Superconducting Quantum Interference Device Amplifiers with over 27 GHz of Gain-Bandwidth Product Operated in the 4 GHz--8 GHz Frequency Range

We describe the performance of amplifiers in the 4 GHz--8 GHz range using Direct Current Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices(DC SQUIDs) in a lumped element configuration. We have used external impedance transformers to couple power into and out of the DC SQUIDs. By choosing appropriate values for coupling capacitors, resonator lengths and output component values, we have demonstrated useful gains in several frequency ranges with different bandwidths, showing over 27 GHz of power gain-bandwidth product. In this work, we describe our design for the 4 GHz--8 GHz range and present data demonstrating gain, bandwidth, dynamic range, and drift characteristics.Comment: four pages, 5 figure

Input Impedance and Gain of a Gigahertz Amplifier Using a DC SQUID in a Quarter Wave Resonator

Due to their superior noise performance, SQUIDs are an attractive alternative to high electron mobility transistors for constructing ultra-low-noise microwave amplifiers for cryogenic use. We describe the use of a lumped element SQUID inductively coupled to a quarter wave resonator. The resonator acts as an impedance transformer and also makes it possible for the first time to accurately measure the input impedance and intrinsic microwave characteristics of the SQUID. We present a model for input impedance and gain, compare it to the measured scattering parameters, and describe how to use the model for the systematic design of low-noise microwave amplifiers with a wide range of performance characteristics

Measurement of non-Gaussian shot noise: influence of the environment

We present the first measurements of the third moment of the voltage fluctuations in a conductor. This technique can provide new and complementary information on the electronic transport in conducting systems. The measurement was performed on non-superconducting tunnel junctions as a function of voltage bias, for various temperatures and bandwidths up to 1GHz. The data demonstrate the significant effect of the electromagnetic environment of the sample.Comment: 13 pages, for the SPIE International Symposium on Fluctuations and Noise, Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, Spain (May 2004

Dispersive Photon Blockade in a Superconducting Circuit

Mediated photon-photon interactions are realized in a superconducting coplanar waveguide cavity coupled to a superconducting charge qubit. These non-resonant interactions blockade the transmission of photons through the cavity. This so-called dispersive photon blockade is characterized by measuring the total transmitted power while varying the energy spectrum of the photons incident on the cavity. A staircase with four distinct steps is observed and can be understood in an analogy with electron transport and the Coulomb blockade in quantum dots. This work differs from previous efforts in that the cavity-qubit excitations retain a photonic nature rather than a hybridization of qubit and photon and provides the needed tolerance to disorder for future condensed matter experiments.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure