Cooling of a Micro-mechanical Resonator by the Back-action of Lorentz Force

Using a semi-classical approach, we describe an on-chip cooling protocol for a micro-mechanical resonator by employing a superconducting flux qubit. A Lorentz force, generated by the passive back-action of the resonator's displacement, can cool down the thermal motion of the mechanical resonator by applying an appropriate microwave drive to the qubit. We show that this onchip cooling protocol, with well-controlled cooling power and a tunable response time of passive back-action, can be highly efficient. With feasible experimental parameters, the effective mode temperature of a resonator could be cooled down by several orders of magnitude.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

Long-range and selective coupler for superconducting flux qubits

We propose a qubit-qubit coupling scheme for superconducting flux quantum bits (qubits), where a quantized Josephson junction resonator and microwave irradiation are utilized. The junction is used as a tunable inductance controlled by changing the bias current flowing through the junction, and thus the circuit works as a tunable resonator. This enables us to make any qubits interact with the resonator. Entanglement between two of many qubits whose level splittings satisfy some conditions, is formed by microwave irradiation causing a two-photon Rabi oscillation. Since the size of the resonator can be as large as sub-millimeters and qubits interact with it via mutual inductance, our scheme makes it possible to construct a quantum gate involving remote qubitsComment: 8 pages, 4 figure

Dephasing of a superconducting flux qubit

In order to gain a better understanding of the origin of decoherence in superconducting flux qubits, we have measured the magnetic field dependence of the characteristic energy relaxation time ($T_1$) and echo phase relaxation time ($T_2^{\rm echo}$) near the optimal operating point of a flux qubit. We have measured $T_2^{\rm echo}$ by means of the phase cycling method. At the optimal point, we found the relation $T_2^{\rm echo}\approx 2T_1$. This means that the echo decay time is {\it limited by the energy relaxation} ($T_1$ process). Moving away from the optimal point, we observe a {\it linear} increase of the phase relaxation rate ($1/T_{2}^{\rm echo}$) with the applied external magnetic flux. This behavior can be well explained by the influence of magnetic flux noise with a $1/f$ spectrum on the qubit

Spectroscopy of SrRuO/Ru Junctions in Eutectic

We have investigated the tunnelling properties of the interface between superconducting Sr2RuO4 and a single Ru inclusion in eutectic. By using a micro-fabrication technique, we have made Sr2RuO4/Ru junctions on the eutectic system that consists of Sr2RuO4 and Ru micro-inclusions. Such a eutectic system exhibits surface superconductivity, called the 3-K phase. A zero bias conductance peak (ZBCP) was observed in the 3-K phase. We propose to use the onset of the ZBCP to delineate the phase boundary of a time-reversal symmetry breaking state.Comment: To be published in Proc of 24th Int. Conf. on Low Temperature Physics (LT24); 2 page

Dephasing of a superconducting flux qubit

In order to gain a better understanding of the origin of decoherence in superconducting flux qubits, we have measured the magnetic field dependence of the characteristic energy relaxation time ($T_1$) and echo phase relaxation time ($T_2^{\rm echo}$) near the optimal operating point of a flux qubit. We have measured $T_2^{\rm echo}$ by means of the phase cycling method. At the optimal point, we found the relation $T_2^{\rm echo}\approx 2T_1$. This means that the echo decay time is {\it limited by the energy relaxation} ($T_1$ process). Moving away from the optimal point, we observe a {\it linear} increase of the phase relaxation rate ($1/T_{2}^{\rm echo}$) with the applied external magnetic flux. This behavior can be well explained by the influence of magnetic flux noise with a $1/f$ spectrum on the qubit

Multiphoton transitions in a macroscopic quantum two-state system

We have observed multiphoton transitions between two macroscopic quantum-mechanical superposition states formed by two opposite circulating currents in a superconducting loop with three Josephson junctions. Resonant peaks and dips of up to three-photon transitions were observed in spectroscopic measurements when the system was irradiated with a strong RF-photon field. The widths of the multiphoton absorption dips are shown to scale with the Bessel functions in agreement with theoretical predictions derived from the Bloch equation or from a spin-boson model.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure