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Stucki, D., Barreiro, C., Fasel, S., Gautier, J. - D., Gay, O., Gisin, N., et al. (2009). Continuous high speed coherent one-way quantum key distribution. Opt. Express, 17(16), 13326–13334.
Abstract: Quantum key distribution (QKD) is the first commercial quantum technology operating at the level of single quanta and is a leading light for quantum-enabled photonic technologies. However, controlling these quantum optical systems in real world environments presents significant challenges. For the first time, we have brought together three key concepts for future QKD systems: a simple high-speed protocol; high performance detection; and integration both, at the component level and for standard fibre network connectivity. The QKD system is capable of continuous and autonomous operation, generating secret keys in real time. Laboratory and field tests were performed and comparisons made with robust InGaAs avalanche photodiodes and superconducting detectors. We report the first real world implementation of a fully functional QKD system over a 43dB-loss (150km) transmission line in the Swisscom fibre optic network where we obtained average real-time distribution rates over 3 hours of 2.5bps.
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Kahl, O., Ferrari, S., Kovalyuk, V., Vetter, A., Lewes-Malandrakis, G., Nebel, C., et al. (2017). Spectrally multiplexed single-photon detection with hybrid superconducting nanophotonic circuits: supplementary material. Osa.
Abstract: This document provides supplementary information to “Spectrally multiplexed single-photon detection with hybrid superconducting nanophotonic circuits", DOI:10.1364/optica.4.000557. Here we detail the on-chip spectrometer design, its characterization and the experimental setup we used. In addition, we present a detailed report concerning the characterization of the superconducting nanowire single photon detectors. In the final sections, we describe sample preparation and characterization of the nanodiamonds containing silicon vacancy color centers.
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Larrey, V., Villegier, J. - C., Salez, M., Miletto-Granozio, F., & Karpov, A. (1999). Processing and characterization of high Jc NbN superconducting tunnel junctions for THz analog circuits and RSFQ. IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond., 9(2), 3216–3219.
Abstract: A generic NbN Superconducting Tunnel Junctions (STJ) technology has been developed using conventional substrates (Si and SOI-SIMOX) for making THz spectrometers including SIS receivers and RSFQ logic gates. NbN/MgO/NbN junctions with area of 1 /spl mu/m/sup 2/, Jc of 10 kA/cm/sup 2/ and low sub-gap leakage current (Vm>25 mV) are currently obtained from room temperature sputtered multilayers followed by a post-annealing at 250/spl deg/C. Using a thin MgO buffer layer deposited underneath the NbN electrodes, ensures lower NbN surface resistance values (Rs=7 /spl mu//spl Omega/) at 10 GHz and 4 K. Epitaxial NbN [100] films on MgO [100] with high gap frequency (1.4 THz) have also been achieved under the same deposition conditions at room temperature. The NbN SIS has shown good I-V photon induced steps when LO pumped at 300 GHz. We have developed an 8 levels Al/NbN multilayer process for making 1.5 THz SIS mixers (including Al antennas) on Si membranes patterned in SOI-SIMOX. Using the planarization techniques developed at the Si-MOS CEA-LETI Facility, we have also demonstrated on the possibility of extending our NbN technology to high level RSFQ circuit integration with 0.5 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ junction area, made on large area substrates (up to 8 inches).
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Tol, J. van, Brunel, L. - C., & Wylde, R. J. (2005). A quasioptical transient electron spin resonance spectrometer operating at 120 and 240 GHz. Rev. Sci. Instrum., 76(7), 074101 (1 to 8).
Abstract: A new multifrequency quasioptical electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometer is described. The superheterodyne design with Schottky diode mixer/detectors enables fast detection with subnanosecond time resolution. Optical access makes it suitable for transient EPR (TR-EPR) at 120 and 240 GHz. These high frequencies allow for an accurate determination of small g-tensor anisotropies as are encountered in excited triplet states of organic molecules like porphyrins and fullerenes. The measured concentration sensitivity for continuous-wave (cw) EPR at 240 GHz and at room temperature without cavity is 1013 spins/cm3 (15 nM) for a 1 mT linewidth and a 1 Hz bandwidth. With a Fabry-Perot cavity and a sample volume of 30 nl, the sensitivity at 240 GHz corresponds to [approximate]3×109 spins for a 1 mT linewidth. The spectrometer's performance is illustrated with applications of transient EPR of excited triplet states of organic molecules, as well as cw EPR of nitroxide reference systems and a thin film of a colossal magnetoresistance material.
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Kovalyuk, V., Kahl, O., Ferrari, S., Vetter, A., Lewes-Malandrakis, G., Nebel, C., et al. (2018). On-chip single-photon spectrometer for visible and infrared wavelength range. In J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. (Vol. 1124, 051045).
Abstract: Here we show our latest progress in the field of a single-photon spectrometer for the visible and infrared wavelengths ranges implementation. We consider three different on-chip approaches: a coherent spectrometer with a low power of the heterodyne, a coherent spectrometer with a high power of the heterodyne, and an eight-channel single-photon spectrometer for direct detection. Along with high efficiency, spectrometers show high detection efficiency and temporal resolution through the use of waveguide integrated superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors.
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Uzawa, Y., Kojima, T., Kroug, M., Takeda, M., Candotti, M., Fujii, Y., et al. (2009). Development of the 787-950 GHz ALMA band 10 cartridge. In Proc. 20th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (p. 12).
