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At least 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

PhotonIDs: ML-Powered Photon Identification System for Dark Count Elimination

Reliable single photon detection is the foundation for practical quantum communication and networking. However, today's superconducting nanowire single photon detector(SNSPD) inherently fails to distinguish between genuine photon events and dark counts, leading to degraded fidelity in long-distance quantum communication. In this work, we introduce PhotonIDs, a machine learning-powered photon identification system that is the first end-to-end solution for real-time discrimination between photons and dark count based on full SNSPD readout signal waveform analysis. PhotonIDs ~demonstrates: 1) an FPGA-based high-speed data acquisition platform that selectively captures the full waveform of signal only while filtering out the background data in real time; 2) an efficient signal preprocessing pipeline, and a novel pseudo-position metric that is derived from the physical temporal-spatial features of each detected event; 3) a hybrid machine learning model with near 98% accuracy achieved on photon/dark count classification. Additionally, proposed PhotonIDs ~ is evaluated on the dark count elimination performance with two real-world case studies: (1) 20 km quantum link, and (2) Erbium ion-based photon emission system. Our result demonstrates that PhotonIDs ~could improve more than 31.2 times of signal-noise-ratio~(SNR) on dark count elimination. PhotonIDs ~ marks a step forward in noise-resilient quantum communication infrastructure.

Linne, Karl C. [Chicago U.] (ORCID:000900091870358↗
DOE OSTI2023

Benchmarking Quantum Simulators Using Ergodic Quantum Dynamics

Here we propose and analyze a sample-efficient protocol to estimate the fidelity between an experimentally prepared state and an ideal target state, applicable to a wide class of analog quantum simulators without advanced spatiotemporal control. Our protocol relies on universal fluctuations emerging from generic Hamiltonian dynamics, which we discover in the present work. It does not require fine-tuned control over state preparation, quantum evolution, or readout capability, while achieving near optimal sample complexity: a percent-level precision is obtained with ~103 measurements, independent of system size. Furthermore, the accuracy of our fidelity estimation improves exponentially with increasing system size. We numerically demonstrate our protocol in a variety of quantum simulator platforms, including quantum gas microscopes, trapped ions, and Rydberg atom arrays. We discuss applications of our method for tasks such as multiparameter estimation of quantum states and processes.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2024

Investigation of cosmic ray impact on transmon qubits with different materials through fast decay detection at Fermilab’s SQMS laboratory

Noise sources affecting superconducting qubits, such as cosmic rays and ambient gamma radiation, have garnered attention for their potential impact. These radiations deposit energy in the qubit's substrate, generating high-energy phonons that break Cooper pairs, leading to the formation of quasi-particles. When these quasi-particles tunnel across Josephson junctions, they induce qubit de-excitation, causing relaxation errors. In this study, we employ a fast feedback mechanism for performing qubit reset to detect decay events with high time resolution. This capability along with frequency multiplexed readout allows us to explore error correlations across time and space. Transmon qubits, manufactured within the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems (SQMS) center [1], are investigated at the above-ground lab. We study the impact of cosmic rays on qubits with different encapsulations, geometries, and locations on the same or different chips. We present preliminary findings and discuss the implications for the performance of contemporary quantum hardware.

Roy, Tanay↗
DOE OSTI2022

The Simons Observatory: Magnetic Shielding Measurements for the Universal Multiplexing Module

