Andreev Level Qubit

We investigate the dynamics of a two-level Andreev bound state system in a transmissive quantum point contact embedded in an rf-SQUID. Coherent coupling of the Andreev levels to the circulating supercurrent allows manipulation and read out of the level states. The two-level Hamiltonian for the Andreev levels is derived, and the effect of interaction with the quantum fluctuations of the induced flux is studied. We also consider an inductive coupling of qubits, and discuss the relevant SQUID parameters for qubit operation and read out.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Josephson junction qubit network with current-controlled interaction

We design and evaluate a scalable charge qubit chain network with controllable current-current coupling of neighbouring qubit loops via local dc-current gates. The network allows construction of general N-qubit gates. The proposed design is in line with current main stream experiments.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Ion counting efficiencies at the IGISOL facility

At the IGISOL-JYFLTRAP facility, fission mass yields can be studied at high precision. Fission fragments from a U target are passing through a Ni foil and entering a gas filled chamber. The collected fragments are guided through a mass separator to a Penning trap where their masses are identified. This simulation work focuses on how different fission fragment properties (mass, charge and energy) affect the stopping efficiency in the gas cell. In addition, different experimental parameters are varied (e. g. U and Ni thickness and He gas pressure) to study their impact on the stopping efficiency. The simulations were performed using the Geant4 package and the SRIM code. The main results suggest a small variation in the stopping efficiency as a function of mass, charge and kinetic energy. It is predicted that heavy fragments are stopped about 9% less efficiently than the light fragments. However it was found that the properties of the U, Ni and the He gas influences this behavior. Hence it could be possible to optimize the efficiency.Comment: 52 pages, 44 figure

Surface effects on the Mott-Hubbard transition in archetypal V2_2O3_3

We present an experimental and theoretical study exploring surface effects on the evolution of the metal-insulator transition in the model Mott-Hubbard compound Cr-doped V$_2$O$_3$. We find a microscopic domain formation that is clearly affected by the surface crystallographic orientation. Using scanning photoelectron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, we find that surface defects act as nucleation centers for the formation of domains at the temperature-induced isostructural transition and favor the formation of microscopic metallic regions. A density functional theory plus dynamical mean field theory study of different surface terminations shows that the surface reconstruction with excess vanadyl cations leads to doped, and hence more metallic surface states, explaining our experimental observations.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Characterization of a Be(p,xn) neutron source for fission yields measurements

We report on measurements performed at The Svedberg Laboratory (TSL) to characterize a proton-neutron converter for independent fission yield studies at the IGISOL-JYFLTRAP facility (Jyv\"askyl\"a, Finland). A 30 MeV proton beam impinged on a 5 mm water-cooled Beryllium target. Two independent experimental techniques have been used to measure the neutron spectrum: a Time of Flight (TOF) system used to estimate the high-energy contribution, and a Bonner Sphere Spectrometer able to provide precise results from thermal energies up to 20 MeV. An overlap between the energy regions covered by the two systems will permit a cross-check of the results from the different techniques. In this paper, the measurement and analysis techniques will be presented together with some preliminary results.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures, also submitted as proceedings of the International Conference on Nuclear Data for Science and Technology 201

Domain size effects on the dynamics of a charge density wave in 1T-TaS2

Recent experiments have shown that the high temperature incommensurate (I) charge density wave (CDW) phase of 1T-TaS2 can be photoinduced from the lower temperature, nearly commensurate (NC) CDW state. Here we report a time-resolved x-ray diffraction study of the growth process of the photoinduced I-CDW domains. The layered nature of the material results in a marked anisotropy in the size of the photoinduced domains of the I-phase. These are found to grow self-similarly, their shape remaining unchanged throughout the growth process. The photoinduced dynamics of the newly formed I-CDW phase was probed at various stages of the growth process using a double pump scheme, where a first pump creates I-CDW domains and a second pump excites the newly formed I-CDW state. We observe larger magnitudes of the coherently excited I-CDW amplitude mode in smaller domains, which suggests that the incommensurate lattice distortion is less stable for smaller domain sizes.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure

The photoinduced transition in magnetoresistive manganites: a comprehensive view

We use femtosecond x-ray diffraction to study the structural response of charge and orbitally ordered Pr$_{1-x}$Ca$_x$MnO$_3$ thin films across a phase transition induced by 800 nm laser pulses. By investigating the dynamics of both superlattice reflections and regular Bragg peaks, we disentangle the different structural contributions and analyze their relevant time-scales. The dynamics of the structural and charge order response are qualitatively different when excited above and below a critical fluence $f_c$. For excitations below $f_c$ the charge order and the superlattice is only partially suppressed and the ground state recovers within a few tens of nanosecond via diffusive cooling. When exciting above the critical fluence the superlattice vanishes within approximately half a picosecond followed by a change of the unit cell parameters on a 10 picoseconds time-scale. At this point all memory from the symmetry breaking is lost and the recovery time increases by many order of magnitudes due to the first order character of the structural phase transition

Watching the birth of a charge density wave order: diffraction study on nanometer-and picosecond-scales

Femtosecond time-resolved X-ray diffraction is used to study a photo-induced phase transition between two charge density wave (CDW) states in 1T-TaS$_2$, namely the nearly commensurate (NC) and the incommensurate (I) CDW states. Structural modulations associated with the NC-CDW order are found to disappear within 400 fs. The photo-induced I-CDW phase then develops through a nucleation/growth process which ends 100 ps after laser excitation. We demonstrate that the newly formed I-CDW phase is fragmented into several nanometric domains that are growing through a coarsening process. The coarsening dynamics is found to follow the universal Lifshitz-Allen-Cahn growth law, which describes the ordering kinetics in systems exhibiting a non-conservative order parameter.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure