arXiv subjects

K. W. Murch

Publications and source records attributed to K. W. Murch.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Sub-micron Circuit Fabrication on Diamond Anvils for Mesoscopic High-Pressure Experiments

We present a novel fabrication procedure to produce high-quality lift-off structures on diamond anvils extending from the culet down to the slanted facets. Feature sizes down to 500 nm are achieved through the use of a bi-layer resist stack and electron beam lithography. Device structures with strong adhesion to the diamond surface and high abrasion resistance are realized by optimizing the surface treatment. To benchmark our process, we fabricate a multi-lead tungsten circuit to measure changes of the superconducting transition temperature of zirconium across the structural phase transition at $\sim$30 GPa; showing a 4-fold jump of the critical temperature. Our process is easily reproducible in most traditional academic and industrial cleanroom facilities. This work paves the way for complex and high-precision fabrication and measurements inside diamond anvil cells and on other faceted crystalline samples.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Search for non-virialized axions with 3.3-4.2 $μ$eV mass at selected resolving powers

The Axion Dark Matter eXperiment is sensitive to narrow axion flows, given axions compose a fraction of the dark matter with a non-negligible local density. Detecting these low-velocity dispersion flows requires a high spectral resolution and careful attention to the expected signal modulation due to Earth's motion. We report an exclusion on the local axion dark matter density in narrow flows of $ρ_a \gtrsim 0.03\,\mathrm{GeV/cm^3}$ and $ρ_a \gtrsim 0.004\,\mathrm{GeV/cm^3}$ for Dine-Fischler-Srednicki-Zhitnitski and Kim-Shifman-Vainshtein-Zakharov axion-photon couplings, respectively, over the mass range $3.3-4.2\,μ\text{eV}$. Measurements were made at selected resolving powers to allow for a range of possible velocity dispersions.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2023

Axion Dark Matter eXperiment: Run 1A Analysis Details

The ADMX collaboration gathered data for its Run 1A axion dark matter search from January to June 2017, scanning with an axion haloscope over the frequency range 645-680 MHz (2.66-2.81 ueV in axion mass) at DFSZ sensitivity. The resulting axion search found no axion-like signals comprising all the dark matter in the form of a virialized galactic halo over the entire frequency range, implying lower bound exclusion limits at or below DFSZ coupling at the 90% confidence level. This paper presents expanded details of the axion search analysis of Run 1A, including review of relevant experimental systems, data-taking operations, preparation and interpretation of raw data, axion search methodology, candidate handling, and final axion limits.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2023

Non-Virialized Axion Search Sensitive to Doppler Effects in the Milky Way Halo

The Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX) has previously excluded Dine-Fischler-Srednicki-Zhitnisky (DFSZ) axions between 680-790 MHz under the assumption that the dark matter is described by the isothermal halo model. However, the precise nature of the velocity distribution of dark matter is still unknown, and alternative models have been proposed. We report the results of a non-virialized axion search over the mass range 2.81-3.31 μeV, corresponding to the frequency range 680-800 MHz. This analysis marks the most sensitive search for non-virialized axions sensitive to Doppler effects in the Milky Way Halo to date. Accounting for frequency shifts due to the detector's motion through the Galaxy, we exclude cold flow relic axions with a velocity dispersion of order 10^-7 c with 95% confidence.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2023

Search for a dark-matter induced Cosmic Axion Background with ADMX

We report the first result of a direct search for a Cosmic ${\it axion}$ Background (C$a$B) - a relativistic background of axions that is not dark matter - performed with the axion haloscope, the Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX). Conventional haloscope analyses search for a signal with a narrow bandwidth, as predicted for dark matter, whereas the C$a$B will be broad. We introduce a novel analysis strategy, which searches for a C$a$B induced daily modulation in the power measured by the haloscope. Using this, we repurpose data collected to search for dark matter to set a limit on the axion photon coupling of a C$a$B originating from dark matter cascade decay via a mediator in the 800-995 MHz frequency range. We find that the present sensitivity is limited by fluctuations in the cavity readout as the instrument scans across dark matter masses. Nevertheless, we suggest that these challenges can be surmounted using superconducting qubits as single photon counters, and allow ADMX to operate as a telescope searching for axions emerging from the decay of dark matter. The daily modulation analysis technique we introduce can be deployed for various broadband RF signals, such as other forms of a C$a$B or even high-frequency gravitational waves.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2023

