arXiv subjects

Michael J. Manfra

Publications and source records attributed to Michael J. Manfra.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2025

Automated in situ optimization and disorder mitigation in a quantum device

We investigate automated in situ optimization of the potential landscape in a quantum point contact device, using a $3 \times 3$ gate array patterned atop the constriction. Optimization is performed using the covariance matrix adaptation evolutionary strategy, for which we introduce a metric for how "step-like" the conductance is as the channel becomes constricted. We first perform the optimization of the gate voltages in a tight-binding simulation and show how such in situ tuning can be used to mitigate a random disorder potential. The optimization is then performed in a physical device in experiment, where we also observe a marked improvement in the quantization of the conductance resulting from the optimization procedure.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Appearance of Multiple Spectral Gaps in Voltage-Biased Josephson Junctions Without Floquet Hybridization

A time-periodic drive enables the engineering of non-equilibrium quantum systems by hybridizing Floquet sidebands. We investigated DC voltage-biased planar Josephson junctions built upon epitaxial Al/InAs heterostructures in which the intrinsic AC Josephson effect is theoretically expected to provide a time-periodic drive leading to Floquet hybridization. Tunneling spectroscopy is performed using probes positioned at the ends of the junction to study the evolution of the local density of states. With applied drive, we observe multiple coherence peaks which are studied as a function of DC voltage bias and in-plane magnetic field. Our analysis suggests that these spectral gaps arise from a direct mesoscopic coupling between the tunneling probe and the superconducting leads rather than from a Floquet-driven gap opening. Our numerical simulations indicate that an increase in the ratio of junction width to coherence length will enhance the contribution of Floquet hybridization. This work lays a foundation for the exploration of Floquet physics utilizing voltage-biased hybrid superconductor-semiconductor Josephson junctions and provides means for distinguishing direct couplings from genuine Floquet effects.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Observation of edge and bulk states in a three-site Kitaev chain

A chain of quantum dots (QDs) in semiconductor-superconductor hybrid systems can form an artificial Kitaev chain hosting Majorana bound states (MBSs). These zero-energy states are expected to be localised on the edges of the chain, at the outermost QDs. The remaining QDs, comprising the bulk, are predicted to host an excitation gap that protects the MBSs at the edges from local on-site perturbations. Here we demonstrate this connection between the bulk and edges in a minimal system, by engineering a three-site Kitaev chain in a two-dimensional electron gas. Through direct tunneling spectroscopy on each site, we show that the appearance of stable zero-bias conductance peaks at the outer QDs is correlated with the presence of an excitation gap in the middle QD. Furthermore, we show that this gap can be controlled by applying a superconducting phase difference between the two hybrid segments and that the MBSs are robust only when the excitation gap is present. We find a close agreement between experiments and the original Kitaev model, thus confirming key predictions for MBSs in a three-site chain.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Collective neutral excitations as sensitive probe for the quality of 2D charge carrier systems in ultra-pure GaAs quantum wells

Ultra-clean low-dimensional interacting charge carrier systems are the basis to explore correlated states and phases. We report the observation of very narrow collective intersubband excitations (ISBE) of 2D electron systems (2DESs) with ultra-high mobilities in high quality GaAs quantum well structures. These findings from resonant inelastic light scattering (RILS) experiments are used as tools for exploration of links between transport mobility and collective electron behavior in 2DES of high perfection. We find that the linewidths of collective ISBE modes can be very narrow with values smaller than 80μeV. Comparison of ISBE measurements from several high-mobility samples exhibits a variation in linewidth of more than a factor of two. There is, however, a surprising lack of direct correlation between ISBE linewidth with mobility in the range 15x10^6 cm^2/Vs<μ<24x10^6 cm^2/Vs. ISBE by RILS are discussed as a sensitive probe to characterize the interacting electron systems for fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE) studies.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

A flux-controlled two-site Kitaev chain

In semiconducting-superconducting hybrid devices, Andreev bound states (ABSs) can mediate the coupling between quantum dots (QDs), allowing for the realisation of artificial Kitaev chains. In order to engineer Majorana bound states (MBSs) in these systems, one must control the energy of the ABSs. In this work, we show how extended ABSs in a flux tunable Josephson junction can be used to control the coupling between distant quantum dots separated by $\approx$ 1 $\mathrmμ$m. In particular, we demonstrate that the combination of electrostatic control and phase control over the ABSs significantly increases the parameter space in which MBSs are observed. Finally, by employing an additional spectroscopic probe in the hybrid region between the QDs, we gain information about the spatial distribution of the Majorana wave function in a two-site Kitaev chain.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Optimization of submicron Ni/Au/Ge contacts to an AlGaAs/GaAs two-dimensional electron gas

