Conductance hors-équilibre dans les Jonctions métal-supraconducteur : application à l’étude de Ba(Fe,Ni)2As2

Reaching a good understanding of the superconductivity of iron pnictides and selenides requires an accurate knowledge of their electronic and magnetic properties. To this end, I helped building and I automated a cryogenic device that is suitable for the study of these properties, at low temperatures (down to ~1 K) and under the application of a magnetic field, either static (up to 2 T) or oscillating. The device implements the experimental techniques of point contact spectroscopy and scanning hall probe microscopy, and it allows switching between them without requiring sample manipulations.I subsequently used this device to study the superconducting gaps of Ba(Fe,Ni)2As2 by point contact spectroscopy, before I began looking for signatures of the coupling of conduction electrons to bosonic modes. However, in this process, the differential conductance of metal-superconductor junctions turned out to exhibit oscillating features, whose period evolves in temperature like the superconducting gap of the sample. This signal also depends on a junction's contact resistance in such a manner that it appears unmistakably out-of-equilibrium in nature.I derived a model of this signal by undertaking a theoretical study of metal-metal-superconductor junctions. In these junctions, the second metallic region would emerge from a local transition of the superconductor to the normal state. The resulting model is able to predict the differential conductance of such a junction, given prior knowledge of the L(V) law linking the size of the second metallic region to the voltage being applied across the junction. I subsequently derived several models for this law.Comparing these models to experimental data, it appears that the observed phenomenology could emerge from a local increase of current density above the "depairing current" Jd associated to Cooper pair breaking in the superconductor. Alternatively, electron injection could also locally alter the electron energy distribution f(E) of the sample to the point of destabilizing the superconducting state. This last explanation requires a strong temperature dependence of the electron-boson coupling at low energies.Finally, in an appendix, I describe the magnetic microscopy capabilities of the experimental device. Those capabilities enabled us to understand the role played by quantum creep in the relaxation of trapped vortices within Fe(Se,Te).Comprendre la supraconductivité des pnictures et séléniures de fer nécessite de bien connaître leurs propriétés électroniques et magnétiques. Dans ce cadre, j'ai aidé à réaliser et j'ai automatisé un dispositif cryogénique capable d'étudier ces propriétés, à basse température (jusqu'à ~1 K) et sous application d'un champ magnétique statique (jusqu'à 2 T) ou oscillant. Les techniques implémentées sont la spectroscopie de pointe et la microscopie à sonde de Hall, et le dispositif est conçu de sorte qu'il soit possible de basculer de l'une à l'autre sans manipuler l'échantillon.J'ai ensuite utilisé ce dispositif pour étudier par spectroscopie de pointe les gaps supraconducteurs du pnicture Ba(Fe,Ni)2As2, puis rechercher la signature du couplage de ses électrons de conduction à des modes bosoniques. Ce faisant, il a été observé dans la conductance différentielle de jonctions métal-supraconducteur un signal oscillant dont la période varie en température comme le gap supraconducteur de l'échantillon. Ce signal dépend de la résistance de contact de la jonction d'une façon qui prouve clairement qu'il est issu d'effets hors équilibre.J'ai modélisé ce signal en étudiant théoriquement la physique de jonctions métal-métal-supraconducteur, dont la seconde région métallique serait formée par transition locale du supraconducteur vers l'état normal. Le modèle que j'ai ainsi construit permet de prédire la conductance différentielle d'une telle jonction, moyennant une connaissance préalable de la loi L(V) reliant la taille de la seconde région métallique à la tension aux bornes de la jonction. J'ai ensuite proposé plusieurs modèles pour cette loi.Après comparaison avec l'expérience, il semble possible que la région métallique se forme par dépassement local de la densité de courant critique Jd du supraconducteur associée à la brisure de paires de Cooper, ou "courant de depairing". Mais il serait aussi vraisemblable que l'injection d'électrons perturbe localement la distribution électronique f(E) de l'échantillon, au point de déstabiliser l'état supraconducteur. Cette dernière interprétation suppose une forte dépendance en température du couplage électron-boson à basse énergie.Enfin, je présente en annexe les fonctionnalités de microscopie magnétique du dispositif réalisé, ainsi que les premiers résultats scientifiques qu'elles ont permis d'obtenir : la mise en évidence du rôle joué par le fluage quantique dans la relaxation des vortex piégés au sein de Fe(Se,Te)

Potentiality of automatic parameter tuning suite available in ACTS track reconstruction software framework

