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Enectali Figueroa-Feliciano

Publications and source records attributed to Enectali Figueroa-Feliciano.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Component-Level Inverse Design of Transmon Qubits Using Neural Networks

Designing a superconducting qubit to realize specific Hamiltonian parameters typically requires iterating through a time and compute-intensive forward loop in which the designer chooses a layout geometry, simulates it, extracts circuit parameters such as capacitances, and refines the geometry. We study the inverse version of this task using a neural-network workflow that maps target Hamiltonian parameters directly to component-level layout parameters, which we subsequently demonstrate on a planar transmon layout. During training, we pair the inverse model with a frozen forward surrogate model and evaluate the loss in Hamiltonian space rather than in layout-parameter space. In validation against a conventional EM solver, 97% of generated designs produce usable geometries, and the inverse-plus-surrogate pipeline reaches mean percent errors of 0.73% for qubit frequency and 1.58% for anharmonicity, comparable to or below the fabrication and simulation-to-measurement uncertainty expected for academic-process transmon devices of this type. A single pipeline query takes ~60 ms on CPU, versus ~2 min for a conventional EM capacitance extraction on the same hardware, a speedup of approximately 2,000x. Batching minimizes the AI model inference overhead, reducing the runtime to 3.1 microseconds per sample on CPU and 2.6 microseconds per sample on GPU at a batch size of 2048, resulting in speedups of 3.9 x 10^7 and 4.6 x 10^7, respectively, relative to a single conventional CPU EM extraction. Our results indicate that component-level inverse design usefully extends and complements conventional EM simulation, including for small datasets on the order of 1,000 samples.

quant-ph↗

Performance of a SuperCDMS HVeV Detector with Sub-eV Energy Resolution and Single Charge-sensitivity

We present a detailed characterization of a new generation of athermal-phonon single-charge sensitive Si HVeV detectors, the best of which achieved 589~meV~$\pm$~5~meV baseline resolution. Our sub-eV energy resolution enables precise measurements of single-photon events and reveal consistent energy losses of 0.92~eV~$\pm$~0.02~eV per charge excitation across two facilities. We demonstrate that the noise for these detectors is well described using a standard Transition Edge Sensor noise model. We also measure a nominal phonon collection efficiency of 45\%~$\pm$~3\%~(stat.)~$\pm$~6\%~(syst.) in the best performing device, establishing these detectors as the most efficient athermal phonon detectors to date, limited only by intrinsic limitations of quasiparticle generation.

physics.ins-det↗

Accelerating Surface Radiation Content to Investigate the Impact of Radon Progeny on Superconducting Qubits

Ionizing radiation in the form of $α$, $β$, $γ$, and additional high-energy particles can induce decoherence via phonon and quasiparticle poisoning in superconducting qubits. Recent studies have explored this effect using cosmic rays or controlled radioactive sources held in the proximity of a qubit package, and have concluded that reductions in such ``external'' environmental radiation may benefit stable operation of qubit devices. However, the effect of long-lived, unstable daughters of $^{222}$Rn that ``plate out'' directly on device and packaging surfaces has not been as extensively explored. This plate-out process, well-known to the dark matter direct detection field, occurs throughout the fabrication and testing lifecycle of a device and (separately) its packaging, and produces a local source of $α$-decays which can remain active for decades. As this scales with chip area, understanding and managing this source of ionizing radiation is relevant for successfully scaling quantum computing architectures to larger numbers of qubits in a radiation-robust way. We present a setup capable of accelerating and enhancing radon daughter plateout by a factor of $7\times10^4$ over ambient, in order to study, \textit{in situ}, the impact of these events on superconducting qubits. We also provide outlook on the potential impact of this source of ionizing radiation on current and future qubit arrays.

quant-ph↗

Characterization of Aluminum Microwave SQUID Multiplexers for CE$ν$NS Detection

We present the design, fabrication, and characterization of an aluminum-based six-channel microwave SQUID multiplexer ($μ$MUX) prototype for transition-edge sensor (TES) readout in the RICOCHET experiment. The device consists of aluminum coplanar-waveguide resonators and RF SQUIDs with Dolan-style Al/AlO$_x$/Al Josephson junctions. By measuring the resonator scattering parameters at a range of probe tone frequencies, powers, and flux bias points, we demonstrate agreement between the device response and existing multiplexer models. We also characterize the noise performance in both open-loop and flux-ramping modes. With a high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) amplifier, open-loop measurements yield a flux sensitivity of 1-1.5 $μΦ_0/\sqrt{Hz}$. With flux-ramp modulation, low-frequency 1/f noise is suppressed, and the flux sensitivity is around 3-4 $μΦ_0/\sqrt{Hz}$, corresponding to a current sensitivity of 24-33 $pA/\sqrt{Hz}$ at the input coil. We further demonstrate a reduction in readout noise by incorporating a Josephson traveling-wave parametric amplifier (JTWPA) between the $μ$MUX and the HEMT. This achieves an open-loop flux sensitivity of 0.3-0.6 $μΦ_0/\sqrt{Hz}$ and an effective system noise temperature below 1 K. These results establish aluminum $μ$MUX devices as a viable and extensible readout technology for low-noise cryogenic detector arrays.

