G. Torrioli

Low noise multiwasher superconducting interferometer

The dc-superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) is a low-noise converter from magnetic flux to voltage which can have, in principle, an energy sensitivity near the quantum limit of ℏ/2. A critical parameter for the ideal performance is the device inductance, which must be kept as small as possible. Minimizing the SQUID inductance, however, is a major concern for a practical device; this requirement implies a small SQUID ring and hence magnetic coupling with an external signal is more difficult to achieve. Here we present an original scheme (called multiwasher) to circumvent this problem, and its implementation in an all-refractory thin-film device. Our scheme not only provides good magnetic coupling with a large input coil (0.5 μH) and very low SQUID inductance, but also shielding from outside uniform fields, such as those generated by ambient disturbances. The measured coupled spectral energy sensitivity in the white region at about 1 kHz is 28ℏ at 4.2 K and 5.5ℏ in a pumped helium bath at 0.9...

Variable transformer for controllable flux coupling

We discuss and demonstrate a prototype of superconducting transformer with a flux transfer function that can be varied in a wide range, by acting on a control parameter. The device is realized by inserting a small hysteretic superconducting quantum interference device (dc-SQUID) with unshunted junctions, working as a Josephson junction with flux-controlled critical current, parallel to a superconducting transformer; by varying the magnetic flux coupled to the dc-SQUID, the transfer function for the flux coupled to the transformer can be varied. This feature can prove particularly appealing in the field of quantum computing, where it could be exploited to achieve a controllable magnetic coupling among flux-based qubits. Measurements carried out on a prototype at 4.2K show a reduction factor of about 30 between the “on” and the “off” states. We discuss the system characteristics and the experimental results.

Wide dynamic range terahertz detector pixel for active spectroscopic imaging with quantum cascade lasers

A superconducting bolometer with an on-chip lithographic terahertz antenna has been illuminated by two quantum cascade lasers operating at 2.5 and 4.4 THz. The detector displays a 1.2 μs time constant, a noise equivalent power of 20 fW/Hz1/2 and a 60 dB dynamic range. We fabricated a monolithic prototype detector array of five elements. This scalable detector is a suitable candidate for terahertz spectroscopic imaging systems, as it can measure both full illuminator power and strongly attenuated or diffuse reflected signals in subsequent frames.

Characterization of a fabrication process for the integration of superconducting qubits and rapid-single-flux-quantum circuits

In order to integrate superconducting qubits with rapid-single-flux-quantum (RSFQ) control circuitry, it is necessary to develop a fabrication process that simultaneously fulfils the requirements of both elements: low critical current density, very low operating temperature (tens of millikelvin) and reduced dissipation on the qubit side; high operation frequency, large stability margins, low dissipated power on the RSFQ side. For this purpose, VTT has developed a fabrication process based on Nb trilayer technology, which allows the on-chip integration of superconducting qubits and RSFQ circuits even at very low temperature. Here we present the characterization (at 4.2 K) of the process from the point of view of the Josephson devices and show that they are suitable to build integrated superconducting qubits.

SQUID systems for macroscopic quantum coherence and quantum computing

Among the various devices proposed as elements of a quantum computer, the rf-SQUID is a very promising candidate. In fact, systems based on this element can be adjusted in situ, can be coupled by means of superconducting transformers, can be prepared individually and measured with superconducting electronics. Moreover, many progresses were made in these years which showed quantum effects in this system. The present paper describes a complete device developed in order to get a direct measurement of the quantum coherent oscillation. The knowledge of this time, together with its limiting factors, is a prerequisite for fabricating a qubit based on rf-SQUIDs.

