Journal of Low Temperature Physics最新文献

We present the optical characterization of two-scale hierarchical phased-array antenna kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs) for millimeter/submillimeter wavelengths. Our KIDs have a lumped-element architecture with parallel plate capacitors and aluminum inductors. The incoming light is received with a hierarchical phased array of slot dipole antennas, split into 4 frequency bands (between 125 GHz and 365 GHz) with on-chip lumped-element band-pass filters, and routed to different KIDs using microstriplines. Individual pixels detect light for the 3 higher-frequency bands (190–365 GHz), and the signals from four individual pixels are coherently summed to create a larger pixel detecting light for the lowest frequency band (125–175 GHz). The spectral response of the band-pass filters was measured using Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTS), the far-field beam pattern of the phased-array antennas was obtained using an infrared source mounted on a 2-axis translating stage, and the optical efficiency of the KIDs was characterized by observing loads at 294 K and 77 K. We report on the results of these three measurements.

We study different resonances (first of all of the Fano type) in the interference device formed by the Aharonov–Bohm ring with superconducting (SC) wire in the topologically nontrivial state playing a role of a bridge between top and bottom arms. We analyze Majorana modes on the ends of the SC wire and show that the collapse of the additional Fano resonance, that is initially induced by transport scheme asymmetry, is connected with the increase of the length of the bridge when the binding energy of the Majorana end modes tends to zero. In local transport regime, the Fano resonances are stable against the change of the transport symmetry. The reasons of both collapse and sustainability are analyzed using a spinless toy model including the Kitaev chain.

Vibrating probes when immersed in a fluid can provide powerful tools for characterising the surrounding medium. In superfluid (^3)He-B, a condensate of Cooper pairs, the dissipation arising from the scattering of quasiparticle excitations from a mechanical oscillator provides the basis of extremely sensitive thermometry and bolometry at sub-millikelvin temperatures. The unique properties of the Andreev reflection process in this condensate also assist by providing a significantly enhanced dissipation. While existing models for such damping on an oscillating cylinder have been verified experimentally, they are valid only for flows with scales much greater than the coherence length of (^3)He, which is of the order of a hundred nanometres. With our increasing proficiency in fabricating nanosized oscillators, which can be readily used in this superfluid, there is a pressing need for the development of new models that account for the modification of the flow around these smaller oscillators. Here we report preliminary results on measurements of the damping in superfluid (^3)He-B of a range of cylindrical nanosized oscillators with radii comparable to the coherence length and outline a model for calculating the associated drag.

We study Andreev reflection in a one-dimensional square-well pair potential. We discuss the history of the model. The current-phase relation is presented as a sum over Matsubara frequencies. How the current arises from bound and continuum levels is found by analytic continuation. We discuss two limiting cases of the square-well potential, the zero-length well and the infinite well. The model is quantitatively valid in some cases but forms the basis for understanding a wide range of problems in inhomogeneous superconductivity and superfluidity.

We report on simulations of a novel design of optical design of optical titanium nitride (TiN)-based Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs) in order to improve in order to improve their response to optical photons. We propose to separate the meander from the substrate to trap hot phonons generated by optical photons, preventing their rapid propagation through the substrate. These phonons would in turn contribute to the breaking of more Cooper pairs, thereby increasing the response of the detector. In our design, the meander is suspended a few hundred nanometers above the substrate. Furthermore, reflective gold (Au) or aluminum (Al)-based layers can be placed under the meander to improve photon coupling in the optical wavelengths.

This study employs comprehensive Monte Carlo simulations to gain detailed insights into the dielectric response of borophene core–shell structures. Key parameters, including exchange coupling interactions, external electric fields, temperature, and crystal fields, were systematically explored, providing a nuanced understanding of the system's behavior. The dynamics revealed by this study lays the foundation for future research, guiding efforts toward optimizing and customizing the dielectric properties of this structure. This exploration holds promise for potential applications tailored to sophisticated electronic devices.

The quasiparticle propagation away from the track of a highly ionizing particle in superfluid helium at low temperatures has previously been shown to exhibit anisotropy. We discuss the mechanism responsible for this behavior and show that it occurs for nuclear scattering by dark matter for recoil energies down to a few keV, and perhaps lower. This directionality makes it possible to search for and distinguish galactic dark matter with interaction cross sections that reach into the neutrino fog where coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering presents an irreducible background.

The 2020 decadal review recognized the measurement of the polarization of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) to be a top priority for the decade. CMB experiments including POLARBEAR2/Simons Array, Atacama Cosmology Telescope/Advanced-ACT, SPT-3G, the Simons Observatory, and CMB-S4 have or will use transition edge sensor (TES) bolometer fabricated with Aluminum doped with Manganese (AlMn). AlMn is a popular material choice as the superconducting transition temperature ((T_c)) and normal resistance ((R_n)) of the TES can be tuned with Mn concentration, geometric patterning, film thickness, and thermal annealing. In addition the conductivity is appropriate for both time division multiplexing and frequency division multiplexing that require 10 m(Omega) and 1 (Omega) sensors respectively. In this paper we present work on the ability to tune the (T_c) of a film based on its time and temperature thermal tuning profile combined with room temperature monitoring of film resistivity. Such control allows for the fabrication of a wide range of TES parameters from a single AlMn concentration. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging shows that the AlMn film’s grain boundaries are changed by thermal annealing making the film more conductive and raising its superconducting transition temperatures, and that at high enough temperatures will eventually recover the (T_c) of bulk Al. We find that baking films at (sim)200 (^circtext{C}) for tens of minutes yields a (T_c) that is suitable for 100 mK base temperature experiments and we present on the thermal tune profiles of several different thicknesses of AlMn.

First-order phase transitions in the very early universe are a prediction of many extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics and could provide the departure from equilibrium needed for a dynamical explanation of the baryon asymmetry of the Universe. They could also produce gravitational waves of a frequency observable by future space-based detectors such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna. All calculations of the gravitational wave power spectrum rely on a relativistic version of the classical nucleation theory of Cahn-Hilliard and Langer, due to Coleman and Linde. The high purity and precise control of pressure and temperature achievable in the laboratory made the first-order A to B transition of superfluid (^3)He ideal for test of classical nucleation theory. As Leggett and others have noted, the theory fails dramatically. The lifetime of the metastable A phase is measurable, typically of order minutes to hours, far faster than classical nucleation theory predicts. If the nucleation of B phase from the supercooled A phase is due to a new, rapid intrinsic mechanism that would have implications for first-order cosmological phase transitions as well as predictions for gravitational wave production in the early universe. Here we discuss studies of the A-B phase transition dynamics in (^3)He, both experimental and theoretical, and show how the computational technology for cosmological phase transition can be used to simulate the dynamics of the A-B transition, support the experimental investigations of the A-B transition in the QUEST-DMC collaboration with the goal of identifying and quantifying the mechanism(s) responsible for nucleation of stable phases in ultra-pure metastable quantum phases.

The (^3)He(n, p) process is excellent for neutron detection between thermal and (sim)4 MeV because of the high cross section and near-complete energy transfer from the neutron to the proton. Traditional gaseous (^3)He detectors using this process typically have high levels of radiogenic backgrounds so that they cannot measure the small neutron fluxes present in underground laboratories for dark matter experiments. I propose a cryogenic liquid (^3)He detector that can be designed with tiny radiogenic backgrounds and efficiently measure neutron fluxes in low-flux environments.