Abstract: Surface plasmon polaritons (plasmons) have the potential to interface electronic and optical devices. They could prove extremely useful for integrated quantum information processing. Here we demonstrate on-chip electrical detection of single plasmons propagating along gold waveguides. The plasmons are excited using the single-photon emission of an optically emitting quantum dot. After propagating for several micrometers, the plasmons are coupled to a superconducting detector in the near-field. Correlation measurements prove that single plasmons are being detected.

Abstract: The Heterodyne Instrument for the Far Infrared (HIFI) onboard the Herschel Space Observatory allows the first observations of light diatomic molecules at high spectral resolution and in multiple transitions. Here, we report deep integrations using HIFI in different lines of hydrides towards the high-mass star forming region AFGL 2591. Detected are CH, CH+, NH, OH+, H2O+, while NH+ and SH+ have not been detected. All molecules except for CH and CH+ are seen in absorption with low excitation temperatures and at velocities different from the systemic velocity of the protostellar envelope. Surprisingly, the CH(JF,P = 3/22,- – 1/21,+ ) and CH+(J = 1–0, J = 2–1) lines are detected in emission at the systemic velocity. We can assign the absorption features to a foreground cloud and an outflow lobe, while the CH and CH+ emission stems from the envelope. The observed abundance and excitation of CH and CH+ can be explained in the scenario of FUV irradiated outflow walls, where a cavity etched out by the outflow allows protostellar FUV photons to irradiate and heat the envelope at larger distances driving the chemical reactions that produce these molecules.

Abstract: We report the pulse-to-pulse timing jitter measurement of a niobium nitride (NbN) superconducting single-photon detector (SSPD) and an InGaAs avalanche photodiode (APD) at 1550-nm wavelength. A direct comparison of their timing jitter was performed by using the same experimental configuration to measure both detectors. The measured jitter of the SSPD and the APD are 75 and 84 ps at full-width at half-maximum (FWHM), and 138 and 384 ps at full-width at tenth-maximum (FWTM), respectively. The jitter of the SSPD remains small at FWTM while that of APD is wide. We also estimated the transmission distances and secure key generation rates for fiber-based quantum key distribution (QKD) which uses these detectors. The estimated transmission distances of the APD are 86 km and 107 km with respect to 1 ns and 100 ps time windows, respectively, and those of the SSPD are 125 km and 172 km with respect to 1 ns and 100 ps time windows, respectively. This estimation indicates the SSPDЃfs advantages for QKD compared to the APD.

Abstract: We have measured the noise temperature of a single, sensitive superconducting NbN hot electron bolometer (HEB) mixer in a frequency range from 1.6 to 5.3 THz, using a setup with all the key components in vacuum. By analyzing the measured receiver noise temperature using a quantum noise (QN) model for HEB mixers, we confirm the effect of QN. The QN is found to be responsible for about half of the receiver noise at the highest frequency in our measurements. The beta-factor (the quantum efficiency of the HEB) obtained experimentally agrees reasonably well with the calculated value.

Abstract: The space observatory Millimetron will be operating in the millimeter, sub-millimeter and infrared ranges using a 12-m cryogenic telescope in a single-dish mode, and as an interferometer with the space-earth and space-space baselines (the latter after the launch of the second identical space telescope). The observatory will allow performing astronomical observations with an unprecedented sensitivity (down to nJy level) in the single-dish mode, and observations with a high angular resolution in the interferometer mode. The total spectral range 20 μm – 2 cm is separated into 10 bands. HEB mixers with two cooling channels (diffusion and phonon) have been chosen to be the detectors of choice of the system covering the range from 1 THz to 6 THz as the best detectors in terahertz receivers. This type of HEB has already shown good work in the terahertz range. A gain bandwidth of 6 GHz at an LO frequency of 300 GHz and a noise temperature of 750 K at an LO frequency of 2.5 THz are the best values for HEB mixers with two cooling channels [1]. Theoretical estimations predict a bandwidth up to 12 GHz. Reaching such good result demands more systematic and thorough research. We present the results of the gain bandwidth and noise temperature measurements for superconducting hot- electron bolometer mixers with two cooling channels. These characteristics of the devices of lengths varying from 50 to 200 nm were measured for the purposes of Millimetron at frequencies of 600 GHz, 2.5 THz, and 3.8 THz. For gain bandwidth measurements we use two BWO’s operating at 600 GHz: one as the signal and the second as the LO. The noise temperature measurements were performed using a gas discharge laser as the LO and blackbodies at 77 K and 295 K as input signals. The devices studied consist of 3.5-nm-thick NbN bridges connected to thick (10 nm) high conductivity Au leads fabricated in situ. This method of fabricating devices has already proved promising by opening the diffusion cooling channel. [2] Fig. 1 shows a SEM photograph of a log-spiral antenna with an HEB at its apex. Fig. 1. Left: a SEM photograph of a log-spiral antenna with an HEB at its apex; right: a close-up of the HEB at the antenna apex. [1] S. A. Ryabchun, I. V. Tretyakov, M. I. Finkel, S. N. Maslennikov, N. S. Kaurova, V. A. Seleznev, B. M. Voronov, and G. N. Gol’tsman, NbN phonon-cooled hot-electron bolometer mixer with additional diffusion cooling, Proc. of the 20 th Int. Symp. Space. Technol., Charlottesville, Virginia, USA, April 20 – 22, 2009. 218[2] S. A. Ryabchun * , I. V. Tretyakov, M. I. Finkel, S. N. Maslennikov, N. S. Kaurova, V. A. Seleznev, B. M. Voronov and G. N. Goltsman, Fabrication and characterisation of NbN HEB mixers with in situ gold contacts, Proc. of the 19 th Int. Symp. Space. Technol., Groningen, The Netherlands, April 28-30, 2008

Abstract: A readout circuit using superconducting single-flux-quantum (SFQ) circuits has been developed to realize an independently addressable array of superconducting single-photon detectors (SSPDs). We tested the SFQ readout circuits by connecting with SSPDs. The error rates of readout circuits were below 10–5 for input signal amplitude of greater than 18.2 μA. Detection efficiencies (DEs) for single-photon incidents were measured both with and without the connection of a readout circuit. The observed DEs traced almost the same curves regardless of the connection of the readout circuit, except that the SSPD is likely to latch by connecting the readout circuit.

Abstract: We report on the performance of a fiber-coupled superconducting nanowire single-photon detector (SNSPD) from 4 K down to the ultralow temperature of 16 mK for a 1550 nm wave length. The system detection efficiency (DE) increased with de creasing the temperature and reached the considerably high value of 15% with a dark count rate less than 100 cps below 1.5 K, even without an optical cavity structure. We also observed saturation of the system DE in its bias current dependency at 16 mK, which indicates that the device DE of our SNSPD nearly reached intrinsic DE despite the device having a large active area of 20 μm × 20 μm. The dark count was finite even at 16 mK and the black body radiation becomes its dominant origin in the low temperatures for fiber-coupled devices.

Abstract: Absorbed heterodyne power has been measured in a low-noise broadband hot-electron bolometer (HEB) mixer for the terahertz range, operating on the effect of electron heating in the resistive state of an ultrathin superconducting NbN film. It is established that the optimum absorbed heterodyne power for the HEB mixer operating at 2.5 THz is about 100 nW.