Abstract: We are developing the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) Band 10 (787-950 GHz) receiver cartridge. The incoming beam from the 12-m antenna is reflected by a pair of two ellipsoidal mirrors placed in the cartridge, and then split into two orthogonal polarizations by a free-standing wire-grid. Each beam enters a corrugated feed horn attached to a double-side-band (DSB) mixer block. The mixer uses a full-height waveguide and an NbTiN- or NbN-based superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) mixer chip. We are testing the following three types of mixer chips: 1) Nb SIS junctions + NbTiN/SiO2/Al tuning circuits on a quartz substrate, 2) Nb SIS junctions + NbN/SiO2/Al tuning circuits on an MgO substrate, and 3) NbN SIS junctions + NbN or NbTiN tuning circuits on an MgO substrate. The IF system uses a 4-12-GHz cooled low-noise InP-based MMIC amplifier developed by Caltech. So far, the type 1) has shown the best performance. At LO frequencies from 800 to 940 GHz, the mixer noise temperatures measured by using the standard Y-factor method were below 240 K at an operating physical temperature of 4 K. The lowest noise temperature, 169 K, was obtained at the center frequency of the band 10, as designed. These well-developed technologies will be implemented in the band 10 cartridge to achieve the ALMA specifications.
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Li, C. - T., Chen, T. - J., Ni, T. - L., Lu, W. - C., Chiu, C. - P., Chen, C. - W., et al. (2009). Development of SIS mixers for SMA 400-520 GHz band. In Proc. 20th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (pp. 24–30).
Abstract: SIS junction mixers were developed for SMA 400-520 GHz band. The results show receiver noise temperature around 100 K across the band, with noise contribution from RF loss and IF estimated to be around 50 K and 20K, respectively. Two schemes were used to tune out junction's parasitic capacitance. When a parallel inductor is employed, the input impedance is close to Rn, which facilitates impedance matching between the junction and the waveguide probe. Waveguide probes were designed to achieve a low feed-point impedance to match to the junction resistance. Optimum embedding impedances for lower receiver noise temperature were investigated. Performances of two schemes and composition of receiver noise were also discussed.
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Shitov, S. V., Inatani, J., Shan, W. - L., Takeda, M., Wang, Z., Uvarov, A. V., et al. (2008). Measurement of emissivity of the ALMA antenna panel at 840 GHz using NbN-based heterodyne SIS receiver. In Proc. 19th Int. Symp. Space Terahertz Technol. (pp. 263–266).
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Sidorova, M., Semenov, A., Hübers, H. - W., Kuzmin, A., Doerner, S., Ilin, K., et al. (2018). Timing jitter in photon detection by straight superconducting nanowires: Effect of magnetic field and photon flux. Phys. Rev. B, 98(13), 134504 (1 to 14).
Abstract: We studied the effects of the external magnetic field and photon flux on timing jitter in photon detection by straight superconducting NbN nanowires. At two wavelengths 800 and 1560 nm, statistical distribution in the appearance times of photon counts exhibits Gaussian shape at small times and an exponential tail at large times. The characteristic exponential time is larger for photons with smaller energy and increases with external magnetic field while variations in the Gaussian part of the distribution are less pronounced. Increasing photon flux drives the nanowire from the discrete quantum detection regime to the uniform bolometric regime that averages out fluctuations of the total number of nonequilibrium electrons created by the photon and drastically reduces jitter. The difference between standard deviations of Gaussian parts of distributions for these two regimes provides the measure for the strength of electron-number fluctuations; it increases with the photon energy. We show that the two-dimensional hot-spot detection model explains qualitatively the effect of magnetic field.
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Griffin, M. J., Abergel, A., Abreu, A., Ade, P. A. R., André, P., Augueres, J. - L., et al. (2010). The Herschel-SPIRE instrument and its in-flight performance. A&A, 518, 7.
Abstract: The Spectral and Photometric Imaging REceiver (SPIRE), is the Herschel Space Observatory`s submillimetre camera and spectrometer. It contains a three-band imaging photometer operating at 250, 350 and 500 μm, and an imaging Fourier-transform spectrometer (FTS) which covers simultaneously its whole operating range of 194-671 μm (447-1550 GHz). The SPIRE detectors are arrays of feedhorn-coupled bolometers cooled to 0.3 K. The photometer has a field of view of 4Â´× 8´, observed simultaneously in the three spectral bands. Its main operating mode is scan-mapping, whereby the field of view is scanned across the sky to achieve full spatial sampling and to cover large areas if desired. The spectrometer has an approximately circular field of view with a diameter of 2.6´. The spectral resolution can be adjusted between 1.2 and 25 GHz by changing the stroke length of the FTS scan mirror. Its main operating mode involves a fixed telescope pointing with multiple scans of the FTS mirror to acquire spectral data. For extended source measurements, multiple position offsets are implemented by means of an internal beam steering mirror to achieve the desired spatial sampling and by rastering of the telescope pointing to map areas larger than the field of view. The SPIRE instrument consists of a cold focal plane unit located inside the Herschel cryostat and warm electronics units, located on the spacecraft Service Module, for instrument control and data handling. Science data are transmitted to Earth with no on-board data compression, and processed by automatic pipelines to produce calibrated science products. The in-flight performance of the instrument matches or exceeds predictions based on pre-launch testing and modelling: the photometer sensitivity is comparable to or slightly better than estimated pre-launch, and the spectrometer sensitivity is also better by a factor of 1.5-2.
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