Single Superconducting Split-Ring Resonator Electrodynamics

We investigate the microwave electrodynamic properties of a single superconducting thin film split-ring resonator (SRR). The experiments were performed in an all-Nb waveguide, with Nb wires and Nb SRRs. Transmission data showed a high-Q stopband for a single Nb SRR ($Q \sim 4.5\times10^4$ at 4.2 K) below $T_c$, and no such feature for a Cu SRR, or closed Nb loops, of similar dimensions. Adding SRRs increased the bandwidth, but decreased the insertion loss of the features. Placing the Nb SRR into an array of wires produced a single, elementary negative-index passband ($Q \sim 2.26\times10^4$ at 4.2 K). Changes in the features due to the superconducting kinetic inductance were observed. Models for the SRR permeability, and the wire dielectric response, were used to fit the data.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, RevTex, submitted to Applied Physics Letters. Updated version includes mention of bianisotropy, better looking figures, and different temperature dat

Extremely strong-coupling superconductivity and anomalous lattice properties in the beta-pyrochlore oxide KOs2O6

Superconducting and normal-state properties of the beta-pyrochlore oxide KOs2O6 are studied by means of thermodynamic and transport measurements. It is shown that the superconductivity is of conventional s-wave type and lies in the extremely strong-coupling regime. Specific heat and resistivity measurements reveal that there are characteristic low-energy phonons that give rise to unusual scattering of carriers due to strong electron-phonon interactions. The entity of the low-energy phonons is ascribed to the heavy rattling of the K ion confined in an oversized cage made of OsO6 octahedra. It is suggested that this electron-rattler coupling mediates the Cooper pairing, resulting in the extremely strong-coupling superconductivity.Comment: 17 pages (only 4 pages included here. go to http://hiroi.issp.u-tokyo.ac.jp/Published%20papers/K-SC6.pdf for full pages), to be published in PR

Model for initiation of quality factor degradation at high accelerating fields in superconducting radio-frequency cavities

A model for the onset of the reduction in SRF cavity quality factor, the so-called Q-drop, at high accelerating electric fields is presented. Breakdown of the surface barrier against magnetic flux penetration at the cavity equator is considered to be the critical event that determines the onset of Q-drop. The worst case of triangular grooves with low field of first flux penetration Hp, as analyzed previously by Buzdin and Daumens, [1998 Physica C 294: 257], was adapted. This approach incorporates both the geometry of the groove and local contamination via the Ginzburg-Landau parameter kappa, so the proposed model allows new comparisons of one effect in relation to the other. The model predicts equivalent reduction of Hp when either roughness or contamination were varied alone, so smooth but dirty surfaces limit cavity performance about as much as rough but clean surfaces do. When in combination, contamination exacerbates the negative effects of roughness and vice-versa. To test the model with actual data, coupons were prepared by buffered chemical polishing and electropolishing, and stylus profilometry was used to obtain distributions of angles. From these data, curves for surface resistance generated by simple flux flow as a function of magnetic field were generated by integrating over the distribution of angles for reasonable values of kappa. This showed that combined effects of roughness and contamination indeed reduce the Q-drop onset field by ~30%, and that that contamination contributes to Q-drop as much as roughness. The latter point may be overlooked by SRF cavity research, since access to the cavity interior by spectroscopy tools is very difficult, whereas optical images have become commonplace. The model was extended to fit cavity test data, which indicated that reduction of the superconducting gap by contaminants may also play a role in Q-drop.Comment: 15 pages with 7 figure

Low temperature laser scanning microscopy of a superconducting radio-frequency cavity

An apparatus was developed to obtain, for the first time, 2D maps of the surface resistance of the inner surface of an operating superconducting radio-frequency niobium cavity by a low-temperature laser scanning microscopy technique. This allows identifying non-uniformities of the surface resistance with a spatial resolution of about one order of magnitude better than with earlier methods and surface resistance resolution of ~ 1 micro-Ohm at 3.3 GHz. A signal-to-noise ratio of about 10 dB was obtained with 240 mW laser power and 1 Hz modulation frequency. The various components of the apparatus, the experimental procedure and results are discussed in detail in this contribution.Comment: 19 pages, 17 figures, submitted to Rev. Sci. Instru

On the Response of an OST to a Point-like Heat Source

A new technique of superconducting cavity diagnostics has been introduced by D. Hartrill at Cornell University, Ithaca, USA. Oscillating Superleak Transducers (OST) detect the heat transferred from a cavity's quench point via "Second Sound" through the superfluid He bath, needed to cool the superconducting cavity. The observed response of an OST is a complex, but reproducible pattern of oscillations. A small helium evaporation cryostat was built which allows the investigation of the response of an OST in greater detail. The distance between a point-like electrical heater and the OST can be varied. The OST can be mounted either parallel or perpendicular to the plate, housing the heat source. If the artificial quench-point releases an amount of energy compatible to a real quench spot on a cavity's surface, the OST signal starts with a negative pulse, which is usually strong enough to allow automatic detection. Furthermore, the reflection of the Second Sound on the wall is observed. A reflection coefficient R = 0.39 +- 0.05 of the glass wall is measured. This excludes a strong influence of multiple reflections in the complex OST response. Fourier analyses show three main frequencies, found in all OST spectra. They can be interpreted as modes of an oscillating circular membrane.Comment: 10 pages, 16 figure

Superconducting Microwave Cavity Made of Bulk MgB2

We report the successful manufacture and characterization of a microwave resonant cylindrical cavity made of bulk MgB2 superconductor (Tc = 38.5 K), which has been produced by the Reactive Liquid Mg Infiltration technique. The quality factor of the cavity for the TE011 mode, resonating at 9.79 GHz, has been measured as a function of the temperature. At T = 4.2 K, the unloaded quality factor is 2.2x10^5; it remains of the order of 10^5 up to T ~ 30 K. We discuss the potential performance improvements of microwave cavities built from bulk MgB2 materials produced by reactive liquid Mg infiltration.Comment: 7 pages, 2 embedded figures, accepted for publication in Supercond. Sci. Techno

Observation of a Chiral State in a Microwave Cavity

A microwave experiment has been realized to measure the phase difference of the oscillating electric field at two points inside the cavity. The technique has been applied to a dissipative resonator which exhibits a singularity -- called exceptional point -- in its eigenvalue and eigenvector spectrum. At the singularity, two modes coalesce with a phase difference of $\pi/2 .$ We conclude that the state excited at the singularity has a definitiv chirality.Comment: RevTex 4, 5 figure