The Simons Observatory (SO) includes four telescopes that will measure the temperature and polarization of the cosmic microwave background using over 60,000 highly sensitive transition-edge bolometers (TES). These multichroic TES bolometers are read out by a microwave RF SQUID multiplexing system with a multiplexing factor of 910. Given that both TESes and SQUIDs are susceptible to magnetic field pickup and that it is hard to predict how they will respond to such fields, it is important to characterize the magnetic response of these systems empirically. This information can then be used to limit spurious signals by informing magnetic shielding designs for the detectors and readout. This paper focuses on measurements of magnetic pickup with different magnetic shielding configurations for the SO universal multiplexing module (UMM), which contains the SQUIDs, associated resonators, and TES bias circuit. The magnetic pickup of a prototype UMM was tested under three shielding configurations: no shielding (copper packaging), aluminum packaging for the UMM, and a tin/lead-plated shield surrounding the entire dilution refrigerator 100 mK cold stage. We also present measurements of the pickup in the UMM when aluminum feedhorns are installed. The measurements show that the aluminum packaging outperforms the copper packaging by a shielding factor of 8-10, and adding the tin/lead-plated 1K shield further increases the relative shielding factor in the aluminum configuration by 1-2 orders of magnitude. Furthermore, the addition of feedhorns provides a factor of 30 improvement when the tin/lead shield is not installed and a factor of 5 improvement when it is.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Prolonging All-Optical Molecular Electron Spin Coherence in the Tissue Transparency Window

Coherent electron spin states within paramagnetic molecules hold significant potential for microscopic quantum sensing. However, all-optical coherence measurements amenable to high spatial and temporal resolution under ambient conditions remain a significant challenge. Here we conduct room-temperature, picosecond time-resolved Faraday ellipticity/rotation (TRFE/R) measurements of the electron spin decoherence time T 2 * in [IrBr 6 ] 2- . Decoherence is strongly sensitive to solution phase viscosity, pointing to molecular tumbling as an important decoherence mechanism. Accordingly, immobilization of [IrBr 6 ] 2- molecules in thin polymer films results in an order-of-magnitude increase in coherence lifetime and significantly greater magnetic field sensitivity. Here, by tuning energies of ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) states, TRFE/R enables spin initialization and readout in the tissue transparency window, paving the way toward all-optical, ultrafast molecular electron spin coherence imaging in biological systems.

Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy↗
DOE OSTI2023

Development of quantum dot materials for infrared cameras (Final CRADA Report)

The aim of this project was to develop scalable methods to produce infrared (IR) mercury telluride (HgTe) colloidal quantum dot (CQD) thin films and demonstrate their utility in a proof-of-concept monolithic SWIR focal plane array (FPA). These objectives were accomplished by scaling up the HgTe CQD synthesis, characterizing physical and electrical properties of HgTe CQDs, evaluating solution-processed coating methods for quality and efficiency, and developing a process flow to integrate HgTe CQDs with commercial-off-the-shelf silicon CMOS readout circuits by solution-processed coating to produce monolithic FPAs. The FPA is the image sensor in an infrared imaging system responsible for detecting and processing reflected or emitted light into an infrared image of the scene under observation. The quality of the image is determined by the sensitivity and resolution of the image sensor in the system. Higher resolution IR FPAs enable higher throughput in manufacturing quality assurance, wider field of view for autonomous navigation, and longer range surveillance for defense.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

Operationally induced preferred basis in unitary quantum mechanics

The preferred-basis problem and the definite-outcome aspect of the measurement problem persist even if the detector is modeled unitarily, because experimental data are necessarily represented in a Boolean event algebra of mutually exclusive records whereas the theoretical description is naturally formulated in a noncommutative operator algebra with continuous unitary symmetry. This change of mathematical type constitutes the core of the 'cut': a structurally necessary interface from group-based kinematics to set-based counting. In the presented view the basis relevant for recorded outcomes is not determined by the system Hamiltonian alone; it is induced by the measurement mapping, i.e., by the detector channel together with the coarse-grained readout that defines an instrument. The probabilistic mapping is anchored in symmetry and measure theory: by Gleason-type uniqueness (Gleason for projections in $d>2$ and Busch's extension for Positive Operator-Valued Measures (POVMs) including $d=2$), the trace rule is the unique probability measure consistent with additivity over exclusive events and basis-independence of the unitary sector. A compact qubit--pointer model yields an induced unsharp POVM $E_\pm=\tfrac12(\id\pm η\,σ_z)$ with $η$ fixed by pointer resolution, displaying explicitly how the detector induces the relevant basis. Finally, nested-observer paradoxes are tightened into a non-composability lemma: joint assignment of outcome propositions is obstructed unless a joint instrument exists. This relocates the origin of randomness to the stochasticity of the transition rules.

