Scaled model measurements of embedding impedances for SIS waveguide mixers

Several scaled models have been used to determine the contributions of various waveguide mount parameters to the embedding impedance of a mm-wave SIS mixer. Measured effects of waveguide height, substrate orientation and width, junction location, lead inductance and RF-filter impedance are presented and discussed.     

Minimum noise temperature of a practical SIS quantum mixer

Noise temperature of a SIS quantum mixer has been calculated as function of local oscillator voltage and signal source conductance on the basis of a measured I–V characteristic. Applying Tucker's quantum theory of mixing /1/, it is shown that the SIS mixer is quantum noise limited. Using cryogenic intermediate frequency amplifier, receiver noise temperature of 20 K seems to be possible at mm wavelength.     

Analysis of SIS heterojunctions for use as mm-wave mixers exhibiting coversion gain

We apply the quantum formulation of heterodyne mixer theory to SIS heterojunctions (junctions between dissimilar superconductors). Conversion gain is predicted over a wide range of mm-wave frequencies in the 3-port Y-mixer model by exploiting the naturally occurring region of negative conductance in the DC I-V characteristic. In the signal frequency range 50–250 GHz this region persists in the pumpedjunction I–V characteristic for local oscillator power <1 nW and leads to a negative conductance at the mixer's IF port.     

Low noise submillimeter SIS receiver with niobium nitride quasiparticle tunnel junctions

We have developed and tested a submillimeter waveguide SIS mixer with NbN-MgO-NbN quasiparticle tunnel junctions. The two junction array is integrated in a full NbN printed circuit. The NbN film critical temperature is 15 K and the junction gap voltage is 5 mV. The size of the junctions is 1.4 × 1.4 µm and Josephson critical current density is about 1.5 KA/cm² resulting in junction R_NC product about 40. The inductive tuning circuit in NbN is integrated with each junction in two junction array. A single non contacting backshort was tuned at each frequency in the mixer block.At 306 GHz the minimum DSB receiver noise temperature is as low as 230 K. The sources of the receiver noise and of the limits of the NbN SIS submillimeter mixer improvement are discussed.     

A low noise receiver for millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths

A broadband, low noise heterodyne receiver, suitable for astronomical use, has been built using a Pb alloy superconducting tunnel junction (SIS). The RF coupling is quasioptical via a bowtie antenna on a quartz lens and is accomplished without any tuning elements. In this preliminary version the double sideband receiver noise temperature rises from 205 K at 116 GHz to 375 K at 349 Ghz, and to 815 K at 466 GHz. This is the most versatile and sensitive receiver yet reported for sub-mm wavelengths.     

Low noise SIS mixer for 230 GHz receivers of plateau de bure interferometer

We present a SIS mixer developed for 200 – 250 GHz band receivers of Plateau de Bure Interferometer. We demonstrate the minimum DSB receiver noise of 20 K at 220 GHz. The average receiver noise of 25 K is possible in 200 – 250 GHz range. The receiver conversion gain and output noise instability of 10⁻⁴ on the time scale of 1 minute is comparable with the Shottky receivers performance. The minimum measured SIS mixer noise of about 10 K is close to the quantum limit. The waveguide SIS mixer with a single backshort has two junction array with inductively tuned junctions. The Nb/Al Oxide/Nb SIS junctions are 2.24 μm² each with the Josephson critical current density of 3.2 KA/cm². The thermal properties of the SIS mixer are studied. The mixer band of the low noise operation is in a good agreement with the design requirements.     

Variable-temperature loads for use in accurate noise measurements of cryogenically-cooled microwave amplifiers and mixers

We have demostrated the use of cryogenically-cooled variable-temperature loads for accurate noise measurements of low-noise cooled amplifiers and mixers in the microwave and millimeter wave range. The input noise temperature of the amplifier or mixer can be measured with an accuracy of ±1 K or better.     

Simulation of Sub-harmonic SIS Mixers with a Full Five-Port Model

The performance of superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) sub-harmonic mixers is thoroughly investigated in this paper. On account of the importance of the harmonic effect, a full five-port model combined with an enhanced Newton solution is applied to calculate the local oscillator (LO) waveform. The mixer performance is studied as functions of principal parameters including the embedding admittances, LO power and bias voltage. The results are compared with those from the quasi five-port model.     

An Integrated Sideband-Separating SIS Mixer Based on Waveguide Split Block for 100 GHz Band with 4.0–8.0 GHz IF

We have developed an integrated sideband-separating SIS mixer for the 100 GHz band based on the waveguide split block. The measured receiver noise temperatures with 4.0–8.0 GHz IF are less than 60 K in the LO frequency range of 90–110 GHz, and a minimum value of around 45 K is achieved at 100 GHz. The image rejection ratios are more than 10 dB in the frequency range of 90–110 GHz. We have installed the sideband-separating SIS mixer into an atmospheric ozone-measuring system at Osaka Prefecture University and successfully observed an ozone spectrum at 110 GHz in SSB mode. This experimental result indicates that the sideband-separating SIS mixer is very useful for astronomical observation as well as atmospheric observation.     