We report on fabrication and performance of submicron Ni/Au/Ge contacts to a two-dimensional electron gas in an AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructure. Utilizing scanning transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and low temperature electrical measurements we investigate the relationship between contact performance and the mechanical and chemical properties of the annealed metal stack. Contact geometry and crystallographic orientation significantly impact performance. Our results indicate that the spatial distribution of germanium in the annealed contact plays a central role in the creation of high transmission contacts. We characterize the transmission of our contacts at high magnetic fields in the quantum Hall regime. Our work establishes that contacts with area 0.5 square microns and resistance less than 400 Ohms can be fabricated with high yield.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Physics-informed tracking of qubit fluctuations

Environmental fluctuations degrade the performance of solid-state qubits but can in principle be mitigated by real-time Hamiltonian estimation down to time scales set by the estimation efficiency. We implement a physics-informed and an adaptive Bayesian estimation strategy and apply them in real time to a semiconductor spin qubit. The physics-informed strategy propagates a probability distribution inside the quantum controller according to the Fokker-Planck equation, appropriate for describing the effects of nuclear spin diffusion in gallium-arsenide. Evaluating and narrowing the anticipated distribution by a predetermined qubit probe sequence enables improved dynamical tracking of the uncontrolled magnetic field gradient within the singlet-triplet qubit. The adaptive strategy replaces the probe sequence by a small number of qubit probe cycles, with each probe time conditioned on the previous measurement outcomes, thereby further increasing the estimation efficiency. The combined real-time estimation strategy efficiently tracks low-frequency nuclear spin fluctuations in solid-state qubits, and can be applied to other qubit platforms by tailoring the appropriate update equation to capture their distinct noise sources.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Multimode Ultrastrong Coupling in Three-Dimensional Photonic-Crystal Cavities

Recent theoretical studies have highlighted the role of spatially varying cavity electromagnetic fields in exploring novel cavity quantum electrodynamics (cQED) phenomena, such as the potential realization of the elusive Dicke superradiant phase transition. One-dimensional photonic-crystal cavities (PCCs), widely used for studying solid-state cQED systems, have uniform spatial profiles in the lateral plane. Three-dimensional (3D) PCCs, which exhibit discrete in-plane translational symmetry, overcome this limitation, but fabrication challenges have hindered the achievement of strong coupling in 3D-PCCs. Here, we report the realization of multimode ultrastrong coupling in a 3D-PCC at terahertz frequencies. The multimode coupling between the 3D-PCC's cavity modes and the cyclotron resonance of a Landau-quantized two-dimensional electron gas in GaAs is significantly influenced by the spatial profiles of the cavity modes, leading to distinct coupling scenarios depending on the probe polarization. Our experimental results are in excellent agreement with a multimode extended Hopfield model that accounts for the spatial inhomogeneity of the cavity field. Guided by the model, we discuss the possible strong ground-state correlations between different cavity modes and introduce relevant figures of merit for the multimode ultrastrong coupling regime. Our findings emphasize the importance of spatially nonuniform cavity mode profiles in probing nonintuitive quantum phenomena expected for the ground states of cQED systems in the ultrastrong coupling regime.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Triplet correlations in Cooper pair splitters realized in a two-dimensional electron gas

Cooper pairs occupy the ground state of superconductors and are typically composed of maximally entangled electrons with opposite spin. In order to study the spin and entanglement properties of these electrons, one must separate them spatially via a process known as Cooper pair splitting (CPS). Here we provide the first demonstration of CPS in a semiconductor two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG). By coupling two quantum dots to a superconductor-semiconductor hybrid region we achieve efficient Cooper pair splitting, and clearly distinguish it from other local and non-local processes. When the spin degeneracy of the dots is lifted, they can be operated as spin-filters to obtain information about the spin of the electrons forming the Cooper pair. Not only do we observe a near perfect splitting of Cooper pairs into opposite-spin electrons (i.e. conventional singlet pairing), but also into equal-spin electrons, thus achieving triplet correlations between the quantum dots. Importantly, the exceptionally large spin-orbit interaction in our 2DEGs results in a strong triplet component, comparable in amplitude to the singlet pairing. The demonstration of CPS in a scalable and flexible platform provides a credible route to study on-chip entanglement and topological superconductivity in the form of artificial Kitaev chains.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