Pronskikh, Vitaly [Fermilab] (ORCID:00000002518174↗
DOE OSTI2020

Measurements with silicon photomultipliers of dose-rate effects in the radiation damage of plastic scintillator tiles in the CMS hadron endcap calorimeter

Measurements are presented of the reduction of signal output due to radiation damage for two types of plastic scintillator tiles used in the hadron endcap (HE) calorimeter of the CMS detector. The tiles were exposed to particles produced in proton-proton (pp) collisions at the CERN LHC with a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to a delivered luminosity of 50 fb−1. The measurements are based on readout channels of the HE that were instrumented with silicon photomultipliers, and are derived using data from several sources: a laser calibration system, a movable radioactive source, as well as hadrons and muons produced in pp collisions. Results from several irradiation campaigns using 60Co sources are also discussed. The damage is presented as a function of dose rate. Within the range of these measurements, for a fixed dose the damage increases with decreasing dose rate.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Novel Liquid Argon Time-Projection Chamber Readouts

Liquid argon time-projection chambers (LArTPCs) have become a prominent tool for experiments in particle physics. Recent years have yielded significant advances in the techniques used to capture the signals generated by these cryogenic detectors. This article summarizes these novel developments for detection of ionization electrons and scintillation photons in LArTPCs. New methods to capture ionization signals address the challenges of scaling traditional techniques to the large scales necessary for future experiments. Pixelated readouts improve signal fidelity and expand the applicability of LArTPCs to higher-rate environments. Methods that leverage amplification in argon enable measurements in the keV regime and below. Techniques to enhance collection of argon scintillation photons improve calorimetry and expand the physics program for very large detectors. Future efforts aim to demonstrate systems for the combined detection of both electrons and photons.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Logical quantum processor based on reconfigurable atom arrays

Suppressing errors is the central challenge for useful quantum computing, requiring quantum error correction (QEC) for large-scale processing. However, the overhead in the realization of error-corrected ‘logical’ qubits, in which information is encoded across many physical qubits for redundancy, poses substantial challenges to large-scale logical quantum computing. Here we report the realization of a programmable quantum processor based on encoded logical qubits operating with up to 280 physical qubits. Using logical-level control and a zoned architecture in reconfigurable neutral-atom arrays, our system combines high two-qubit gate fidelities, arbitrary connectivity, as well as fully programmable single-qubit rotations and mid-circuit readout. Operating this logical processor with various types of encoding, we demonstrate improvement of a two-qubit logic gate by scaling surface-code distance from d = 3 to d = 7, preparation of colour-code qubits with break-even fidelities, fault-tolerant creation of logical Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger (GHZ) states and feedforward entanglement teleportation, as well as operation of 40 colour-code qubits. Finally, using 3D [[8,3,2]] code blocks, we realize computationally complex sampling circuits with up to 48 logical qubits entangled with hypercube connectivity with 228 logical two-qubit gates and 48 logical CCZ gates. We find that this logical encoding substantially improves algorithmic performance with error detection, outperforming physical-qubit fidelities at both cross-entropy benchmarking and quantum simulations of fast scrambling. These results herald the advent of early error-corrected quantum computation and chart a path towards large-scale logical processors.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Operation and performance of the CMS silicon strip tracker with proton-proton collisions at the CERN LHC

