Single Photon Counter Based on a Josephson Junction at 14 GHz for Searching Galactic Axions
Journal article, 2018

Axions and axion-like particles appear in well-motivated extensions of the standard model of particle physics and may be the solution to the long-standing puzzle of the dark matter in our Universe. Several new experiments are foreseen in the next decade searching them in a wide range of the parameter space. In the mass region from few to several tens of microelectronvolt, detector sensitivity will be limited by the standard quantum limit of linear amplifiers and a new class of single microwave-photon detector will be needed. We have developed a single photon counter based on the voltage switching of an underdamped Josephson junction that is coupled to a coplanar waveguide. By measuring the switching voltage, we can register single photons at 14 GHz with the rate less than 1 photon per 3000 s.

single photon counter (SPC)

coplanar waveguide (CPW)

critical current

Josephson junction

Axions

Author

Leonid Kuzmin

Chalmers, Microtechnology and Nanoscience (MC2), Quantum Device Physics

Alexander S. Sobolev

Russian Academy of Sciences

Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology

Claudio Gatti

National Institute for Nuclear Physics

Daniele Di Gioacchin

National Institute for Nuclear Physics

Nicolo Crescini

National Institute for Nuclear Physics

University of Padua

Anna Gordeeva

Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University

Eudeni Il'ichev

Leibniz-Institut Für Photonische Technologien E.V.

IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity

1051-8223 (ISSN) 15582515 (eISSN)

Vol. 28 7 2400505

Subject Categories

Accelerator Physics and Instrumentation

Subatomic Physics

Other Physics Topics

DOI

10.1109/TASC.2018.2850019

More information

Latest update

9/17/2018