Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

At the cutting-edge of microwave detection technology, novel approaches which exploit the interaction between microwaves and quantum devices are rising. In this study, microwaves are efficiently detected exploiting the unique transport features of InAs/InP nanowire double quantum dot-based devices, suitably configured to allow the precise and calibration-free measurement of the local field. Prototypical nanoscale detectors are operated both at zero and finite source-drain bias, addressing and rationalizing the microwave impact on the charge stability diagram. The detector performance is addressed by measuring its responsivity, quantum efficiency and noise equivalent power that, upon impedance matching optimization, are estimated to reach values up to approximate to 2000 A W-1, 0.04 and root HZ, respectively. The interaction mechanism between the microwave field and the quantum confined energy levels of the double quantum dots is unveiled and it is shown that these semiconductor nanostructures allow the direct assessment of the local intensity of the microwave field without the need for any calibration tool. Thus, the reported nanoscale devices based on III-V nanowire heterostructures represent a novel class of calibration-free and highly sensitive probes of microwave radiation, with nanometer-scale spatial resolution, that may foster the development of novel high-performance microwave circuitries.

Detectors of microwave photons find applications in different fields ranging from security to cosmology. Due to the intrinsic difficulties related to the detection of vanishingly small energy quanta ¯hω, significant portions of the microwave electromagnetic spectrum are still uncovered by suitable techniques. No prevailing technology has clearly emerged yet, although different solutions have been tested in different contexts. Here, we focus on semiconductor quantum dots, which feature wide tunability by external gate voltages and scalability for large architectures. We discuss possible pathways for the development of microwave photon detectors based on photon-assisted tunneling in semiconducting double quantum dot circuits. In particular, we consider implementations based on either broadband transmission lines or resonant cavities, and we discuss how developments in charge sensing techniques and hybrid architectures may be beneficial for the development of efficient photon detectors in the microwave range.

Three isostrucutral dodecanuclear clusters with the general formula [Ln(12)(fsa)(12)(mu f(3)-OH)(12)(DMF)(12)]center dot nDMF (fsa(2-) is the dianion of 3-formylsalicylic acid; Ln = Eu 1, Gd 2, Dy 3) have been obtained from the reaction of fromylsalicyclic acid (H(2)fsa), tetrabutylammonium hydroxide and Ln(NO3)(3)center dot 6H(2)O in methanol/DMF. Their structure consists of four vertex-sharing heterocubanes. Each heterocubane unit is assembled from four Ln(III) ions, three mu(3)-OH groups and one mu(3)-oxygen atom arising from the fsa(2-) carboxylato group. The photophysical properties of the europium derivative investigated at both 300 and 80 K sustain a relative intense emission obtained under low power LED excitation at 420 nm. The dysprosium derivative shows a SMM behavior with an effective energy barrier U-eff of 22.9 cm(-1), while the thermodynamical properties of Gd-12 confirm a large magnetocaloric effect: S(7 T) -S(0 T) = 20R = 166 J mol(-1) K), typical for isotropic Gd-III derivatives, with Delta S = S(7 T) - S(0 T) = 1.7R for each Gd-III ion.

With downscaling of electronic circuits, components based on semiconductor quantum dots are assuming increasing relevance for future technologies. Their response under external stimuli intrinsically depend on their quantum properties. Here we investigate single-electron tunneling in hard-wall InAs/InP nanowires in the presence of an off-resonant microwave drive. Our heterostructured nanowires include InAs quantum dots (QDs) and exhibit different tunnel-current regimes. In particular, for source-drain bias up to few mV Coulomb diamonds spread with increasing contrast as a function of microwave power and present multiple current polarity reversals. This behavior can be modelled in terms of voltage fluctuations induced by the microwave field and presents features that depend on the interplay of the discrete energy levels that contribute to the tunneling process.