High-capacity free-space optical link in the midinfrared thermal atmospheric windows using unipolar quantum devices

Free-space optical communication is a very promising alternative to fiber communication systems,in terms of ease of deployment and costs.Midinfrared light has several features of utter relevance for free-space applications:low absorption when propagating in the atmosphere even under adverse conditions,robustness of the wavefront during long-distance propagation,and absence of regulations and restrictions for this range of wavelengths.A proof-of-concept of high-speed transmission taking advantage of intersubband devices has recently been demonstrated,but this effort was limited by the short-distance optical path(up to 1 m).In this work,we study the possibility of building a long-range link using unipolar quantum optoelectronics.Two different detectors are used:an uncooled quantum cascade detector and a nitrogen-cooled quantum well-infrared photodetector.We evaluate the maximum data rate of our link in a back-to-back configuration before adding a Herriott cell to increase the length of the light path up to 31 m.By using pulse shaping,pre-and post-processing,we reach a record bitrate of 30 Gbit s−1 for both two-level(OOK)and four-level(PAM-4)modulation schemes for a 31-m propagation link and a bit error rate compatible with error-correction codes.

Low-T_c direct current superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer-based 36-channel magnetocardiography system in a magnetically shielded room

We constructed a 36-channel magnetocardiography（MCG） system based on low-Tc direct current（DC） superconducting quantum interference device（SQUID） magnetometers operated inside a magnetically shielded room（MSR）. Weakly damped SQUID magnetometers with large Steward–Mc Cumber parameter βc（βc≈ 5）, which could directly connect to the operational amplifier without any additional feedback circuit, were used to simplify the readout electronics. With a flux-to-voltage transfer coefficient V / Φ larger than 420 μV/Φ0, the SQUID magnetometers had a white noise level of about 5.5 f T·Hz-1/2when operated in MSR. 36 sensing magnetometers and 15 reference magnetometers were employed to realize software gradiometer configurations. The coverage area of the 36 sensing magnetometers is 210×210 mm2. MCG measurements with a high signal-to-noise ratio of 40 d B were done successfully using the developed system.

Thermodynamic Performance of Three-Terminal Hybrid Quantum Dot Thermoelectric Devices

We propose four different models of three-terminal quantum dot thermoelectric devices. From general thermodynamic laws, we examine the rew;rsible efficiencies of the four different models. Based on the master equation, the expressions for the efficiency and power output are derived and the corresponding working regions are determined. Moreover, we particularly analyze the performance of a three-terminal hybrid quantum dot refrigerator. The performance characteristic curves and the optimal performance parameters are obtained. Finally, we discuss the influence of the nonradiative effects on the optimal performance parameters in detail.

Implementation of quantum partial search with superconducting quantum interference device qudits in cavity QED

We present a method to implement the quantum partial search of the database separated into any number of blocks with qudits, D-level quantum systems. Compared with the partial search using qubits, our method needs fewer iteration steps and uses the carriers of the information more economically. To illustrate how to realize the idea with concrete physical systems, we propose a scheme to carry out a twelve-dimensional partial search of the database partitioned into three blocks with superconducting quantum interference devices （SQUIDs） in cavity QED. Through the appropriate modulation of the amplitudes of the microwave pulses, the scheme can overcome the non-identity of the cavity-SQUID coupling strengths due to the parameter variations resulting from the fabrication processes. Numerical simulation under the influence of the cavity and SQUID decays shows that the scheme could be achieved efficiently within current state-of-the-art technology.

Bright hybrid white light-emitting quantum dot device with direct charge injection into quantum dot

A bright white quantum dot light-emitting device （white-QLED） with 4-[4-（1-phenyl-lH-benzo[d]imidazol-2- yl）phenyl]-2- [3-（tri-phenylen-2-yl）phen-3-yl]quinazoline deposited on a thin film of mixed green/red-QDs as a bilayer emitter is fabricated. The optimized white-QLED exhibits a turn-on voltage of 3.2 V and a maximum brightness of 3660 cd/m2 @8 V with the Commission Internationale de l＇Eclairage （CIE） chromaticity in the region of white light. The ultra-thin layer of QDs is proved to be critical for the white light generation in the devices. Excitation mechanism in the white-QLEDs is investigated by the detailed analyses of electroluminescence （EL） spectral and the fluorescence lifetime of QDs. The results show that charge injection is a dominant mechanism of excitation in the white-QLED.