A low-noise SIS receiver measured from 480 GHz to 650 GHz using Nb junctions with integrated RF tuning circuits

A heterodyne receiver using an SIS waveguide mixer with two mechanical tuners has been characterized from 480 GHz to 650 GHz. The mixer uses either a single 0.5 × 0.5 µm² Nb/AlO_x/Nb SIS tunnel junction or a series array of two 1 µm² Nb tunnel junctions. These junctions have a high current density, in the range 8 – 13 kA/cm². Superconductive RF circuits are employed to tune the junction capacitance. DSB receiver noise temperatures as low as 200 ± 17 K at 540 GHz, 271 K ± 22 K at 572 GHz and 362 ± 33 K at 626 GHz have been obtained with the single SIS junctions. The series arrays gave DSB receiver noise temperatures as low as 328 ± 26 K at 490 GHz and 336 ± 25 K at 545 GHz. A comparison of the performances of series arrays and single junctions is presented. In addition, negative differential resistance has been observed in the DC I–V curve near 490, 545 and 570 GHz. Correlations between the frequencies for minimum noise temperature, negative differential resistance, and tuning circuit resonances are found. A detailed model to calculate the properties of the tuning circuits is discussed, and the junction capacitance as well as the London penetration depth of niobium are determined by fitting the model to the measured circuit resonances.     

A Fixed-Tuned W-Band Waveguide SIS Mixer with 4.0-7.5 GHz IF

The design and performance of a fixed-tuned W-band SIS mixer with a wide band IF of 4.0-7.5 GHz is presented. Waveguide-to-stripline transition of the SIS mixer is designed using the lumped-gap-source port provided by HFSS^TM. Measured receiver noise temperature is less than 25 K in the frequency range of 95-120 GHz, with a minimum value of around 19 K achieved. Mixer noise temperature is determined to be about 8.5 K, which is around twice the quantum limit (i.e., 2hw/k). In spite of the high IF frequencies (f ₀ = 6 GHz), the performance of the SIS receiver is comparable or even superior to those of the best mechanically-tunable waveguide SIS receivers at low IF frequencies (f ₀ = 1.5 GHz). This result suggests that it is easy to design waveguide-to-stripline transitions without scale-model measurements.     

A Multibeam SIS Mixer Module for a Focal Plane Array Receiver

The integration of many receiver units into a receiver array is a common method of improvement of imaging systems. This approach, well known in the mm band for Schottky mixer arrays, has not so far been developed for Superconductor - Insulator - Superconductor (SIS) junction mixers, which give the best sensitivity in the short mm wave range and in the submm range.We demonstrate for the first time a practical low noise multibeam receiver module using SIS mixer technology. The basis for the integration of several SIS mixers with a common local oscillator source is given by the saturation of the SIS receiver noise dependence upon local oscillator power. The module comprises three identical SIS mixers integrated with a common local oscillator, coupled through a three branch waveguide directional coupler. The multibeam module has been developed for a focal plane array receiver of the 30 meter radio telescope of the Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique (IRAM).     

A Tuning Circuit with Two Half-Wave Distributed Junctions for All-NbN SIS Mixers

A novel broadband tuning circuit composed of two low-current-density half-wave NbN/MgO/NbN tunnel junctions connected by a half-wave NbN/MgO/NbN microstrip line has been successfully tested in a quasi-optical mixer at frequencies above 700 GHz. The circuit had a designed center frequency of 870 GHz, was integrated in a center-fed twin-slot antenna, and was fed via a quarter-wave impedance transformer. Heterodyne measurments showed double-side-band receiver noise temperatures equivalent to 6-9 quanta from 675 to 810 GHz for a mixer with a current density of 6.7 kA/cm². The RF bandwidth was broader than that of a conventional mixer using a full-wave junction with the same current density.     

The potential of the superconductor-vacuum-superconductor junction as a mixing element at submillimetre wavelengths

By removing the solid insulator in the superconductor-insulator-superconductor junction and making use instead of the vacuum as the tunnelling medium it should be possible to reduce the junction capacitance by a factor of about ten. This would facilitate the development of tunnelling receivers for submillimetre wavelengths by making it possible to fabricate junctions of normal size with electrical properties appropriate for high-frequency operation.     

