PICO group

Mesoscopic physics and its sensor applications

A. Anthore, J. Flyktman, J. Kivioja, A. Laiho, T. Nieminen, A. Niskanen, J. Pekola, A. Savin,  and J. Toppari.

Visitors: F. Giazotto, F. Hekking

We investigate mesoscopic physics and its sensor applications. The main focus is on charge transport and thermal properties of both metallic and semiconducting nano- and microstructures. Particular research topics include electronic cooling, nonequilibrium in electronic nanostructures, (nano)thermometry, quantum coherence in small superconducting (Josephson) junction devices and quantized and coherent charge pumping. Samples and devices are fabricated in the clean rooms of the Low Temperature Laboratory  and of Micronova centre for micro- and nanotechnology, experiments at low temperatures (0.01 - 4 K) are performed both in Micronova building and in the Low Temperature Laboratory.

Electronic micro-refrigeration and cold electron Josephson transistor

Flux and charge controlled Cooper pair pump (“sluice”) for a quantum triangle

Quantum coherence experiments using a hysteretic DC-SQUID

In 2003 three other related activities have been started

1. Application of rapid single flux quantum (RSFQ) devices to very low temperatures [in collaboration with professors Dmitri Averin and Vasili Semenov at Stony Brook University (New York)]

2. Investigation of non-Gaussian noise and full counting statistics (FCS) of current using a Josephson junction threshold detector

3. Feasibility study of a tetrahedral Josephson junction quantum bit experiment [in collaboration with professor Valery Ryazanov at ISSP and professor Mikhail Feigel’man at Landau Institute Chernogolovka]

Publications