Quantum search via superconducting quantum interference devices in a cavity

We propose a scheme for implementing the Grover search algorithm with two superconducting quantum interference devices （SQUIDs） in a cavity. Our scheme only requires single resonant interaction of the SQUID-cavity system and the required interaction time is very short. The simplicity of the process and the reduction of the interaction time are important for restraining decoherence.

Room-Temperature Organic Negative Differential Resistance Device Using CdSe Quantum Dots as the ITO Modification Layer

Room-temperature negative differential resistance （NDR） has been observed in different types of organic materials. However, detailed study on the influence of the organic material on NDR performance is still scarce. In this work, room-temperature NDR ＆ observed when CdSe quantum dot （QD） modified ITO is used as the electrode. Furthermore, material dependence of the NDR performance is observed by selecting materials with different charge transporting properties as the active layer, respectively. A peak-to-valley current ratio up to 9 is observed. It is demonstrated that the injection barrier between ITO and the organic active layer plays a decisive role for the device NDR performance. The influence of the aggregation state of CdSe QDs on the NDR performance is also studied, which indicates that the NDR is caused by the resonant tunneling process in the ITO/CdSe QD/organic active layer structure.

True Random Number Generator Realized by Extracting Entropy from a Negative-Inductance Superconducting Quantum Interference Device

A new type of superconductive true random number generator (TRNG) based on a negative-inductance superconducting quantum interference device (nSQUID) is proposed. The entropy harnessed to generate random numbers comes from the phenomenon of symmetry breaking in the nSQUID. The experimental circuit is fabricated by the Nb-based lift-off process. Low-temperature tests of the circuit verify the basic function of the proposed TRNG. The frequency characteristics of the TRNG have been analyzed by simulation. The generation rate of random numbers is expected to achieve hundreds of megahertz to tens of gigahertz.

Quantum properties of nonclassical states generated by an optomechanical system with catalytic quantum scissors

A scheme is proposed to investigate the non-classical states generated by a quantum scissors device(QSD) operating on the the cavity mode of an optomechanical system. When the catalytic QSD acts on the cavity mode of the optomechanical system, the resulting state contains only the vacuum, single-photon and two-photon states depending upon the coupling parameter of the optomechanical system as well as the transmission coefficients of beam splitters(BSs). Especially, the output state is just a class of multicomponent cat state truncations at time t = 2π by choosing the appropriate value of coupling parameter. We discuss the success probability of such a state and the fidelity between the output state and input state via QSD. Then the linear entropy is used to investigate the entanglement between the two subsystems, finding that QSD operation can enhance their entanglement degree. Furthermore, we also derive the analytical expression of the Wigner function(WF) for the cavity mode via QSD and numerically analyze the WF distribution in phase space at time t =2π. These results show that the high non-classicality of output state can always be achieved by modulating the coupling parameter of the optomechanical system as well as the transmittance of BSs.

Quantum Entanglement of Two Flux Qubits Induced by an Auxiliary SQUID

We revisit a theoretical scheme to create quantum entanglement of two three-level superconducting quantuminterference devices (SQUIDs) with the help of an auxiliary SQUID.In this scenario,two three-level systems are coupledto a quantized cavity field and a classical external field and thus form dark states.The quantum entanglement can beproduced by a quantum measurement on the auxiliary SQUID.Our investigation emphasizes the quantum effect of theauxiliary SQUID.For the experimental feasibility and accessibility of the scheme,we calculate the time evolution of thewhole system including the auxiliary SQUID.To ensure the efficiency of generating quantum entanglement,relationsbetween the measurement time and dominate parameters of the system are analyzed according to detailed calculations.