Simple 1 MM Receivers with a Fixed Tuned Double Sideband SIS Mixer and a Wideband INP MMIC Amplifier

We report on techniques to broaden the intermediate frequency (IF) bandwidth of the BerkeleyIllinoisMaryland Array (BIMA) 1mm SuperconductorInsulatorSuperconductor (SIS) heterodyne receivers by combining fixed tuned Double Side Band (DSB) SIS mixers and wideband Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) IF amplifiers. To obtain the flattest receiver gain across the IF band we tested three schemes for keeping the mixer and amplifier as electrically close as possible. In Receiver I, we connected separate mixer and MMIC modules by a 1 stainless steel SMA elbow. In Receiver II, we integrated mixer and MMIC into a modified BIMA mixer module. In Receiver III, we devised a thermally split block in which mixer and MMIC can be maintained at different temperatures–in this receiver module the mixer at 4 K sees very little of the 10–20 mW heat load of the biased MMIC at 10 K. The best average receiver noise we achieved by combining SIS mixer and MMIC amplifier is 45 50 K DSB for _LO = 215–240 GHz and below 80 K DSB for _LO = 205 270 GHz. Over an IF frequency band of 1 – 4 GHz we have demonstrated receiver DSB noise temperatures of 40 – 60 K. Of the three receiver schemes, we feel Receiver III shows the most promise for continued development.     

Video coding technique with a parametric modelling of noise

This paper presents a video encoding method in which noise is encoded using a novel parametric model representing spectral envelope and spatial distribution of energy. The proposed method has been experimentally assessed using video test sequences in a practical setup consisting of a simple, real-time noise reduction technique and High Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC). The attained results show that the use of the proposed parametric modelling of noise can improve the subjective quality of reconstructed video by approximately 1.8 Mean Opinion Scope (MOS) points (in 11-point scale) related to the classical video coding. Moreover, the present work confirms results attained in the previous works that the usage of even sole noise reduction prior to the encoding provides quality increase.     

Shot noise of the spin inelastic tunneling through a quantum dot with single molecule-magnet

We have studied the quantum fluctuations of inelastic spin-electron scattering in quantum dot with an embedded biaxial single molecule-magnet and particularly investigated the zero-frequency shot noise and Fano factor in different magnetic fields. It is found that the shot noise and Fano factor exhibit a stepwise behaviour as bias increases in the presence of interaction between the electron and molecule-magnet for a weak magnetic field. As magnetic field becomes strong, a dip is displayed in the shot-noise-bias curve due to the suppression of inelastic shot noise caused by the quantum tunneling of magnetisation. Because of the spontaneous inelastic tunneling at zero bias, a small shot noise occurs, which results in the case of Fano factor F >> 1. Moreover, our results show that the sweeping speed can also influence the shot noise and Fano factor obviously.     

稳定的低噪声自由空间量子密钥分配实验研究

基于量子密钥分配的基本原理,采用偏振短脉冲相干光源和双FM差分密钥分配的方案,进行了自由空间量子密钥分配的实验研究. 该方案具有噪声低,稳定性高,误码率低等优点,为空间量子保密通信提供了一个有意义的实施方案,具有一定的实用价值和学术意义. 关键词： 量子保密通信 量子密钥 自由空间 差分相位编码     

Some theoretical aspects of elastic wave modeling with a recently developed spectral element method

A spectral element method has been recently developed for solving elastodynamic problems. The numerical solutions are obtained by using the weak formulation of the elastodynamic equation for heterogeneous media, based on the Galerkin approach applied to a partition, in small subdomains, of the original physical domain. In this work, some mathematical aspects of the method and the associated algorithm implementation are systematically investigated. Two kinds of orthogonal basis functions, constructed with Legendre and Chebyshev polynomials, and their related Gauss-Lobatto collocation points are introduced. The related integration formulas are obtained. The standard error estimations and expansion convergence are discussed. An element-by-element pre-conditioned conjugate gradient linear solver in the space domain and a staggered predictor/multi-corrector algorithm in the time integration are used for strong heterogeneous elastic media. As a consequence, neither the global matrices nor the effective force vector is assembled. When analytical formulas are used for the element quadrature, there is even no need for forming element matrix in order to further save memory without losing much in computational efficiency. The element-by-element algorithm uses an optimal tensor product scheme which makes this method much more efficient than finite-element methods from the point of view of both memory storage and computational time requirements. This work is divided into two parts. The first part mainly focuses on theoretical studies with a simple numerical result for the Che-byshev spectral element, and the second part, mainly with the Legendre spectral element, will give the algorithm implementation, numerical accuracy and efficiency analyses, and then the detailed modeling example comparisons of the proposed spectral element method with a pseudo-spectral method, which will be seen in another work by Lin, Wang and Zhang.     

A system for doing low temperature-high pressure single crystal X-ray diffraction with a synchrotron source

Abstract

A new diamond anvil cell and a helium flow cryostat have been developed for X-ray diffraction on single crystals at low temperatures and high pressures using white radiation of a synchrotron beam. This novel instrument especially enables continuous change of temperature and pressure of the sample without any adjustment of alignment. Automatic search for diffraction peaks can be performed since less than 30 pm eccentricity can be maintained during the rotation of the cell in the cryostat and the rotation of the cryostat on the goniometer head. The minimum temperature reached is 46 K. Measurements of solid 4He at 11.8 GPa are presented which confirm the stability of the hcp phase on this isobar.