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M. Grajcar

Publications and source records attributed to M. Grajcar.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2025

Third harmonic-mediated amplification in TWPA

In Josephson Traveling-Wave Parametric Amplifiers, higher-order harmonics of the pump tone and its sidebands are commonly present and typically regarded as parasitic. Consequently, most design efforts have focused on suppressing these harmonics. In spite of that, motivated by transient simulations, we extend the coupled-mode theory and demonstrate that, contrary to conventional belief, the third harmonic can enhance amplifier performance, improving both gain and bandwidth. We show that the recently developed plasma oscillation-based amplifier is particularly well-suited for exploiting this effect. Their dispersion relation enables us to observe the phenomenon in transient numerical simulations using JoSIM and WRspice. These simulations reveal improvement of the amplifier's performance, specifically the doubling of the bandwidth and an increase in the gain.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2024

Some aspects of resistive-to-normal state transition by direct and microwave currents in superconducting thin films with phase slip lines

Based on analysis of current-voltage characteristics and imaging of the resistive state of thin-film tin strips using the low-temperature laser scanning microscopy (LTLSM), the process of destruction of superconductivity by current and microwave irradiation with the formation and spatial rearrangement of the order parameter phase slip lines, and their transformation into discrete localized normal domains is shown. The prospects of LTLSM are considered form the point of view of study of the high-frequency properties of superconducting structures and spatial characteristics in the pre-critical state for instrumental applications.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2023

Design of deeply cooled ultra-low dissipation amplifier and measuring cell for quantum measurements with a microwave single-photon counter

The requirements and details of designing a measuring cell and low-back-action deeply-cooled amplifier for quantum measurements at 10 mK are discussed. This equipment is a part of a microwave single-photon counter based on a superconducting flux qubit. The high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) in the amplifier operate in unsaturated microcurrent regime and dissipate only 1 microwatt of dc power per transistor. Simulated amplifier gain is 15 dB at 450 MHz with a high-impedance (~5 kOhm signal source and standard 50-Ohm output.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2022

Superconducting source and sensor of single bubbles to study nucleate boiling of liquid helium

Joule heat generated by resistive elements of cryogenic micro- and nanodevices often originates boiling of the cooling cryogenic liquids (helium, nitrogen). The article proposes an experimental method to explore the dynamics of the formation and development of a single vapor bubble in cryogenic liquid by sensing the temperature change of a superconducting thin-film microbridge being in the resistive state with single phase-slip center or line. It serves both the source of heat for generating single bubbles and the surface temperature sensor due to its temperature-dependant excess current. The average bubble detachment rate and the average single bubble volume were experimentally determined for nucleate helium boiling. The obtained values are in good agreement with the data of other authors found in literature.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2022

Reflection-enhanced gain in traveling-wave parametric amplifiers

The operating principle of traveling-wave parametric amplifiers is typically understood in terms of the standard coupled mode theory, which describes the evolution of forward propagating waves without any reflections, i.e. for perfect impedance matching. However, in practice, superconducting microwave amplifiers are unmatched nonlinear finite-length devices, where the reflecting waves undergo complex parametric processes, not described by the standard coupled mode theory. Here, we present an analytical solution for the TWPA gain, which includes the interaction of reflected waves. These reflections result in corrections to the well-known results of the standard coupled mode theory, which are obtained for both 3-wave and 4-wave mixing processes. Due to these reflections, gain is enhanced and unwanted nonlinear phase modulations are suppressed. Predictions of the model are experimentally demonstrated on two types of unmatched TWPA, based on coplanar waveguides with a central wire consisting of i) a high kinetic inductance superconductor, and ii) an array of 2000 Josephson junctions.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2021

Kinetic planar resonators from strongly disordered ultra-thin MoC superconducting films investigated by transmission line spectroscopy

"The non-contact broadband transmission line flip-chip spectroscopy technique is utilized to probe resonances of mm-sized square kinetic planar resonators made from strongly disordered molybdenum carbide films, in the GHz frequency range. The temperature dependence of the resonances was analyzed by the complex conductivity of disordered superconductor, as proposed in Ref. arXiv:1407.2402 , which involves the Dynes superconducting density of states. The obtained Dynes broadening parameters relate reasonably to the ones estimated from scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements. The eigenmodes of the kinetic planar 2D resonator were visualized by EM model in Sonnet software. The proper understanding of the nature of these resonances can help to eliminate them, or utilize them e.g. as filters."

