Pashupati Dhakal

Ultrasensitive chemical detection using a nanocoax sensor.

We report on the design, fabrication, and performance of a nanoporous, coaxial array capacitive detector for highly sensitive chemical detection. Composed of an array of vertically aligned nanoscale coaxial electrodes constructed with porous dielectric coax annuli around carbon nanotube cores, this sensor is shown to achieve parts per billion level detection sensitivity, at room temperature, to a broad class of organic molecules. The nanoscale, 3D architecture and microscale array pitch of the sensor enable rapid access of target molecules and chip-based multiplexing capabilities, respectively.

Decrease of the surface resistance in superconducting niobium resonator cavities by the microwave field

Measurements of the quality factor, Q, of Nb superconducting microwave resonators often show that Q increases by ≃10%–30% with increasing radio-frequency (rf) field, H, up to ∼15–20 mT. Recent high temperature heat treatments can amplify this rf field-induced increase of Q up to ≃50%–100% and extend it to much higher fields ≃100 mT, but the mechanisms of the enhancement of Q(H) remain unclear. Here, we suggest a method to reveal these mechanisms by measuring temperature dependencies of Q at different rf field amplitudes. We show that the increase of Q(H) does not come from a field dependent quasi-particles activation energy or residual resistance, but rather results from the smearing of the density of state by the rf field.

Direct-write, focused ion beam-deposited, 7 K superconducting C–Ga–O nanowire

We have fabricated C–Ga–O nanowires by gallium focused ion beam-induced deposition from the carbon-based precursor phenanthrene. The electrical conductivity of the nanowires is weakly temperature dependent below 300 K and indicates a transition to a superconducting state below Tc=7 K. We have measured the temperature dependence of the upper critical field Hc2(T) and estimate a zero temperature critical field of 8.8 T. The Tc of this material is approximately 40% higher than that of any other direct write nanowire, such as those based on C–W–Ga, expanding the possibility of fabricating direct-write nanostructures that superconduct above liquid helium temperatures.

Design and performance of a new induction furnace for heat treatment of superconducting radiofrequency niobium cavities

Superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities made of high purity niobium (Nb) are the building blocks of many modern particle accelerators. The fabrication process includes several cycles of chemical and heat treatment at low (∼120 °C) and high (∼800 °C) temperatures. In this contribution, we describe the design and performance of an ultra-high-vacuum furnace which uses an induction heating system to heat treat SRF cavities. Cavities are heated by radiation from the Nb susceptor. By using an all-niobium hot zone, contamination of the Nb cavity by foreign elements during heat treatment is minimized and allows avoiding subsequent chemical etching. The furnace was operated up to 1400 °C with a maximum pressure of ∼1 × 10(-5) Torr and the maximum achievable temperature is estimated to be higher than 2000 °C. Initial results on the performance of a single cell 1.5 GHz cavity made of ingot Nb heat treated at 1200 °C using this new induction furnace and without subsequent chemical etching showed a reduction of the RF losses by a factor of ∼2 compared to cavities made of fine-grain Nb which underwent standard chemical and heat treatments.

Observation and Simulation of All Angular Magnetoresistance Oscillation Effects in the Quasi-One-Dimensional Organic Conductor(DMET)2I3

Measurements and calculations of magnetotransport in the organic conductor (DMET)(2)I(3) detect and simulate all angular magnetoresistance oscillations known for quasi-one-dimensional conductors. By employing the actual triclinic crystal structure in the calculations, these results address the putative vanishing of the primary magnetoresistance phenomenon, the Lebed magic angle effect, for orientations in which it was expected to be strongest. They also show a common origin for Lebed and the so-called Lee-Naughton oscillations and confirm the generalized nature of angular effects in such systems.

Role of thermal resistance on the performance of superconducting radio frequency cavities

Thermal stability is an important parameter for the operation of the superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities used in particle accelerators. The rf power dissipated on the inner surface of the cavities is conducted to the helium bath cooling the outer cavity surface and the equilibrium temperature of the inner surface depends on the thermal resistance. In this manuscript, we present the results of direct measurements of thermal resistance on 1.3 GHz single cell SRF cavities made from high purity large grain and fine grain niobium as well as their rf performance for different treatments applied to outer cavity surface in order to investigate the role of the Kapitza resistance to the overall thermal resistance and to the SRF cavity performance. The results show no significant impact of the thermal resistance to the SRF cavity performance after chemical polishing, mechanical polishing or anodization of the outer cavity surface. Temperature maps taken during the rf test show non-uniform heating of the surface at medium rf fields. Calculations of Q0(Bp) curves using the thermal feedback model show good agreement with experimental data at 2 K and 1.8 K when a pair-braking term is included in the calculation of the BCS surface resistance. These results indicate local intrinsic non-linearities of the surface resistance, rather than purely thermal effects, to be the main cause for the observed field dependence of Q0(Bp).

Superconducting radio-frequency cavities made from medium and low-purity niobium ingots

Superconducting radio-frequency cavities made of ingot niobium with residual resistivity ratio (RRR) greater than 250 have proven to have similar or better performance than fine-grain Nb cavities of the same purity, after standard processing. The high purity requirement contributes to the high cost of the material. As superconducting accelerators operating in continuous-wave typically require cavities to operate at moderate accelerating gradients, using lower purity material could be advantageous not only to reduce cost but also to achieve higher Q0-values. In this contribution we present the results from cryogenic RF tests of 1.3–1.5 GHz single-cell cavities made of ingot Nb of medium (RRR = 100–150) and low (RRR = 60) purity from different suppliers. Cavities made of medium-purity ingots routinely achieved peak surface magnetic field values greater than 70 mT with an average Q0-value of 2 × 1010 at 2 K after standard processing treatments. As a result, the performances of cavities made of low-purity ingots were affected by significant pitting of the surface after chemical etching.

Summary of performance of superconducting radio-frequency cavities built from CBMM niobium ingots

Several Nb ingots have been provided by CBMM to Jefferson Lab since 2004 as part of an R&D collaboration aimed at evaluating the performance of superconducting radio-frequency cavities built from ingots with different purity, as a results of different ingot production processes. Approximately 32 multi- and single-cell cavities with resonant frequency between ∼1.3-2.3 GHz were built, treated and tested at 2 K at Jefferson Lab between 2004 and 2014. The average peak surface field achieved in cavities made of RRR∼260 and RRR∼100-150 ingots was (119 ± 4) mT and (100 ± 8) mT, respectively. Higher quality factor values at 2.0 K have been measured in medium-purity, compared to higher purity material.

High performance superconducting radio frequency ingot niobium technology for continuous wave applications

Future continuous wave (CW) accelerators require the superconducting radio frequency cavities with high quality factor and medium accelerating gradients (≤20 MV/m). Ingot niobium cavities with medium purity fulfill the specifications of both accelerating gradient and high quality factor with simple processing techniques and potential reduction in cost. This contribution reviews the current superconducting radiofrequency research and development and outlines the potential benefits of using ingot niobium technology for CW applications.

Imprint-Templated Nanocoax Array Architecture: Fabrication and Utilization

Arrays of vertically-oriented cylindrical, coaxial and triaxial nanostructures are fabricated from polymer nanopillar arrays prepared by nanoimprint lithography. With particular process modifications, these arrays have wide potential utility, including as molecular-scale biological (biomarker, pathogen, etc.) and chemical (explosives, environmental agents, etc.) sensors, high density neuroelectronic interfaces and retinal prostheses, radial junction photovoltaic solar cells, ultracapacitors, and optical metastructures. We report on their fabrication and example utilizations in the latter of these areas, with arrays of typical area density 106 mm−2.