A two-site Kitaev chain in a two-dimensional electron gas

Artificial Kitaev chains can be used to engineer Majorana bound states (MBSs) in superconductor-semiconductor hybrids. In this work, we realize a two-site Kitaev chain in a two-dimensional electrongas by coupling two quantum dots through a region proximitized by a superconductor. We demonstrate systematic control over inter-dot couplings through in-plane rotations of the magnetic field and via electrostatic gating of the proximitized region. This allows us to tune the system to sweet spots in parameter space, where robust correlated zero bias conductance peaks are observed in tunnelling spectroscopy. To study the extent of hybridization between localized MBSs, we probe the evolution of the energy spectrum with magnetic field and estimate the Majorana polarization, an important metric for Majorana-based qubits. The implementation of a Kitaev chain on a scalable and flexible 2D platform provides a realistic path towards more advanced experiments that require manipulation and readout of multiple MBSs.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Pinpointing Lattice-Matched Conditions for Wurtzite ScxAl1-xN/GaN Heterostructures with X-Ray Reciprocal Space Analysis

Using comprehensive x-ray reciprocal space mapping, we establish the precise lattice-matching composition for wurtzite $Sc_xAl_{1-x}N$ layers on (0001) GaN to be x = 0.14+/-0.01. 100-nm thick $Sc_xAl_{1-x}N$ films (x = 0.09 - 0.19) were grown in small composition increments on c-plane GaN templates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The alloy composition was estimated from the fit of the (0002) x-ray peak positions assuming the c-lattice parameter of ScAlN films coherently-strained on GaN increases linearly with Sc-content determined independently by Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry. Reciprocal space maps obtained from high-resolution x-ray diffraction measurements of the (10-15) reflection reveal that $Sc_xAl_{1-x}N$ films with x = 0.14+/-0.01 are coherently strained with the GaN substrate while the other compositions show evidence of relaxation. The in-plane lattice-matching with GaN is further confirmed for a 300-nm thick $Sc_{0.14}Al_{0.86}N$ layer. The full-width-at-half-maximum of the (0002) reflection rocking curve for this $Sc_{0.14}Al_{0.86}N$ film is 106 arcseconds and corresponds to the lowest value reported in the literature for wurtzite ScAlN films.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Real-time two-axis control of a spin qubit

Optimal control of qubits requires the ability to adapt continuously to their ever-changing environment. We demonstrate a real-time control protocol for a two-electron singlet-triplet qubit with two fluctuating Hamiltonian parameters. Our approach leverages single-shot readout classification and dynamic waveform generation, allowing full Hamiltonian estimation to dynamically stabilize and optimize the qubit performance. Powered by a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), the quantum control electronics estimates the Overhauser field gradient between the two electrons in real time, enabling controlled Overhauser-driven spin rotations and thus bypassing the need for micromagnets or nuclear polarization protocols. It also estimates the exchange interaction between the two electrons and adjusts their detuning, resulting in extended coherence of Hadamard rotations when correcting for fluctuations of both qubit axes. Our study emphasizes the critical role of feedback in enhancing the performance and stability of quantum devices affected by quasistatic noise. Feedback will play an essential role in improving performance in various qubit implementations that go beyond spin qubits, helping realize the full potential of quantum devices for quantum technology applications.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Charge-4e supercurrent in a two-dimensional InAs-Al superconductor-semiconductor heterostructure

Superconducting qubits with intrinsic noise protection offer a promising approach to improve the coherence of quantum information. Crucial to such protected qubits is the encoding of the logical quantum states into wavefunctions with disjoint support. Such encoding can be achieved by a Josephson element with an unusual charge-4e supercurrent emerging from the coherent transfer of pairs of Cooper-pairs. In this work, we demonstrate the controlled conversion of a conventional charge-2e dominated to a charge-4e dominated supercurrent in a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) consisting of gate-tunable planar Josephson junctions (JJs). We investigate the ac Josephson effect of the SQUID and measure a dominant photon emission at twice the fundamental Josephson frequency together with a doubling of the number of Shapiro steps, both consistent with the appearance of charge-4e supercurrent. Our results present a step towards novel protected superconducting qubits based on superconductor-semiconductor hybrid materials.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Flux-tunable Josephson Effect in a Four-Terminal Junction