EURECA - A European-Japanese micro-calorimeter array

The EURECA (EURopean-JapanEse Calorimeter Array) project aims to demonstrate the science performance and technological readiness of an imaging X-ray spectrometer based on a micro-calorimeter array for application in future X-ray astronomy missions, like Constellation-X and XEUS. The prototype instrument consists of a 5 × 5 pixel array of TES-based micro-calorimeters read out by by two SQUID-amplifier channels using frequency-domain-multiplexing (FDM). The SQUID-amplifiers are linearized by digital base-band feedback. The detector array is cooled in a cryogenfree cryostat consisting of a pulse tube cooler and a two stage ADR. A European-Japanese consortium designs, fabricates, and tests this prototype instrument. This paper describes the instrument concept, and shows the design and status of the various sub-units, like the TES detector array, LC-filters, SQUID-amplifiers, AC-bias sources, digital electronics, etc. Initial tests of the system at the PTB beam line of the BESSY synchrotron showed stable performance and an X-ray energy resolution of 1.58 eV at 250 eV and 2.5 eV @ 5.9 keV for the read-out of one TES-pixel only. Next step is deployment of FDM to read-out the full array. Full performance demonstration is expected mid 2009.

Switching dynamics of Nb/AlOx/Nb Josephson junctions: Measurements for an experiment of macroscopic quantum coherence

Josephson junctions based on Nb/AlOx/Nb trilayer technology have demonstrated excellent quality, exhibiting very low dissipation in the subgap region. This property is very important for all those experiments which have to deal with the quantum behavior of macroscopic variables in Josephson devices. In view of performing an experiment of macroscopic quantum coherence with a Josephson device, we measured the escape temperature and the return current of several junctions fabricated with different processes and having different characteristics, by cooling them from 4.2 to 0.3 K. We show that, for what concerns the process of escape from the zero‐voltage state, no difference can be found among different junctions. On the other hand, the dissipation properties are strongly influenced by the current density, with lower current density resulting in lower intrinsic dissipation.

The x-ray microcalorimeter spectrometer onboard of IXO

One of the instruments on the International X-ray Observatory (IXO), under study with NASA, ESA and JAXA, is the X-ray Microcalorimeter Spectrometer (XMS). This instrument, which will provide high spectral resolution images, is based on X-ray micro-calorimeters with Transition Edge Sensor thermometers. The pixels have metallic X-ray absorbers and are read-out by multiplexed SQUID electronics. The requirements for this instrument are demanding. In the central array (40 x 40 pixels) an energy resolution of < 2.5 eV is required, whereas the energy resolution of the outer array is more relaxed (≈ 10 eV) but the detection elements have to be a factor 16 larger in order to keep the number of read-out channels acceptable for a cryogenic instrument. Due to the large collection area of the IXO optics, the XMS instrument must be capable of processing high counting rates, while maintaining the spectral resolution and a low deadtime. In addition, an anti-coincidence detector is required to suppress the particle-induced background. In this paper we will summarize the instrument status and performance. We will describe the results of design studies for the focal plane assembly and the cooling systems. Also the system and its required spacecraft resources will be given.

Catastrophe observation in a Josephson-junction system

We report on experiments performed to probe quantum coherence in a system consisting of an rf-SQUID in which the Josephson junction is replaced by a small loop containing two junctions in parallel. At temperatures of the order of 10 mK the system may develop three potential energy wells, which modify the usual two well energy profile and thereby verify the qubit manipulation strategy. The appearance of the third potential well can be interpreted as evidence of a butterfly Catastrophe, namely, a catastrophe expected for a system described by four control parameters and one state variable.

Return current in hysteretic Josephson junctions: Experimental distribution in the thermal activation regime

We present an experimental study on the retrapping process of a hysteretic, high-quality Josephson junction; namely, we have measured the distribution of the values at which the junction switches back from the voltage state to the zero-voltage state, as a function of the applied magnetic field. While the opposite process (escape from the zero-voltage state) has been extensively studied in the past, both from the theoretical and the experimental point of view, little is found in the literature on the retrapping process. In terms of the tilted washboard potential, the process corresponds to the retrapping from the running state to a locked state in a potential well. The interest of the measurements is in the fact that the value of the return current can be directly related to the dissipation in the junction. While the deterministic behavior, experimentally measured through the I–V curve, appears to be in agreement with the theoretical predictions, even in minor details, the statistical behavior is strongly ...