Search arXivSearch

arXiv · 1603.03146

Vibration-induced electrical noise in a cryogen-free dilution refrigerator: characterization, mitigation, and impact on qubit coherence

Abstract

Cryogen-free low-temperature setups are becoming more prominent in experimental science due to their convenience and reliability, and concern about the increasing scarcity of helium as a natural resource. Despite not having any moving parts at the cold end, pulse tube cryocoolers introduce vibrations that can be detrimental to the experiments. We characterize the coupling of these vibrations to the electrical signal observed on cables installed in a cryogen-free dilution refrigerator. The dominant electrical noise is in the 5 to 10 kHz range and its magnitude is found to be strongly temperature dependent. We test the performance of different cables designed to diagnose and tackle the noise, and find triboelectrics to be the dominant mechanism coupling the vibrations to the electrical signal. Flattening a semi-rigid cable or jacketing a flexible cable in order to restrict movement within the cable, successfully reduces the noise level by over an order of magnitude. Furthermore, we characterize the effect of the pulse tube vibrations on an electron spin qubit device in this setup. Coherence measurements are used to map out the spectrum of the noise experienced by the qubit, revealing spectral components matching the spectral signature of the pulse tube.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Rachpon Kalra, Arne Laucht, Juan P. Dehollain, Daniel Bar, Solomon Freer, Stephanie Simmons, Juha T. Muhonen, Andrea Morello. 2016-07-07. Vibration-induced electrical noise in a cryogen-free dilution refrigerator: characterization, mitigation, and impact on qubit coherence. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4959153

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Mortality of ultra-thin LGADs and PiN diodes from high energy deposition

Low Gain Avalanche Diodes are prime candidates for high-resolution timing applications in High Energy Physics, Nuclear science, and several other fields. Operating these devices in high-radiation environments presents various hazards, including the risk of their permanent degradation or destruction caused by effects such as Single Event Burnout. Studies using minimum ionizing particles found a greatly reduced Single Event Burnout risk by operating below a bias voltage corresponding to an average electric field of 12 V/$μ$m - however, as high energy particle colliders produce a wide energy spectrum of radiation, it is crucial to understand this phenomenon and other possible damage mechanisms at energy deposition levels greater than those of minimum ionizing particles. This was achieved by pre-irradiating LGADs and PiN diodes with active thicknesses of 20, 30, and 50 $μ$m up to 1.5 $\times$ 10$^{15}$ $\mathrm{n_{eq}/cm^2}$, and exposing them to beams of protons and heavy ions (C, O, Fe, Au) at the BNL Tandem van de Graaff accelerator. Several mortality categories were observed, defined by different electrical and mechanical damage signatures. This furthers our understanding of permanent radiation damage of silicon devices, crucial towards mitigating Single Event Burnout and other damage mechanisms to safely operate future detectors.

physics.ins-det

Small but Tubby: A Magnetic Loop Antenna Made from 100 mm Copper Tubing

This paper presents the electrical model, key equations, and practical construction of a small transmitting magnetic loop antenna built from unusually large 100 mm diameter copper tubing. The large conductor surface area and wide-area transitions to the vacuum capacitors were designed to minimize resistive losses. The frequency range from 1.8 MHz to 31 MHz is unusually wide. Frequency, impedance matching, and azimuth are all adjusted automatically by servo motors. Indoor losses originate predominantly from near-field coupling to the environment rather than from the antenna itself. Temperature-rise measurements confirm that the bulk of the dissipated power is absorbed by the environment, not by the antenna components. The conducted H-field measurements demonstrate good agreement between the measured H-field and the theoretical free-space H-field calculated from the antenna geometry and an estimated loop current. The loop current was estimated from the measured antenna bandwidth and the applied transmit power. The antenna was developed for indoor operation where outdoor installation is not possible.

physics.ins-det

Construction and characterisation of the DarkSide-20k veto silicon photo-multiplier tiles

Silicon photo-multipliers (SiPMs) are state-of-the-art sensors capable of detecting a single photoelectron under cryogenic conditions, with potentially lower radioactivity than widely used photomultiplier tubes. The DarkSide-20k experiment, designed to perform direct dark matter searches using liquid argon as the target material, employs SiPM technology to detect interactions in the active detector volumes, including the central dual-phase Time Projection Chamber and the Inner and Outer Veto volumes. The vetoes are designed to discriminate against radiogenic neutron and cosmic muon backgrounds associated with the dark matter search. This paper describes the completed production and test protocols for the "Veto Tiles" (called vTiles, arrays of 24 SiPMs integrated on a printed circuit board providing the power distribution and signal amplification); 16 vTiles are grouped into "Veto Photo-Detector Units" to instrument the Inner Veto volume. Each vTile underwent detailed testing at room and cryogenic temperatures, confirming stable operation, high signal-to-noise ratio, and low radioactive contamination, demonstrating the robustness of the proposed design for cryogenic conditions. The final production yield exceeded 87%, surpassing the 80% requirement and corresponding to 1920 Veto Tiles to populate 120 Veto Photo-Detector Units, plus an additional 6% as spares.

physics.ins-det