Phase transition and charge transport through a triple dot device beyond the Kondo regime

Semiconductor quantum dot structure provides a promising basis for quantum information processing, within which to reveal the quantum phase and charge transport is one of the most important issues. In this paper, by means of the numerical renormalization group technique, we study the quantum phase transition and the charge transport for a parallel triple dot device in the strongly correlated limit, focusing on the effect of inter-dot hopping t beyond the Kondo regime. We find the quantum behaviors depend closely on the initial electron number on the dots, and the present model may map to single,double, and side-coupled impurity models in different parameter spaces. An orbital spin-1/2 Kondo effect between the conduction leads and the bonding orbital, and several magnetic-frustration phases are demonstrated when t is adjusted to different regimes. To understand these phenomena, a canonical transformation of the energy levels is given, and important physical quantities with respect to increasing t and necessary theoretical discussions are shown.

Cryptanalysis of an Improved Flexible Ping-Pong Protocol in Perfect and Imperfect Quantum Channels

We recently proposed a flexible quantum secure direct communication protocol [Chin. Phys. Lett. 23 （2006） 3152]. By analyzing its security in the perfect channel from the aspect of quantum information theory, we find that an eavesdropper is capable of stealing all the information without being detected. Two typical attacks are presented to illustrate this point. A solution to this loophole is also suggested and we show its powerfulness against the most general individual attack in the ideal case. We also discuss the security in the imperfect case when there is noise and loss.

P-type cold-source field-effect transistors with TcX_(2) and ReX_(2)(X=S,Se)cold source electrodes:A computational study

Cold-source field-effect transistors(CS-FETs)have been developed to overcome the major challenge of power dissipation in modern integrated circuits.Cold metals suitable for n-type CS-FETs have been proposed as the ideal electrode to filter the high-energy electrons and break the thermal limit on subthreshold swing(SS).In this work,regarding the p-type CS-FETs,we propose TcX_(2) and ReX_(2)(X=S,Se)as the injection source to realize the sub-thermal switching for holes.First-principles calculations unveils the cold-metal characteristics of monolayer TcX_(2) and ReX_(2),possessing a sub-gap below the Fermi level and a decreasing DOS with energy.Quantum device simulations demonstrate that TcX_(2) and ReX_(2) can enable the cold source effects in WSe_(2) p-type FETs,achieving steep SS of 29-38 mV/dec and high on/off ratios of(2.3-5.6)×10^(7).Moreover,multilayer Re S2retains the cold metal characteristic,thus ensuring similar CS-FET performances to that of the monolayer source.This work underlines the significance of cold metals for the design of p-type CS-FETs.

Increasing linear flux range of SQUID amplifier using self-feedback effect

Superconducting quantum interference devices(SQUIDs) are low-noise amplifiers that are essential for the readouts of translation edge sensors(TESs). The linear flux range is an important parameter for SQUID amplifiers, especially those controlled by high-bandwidth digital flux-locked-loop circuits. A large linear flux range conduces to accurately measuring the input signal and also increasing the multiplexing factor in the time-division multiplexed(TDM) readout scheme of the TES array. In this work, we report that the linear flux range of an SQUID can be improved by using self-feedback effect. When the SQUID loop is designed to be asymmetric, a voltage-biased SQUID shows an asymmetric current–flux(I–Φ) response curve. The linear flux range is improved along the I–Φ curve with a shallow slope. The experimental results accord well with the numerical simulations. The asymmetric SQUID will be able to serve as a building block in the development of the TDM readout systems for large TES arrays.

Unique electrical properties of nanostructured diamond cones

The preparation and electrical properties of diamond nanocones are reviewed, including a maskless etching pro- cess and mechanism of large-area diamond conical nanostructure arrays using a hot filament chemical vapor deposition （HFCVD） system with negatively biased substrates, and the field electron emission, gas sensing, and quantum transport properties of a diamond nanocone array or an individual diamond nanocone. Optimal cone aspect ratio and array density are investigated, along with the relationships between the cone morphologies and experimental parameters, such as the CH4/H2 ratio of the etching gas, the bias current, and the gas pressure. The reviewed experiments demonstrate the possi- bility of using nanostructured diamond cones as a display device element, a point electron emission source, a gas sensor or a quantum device.

