482 research outputs found
Josephson parametric reflection amplifier with integrated directionality
A directional superconducting parametric amplifier in the GHz frequency range
is designed and analyzed, suitable for low-power read-out of microwave kinetic
inductance detectors employed in astrophysics and when combined with a
nonreciprocal device at its input also for circuit quantum electrodynamics
(cQED). It consists of an one wavelength long nondegenerate Josephson
parametric reflection amplifier circuit. The device has two Josephson junction
oscillators, connected via a tailored impedance to an on-chip passive circuit
which directs the in- to the output port. The amplifier provides a gain of 20
dB over a bandwidth of 220 MHz on the signal as well as on the idler portion of
the amplified input and the total photon shot noise referred to the input
corresponds to maximally 1.3 photons per second per Hertz of bandwidth. We
predict a factor of four increase in dynamic range compared to conventional
Josephson parametric amplifiers.Comment: Main article (5 pages plus 2 pages references) plus supplemental
material (14 pages
Conductivity of Silicon Inversion Layers: comparison with and without in-plane magnetic field
A detailed comparison is presented of the temperature dependence of the
conductivity of dilute, strongly interacting electrons in two-dimensional
silicon inversion layers in the metallic regime in the presence and in the
absence of a magnetic field. We show explicitly and quantitatively that a
magnetic field applied parallel to the plane of the electrons reduces the slope
of the conductivity versus temperature curves to near zero over a broad range
of electron densities extending from to deep in the metallic regime where
the high field conductivity is on the order of . The strong
suppression (or "quenching") of the metallic behavior by a magnetic field sets
an important constraint on theory.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Proximity and Josephson effects in superconductor - two dimensional electron gas planar junctions
The DC Josephson effect is theoretically studied in a planar junction in
which a two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) infinite in lateral directions is
in contact with two superconducting electrodes placed on top of the 2DEG. An
energy gap in the excitation spectrum is created in the 2DEG due to the
proximity effect. It is shown that under certain conditions, the region of the
2DEG underneath the superconductors is analogous to a superconducting region
with an order parameter \/, where
\/ depends on the interface transmittance
and the Fermi velocity mismatch between the superconductors and the 2DEG.Comment: 9 pages REVTeX, 5 figures available on reques
Microwave-induced nonequilibrium temperature in a suspended carbon nanotube
Antenna-coupled suspended single carbon nanotubes exposed to 108 GHz
microwave radiation are shown to be selectively heated with respect to their
metal contacts. This leads to an increase in the conductance as well as to the
development of a power-dependent DC voltage. The increased conductance stems
from the temperature dependence of tunneling into a one-dimensional electron
system. The DC voltage is interpreted as a thermovoltage, due to the increased
temperature of the electron liquid compared to the equilibrium temperature in
the leads
Small Angle Shubnikov-de Haas Measurements in Silicon MOSFET's: the Effect of Strong In-Plane Magnetic Field
Measurements in magnetic fields applied at small angles relative to the
electron plane in silicon MOSFETs indicate a factor of two increase of the
frequency of Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations at H>H_{sat}. This signals the
onset of full spin polarization above H_{sat}, the parallel field above which
the resistivity saturates to a constant value. For H<H_{sat}, the phase of the
second harmonic of the oscillations relative to the first is consistent with
scattering events that depend on the overlap instead of the sum of the spin-up
and spin-down densities of states.Comment: 4 pages; figures now inserted in text; additional referenc
Fluctuations in the electron system of a superconductor exposed to a photon flux
We report on fluctuations in the electron system, Cooper pairs and
quasiparticles, of a superconducting aluminium film. The superconductor is
exposed to pair-breaking photons (1.54 THz), which are coupled through an
antenna. The change in the complex conductivity of the superconductor upon a
change in the quasiparticle number is read out by a microwave resonator. A
large range in radiation power can be chosen by carefully filtering the
radiation from a blackbody source. We identify two regimes. At high radiation
power, fluctuations in the electron system caused by the random arrival rate of
the photons are resolved, giving a straightforward measure of the optical
efficiency (48%). At low radiation power fluctuations are dominated by excess
quasiparticles, the number of which is measured through their recombination
lifetime
Critical voltage of a mesoscopic superconductor
We study the role of the quasiparticle distribution function f on the
properties of a superconducting nanowire. We employ a numerical calculation
based upon the Usadel equation. Going beyond linear response, we find a
non-thermal distribution for f caused by an applied bias voltage. We
demonstrate that the even part of f (the energy mode f_L) drives a first order
transition from the superconducting state to the normal state irrespective of
the current
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