Origin of intrinsic dark count in superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors

The origin of the decoherence in superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors, the so-called dark count, was investigated. We measured the direct-current characteristics and bias-current dependencies of the dark count rate in a wide range of temperatures from 0.5 K to 4 K, and analyzed the results by theoretical models of thermal fluctuations of vortices. Our results indicate that the current-assisted unbinding of vortex-antivortex pairs is the dominant origin of the dark count.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figure

Binary self-similar one-dimensional quasilattices: Mutual local-derivability classification and substitution rules

Self-similar binary one-dimensional (1D) quasilattices (QLs) are classified into mutual local-derivability (MLD) classes. It is shown that the MLD classification is closely related to the number-theoretical classification of parameters which specify the self-similar binary 1D QLs. An algorithm to derive an explicit substitution rule, which prescribes the transformation of a QL into another QL in the same MLD class, is presented. An explicit inflation rule, which prescribes the transformation of the self-similar 1D QL into itself, is obtained as a composition of the explicit substitution rules. Symmetric substitution rules and symmetric inflation rules are extensively discussed.Comment: 24 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PR

Exploration of Finite 2D Square Grid by a Metamorphic Robotic System

We consider exploration of finite 2D square grid by a metamorphic robotic system consisting of anonymous oblivious modules. The number of possible shapes of a metamorphic robotic system grows as the number of modules increases. The shape of the system serves as its memory and shows its functionality. We consider the effect of global compass on the minimum number of modules necessary to explore a finite 2D square grid. We show that if the modules agree on the directions (north, south, east, and west), three modules are necessary and sufficient for exploration from an arbitrary initial configuration, otherwise five modules are necessary and sufficient for restricted initial configurations

Insulating charge density wave for a half-filled SU(N) Hubbard model with an attractive on-site interaction in one dimension

We study a one-dimensional SU(N) Hubbard model with an attractive on-site interaction and $N>2$ at half-filling on the bipartite lattice using density-matrix renormalization-group method and a perturbation theory. We find that the ground state of the SU(N) Hubbard model is a charge density wave state with two-fold degeneracy. All the excitations are found to be gapful, resulting in an insulating ground state, on contrary to that in the SU(2) case. Moreover, the charge gap is equal to the Cooperon gap, which behaves as $-2Nt^2/(N-1)U$ in the strong coupling regime. However, the spin gap $\Delta_{s}$ and the quasiparticle gap $\Delta_{1}$ as well open exponentially in the weak coupling region, while in the strong coupling region, they linearly depend on $U$ such that $\Delta_{s}\sim -U(N-1)$ and $\Delta_{1}\sim -U(N-1)/2$.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

Exact dynamical structure factor of the degenerate Haldane-Shastry model

The dynamical structure factor $S(q,\omega)$ of the K-component (K = 2,3,4) spin chain with the 1/r^2 exchange is derived exactly at zero temperature for arbitrary size of the system. The result is interpreted in terms of a free quasi-particle picture which is generalization of the spinon picture in the SU(2) case; the excited states consist of K quasi-particles each of which is characterized by a set of K-1 quantum numbers. Divergent singularities of $S(q,\omega)$ at the spectral edges are derived analytically. The analytic result is checked numerically for finite systems.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

Superconductor-ferromagnet junction phase qubit

We propose a scheme for a phase qubit in an SIFIS junction, consisting of bulk superconductors (S), a proximity-induced ferromagnet (F), and insulating barriers (I). The qubit state is constituted by 0 and $\pi$ phase states of the junction, in which the charging energy of the junction leads to the superposition of the two states. The qubit is operated by the gate voltage applied to the ferromagnet, and insensitive to the decoherence sources existing in other superconducting qubits. We discuss a scalable scheme for qubit measurement and tunable two-qubit coupling.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure

Relaxation of Surface Profiles by Evaporation Dynamics

We present simulations of the relaxation towards equilibrium of one dimensional steps and sinusoidal grooves imprinted on a surface below its roughening transition. We use a generalization of the hypercube stacking model of Forrest and Tang, that allows for temperature dependent next-nearest-neighbor interactions. For the step geometry the results at T=0 agree well with the t^(1/4) prediction of continuum theory for the spreading of the step. In the case of periodic profiles we modify the mobility for the tips of the profile and find the approximate solution of the resulting free boundary problem to be in reasonable agreement with the T=0 simulations.Comment: 6 pages, Revtex, 5 Postscript figures, to appear in PRB 15, October 199