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arXiv:0801.1839 · Physical Review B

Optimized Cooper pair pumps

Shabnam Safaei, Simone Montangero, Fabio Taddei, Rosario Fazio

Published Apr 24, 2008• 5 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

In adiabatic Cooper pair pumps, which are operated by means of gate voltage modulation only, the quantization of the pumped charge during a cycle is limited due to the quantum coherence of the macroscopic superconducting wave function. In this work, we show that it is possible to obtain very accurate pumps in the nonadiabatic regime by a suitable choice of the shape of the gate voltage pulses. We determine the shape of these pulses by applying quantum optimal control theory to this problem. In the optimal case, the error, with respect to the quantized value, can be of the order of ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}6}e$, i.e., reduced by up to 5 orders of magnitude with respect to the adiabatic pumping. In order to test the experimental feasibility of this approach, we consider the effect of charge noise and the deformations of the optimal pulse shapes on the accuracy of the pump. Charge noise is assumed to be induced by random background charges in the substrate, which is responsible for the observed $1/f$ noise. Inaccuracies in the pulse shaping are described by assuming a finite bandwidth for the pulse generator. In realistic cases, the error increases to 1 order of magnitude at most as compared to that of the optimal case. Our results are promising for the realization of accurate and fast superconducting pumps.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.77.144522

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In adiabatic Cooper pair pumps, which are operated by means of gate voltage modulation only, the quantization of the pumped charge during a cycle is limited due to the quantum coherence of the macroscopic superconducting wave function. In this work, we show that it is possible to obtain very accurate pumps in the nonadiabatic regime by a suitable choice of the shape of the gate voltage pulses. We determine the shape of these pulses by applying quantum optimal control theory to this problem. In the optimal case, the error, with respect to the quantized value, can be of the order of 10\ensuremath−6e{10}^{\ensuremath{-}6}e10\ensuremath−6e, i.e., reduced by up to 5 orders of magnitude with respect to the adiabatic pumping. In order to test the experimental feasibility of this approach, we consider the effect of charge noise and the deformations of the optimal pulse shapes on the accuracy of the pump. Charge noise is assumed to be induced by random background charges in the substrate, which is responsible for the observed 1/f1/f1/f noise. Inaccuracies in the pulse shaping are described by assuming a finite bandwidth for the pulse generator. In realistic cases, the error increases to 1 order of magnitude at most as compared to that of the optimal case. Our results are promising for the realization of accurate and fast superconducting pumps.
We study theoretically current quantization in the charge turnstile based on the superconductor-normal-metal single-electron transistor. The quantization accuracy is limited by either Andreev reflection or by Cooper-pair-electron cotunneling. The rates of these processes are calculated in the "above-the-threshold" regime when they compete directly with the lowest-order tunneling. By shaping the ac gate voltage drive it should be possible to achieve the metrological accuracy of 10;{-8}, while maintaining the quantized current on the level of 30 pA, just by one turnstile with realistic parameters using aluminum as a superconductor.
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We study adiabatic charge transfer in a superconducting Cooper-pair pump, focusing on the influence of current measurement on coherence. We investigate the limit where the Josephson coupling energy EJ{E}_{J}EJ​ between the various parts of the system is small compared to the Coulomb charging energy EC.{E}_{C}.EC​. In this case, the charge transferred in a pumping cycle ${Q}_{P}\ensuremath{\sim}2e,$ the charge of one Cooper pair: The main contribution is due to incoherent Cooper-pair tunneling. We are particularly interested in the quantum correction to QP,{Q}_{P},QP​, which is due to coherent tunneling of pairs across the pump and which depends on the superconducting phase difference ${\ensuremath{\varphi}}_{0}$ between the electrodes; $1\ensuremath{-}{Q}_{P}/(2e)\ensuremath{\sim}{(E}_{J}{/E}_{C})\mathrm{cos}{\ensuremath{\varphi}}_{0}.$ A measurement of QP{Q}_{P}QP​ tends to destroy the phase coherence. We first study an arbitrary measuring circuit and then specific examples and show that coherent Cooper-pair transfer can, in principle, be detected using an inductively shunted ammeter.