Particle tracking is among the most sophisticated and complex part of the full event reconstruction chain. A number of reconstruction algorithms work in a sequence to build these trajectories from detector hits. These algorithms use many configuration parameters that need to be fine-tuned to properly account for the detector/experimental setup, the available CPU budget and the desired physics performance. The most popular method to tune these parameters is hand-tuning using brute-force techniques. These techniques can be inefficient and raise issues for the long-term maintainability of such algorithms. The open-source track reconstruction software framework known as "A Common Tracking Framework (ACTS)" offers an alternative solution to these parameter tuning techniques through the use of automatic parameter optimization algorithms. ACTS comes equipped with an auto-tuning suite that provides necessary setup for performing optimization of input parameters belonging to track reconstruction algorithms. The user can choose the tunable parameters in a flexible way and define a cost/benefit function for optimizing the full reconstruction chain. The fast execution speed of ACTS allows the user to run several iterations of optimization within a reasonable time bracket. The performance of these optimizers has been demonstrated on different track reconstruction algorithms such as trajectory seed reconstruction and selection, particle vertex reconstruction and generation of simplified material map, and on different detector geometries such as Generic Detector and Open Data Detector (ODD). We aim to bring this approach to all aspects of trajectory reconstruction by having a more flexible integration of tunable parameters within ACTS

HEP Community White Paper on Software trigger and event reconstruction

Realizing the physics programs of the planned and upgraded high-energy physics (HEP) experiments over the next 10 years will require the HEP community to address a number of challenges in the area of software and computing. For this reason, the HEP software community has engaged in a planning process over the past two years, with the objective of identifying and prioritizing the research and development required to enable the next generation of HEP detectors to fulfill their full physics potential. The aim is to produce a Community White Paper which will describe the community strategy and a roadmap for software and computing research and development in HEP for the 2020s. The topics of event reconstruction and software triggers were considered by a joint working group and are summarized together in this document.Comment: Editors Vladimir Vava Gligorov and David Lang

A Roadmap for HEP Software and Computing R&D for the 2020s

Particle physics has an ambitious and broad experimental programme for the coming decades. This programme requires large investments in detector hardware, either to build new facilities and experiments, or to upgrade existing ones. Similarly, it requires commensurate investment in the R&D of software to acquire, manage, process, and analyse the shear amounts of data to be recorded. In planning for the HL-LHC in particular, it is critical that all of the collaborating stakeholders agree on the software goals and priorities, and that the efforts complement each other. In this spirit, this white paper describes the R&D activities required to prepare for this software upgrade.Peer reviewe

Experimental study of the magnetic and electronic properties of low-dimensional superconductors