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2020

Zeeman driven superconductor insulator transition in strongly disordered MoC film. STM and transport studies in transverse magnetic field

Superconductor insulator transition in transverse magnetic field is studied in the highly disordered MoC film with the product of the Fermi momentum and the mean free path $k_F*l$ close to unity. Surprisingly, the Zeeman paramagnetic effects dominate over orbital coupling on both sides of the transition. In superconducting state it is evidenced by a high upper critical magnetic field $B_{c2}$, by its square root dependence on temperature, as well as by the Zeeman splitting of the quasiparticle density of states (DOS) measured by scanning tunneling microscopy. At $B_{c2}$ a logarithmic anomaly in DOS is observed. This anomaly is further enhanced in increasing magnetic field, which is explained by the Zeeman splitting of the Altshuler-Aronov DOS driving the system into a more insulating or resistive state. Spin dependent Altshuler-Aronov correction is also needed to explain the transport behavior above $B_{c2}$.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2020

A numerical extrapolation method for complex conductivity of disordered metals

Recently, quantum corrections to optical conductivity of disordered metals up to the UV region were observed. Although this increase of conductivity with frequency, also called anti-Drude behaviour, should disappear at the electron collision frequency, such transition has never been observed or described theoretically. Thus, the knowledge of optical conductivity in a wide frequency range is of great interest. It is well known that the extrapolation of complex conductivity is ill-posed - a solution of the analytic continuation problem is not unique for data with finite accuracy. However, we show that assuming physically appropriate properties of the searched function $\sigma(\omega)$, such as: symmetry, smoothness, and asymptotic solution for low and high frequencies, one can significantly restrict the set of solutions. We present a simple numerical method utilizing the radial basis function approximation and simulated annealing, which reasonably extrapolates the optical conductivity from visible frequency range down to far infrared and up to ultraviolet region. Extrapolation obtained on MoC and NbN thin films was checked by transmission measurement across a wide frequency range.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2019

Observation of quantum corrections to conductivity up to optical frequencies

It is well known that conductivity of disordered metals is suppressed in the limit of low frequencies and temperatures by quantum corrections. Although predicted by theory to exist up to much higher energies, such corrections have so far been experimentally proven only for $\lesssim$80 meV. Here, by a combination of transport and optical studies, we demonstrate that the quantum corrections are present in strongly disordered conductor MoC up to at least $\sim$4 eV, thereby extending the experimental window where such corrections were found by a factor of 50. The knowledge of both, the real and imaginary parts of conductivity, enables us to identify the microscopic parameters of the conduction electron fluid. We find that the conduction electron density of strongly disordered MoC is surprisingly high and we argue that this should be considered a generic property of metals on the verge of disorder-induced localization transition.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗
arXiv2018

On the origin of in-gap states in homogeneously disordered ultrathin films. MoC case

Many disordered superconducting films exhibit smeared tunneling spectra with evident in-gap states. We demonstrated that the tunneling density of states in ultrathin MoC films is gapless and can be described by the Dynes version of the BCS density of states with a strong broadening parameter Gamma accounting for the suppression of coherence peaks and increased in-gap states. The thinner the film, the lower the Tc and the superconducting energy gap Delta and the larger the Gamma. MoC films of 3 nm thickness deposited simultaneously on silicon and sapphire substrates reveal very similar scalar disorder, evidenced by the equal sheet resistance, but exhibit different superconducting characteristics of Tc, Delta and Gamma, suggesting that pair breaking responsible for the dissipation channel and the suppression of superconductivity originates on the film-substrate interface. It indicates that sapphire is a stronger pair breaker. Interface pair breaking can be operative in other cases as well.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2016

Landau-Zener-Stückelberg-Majorana lasing in circuit QED

We demonstrate amplification (and attenuation) of a probe signal by a driven two-level quantum system in the Landau-Zener-Stückelberg-Majorana regime by means of an experiment, in which a superconducting qubit was strongly coupled to a microwave cavity, in a conventional arrangement of circuit quantum electrodynamics. Two different types of flux qubit, specifically a conventional Josephson junctions qubit and a phase-slip qubit, show similar results, namely, lasing at the working points where amplification takes place. The experimental data are explained by the interaction of the probe signal with Rabi-like oscillations. The latter are created by constructive interference of Landau-Zener-Stückelberg-Majorana (LZSM) transitions during the driving period of the qubit. A detailed description of the occurrence of these oscillations and a comparison of obtained data with both analytic and numerical calculations are given.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2016