physics.ins-det↗

Characterization of mini-CryoCube detectors from the Ricochet experiment commissioning at the Institut Laue-Langevin

The Ricochet experiment aims to measure the coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering process from antineutrinos emitted by a research nuclear reactor operated by the Institut Laue-Langevin (Grenoble, France). This article presents a description of the Ricochet experimental installation and the detector performance achieved during its commissioning with a mini-CryoCube module consisting of three 42-gram germanium cryogenic calorimeters. The baseline resolutions and background levels are reported both during reactor-on and reactor-off periods, and as noise mitigation techniques were improved. A baseline resolution of 40 eV electron equivalent was achieved for the ionization channel after setup improvements, and the phonon channel resolutions ranged from 50 to 80 eV of total phonon energy. In the energy region from 2 to 7 keV, a nuclear recoil rate of 15(2) events/(kg day keV) is measured during the reactor-off period selecting events in coincidence with muon veto signals. This rate is in agreement with the cosmogenic neutron rate calculated from GEANT4 simulations. After the rejection of events in coincidence with signals in the muon veto detectors, a combined 90% C.L. limit on the nuclear recoil background of < 9 events/(kg day keV) is obtained in that energy region during the reactor-on period, which is compatible with our GEANT4 model calculation corresponding to a total rate of 5 events/(kg day keV). The sensitivity of this analysis was however found to be limited by a surface event contamination which is currently being addressed by the Ricochet Collaboration with upgraded detectors.

hep-ex↗

Modeling Athermal Phonons in Novel Materials using the G4CMP Simulation Toolkit

Understanding phonon and charge propagation in superconducting devices plays an important role in both performing low-threshold dark matter searches and limiting correlated errors in superconducting qubits. The Geant4 Condensed Matter Physics (G4CMP) package, originally developed for the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) experiment, models charge and phonon transport within silicon and germanium detectors and has been validated by experimental measurements of phonon caustics, mean charge-carrier drift velocities, and heat pulse propagation times. In this work, we present a concise framework for expanding the capabilities for phonon transport to a number of other novel substrate materials of interest to the dark matter and quantum computing communities, including sapphire (Al$_{2}$O$_{3}$), gallium arsenide (GaAs), lithium fluoride (LiF), calcium tungstate (CaWO$_{4}$), and calcium fluoride (CaF$_{2}$). We demonstrate the use of this framework in generating phonon transport properties of these materials and compare these properties with experimentally-determined values where available.

physics.ins-det↗

Characterization of a TES-based Anti-Coincidence Detector for Future Large Field-of-View X-ray Calorimetry Missions

Microcalorimeter instruments aboard future X-ray observatories will require an anti-coincidence (anti-co) detector to veto charged particle events and reduce the non-X-ray background. We have developed a large-format, TES-based prototype anti-coincidence detector that is particularly suitable for use with spatially-extended (~ 10 cm^2}) TES microcalorimeter arrays, as would be used for a future large field-of-view X-ray missions. This prototype was developed in the context of the Line Emission Mapper (LEM) probe concept, which required a ~ 14 cm^2 anti-co detector with > 95% live time and a low-energy threshold below 20 keV. Our anti-co design employs parallel networks of quasiparticle-trap-assisted electrothermal feedback TESs (QETs) to detect the athermal phonon signal produced in the detector substrate by incident charged particles. We developed multiple prototype anti-co designs featuring 12 channels and up to 6300 QETs. Here we focus on a design utilizing tungsten TESs and present characterization results. Broad energy range measurements have been performed (4.1 keV -- 5.5 MeV). Based on noise and responsivity measurements, the implied low-energy threshold is < 1 keV and a live time fraction of > 96% can be achieved up to 5.5 MeV. We also find evidence of mm-scale-or-better spatial resolution and discuss the potential utility of this for future missions. Finally, we discuss the early development of a soild-state physics model of the anti-co towards understanding phonon propagation and quasiparticle production in the detector.

astro-ph.IM↗

Performance of a Kinetic Inductance Phonon-Mediated Detector at the NEXUS Cryogenic Facility

