The origin of magnetic flux noise in Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices with a power spectrum scaling as $1/f$ ($f$ is frequency) has been a puzzle for over 20 years. This noise limits the decoherence time of superconducting qubits. A consensus has emerged that the noise arises from fluctuating spins of localized electrons with an areal density of $5times10^{17}$m$^{-2}$. We show that, in the presence of potential disorder at the metal-insulator interface, some of the metal-induced gap states become localized and produce local moments. A modest level of disorder yields the observed areal density.
Magnetic atoms on heavy-element superconducting substrates are potential building blocks for realizing topological superconductivity in one- and two-dimensional atomic arrays. Their localized magnetic moments induce so-called Yu-Shiba-Rusinov (YSR) states inside the energy gap of the substrate. In the dilute limit, where the electronic states of the array atoms are only weakly coupled, proximity of the YSR states to the Fermi energy is essential for the formation of topological superconductivity in the band of YSR states. Here, we reveal via scanning tunnel spectroscopy and ab initio calculations of a series of 3d transition metal atoms (Mn, Fe, Co) adsorbed on the heavy-element superconductor Re that the increase of the Kondo coupling and sign change in magnetic anisotropy with d-state filling is accompanied by a shift of the YSR states through the energy gap of the substrate and a crossing of the Fermi level. The uncovered systematic trends enable the identification of the most promising candidates for the realization of topological superconductivity in arrays of similar systems.
A major obstacle to using SQUIDs as qubits is flux noise. We propose that the heretofore mysterious spins producing flux noise could be $O_2$ molecules adsorbed on the surface. Using density functional theory calculations, we find that an $O_2$ molecule adsorbed on an {alpha}-alumina surface has a magnetic moment of ~1.8 {mu}B. When the spin is oriented perpendicular to the axis of the O-O bond, the barrier to spin rotations is about 10 mK. Monte Carlo simulations of ferromagnetically coupled, anisotropic XY spins on a square lattice find 1/f magnetization noise, consistent with flux noise in Al SQUIDs.
We have realized controllable coupling between two three-junction flux qubits by inserting an additional coupler loop between them, containing three Josephson junctions. Two of these are shared with the qubit loops, providing strong qubit--coupler interaction. The third junction gives the coupler a nontrivial current--flux relation; its derivative (i.e., the susceptibility) determines the coupling strength J, which thus is tunable in situ via the couplers flux bias. In the qubit regime, J was varied from ~45 (antiferromagnetic) to ~ -55 mK (ferromagnetic); in particular, J vanishes for an intermediate coupler bias. Measurements on a second sample illuminate the relation between two-qubit tunable coupling and three-qubit behavior.
We have studied decoherence in a system where two Josephson-junction flux qubits share a part of their superconducting loops and are inductively coupled. By tuning the flux bias condition, we control the sensitivities of the energy levels to flux noises in each qubit. The dephasing rate of the first excited state is enhanced or suppressed depending on the amplitudes and the signs of the sensitivities. We have quantified the $1/f$ flux noises and their correlations and found that the dominant contribution is by local fluctuations.
We study low-temperature transport through a Coulomb blockaded quantum dot (QD) contacted by a normal (N), and a superconducting (S) electrode. Within an effective cotunneling model the conduction electron self energy is calculated to leading order in the cotunneling amplitudes and subsequently resummed to obtain the nonequilibrium T-matrix, from which we obtain the nonlinear cotunneling conductance. For even occupied dots the system can be conceived as an effective S/N-cotunnel junction with subgap transport mediated by Andreev reflections. The net spin of an odd occupied dot, however, leads to the formation of sub-gap resonances inside the superconducting gap which gives rise to a characteristic peak-dip structure in the differential conductance, as observed in recent experiments.
SangKook Choi
,Dung-Hai Lee
,Steven G. Louie
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(2009)
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"Localization of Metal-Induced Gap States at the Metal-Insulator Interface:Origin of Flux Noise in SQUIDs and Superconducting Qubits"
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SangKook Choi
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