Phononic bath engineering of a superconducting qubit

Phonons, the ubiquitous quanta of vibrational energy, play a vital role in the performance of quantum technologies. Conversely, unintended coupling to phonons degrades qubit performance and can lead to correlated errors in superconducting qubit systems. Regardless of whether phonons play an enabling or deleterious role, they do not typically admit control over their spectral properties, nor the possibility of engineering their dissipation to be used as a resource. Here we show that coupling a superconducting qubit to a bath of piezoelectric surface acoustic wave phonons enables a novel platform for investigating open quantum systems. By shaping the loss spectrum of the qubit via the bath of lossy surface phonons, we demonstrate preparation and dynamical stabilization of superposition states through the combined effects of drive and dissipation. These experiments highlight the versatility of engineered phononic dissipation and advance the understanding of mechanical losses in superconducting qubit systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Quantum acoustic Fano interference of surface phonons

Quantum acoustic systems, which integrate surface or bulk phonons with superconducting qubits, offer a unique opportunity to investigate phononic $interference$ and $scattering$ processes in the quantum regime. In particular the interaction between a superconducting qubit and a phononic oscillator allows the qubit to sense the oscillator's excitation spectrum and underlying interference effects. Here we present measurements revealing Fano interference of a resonantly trapped piezoelectric surface acoustic wave (SAW) mode with a broad continuum of surface phonons in a system consisting of a SAW resonator coupled to a superconducting qubit. The experiments highlight the existence of additional weakly coupled mechanical modes and their influence on the qubit-phonon interaction and underscore the importance of phononic interference in quantum acoustic architectures that have been proposed for quantum information processing applications.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2023

Low Frequency (100-600 MHz) Searches with Axion Cavity Haloscopes

We investigate reentrant and dielectric loaded cavities for the purpose of extending the range of axion cavity haloscopes to lower masses, below the range where the Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX) has already searched. Reentrant and dielectric loaded cavities were simulated numerically to calculate and optimize their form factors and quality factors. A prototype reentrant cavity was built and its measured properties were compared with the simulations. We estimate the sensitivity of axion dark matter searches using reentrant and dielectric loaded cavities inserted in the existing ADMX magnet at the University of Washington and a large magnet being installed at Fermilab.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2022

Vantablack Shielding of Superconducting Qubit Systems

Circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) experiments on superconducting qubit systems typically employ radiation shields coated in photon absorbing materials to achieve high qubit coherence and low microwave resonator losses. In this work, we present preliminary results on the performance of Vantablack as a novel infrared (IR) shielding material for cQED systems. We compare the coherence properties and residual excited state population (or effective qubit temperature) of a single-junction transmon qubit housed in a shield coated with a standard epoxy-based IR absorbing material, i.e. Berkeley Black, to the coherence and effective temperature of the same qubit in a shield coated in Vantablack. Based on a statistical analysis of multiple qubit coherence measurements we find that the performance of the radiation shield coated with Vantablack is comparable in performance to the standard coating. However, we find that in the Vantablack coated shield the qubit has a higher effective temperature. These results indicate that improvements are likely required to optimize the performance of Vantablack as an IR shielding material for superconducting qubit experiments and we discuss possible routes for such improvements. Finally we describe possible future experiments to more precisely quantify the performance of Vantablack to improve the coherences of more complex cQED systems.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Nitrogen Plasma Passivated Niobium Resonators for Superconducting Quantum Circuits

Microwave loss in niobium metallic structures used for superconducting quantum circuits is limited by a native surface oxide layer formed over a timescale of minutes when exposed to an ambient environment. In this work, we show that nitrogen plasma treatment forms a niobium nitride layer at the metal-air interface which prevents such oxidation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms the doping of nitrogen more than 5 nm into the surface and a suppressed oxygen presence. This passivation remains stable after aging for 15 days in an ambient environment. Cryogenic microwave characterization shows an average filling factor adjusted two-level-system loss tangent $\rm{Fδ_{TLS}}$ of $(2.9\pm0.5)\cdot10^{-7}$ for resonators with 3 $\rmμ$m center strip and $(1.0\pm0.3)\cdot10^{-7}$ for 20 $\rmμ$m center strip, exceeding the performance of unpassivated samples by a factor of four.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2021

Search for "Invisible" Axion Dark Matter in the $3.3\text{-}4.2~μ$eV Mass Range

We report the results from a haloscope search for axion dark matter in the $3.3\text{-}4.2~μ$eV mass range. This search excludes the axion-photon coupling predicted by one of the benchmark models of "invisible" axion dark matter, the KSVZ model. This sensitivity is achieved using a large-volume cavity, a superconducting magnet, an ultra low noise Josephson parametric amplifier, and sub-Kelvin temperatures. The validity of our detection procedure is ensured by injecting and detecting blind synthetic axion signals.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2021

Fabrication and surface treatment of electron-beam evaporated niobium for low-loss coplanar waveguide resonators