Comprendre la supraconductivité des pnictures et séléniures de fer nécessite de bien connaître leurs propriétés électroniques et magnétiques. Dans ce cadre, j'ai aidé à réaliser et j'ai automatisé un dispositif cryogénique capable d'étudier ces propriétés, à basse température (jusqu'à ~1 K) et sous application d'un champ magnétique statique (jusqu'à 2 T) ou oscillant. Les techniques implémentées sont la spectroscopie de pointe et la microscopie à sonde de Hall, et le dispositif est conçu de sorte qu'il soit possible de basculer de l'une à l'autre sans manipuler l'échantillon.J'ai ensuite utilisé ce dispositif pour étudier par spectroscopie de pointe les gaps supraconducteurs du pnicture Ba(Fe,Ni)2As2, puis rechercher la signature du couplage de ses électrons de conduction à des modes bosoniques. Ce faisant, il a été observé dans la conductance différentielle de jonctions métal-supraconducteur un signal oscillant dont la période varie en température comme le gap supraconducteur de l'échantillon. Ce signal dépend de la résistance de contact de la jonction d'une façon qui prouve clairement qu'il est issu d'effets hors équilibre.J'ai modélisé ce signal en étudiant théoriquement la physique de jonctions métal-métal-supraconducteur, dont la seconde région métallique serait formée par transition locale du supraconducteur vers l'état normal. Le modèle que j'ai ainsi construit permet de prédire la conductance différentielle d'une telle jonction, moyennant une connaissance préalable de la loi L(V) reliant la taille de la seconde région métallique à la tension aux bornes de la jonction. J'ai ensuite proposé plusieurs modèles pour cette loi.Après comparaison avec l'expérience, il semble possible que la région métallique se forme par dépassement local de la densité de courant critique Jd du supraconducteur associée à la brisure de paires de Cooper, ou "courant de depairing". Mais il serait aussi vraisemblable que l'injection d'électrons perturbe localement la distribution électronique f(E) de l'échantillon, au point de déstabiliser l'état supraconducteur. Cette dernière interprétation suppose une forte dépendance en température du couplage électron-boson à basse énergie.Enfin, je présente en annexe les fonctionnalités de microscopie magnétique du dispositif réalisé, ainsi que les premiers résultats scientifiques qu'elles ont permis d'obtenir : la mise en évidence du rôle joué par le fluage quantique dans la relaxation des vortex piégés au sein de Fe(Se,Te).Reaching a good understanding of the superconductivity of iron pnictides and selenides requires an accurate knowledge of their electronic and magnetic properties. To this end, I helped building and I automated a cryogenic device that is suitable for the study of these properties, at low temperatures (down to ~1 K) and under the application of a magnetic field, either static (up to 2 T) or oscillating. The device implements the experimental techniques of point contact spectroscopy and scanning hall probe microscopy, and it allows switching between them without requiring sample manipulations.I subsequently used this device to study the superconducting gaps of Ba(Fe,Ni)2As2 by point contact spectroscopy, before I began looking for signatures of the coupling of conduction electrons to bosonic modes. However, in this process, the differential conductance of metal-superconductor junctions turned out to exhibit oscillating features, whose period evolves in temperature like the superconducting gap of the sample. This signal also depends on a junction's contact resistance in such a manner that it appears unmistakably out-of-equilibrium in nature.I derived a model of this signal by undertaking a theoretical study of metal-metal-superconductor junctions. In these junctions, the second metallic region would emerge from a local transition of the superconductor to the normal state. The resulting model is able to predict the differential conductance of such a junction, given prior knowledge of the L(V) law linking the size of the second metallic region to the voltage being applied across the junction. I subsequently derived several models for this law.Comparing these models to experimental data, it appears that the observed phenomenology could emerge from a local increase of current density above the "depairing current" Jd associated to Cooper pair breaking in the superconductor. Alternatively, electron injection could also locally alter the electron energy distribution f(E) of the sample to the point of destabilizing the superconducting state. This last explanation requires a strong temperature dependence of the electron-boson coupling at low energies.Finally, in an appendix, I describe the magnetic microscopy capabilities of the experimental device. Those capabilities enabled us to understand the role played by quantum creep in the relaxation of trapped vortices within Fe(Se,Te)

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Floating-point profiling of ACTS using Verrou

International audienceFloating-point computations play a central role in scientific computing. Achieving high numerical stability in these computations affects not just correctness, but also computing efficiency, by accelerating the convergence of iterative methods and expanding the available choices of precision. The ACTS project aims at establishing an experiment-agnostic track reconstruction toolkit. It originates from the ATLAS Run2 tracking software and has already received strong adoption by FCC-hh. It is also being evaluated for possible use by the CLICdp and Belle 2 experiments. In this study, Verrou, a Valgrind-based tool for dynamic instrumentation of floating-point computations, was applied to the ACTS codebase for the dual purpose of evaluating its numerical stability and investigating possible avenues for use of reduced-precision arithmetic

Kiwaku, a C++20 library for multidimensional arrays Application to ACTS tracking

International audienceC++ is a vital part of particle physics as it allows for high level abstractions while offering state of the art performance. In this article we will first introduce the C++20 concepts, a major C++ usability enhancement. We will then introduce Kiwaku, a new multidimensional arrays library taking advantage of the most advanced C++ features at the time of writing, providing the user with intuitive API while retaining state of the art performance. Multidimensional arrays are a basic building block for many scientific experiments and simulations, and particle physics is no exception. Using examples borrowed from Covfie and ACTS libraries, and using data from the ATLAS CERN experiment, we will show how Kiwaku offers good usability while having a negligible impact on performance compared to using classic C++ std::arrays

Kiwaku, a C++20 library for multidimensional arrays Application to ACTS tracking

International audienceC++ is a vital part of particle physics as it allows for high level abstractions while offering state of the art performance. In this article we will first introduce the C++20 concepts, a major C++ usability enhancement. We will then introduce Kiwaku, a new multidimensional arrays library taking advantage of the most advanced C++ features at the time of writing, providing the user with intuitive API while retaining state of the art performance. Multidimensional arrays are a basic building block for many scientific experiments and simulations, and particle physics is no exception. Using examples borrowed from Covfie and ACTS libraries, and using data from the ATLAS CERN experiment, we will show how Kiwaku offers good usability while having a negligible impact on performance compared to using classic C++ std::arrays