Salient aspects of the commissioning, calibration, and performance of the CMS silicon strip tracker are discussed, drawing on experience during operation with proton-proton collisions delivered by the CERN LHC. The data were obtained with a variety of luminosities. The operating temperature of the strip tracker was changed several times during this period and results are shown as a function of temperature in several cases. Details of the system performance are presented, including occupancy, signal-to-noise ratio, Lorentz angle, and single-hit spatial resolution. Saturation effects in the APV25 readout chip preamplifier observed during early Run 2 are presented, showing the effect on various observables and the subsequent remedy. Studies of radiation effects on the strip tracker are presented both for the optical readout links and the silicon sensors. The observed effects are compared to simulation, where available, and they generally agree well with expectations.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Simons Observatory Microwave SQUID Multiplexing Readout: Cryogenic RF Amplifier and Coaxial Chain Design

The Simons Observatory (SO) is an upcoming polarization-sensitive cosmic microwave background experiment on the Cerro Toco Plateau (Chile) with large overlap with other optical and infrared surveys (e.g., DESI, LSST, HSC). To enable the readout of O(10,000) detectors in each of the four telescopes of SO, we will employ the microwave SQUID multiplexing technology. With a targeted multiplexing factor of O(1000), microwave SQUID multiplexing has never been deployed on the scale needed for SO. Here we present the design of the cryogenic coaxial cable and RF component chain that connects room temperature readout electronics to superconducting resonators that are coupled to transition edge sensor bolometers operating at sub-Kelvin temperatures. We describe design considerations including cryogenic RF component selection, system linearity, noise, and thermal power dissipation.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Improved Charge Sensing on a SiMOS Double Quantum Dot using a Cryogenic Skipper Readout ASIC (Quandarum)

Major outstanding questions in high-energy physics such as the nature of dark matter and the existence of interactions beyond the standard model require new measurement techniques which are extremely sensitive to minute electromagnetic fields. An array of entangled spin qubits is a promising system for building novel detectors due to its combination of sensitivity and controllability. CMOS-based electron spin qubits, which have demonstrated the operational requirements for fault-tolerant quantum computing [1], offer a particular opportunity due to their compatibility with classical electronics, which allows the leveraging of decades of development of low-noise cryogenic detectors for physics. In this work, we combine a SiMOS double-quantum dot device architecture with a state-of-the-art cryoelectronic readout circuit [2-3] aimed to demonstrate improved charge readout using a single-electron transistor (SET). We identify the design characteristics for an SET that facilitate the use of on-chip classical electronics as a low-power, high-bandwidth first amplification stage and explore opportunities for sensor-readout co-design to minimize noise. This is the first of a series of steps to demonstrate high-fidelity readout of a large array of spin qubit with enough sensitivity to probe processes of interest for the investigation of beyond-standard-model physics.

Quinn, Adam [Fermilab]↗
DOE OSTI2023

VeryFastCCD: a high frame rate soft X-ray detector

Direct X-ray detection in silicon has been transformative for scattering experiments in biology and materials science. While bump-bonded hybrid pixels have been attractive for hard X-ray detection, the challenge for single photon soft X-ray detection is sufficiently low noise. CCD structures on thick, high-resistivity silicon have been successfully used as sensors over the range of soft to hard X-rays at storage rings and FELs. The VeryFastCCD is a high frame rate, column-parallel CCD sensor with 48 μm pixels. Combined with 256-channel custom readout ASICs, frame rates of 5–10 kHz have been achieved with readout noise as low as 20 e and full-well capacity >4 × 10 5 e/pixel. Thin (10 nm and 100 nm) entrance window contact processes have also been developed which provide >85% quantum efficiency for 285 eV X-rays. Systems are currently being developed for several beamlines at the upgraded Advanced Light Source.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Timing and synchronization of the DUNE neutrino detector

The DUNE neutrino experiment far detector has a fiducial mass of 40 kt. The O(1 M) readout channels are distributed over the 4 x 10kt modules and need to be synchronized to O(10 ns) with a reliable, simple, affordable system. For the majority of channels a simple DC-balanced protocol is used, with clock and synchronization information encoded on the same fibre. The remaining channels use “White Rabbit” (IEEE-1588). Small scale tests show a timing jitter of <100 ps. The DUNE timing system has been successfully prototyped at the ProtoDUNE-SP detector at CERN.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