We characterize low-loss electron-beam evaporated niobium thin films deposited under ultra-high vacuum conditions. Slow deposition yields films with a high superconducting transition temperature ($9.20 \pm 0.06 \rm ~K$) as well as a residual resistivity ratio of $4.8$. We fabricate the films into coplanar waveguide resonators to extract the intrinsic loss due to the presence of two-level-system fluctuators using microwave measurements. For a coplanar waveguide resonator gap of $2~μ\rm m$, the films exhibit filling-factor-adjusted two-level-system loss tangents as low as $1.5 \times 10^{-7}$ with single-photon regime internal quality factors in excess of one million after removing native surface oxides of the niobium.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Optical Direct Write of Dolan--Niemeyer-Bridge Junctions for Transmon Qubits

We characterize highly coherent transmon qubits fabricated with a direct-write photolithography system. Multi-layer evaporation and oxidation allows us to change the critical current density by reducing the effective tunneling area and increasing the barrier thickness. Surface treatments before resist application and again before evaporation result in high coherence devices. With optimized surface treatments we achieve energy relaxation $T_1$ times in excess of $80\ μ$s for three dimensional transmon qubits with Josephson junction lithographic areas of 2 $μ\mathrm{m}^2$.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Axion Dark Matter eXperiment: Run 1B Analysis Details

Searching for axion dark matter, the ADMX collaboration acquired data from January to October 2018, over the mass range 2.81--3.31 $μ$eV, corresponding to the frequency range 680--790 MHz. Using an axion haloscope consisting of a microwave cavity in a strong magnetic field, the ADMX experiment excluded Dine-Fischler-Srednicki-Zhitnisky (DFSZ) axions at 100% dark matter density over this entire frequency range, except for a few gaps due to mode crossings. This paper explains the full ADMX analysis for Run 1B, motivating analysis choices informed by details specific to this run.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2020

Axion Dark Matter eXperiment: Detailed Design and Operations

Axion Dark Matter eXperiment (ADMX) ultra low noise haloscope technology has enabled the successful completion of two science runs (1A and 1B) that looked for dark matter axions in the $2.66$ to $3.1$ $μ$eV mass range with Dine-Fischler-Srednicki-Zhitnisky (DFSZ) sensitivity Ref. [1,2]. Therefore, it is the most sensitive axion search experiment to date in this mass range. We discuss the technological advances made in the last several years to achieve this sensitivity, which includes the implementation of components, such as state-of-the-art quantum limited amplifiers and a dilution refrigerator. Furthermore, we demonstrate the use of a frequency tunable Microstrip Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) Amplifier (MSA), in Run 1A, and a Josephson Parametric Amplifier (JPA), in Run 1B, along with novel analysis tools that characterize the system noise temperature.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2019

Integrating superfluids with superconducting qubit systems

Superfluid helium's low-loss dielectric properties, excellent thermal conductivity, and unique collective excitations make it an attractive candidate to incorporate into superconducting qubit systems. We controllably immerse a three-dimensional superconducting transmon qubit in superfluid helium-4 and measure the spectroscopic and coherence properties of the system. We find that the cavity, the qubit, and their coupling are all modified by the superfluid, which we analyze within the framework of circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED). At at temperatures relevant to quantum computing experiments, the energy relaxation time of the qubit is not significantly changed by the presence of the superfluid, while the pure dephasing time modestly increases, which we attribute to improved thermalization of the microwave environment via the superfluid.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Extended Search for the Invisible Axion with the Axion Dark Matter Experiment

This paper reports on a cavity haloscope search for dark matter axions in the galactic halo in the mass range $2.81$-$3.31$ $μeV$. This search excludes the full range of axion-photon coupling values predicted in benchmark models of the invisible axion that solve the strong CP problem of quantum chromodynamics, and marks the first time a haloscope search has been able to search for axions at mode crossings using an alternate cavity configuration. Unprecedented sensitivity in this higher mass range is achieved by deploying an ultra low-noise Josephson parametric amplifier as the first stage signal amplifier.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2019

Quantum state tomography across the exceptional point in a single dissipative qubit

Open systems with gain and loss, described by non-trace-preserving, non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, have been a subject of intense research recently. The effect of exceptional-point degeneracies on the dynamics of classical systems has been observed through remarkable phenomena such as the parity-time symmetry breaking transition, asymmetric mode switching, and optimal energy transfer. On the other hand, consequences of an exceptional point for quantum evolution and decoherence are hitherto unexplored. Here, we use post-selection on a three-level superconducting transmon circuit with tunable Rabi drive, dissipation, and detuning to carry out quantum state tomography of a single dissipative qubit in the vicinity of its exceptional point. Quantum state tomography reveals the PT symmetry breaking transition at zero detuning, decoherence enhancement at finite detuning, and a quantum signature of the exceptional point in the qubit relaxation state. Our observations demonstrate rich phenomena associated with non-Hermitian physics such as non-orthogonality of eigenstates in a fully quantum regime and open routes to explore and harness exceptional point degeneracies for enhanced sensing and quantum information processing.

quant-ph↗