arXiv subjects

Maximilian Kristen

Publications and source records attributed to Maximilian Kristen.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

Observation of giant two-level systems in a granular superconductor

Disordered thin films are a common choice of material for superconducting, high impedance circuits used in quantum information or particle detector physics. A wide selection of materials with different levels of granularity are available, but, despite low microwave losses being reported for some, the high degree of disorder always implies the presence of intrinsic defects. Prominently, quantum circuits are prone to interact with two-level systems (TLS), typically originating from solid state defects in the dielectric parts of the circuit, like surface oxides or tunneling barriers. We present an experimental investigation of TLS in granular aluminum thin films under applied mechanical strain and electric fields. The analysis reveals a class of strongly coupled TLS having electric dipole moments up to 30 eA, an order of magnitude larger than dipole moments commonly reported for solid state defects. Notably, these large dipole moments appear more often in films with a higher resistivity. Our observations shed new light on granular superconductors and may have implications for their usage as a quantum circuit material.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Random telegraph fluctuations in granular microwave resonators

Microwave circuit electrodynamics of disordered superconductors is a very active research topic spawning a wide range of experiments and applications. For compact superconducting circuit elements, the transition to an insulating state poses a limit to the maximum attainable kinetic inductance. It is therefore vital to study the fundamental noise properties of thin films close to this transition, particularly in situations where a good coherence and temporal stability is required. In this paper, we present measurements on superconducting granular aluminum microwave resonators with high normal state resistances, where the influence of the superconductor to insulator phase transition is visible. We trace fluctuations of the fundamental resonance frequency and observe, in addition to a 1/f noise pattern, a distinct excess noise, reminiscent of a random telegraph signal. The excess noise shows a strong dependency on the resistivity of the films as well as the sample temperature, but not on the applied microwave power.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2020

Amplitude and frequency sensing of microwave fields with a superconducting transmon qudit

Experiments with superconducting circuits require careful calibration of the applied pulses and fields over a large frequency range. This remains an ongoing challenge as commercial semiconductor electronics are not able to probe signals arriving at the chip due to its cryogenic environment. Here, we demonstrate how the on-chip amplitude and frequency of a microwave signal can be inferred from the ac Stark shifts of higher transmon levels. In our time-resolved measurements we employ Ramsey fringes, allowing us to detect the amplitude of the systems transfer function over a range of several hundreds of MHz with an energy sensitivity on the order of $10^{-4}$. Combined with similar measurements for the phase of the transfer function, our sensing method can facilitate pulse correction for high fidelity quantum gates in superconducting circuits. Additionally, the potential to characterize arbitrary microwave fields promotes applications in related areas of research, such as quantum optics or hybrid microwave systems including photonic, mechanical or magnonic subsystems.

quant-ph↗