Microcalorimeters that leverage microwave kinetic inductance detectors to read out phonon signals in the particle-absorbing target, referred to as kinetic inductance phonon-mediated (KIPM) detectors, offer an attractive detector architecture to probe dark matter (DM) down to the fermionic thermal relic mass limit. A prototype KIPM detector featuring a single aluminum resonator patterned onto a 1-gram silicon substrate was operated in the NEXUS low-background facility at Fermilab for characterization and evaluation of this detector architecture's efficacy for a dark matter search. An energy calibration was performed by exposing the bare substrate to a pulsed source of 470 nm photons, resulting in a baseline resolution on the energy absorbed by the phonon sensor of $2.1\pm0.2$ eV, a factor of two better than the current state-of-the-art, enabled by millisecond-scale quasiparticle lifetimes. However, due to the sub-percent phonon collection efficiency, the resolution on energy deposited in the substrate is limited to $σ_E=318 \pm 28$ eV. We further model the signal pulse shape as a function of device temperature to extract quasiparticle lifetimes, as well as the observed noise spectra, both of which impact the baseline resolution of the sensor.

physics.ins-det↗

First Flight Performance of the Micro-X Microcalorimeter X-Ray Sounding Rocket

The flight of the Micro-X sounding rocket on July 22, 2018 marked the first operation of Transition-Edge Sensors and their SQUID readouts in space. The instrument combines the microcalorimeter array with an imaging mirror to take high-resolution spectra from extended X-ray sources. The first flight target was the Cassiopeia~A Supernova Remnant. While a rocket pointing malfunction led to no time on-target, data from the flight was used to evaluate the performance of the instrument and demonstrate the flight viability of the payload. The instrument successfully achieved a stable cryogenic environment, executed all flight operations, and observed X-rays from the on-board calibration source. The flight environment did not significantly affect the performance of the detectors compared to ground operation. The flight provided an invaluable test of the impact of external magnetic fields and the instrument configuration on detector performance. This flight provides a milestone in the flight readiness of these detector and readout technologies, both of which have been selected for future X-ray observatories.

astro-ph.IM↗

Single Electron-Hole Pair Sensitive Silicon Detector with Surface Event Rejection

We demonstrate single electron-hole pair resolution in a single-sided, contact-free 1 cm$^2$ by 1 mm thick Si crystal operated at 48 mK, with a baseline energy resolution of 3 eV. This crystal can be operated at voltages in excess of $\pm50$ V, resulting in a measured charge resolution of 0.06 electron-hole pairs. The high aluminum coverage ($\sim$70%) of this device allows for the discrimination of surface events and separation of events occurring near the center of the detector from those near the edge. We use this discrimination ability to show that non-quantized dark events seen in previous detectors of a similar design are likely dominated by charge leakage along the side wall of the device.

physics.ins-det↗

Dark Sectors 2016 Workshop: Community Report

This report, based on the Dark Sectors workshop at SLAC in April 2016, summarizes the scientific importance of searches for dark sector dark matter and forces at masses beneath the weak-scale, the status of this broad international field, the important milestones motivating future exploration, and promising experimental opportunities to reach these milestones over the next 5-10 years.

hep-ph↗

Readout strategies for directional dark matter detection beyond the neutrino background

The search for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) by direct detection faces an encroaching background due to coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering. As the sensitivity of these experiments improves, the question of how to best distinguish a dark matter signal from neutrinos will become increasingly important. A proposed method of overcoming this so-called 'neutrino floor' is to utilize the directional signature that both neutrino and dark matter induced recoils possess. We show that directional experiments can indeed probe WIMP-nucleon cross-sections below the neutrino floor with little loss in sensitivity due to the neutrino background. In particular we find at low WIMP masses (around 6 GeV) the discovery limits for directional detectors penetrate below the non-directional limit by several orders of magnitude. For high WIMP masses (around 100 GeV), the non-directional limit is overcome by a factor of a few. Furthermore we show that even for directional detectors which can only measure 1- or 2-dimensional projections of the 3-dimensional recoil track, the discovery potential is only reduced by a factor of 3 at most. We also demonstrate that while the experimental limitations of directional detectors, such as sense recognition and finite angular resolution, have a detrimental effect on the discovery limits, it is still possible to overcome the ultimate neutrino background faced by non-directional detectors.

astro-ph.CO↗

Searching for keV Sterile Neutrino Dark Matter with X-ray Microcalorimeter Sounding Rockets

High-resolution X-ray spectrometers onboard suborbital sounding rockets can search for dark matter candidates that produce X-ray lines, such as decaying keV-scale sterile neutrinos. Even with exposure times and effective areas far smaller than XMM-Newton and Chandra observations, high-resolution, wide field-of-view observations with sounding rockets have competitive sensitivity to decaying sterile neutrinos. We analyze a subset of the 2011 observation by the X-ray Quantum Calorimeter instrument centered on Galactic coordinates l = 165, b = -5 with an effective exposure of 106 seconds, obtaining a limit on the sterile neutrino mixing angle of sin^2(2 theta) < 7.2e-10 at 95% CL for a 7 keV neutrino. Better sensitivity at the level of sin^2(2 theta) ~ 2.1e-11 at 95\% CL for a 7 keV neutrino is achievable with future 300-second observations of the galactic center by the Micro-X instrument, providing a definitive test of the sterile neutrino interpretation of the reported 3.56 keV excess from galaxy clusters.