In-pixel automatic threshold calibration for the CMS Endcap Timing Layer readout chip

We present the implementation and verification of an in-pixel automatic threshold calibration circuit for the CMS Endcap Timing Layer (ETL) in the High-Luminosity LHC upgrade. The discriminator threshold of the ETL readout chip (ETROC) needs to be calibrated regularly to mitigate the circuit baseline change. Traditional methods need a lot of communication through a slow control system hence are time-consuming. This paper describes an in-pixel automatic scheme with improvements in operating time and usability. In this scheme, a sample-accumulation circuit is used to measure the average discriminator output. A binary successive approximation and linear combination scan are applied to find the equivalent baseline. The actual calibration procedure has been first implemented in FPGA firmware and tested with the ETROC front-end prototype chip (ETROC0). The calibration circuit has been implemented with Triple Modular Redundancy (TMR) and verified with Single Event Effects (SEEs) simulation. A complete calibration process lasts 35 ms with a 40 MHz clock. In the worst case, the dynamic and static power consumption are estimated to be 300 uW and 10.4 uW, respectively. The circuit design, implemented in a 65 CMOS technology, will be integrated into ETROC2, the next iteration of the ETROC with a 16 x16 pixel matrix.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2023

DarkNESS Project Testing

This internship involved the design and assembly of a mechanical system for testing skipper-Charge Couple Devices (CCDs) for the DarkNESS project. Skipper-CCDs are highly-sensitive sensors with ultra-low readout noise that are deployed for direct detection of dark matter. DarkNESS is a CubeSat that aims to use skipper CCDs to search for dark matter decaying into X-rays. Currently, in the testing phase, the design process involved creating 3D models of mechanical adapters to operate a prototype space Multi Chip Module (sMCM) package in existing testing chambers in the CCD lab at Fermilab's IERC. The drawings were sent out to be machined, and while waiting to receive the finished adapters, we assembled a vacuum chamber for skipper-CCD testing and performed initial testing of a single CCD controlled by the space Low Threshold Acquisition (sLTA) board that will be employed on the CubeSat. The results showed that the testing conditions are optimal for data to start being taken and analyzed.

Akouedjinoude, Kodjo↗
DOE OSTI2026

A Cryogenic Muon Tagging System Integrated with a Superconducting Qubit Device for Radiation-Induced Error Mitigation

Superconducting qubits are highly sensitive to ionizing radiation, which can induce correlated errors and limit scalable fault-tolerant quantum computing. In particular, cosmic-ray muons can deposit energy in the substrate, generating phonon bursts that break Cooper pairs and produce quasiparticles, leading to correlated decoherence events across multiple qubits. We present the development of a cryogenic muon tagging system based on Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs) and its integration with superconducting quantum hardware. Originally developed within the ACE-SuperQ project and validated as a standalone detector, the system demonstrated a muon tagging efficiency of approximately 90% and excellent agreement with Monte Carlo simulations. Building on this validation, the tagging system has been integrated with a multi-qubit superconducting chip operated in a dilution refrigerator. The detector configuration consists of a multi-layer KID stack arranged above and below the quantum device, enabling time-coincident identification of muon-induced events within the same cryogenic environment. The integrated setup has been successfully commissioned, enabling simultaneous operation of the qubit chip and the muon tagging system. A first measurement campaign has been carried out, and preliminary data show time-correlated events between the muon tagging detectors and the qubit readout. A quantitative analysis of radiation-induced effects on qubit performance is currently ongoing. This work represents a step toward the implementation of event-level radiation tagging as a tool for characterizing and potentially mitigating correlated errors in superconducting quantum processors, while establishing a modular platform for future studies at the interface between particle physics and quantum information science.

Roy, Tanay [Fermilab] (ORCID:000000019442862X)↗