals.
A complete theoretical explanation is not yet available.Comment: 4 pages, 3 eps figure
Frequency-Dependent Shot Noise as a Probe of Electron-Electron Interaction in Mesoscopic Diffusive Contacts
The frequency-dependent shot noise in long and narrow mesoscopic diffusive
contacts is numerically calculated. The case of arbitrarily strong
electron-electron scattering and zero temperature of electrodes is considered.
For all voltages, the noise increases with frequency and tends to finite
values. These limiting values are larger than the Poissonian noise and increase
nearly as voltage to power 4/3. This allows one to experimentally determine the
parameters of electron-electron interaction.Comment: 3 pages, RevTeX, 3 eps figure
Entanglement and decoherence of a micromechanical resonator via coupling to a Cooper box
We analyse the quantum dynamics of a micromechanical resonator capacitively
coupled to a Cooper box. With appropriate quantum state control of the Cooper
box, the resonator can be driven into a superposition of spatially separated
states. The Cooper box can also be used to probe the environmentally-induced
decoherence of the resonator superposition state.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Progress toward BLISS, the background-limited infrared-submillimeter spectrograph for SPICA
We are developing the Background-Limited Infrared-Submillimeter Spectrograph (BLISS) for SPICA to provide a breakthrough capability for far-IR survey spectroscopy. The 3.2-meter, actively-cooled (T<6K) SPICA telescope allows mid-IR to submm observations which are limited only by the natural backgrounds, and BLISS is designed to operate near this fundamental limit. BLISS-SPICA provide a line sensitivity of 10-20 W m-2 , thereby enabling spectroscopy of dust-obscured galaxies at all epochs back to the first billion years after the Big Bang (redshift 6), and study of all stages of planet formation in circumstellar disks.
BLISS covers the 35-430 micron waveband at moderate resolving power (300<R<700) in six grating spec trometer bands, each coupling at least two 2 sky positions simultaneously. The instrument is cooled with an on-board refrigerator to 50 mK for optimal sensitivity. The detector package in the goal implementation is 4200 silicon-nitride micro-mesh leg-isolated bolometers with superconducting transition-edge-sensed (TES) thermisÂtors, read out with a cryogenic time-domain multiplexer. The instrument is designed to fit within the stringent SPICA resource allocations for mass and heat lift, and to mitigate the impact of cosmic rays. We report on this design and our progress in prototyping and validating the BLISS spectrometers and prototype cooler. A companion paper in Conference 8452 (A. Beyer et al.) discusses in greater detail the progress in the BLISS TES bolometer development
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