arXiv subjects

Elia Bertoldo

Publications and source records attributed to Elia Bertoldo.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Superinductor-based ultrastrong coupling in a superconducting circuit

We present an ultrastrong superinductor-based coupling consisting of a flux qubit galvanically coupled to a resonator. The coupling inductor is fabricated in granular Aluminum, a superinductor material able to provide large surface inductances. Spectroscopy measurements on the qubit-resonator system reveal a Bloch-Siegert shift of \SI{23}{\mega\hertz} and a coupling fraction of $g/ω_r \simeq 0.13$, entering the perturbative ultrastrong coupling (USC) regime. We estimate the inductance of the coupler independently by low-temperature resistance measurements providing $L_c = (0.74\pm0.14)\,\mathrm{nH}$, which is compatible with $g/ω\gtrsim 0.1$. Our results show that superinductors are a promising tool to study USC physics in high-coherence circuits using flux qubits with small loop areas and low persistent currents.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Magnetic penetration depth of Aluminum thin films

We present a study of the superconducting penetration depth $λ$ in aluminum thin films of varying thickness. The range of thicknesses chosen spans from the thin-film regime to the regime approaching bulk behavior. The penetration depths observed range from $λ= 163.3\pm0.4~\rm{nm}$ for the thinnest $20~\rm{nm}$ samples down to $λ= 53.6\pm0.4~\rm{nm}$ for the $200~\rm{nm}$-thick ones. In order to accurately determine $λ$, we performed complementary measurements using the frequency of superconducting $LC$ resonators as well as the resistance of normal-state meanders. Both methods yield comparable results, providing a well-characterized set of values of $λ$ in aluminum in the relevant range for applications in fields such as quantum computing and microwave radiation detector technologies.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Cosmic muon flux attenuation methods for superconducting qubit experiments

We propose and demonstrate two practical mitigation methods to attenuate the cosmic muon flux, compatible with experiments involving superconducting qubits: shallow underground sites and specific device orientation. Using a specifically-built cosmic muon detector, we identify underground sites, widely present in urban environments, where significant attenuation of cosmic muon flux, up to a factor 35 for 100-meter depths, can be attained. Furthermore, we employ two germanium wafers in an above-ground laboratory, each equipped with a particle sensor, to show how the orientation of the chip with respect to the sky affects the amount and type of energy deposited on the substrate by ionizing radiation. We observe that the horizontal detector sees more counts at lower energy, while the vertical one is impacted by more particles at higher energy. The methods here described proposed ways to directly understand and reduce the effects of cosmic rays on qubits by attenuating the source of this type of decoherence, complementing existing on-chip mitigation strategies. We expect that both on-chip and off-chip methods combined will become ubiquitous in quantum technologies based on superconducting qubit circuits.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Superconducting nitridized-aluminum thin films

We report the direct observation of superconductivity in nitridized-aluminum thin films. The films are produced by sputtering deposition of aluminum in a controlled mixture of nitrogen diluted in argon. The concentration of applied nitrogen directly determines the properties of the superconducting thin films. We observe samples displaying critical temperatures up to 3.38$\pm$0.01K and resilience to in-plane magnetic fields well above 1T, with good reproducibility of the results. This work represents an unambiguous demonstration of tunable superconductivity in aluminum-based nitridized thin films. Our results put forward nitridized aluminum as a promising material to be employed in superconducting quantum circuits for quantum technology applications.

cond-mat.supr-con↗