We study a phase-tunable four-terminal Josephson junction formed in an InSbAs two-dimensional electron gas proximitized by aluminum. By embedding the two pairs of junction terminals in asymmetric DC SQUIDs we can control the superconducting phase difference across each pair, thereby gaining information about their current-phase relation. Using a current-bias line to locally control the magnetic flux through one SQUID, we measure a nonlocal Josephson effect, whereby the current-phase relation across two terminals in the junction is strongly dependent on the superconducting phase difference across two completely different terminals. In particular, each pair behaves as a $ϕ_0$-junction with a phase offset tuned by the phase difference across the other junction terminals. Lastly, we demonstrate that the behavior of an array of two-terminal junctions replicates most features of the current-phase relation of different multiterminal junctions. This highlights that these signatures alone are not sufficient evidence of true multiterminal Josephson effects arising from hybridization of Andreev bound states in the junction.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Gate Tunable Josephson Diode in Proximitized InAs Supercurrent Interferometers

The Josephson diode (JD) is a non-reciprocal circuit element that supports a larger critical current in one direction compared to the other. This effect has gained a growing interest because of promising applications in superconducting electronic circuits with low power consumption. Some implementations of a JD rely on breaking the inversion symmetry in the material used to realize Josephson junctions (JJs), but two recent theoretical proposals have suggested that the effect can also be engineered by combining two JJs hosting highly transmitting Andreev bound states in a Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) at a small, but finite flux bias [1, 2]. We have realized a SQUID with two JJs fabricated in a proximitized InAs two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG). We demonstrate gate control of the diode efficiency from zero up to around 30% at specific flux bias values which comes close to the maximum of approxiomately 40% predicated in Ref. [1]. The key ingredients to the JD effect in the SQUID arrangement is the presence of highly transmitting channels in the JJs, a flux bias and an asymmetry between the two SQUID arms.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Link between supercurrent diode and anomalous Josephson effect revealed by gate-controlled interferometry

In Josephson diodes the asymmetry between positive and negative current branch of the current-phase relation leads to a polarity-dependent critical current and Josephson inductance. The supercurrent nonreciprocity can be described as a consequence of the anomalous Josephson effect -- a $φ_0$-shift of the current-phase relation -- in multichannel ballistic junctions with strong spin-orbit interaction. In this work, we simultaneously investigate $φ_0$-shift and supercurrent diode efficiency on the same Josephson junction by means of a superconducting quantum interferometer. By electrostatic gating, we reveal a direct link between $φ_0$-shift and diode effect. Our findings show that the supercurrent diode effect mainly results from magnetochiral anisotropy induced by spin-orbit interaction in combination with a Zeeman field.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Flux-Tunable Hybridization in a Double Quantum Dot Interferometer

A single electron shared between two levels threaded by a magnetic flux is an irreducibly simple quantum system in which interference is predicted to occur. We demonstrate tuning of the tunnel coupling between two such electronic levels with flux, implemented in a loop comprising two quantum dots. Using radio-frequency reflectometry of the dots' gate electrodes we extract the inter-dot coupling, which exhibits oscillations with a periodicity of one flux quantum. In different tunneling regimes we benchmark the oscillations' contrast, and find that their amplitude varies with the levels involved, while tunneling is generically not suppressed at oscillation minima. These results establish the feasibility and limitations of parity readout of qubits with tunnel couplings tuned by flux.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Josephson diode effect derived from short-range coherent coupling

Superconducting devices with broken time-reversal and spatial-inversion symmetries can exhibit novel superconducting phenomena. The observation of superconducting diode effects, which is applicable for dissipationless rectification, provides information on the breaking of such symmetries. We experimentally study a Josephson junction (JJ) coupled to another adjacent JJ as a new system exhibiting the superconducting diode effect. We demonstrate that the observed superconducting diode effect can be controlled non-locally based on the phase difference with the adjacent JJ. These results indicate that the time-reversal and spatial-inversion symmetries of a JJ are broken by the coherent coupling to an adjacent JJ, and this enables the engineering of novel superconducting phenomena mediated by coherent coupling among JJs and development of their applications for superconducting diode devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