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Karl K. Berggren

Publications and source records attributed to Karl K. Berggren.

114 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Nonlinear resonant behavior of the dispersive readout scheme for a superconducting flux qubit

A nonlinear resonant circuit comprising a SQUID magnetometer and a parallel capacitor is studied as a readout scheme for a persistent-current (PC) qubit. The flux state of the qubit is detected as a change in the Josephson inductance of the SQUID magnetometer, which in turn mediates a shift in the resonance frequency of the readout circuit. The nonlinearity and resulting hysteresis in the resonant behavior are characterized as a function of the power of both the input drive and the associated resonance peak response. Numerical simulations based on a phenomenological circuit model are presented which display the features of the observed nonlinearity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Mach-Zehnder Interferometry in a Strongly Driven Superconducting Qubit

We demonstrate Mach-Zehnder-type interferometry in a superconducting flux qubit. The qubit is a tunable artificial atom, whose ground and excited states exhibit an avoided crossing. Strongly driving the qubit with harmonic excitation sweeps it through the avoided crossing two times per period. As the induced Landau-Zener transitions act as coherent beamsplitters, the accumulated phase between transitions, which varies with microwave amplitude, results in quantum interference fringes for n=1...20 photon transitions. The generalization of optical Mach-Zehnder interferometry, performed in qubit phase space, provides an alternative means to manipulate and characterize the qubit in the strongly-driven regime.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Kinetic-inductance-limited reset time of superconducting nanowire photon counters

We investigate the recovery of superconducting NbN-nanowire photon counters after detection of an optical pulse at a wavelength of 1550 nm, and present a model that quantitatively accounts for our observations. The reset time is found to be limited by the large kinetic inductance of these nanowires, which forces a tradeoff between counting rate and either detection efficiency or active area. Devices of usable size and high detection efficiency are found to have reset times orders of magnitude longer than their intrinsic photoresponse time.

physics.ins-det↗

Pumped quantum systems: immersion fluids of the future?

Quantum optical techniques may yield immersion fluids with high indices of refraction without absorption. We describe one such technique in which a probe field experiences a large index of refraction with amplification rather than absorption, and examine its practicality for an immersion lithography application. Enhanced index can be observed in a three-level system with a tunable, near-resonant, coherent probe and incoherent pump field that inverts population of the probe transition. This observation contradicts the common belief that large indices of refraction are impossible without absorption, however it is well in accord with existing electromagnetic theory and practice. Calculations show that a refractive index >> 2 is possible with practical experimental parameters. A scheme with an incoherent mixture of pumped and unpumped atoms is also examined, and is seen to have a lower refractive index (~2) accompanied by neither gain nor loss.

physics.optics↗

Resonant Readout of a Persistent Current Qubit

We have implemented a resonant circuit that uses a SQUID as a flux-sensitive Josephson inductor for qubit readout. In contrast to the conventional switching current measurement that generates undesired quasi-particles when the SQUID switches to the voltage state, our approach keeps the readout SQUID biased along the supercurrent branch during the measurement. By incorporating the SQUID inductor in a high-Q resonant circuit, we can distinguish the two flux states of a niobium persistent-current (PC) qubit by observing a shift in the resonant frequency of both the magnitude and the phase spectra. The readout circuit was also characterized in the nonlinear regime to investigate its potential use as a nonlinear amplifier.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

Energy Relaxation Time between Macroscopic Quantum Levels in a Superconducting Persistent Current Qubit

We measured the intrawell energy relaxation time τ_{d} between macroscopic quantum levels in the double well potential of a Nb persistent-current qubit. Interwell population transitions were generated by irradiating the qubit with microwaves. Zero population in the initial well was then observed due to a multi-level decay process in which the initial population relaxed to the lower energy levels during transitions. The qubit's decoherence time, determined from τ_{d}, is longer than 20 microseconds, holding the promise of building a quantum computer with Nb-based superconducting qubits.

cond-mat.supr-con↗