astro-ph.CO↗

Optimized Designs for Very Low Temperature Massive Calorimeters

The baseline energy-resolution performance for the current generation of large-mass, low-temperature calorimeters (utilizing TES and NTD sensor technologies) is $>2$ orders of magnitude worse than theoretical predictions. A detailed study of several calorimetric detectors suggests that a mismatch between the sensor and signal bandwidths is the primary reason for suppressed sensitivity. With this understanding, we propose a detector design in which a thin-film Au pad is directly deposited onto a massive absorber that is then thermally linked to a separately fabricated TES chip via an Au wirebond, providing large electron-phonon coupling (i.e. high signal bandwidth), ease of fabrication, and cosmogenic background suppression. Interestingly, this design strategy is fully compatible with the use of hygroscopic crystals (NaI) as absorbers. An 80-mm diameter Si light detector based upon these design principles, with potential use in both dark matter and neutrinoless double beta decay, has an estimated baseline energy resolution of 0.35 eV, 20$\times$ better than currently achievable. A 1.75 kg ZnMoO$_{4}$ large-mass calorimeter would have a 3.5 eV baseline resolution, 1000$\times$ better than currently achieved with NTDs with an estimated position dependence $\frac{ΔE}{E}$ of 6$\times$10$^{-4}$. Such minimal position dependence is made possible by forcing the sensor bandwidth to be much smaller than the signal bandwidth. Further, intrinsic event timing resolution is estimated to be $\sim$170 $μ$s for 3 MeV recoils in the phonon detector, satisfying the event-rate requirements of large $Q_{ββ}$ next-generation neutrinoless double beta decay experiments. Quiescent bias power for both of these designs is found to be significantly larger than parasitic power loads achieved in the SPICA/SAFARI infrared bolometers.

astro-ph.IM↗

Vibration Isolation Design for the Micro-X Rocket Payload

Micro-X is a NASA-funded, sounding rocket-borne X-ray imaging spectrometer that will allow high precision measurements of velocity structure, ionization state and elemental composition of extended astrophysical systems. One of the biggest challenges in payload design is to maintain the temperature of the detectors during launch. There are several vibration damping stages to prevent energy transmission from the rocket skin to the detector stage, which causes heating during launch. Each stage should be more rigid than the outer stages to achieve vibrational isolation. We describe a major design effort to tune the resonance frequencies of these vibration isolation stages to reduce heating problems prior to the projected launch in the summer of 2014.

astro-ph.IM↗

A Chandra View Of Nonthermal Emission In The Northwestern Region Of Supernova Remnant RCW 86: Particle Acceleration And Magnetic Fields

The shocks of supernova remnants (SNRs) are believed to accelerate particles to cosmic ray (CR) energies. The amplification of the magnetic field due to CRs propagating in the shock region is expected to have an impact on both the emission from the accelerated particle population, as well as the acceleration process itself. Using a 95 ks observation with the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) onboard the Chandra X-ray Observatory, we map and characterize the synchrotron emitting material in the northwestern region of RCW 86. We model spectra from several different regions, filamentary and diffuse alike, where emission appears dominated by synchrotron radiation. The fine spatial resolution of Chandra allows us to obtain accurate emission profiles across 3 different non-thermal rims in this region. The narrow width (l = 10''-30'') of these filaments constrains the minimum magnetic field strength at the post-shock region to be approximately 80 μG.

astro-ph.HE↗

Fermi LAT Observations of Supernova Remnants Interacting with Molecular Clouds: W41, MSH 17-39, and G337.0-0.1

We report the detection of gamma-ray emission coincident with three supernova remnants (SNRs) using data from the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. W41, MSH 17-39, and G337.0-0.1 are SNRs known to be interacting with molecular clouds, as evidenced by observations of hydroxyl (OH) maser emission at 1720 MHz in their directions and other observational information. SNR shocks are expected to be sites of cosmic ray acceleration, and clouds of dense material can provide effective targets for production of gamma-rays from neutral pion-decay. The observations reveal unresolved sources in the direction of G337.0-0.1, and MSH 17-39, and an extended source coincident with W41. We model their broadband emission (radio to gamma-ray) using a simple one-zone model, and after considering scenarios in which the MeV-TeV sources originate from either neutral pion-decay or leptonic emission, we conclude that the gamma-rays are most likely produced through the hadronic channel.

astro-ph.HE↗