Direct visualization of quasiparticle concentration around superconducting vortices

Jian Feng Ge, Koen M. Bastiaans, Jiasen Niu, Tjerk Benschop, Maialen Ortego Larrazabal, Milan P. Allan*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Bogoliubov quasiparticles play a crucial role in understanding the behavior of a superconductor and in achieving reliable operations of superconducting quantum circuits. Diagnosis of quasiparticle poisoning at the nanoscale provides invaluable benefits in designing superconducting qubits. Here, we use scanning tunneling noise microscopy to locally quantify quasiparticles by measuring the effective charge. Using the vortex lattice as a model system, we directly visualize the spatial variation of the quasiparticle concentration around superconducting vortices, which can be described within the Ginzburg-Landau framework. This shows a direct, noninvasive approach for the atomic-scale detection of relative quasiparticle concentration as small as 10−4 in various superconducting qubit systems. Our results alert of a quick increase in quasiparticle concentration with decreasing intervortex distance in vortex-based Majorana qubits.

Original languageEnglish
Article number252601
Pages (from-to)1-6
Number of pages6
JournalApplied Physics Letters
Volume125
Issue number25
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 16 Dec 2024

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© 2024 Author(s).

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