Experimental system design for the integration of trapped-ion and superconducting qubit systems

We present a design for the experimental integration of ion trapping and superconducting qubit systems as a step towards the realization of a quantum hybrid system. The scheme addresses two key difficulties in realizing such a system; a combined microfabricated ion trap and superconducting qubit architecture, and the experimental infrastructure to facilitate both technologies. Developing upon work by Kielpinski et al. [1] we describe the design, simulation and fabrication process for a microfabricated ion trap capable of coupling an ion to a superconducting microwave LC circuit with a coupling strength in the tens of kHz. We also describe existing difficulties in combining the experimental infrastructure of an ion trapping setup into a dilution fridge with superconducting qubits and present solutions that can be immediately implemented using current technology.

quant-ph↗
arXiv2016

Detection of weak microwave fields with an underdamped Josephson junction

We have constructed a microwave detector based on the voltage switching of an underdamped Josephson junction, that is positioned at a current antinode of a λ/4 coplanar waveguide resonator. By measuring the switching current and the transmission through a waveguide capacitively coupled to the resonator at different drive frequencies and temperatures we are able to fully characterize the system and assess its detection efficiency and sensitivity. Testing the detector by applying a classical microwave field with the strength of a single photon yielded a sensitivity parameter of 0.5 in qualitative agreement with theoretical calculations.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2016

Fermionic scenario for the destruction of superconductivity in ultrathin MoC films evidenced by STM measurements

We use sub-Kelvin scanning tunneling spectroscopy to investigate the suppression of superconductivity in homogeneously disordered ultrathin MoC films. We observe that the superconducting state remains spatially homogeneous even on the films of 3 nm thickness. The vortex imaging suggests the global phase coherence in our films. Upon decreasing thickness, when the superconducting transition drops from 8.5 to 1.2 K, the superconducting energy gap follows perfectly Tc. All this is pointing to a two-stage fermionic scenario of the superconductor-insulator transition (SIT) via a metallic state as an alternative to the direct bosonic SIT scenario with a Cooper-pair insulating state evidenced by the last decade STM experiments.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2015

Finite quasiparticle lifetime in disordered superconductors

We investigate the complex conductivity of a highly disordered MoC superconducting film with $k_Fl\approx 1$, where $k_F$ is the Fermi wavenumber and $l$ is the mean free path, derived from experimental transmission characteristics of coplanar waveguide resonators in a wide temperature range below the superconducting transition temperature $T_c$. We find that the original Mattis-Bardeen model with a finite quasiparticle lifetime, $τ$, offers a perfect description of the experimentally observed complex conductivity. We show that $τ$ is appreciably reduced by scattering effects. Characteristics of the scattering centers are independently found by the scanning tunneling spectroscopy and agree with those determined from the complex conductivity.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2015

Two-photon lasing by a superconducting qubit

We study the response of a magnetic-field-driven superconducting qubit strongly coupled to a superconducting coplanar waveguide resonator. We observed a strong amplification/damping of a probing signal at different resonance points corresponding to a one and two-photon emission/absorption. The sign of the detuning between the qubit frequency and the probe determines whether amplification or damping is observed. The larger blue detuned driving leads to two-photon lasing while the larger red detuning cools the resonator. Our experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical model of qubit lasing and cooling at the Rabi frequency.

cond-mat.supr-con↗
arXiv2014

Phase dynamics and IV-characteristics of two parallel stacks of coupled Josephson junctions

Two parallel stacks of coupled Josephson junctions are investigated to clarify the physics of transitions between the rotating and oscillating states and their effect on the IV-characteristics of the system. The detailed study of phase dynamics and bias dependence of the superconducting and diffusion currents allows one to explain all features of simulated IV-characteristics and demonstrate the correspondence in their behavior. The coupling between JJ in the stacks leads to the branching of IV-characteristics and a decrease in the hysteretic region. The crucial role of the diffusion current in the formation of the IV-characteristic of the parallel stacks of coupled Josephson junctions is demonstrated. We discuss the effect of symmetry in a number of junctions in the stacks and show a decrease of the branching in the symmetrical stacks. The observed effects might be useful for development of superconducting electronic devices based on intrinsic Josephson junctions.

cond-mat.supr-con↗