Charging and self-discharging process of a quantum battery in composite environments

How to improve charging processes and suppress self-discharging processes has always been one of the key issues to achieve quantum batteries with high performance.Although a quantum battery is inevitably influenced by composite environments,this situation is still little understood,particularly regarding the influence of the memory effect of the composite environments and the coupling between composite environments.In this work,we investigate the effects of the composite environments,composed of two identical parts each containing a single cavity mode decaying to a reservoir,on the charging and self-discharging processes of a quantum battery.We show that increasing the two-mode coupling can effectively enhance the charging performance(i.e.,the stored energy,the charging power,ergotropy)and restrain the self-discharging process(i.e.,suppressing the process of dissipating the energy).However,different from the effect of two-mode coupling,we reveal that the memory effect of the reservoir in this composite environment is unfavorable to the charging process of the quantum battery,which is in sharp contrast to previous studies where the memory effect can significantly improve the charging performance of a quantum battery.Our results may benefit to the realization of quantum batteries with high performance under the actual complex environmental noise.

A simple scheme to generate χ-type four-charge entangled states in circuit QED

We propose a simple scheme to generate x-type four-charge entangled states by using SQUID-based charge qubits capacitively coupled to a transmission line resonator （TLR）. The coupling between the superconducting qubit and the TLR can be effectively controlled by properly adjusting the control parameters of the charge qubit. The experimental feasibility of our scheme is also shown.

An experimental scheme to verify the dynamics of the Aharonov-Bohm effect

There are two different viewpoints on the Aharonov-Bohm （A-B） effect. One asserts that the A-B effect is due to the existence of the vector potential A. The other asserts that the A-B effect is due to the interaction energy between the magnetic field produced by the moving charges and the magnetic field in the solenoid. The difference of these two viewpoints is analyzed in this paper. To judge which viewpoint is right, this paper suggests a new experimental method.

Fabrication and properties of high performance YBa_2Cu_3O_(7-δ) radio frequency SQUIDs with step-edge Josephson junctions

We describe the fabrication of high performance YBa2Cu3O7-δ （YBCO） radio frequency （RF） superconducting quantum interference devices （SQUIDs）, which were prepared on 5 mm×5 mm LaAlO3 （LAO） substrates by employing stepedge junctions （SEJs） and in flip-chip configuration with 12 mm×12 mm resonators. The step in the substrate was produced by Ar ion etching with step angles ranging from 47° to 61°, which is steep enough to ensure the formation of grain boundaries （GBs） at the step edges. The YBCO film was deposited using the pulsed laser deposition （PLD） technique with a film thickness half of the height of the substrate step. The inductance of the SQUID washer was designed to be about 157 pH. Under these circumstances, high performance YBCO RF SQUIDs were successfully fabricated with a typical flux-voltage transfer ratio of 83 mV/φ0, a white flux noise of 29 μφ0/√Hz, and the magnetic field sensitivity as high as 80 fT/√Hz. These devices have been applied in magnetocardiography and geological surveys.

Significant Lifetime Enhancement in QLEDs by Reducing Interfacial Charge Accumulation via Fluorine Incorporation in the ZnO Electron Transport Layer

ZnO nanoparticles are widely used for the electron transport layers(ETLs)of quantum dots light emitting devices(QLEDs).In this work we show that incorporating fluorine(F)into the ZnO ETL results in significant enhancement in device electroluminescence stability,leading to LT50 at 100 cd m^(−2) of 2,370,000 h in red QLED,47X longer than the control devices.X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy,time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy,photoluminescence and electrical measurements show that the F passivates oxygen vacancies and reduces electron traps in ZnO.Transient photoluminescence versus bias measurements and capacitance-voltage-luminance measurements reveal that the CF4 plasma-treated ETLs lead to increased electron concentration in the QD and the QD/hole transport layer interface,subsequently decreasing hole accumulation,and hence the higher stability.The findings provide new insights into the critical roles that optimizing charge distribution across the layers play in influencing stability and present a novel and simple approach for extending QLED lifetimes.