No Arabic abstract
This paper presents a detailed investigation of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) biased with microwave and direct currents. We developed a hybrid detector, which allows the operation in the rf and dc operation mode. With this hybrid detector, we are able to compare the count rates of the same nanowire biased with dc and rf currents. Furthermore, we demonstrate the use of the oscillating current in the rf operation mode as a reference signal in a synchronous single-photon detection mode.
Superconducting nanowires are widely used as sensitive single photon detectors with wide spectral coverage and high timing resolution. We describe a demonstration of an array of DC biased superconducting nanowire single photon detectors read out with a microwave multiplexing circuit. In this design, each individual nanowire is part of a resonant LC circuit where the inductance is dominated by the kinetic inductance of the nanowire. The circuit also contains two parallel plate capacitors, one of them is in parallel with the inductor and the other is coupled to a microwave transmission line which carries the signals to a cryogenic low noise amplifier. All of the nanowires are connected via resistors to a single DC bias line that enables the nanowires to be current biased close to their critical current. When a photon hits a nanowire it creates a normal hot spot which produces a voltage pulse across the LC circuit. This pulse rings down at the resonant frequency of the LC circuit over a time period that is fixed by the quality factor. We present measurements of an array of these devices and an evaluation of their performance in terms of frequency and time response.
In the paper, a comparison is described of the microwave power standard based on thermoelectric sensors against an analogous standard based on bolometric sensors. Measurements have been carried out with the classical twin-type microcalorimeter, fitted with N-connector test ports suitable for the frequency band 0.05 - 18 GHz. An appropriate measurand definition is given for being suitable to both standard types. A system accuracy assessment is performed applying the Gaussian error propagation through the mathematical models that interpret the microcalorimeter response in each case. The results highlight advantages and weaknesses of each power standard type.
As noble liquid time projection chambers grow in size their high voltage requirements increase, and detailed, reproducible studies of dielectric breakdown and the onset of electroluminescence are needed to inform their design. The Xenon Breakdown Apparatus (XeBrA) is a 5-liter cryogenic chamber built to characterize the DC high voltage breakdown behavior of liquid xenon and liquid argon. Electrodes with areas up to 33~cm$^2$ were tested while varying the cathode-anode separation from 1 to 6~mm with a voltage difference up to 75~kV. A power-law relationship between breakdown field and electrode area was observed. The breakdown behavior of liquid argon and liquid xenon within the same experimental apparatus was comparable.
A large number of particle detectors employ liquid argon as their target material owing to its high scintillation yield and its ability to drift ionization charge for large distances. Scintillation light from argon is peaked at 128 nm and a wavelength shifter is required for its efficient detection. In this work we directly compare the light yield achieved in two identical liquid argon chambers, one of which is equipped with PolyEthylene Naphthalate (PEN) and the other with TetraPhenyl Butadiene (TPB) wavelength shifter. Both chambers are lined with enhanced specular reflectors and instrumented with SiPMs with a coverage fraction of approximately 1%, which represents a geometry comparable to the future large scale detectors. We measured the light yield of the PEN chamber to be 39.4$pm$0.4(stat)$pm$1.9(syst)% of the yield of the TPB chamber. Using a Monte Carlo simulation this result is used to extract the wavelength shifting efficiency of PEN relative to TPB equal to 47.2$pm$5.7%. This result paves the way for the use of easily available PEN foils as a wavelength shifter, which can substantially simplify the construction of the future liquid argon detectors.
The phase noise and frequency stability measurements of 1 GHz, 100 MHz, and 10 MHz signals are presented which have been synthesized from microwave cryogenic sapphire oscillators using ultra-low-vibration pulse-tube cryocooler technology. We present the measured data using independent cryogenic oscillators for the 100 MHz and 10 MHz synthesized signals, whereas previously we only estimated the expected results based on residual phase noise measurements, when only one cryogenic oscillator was available. In addition we present the design of a 1 GHz synthesizer using a Crystek voltage controlled oscillator phase locked to 1 GHz output derived from a cryogenic sapphire oscillator.