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Thermoelectric Single-Photon Detection Through Superconducting Tunnel Junctions

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Abstract

Bipolar thermoelectricity in tunnel junctions between superconductors of different energy gap has been recently predicted and experimentally demonstrated. This effect showed thermovoltages up to \(\pm 150\;\mu\)V at milliKelvin temperatures. Thus, superconducting tunnel junctions can be exploited to realize a passive single-photon thermoelectric detector \(\mathrm{{TED}}\) operating in the broadband range 15 GHz - 50 PHz. In particular, this detector is expected to show a signal-to-noise ratio of about 15 down to \(\nu =50\) GHz and an operating window of more than 4 decades. Therefore, the \(\mathrm{{TED}}\) might find applications in quantum computing, telecommunications, optoelectronics, spectroscopy and astro-particle physics.

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Acknowledgements

The research leading to these results received partial funding from the EU’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No. 800923 (SUPERTED), No. 964398 (SUPERGATE) and No. 101057977 (SPECTRUM). F. P. acknowledges PRIN2022 PNRR MUR project EQUATE (Grant No. 2022Z7RHRS) for partial financial support. A.B. acknowledges PRIN2022 PNRR MUR project NEThEQS (Grant No. 2022B9P8LN) and the Royal Society through the International Exchanges Scheme between the UK and Italy (Grants No. IEC R2 192166.) for partial financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. INFN, Sezione di Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127, Pisa, Italy

    Federico Paolucci

  2. Department of Physics E. Fermi, University of Pisa, Largo B. Pontecorvo 3, 56127, Pisa, Italy

    Gaia Germanese

  3. NEST, Istituto Nanoscienze-CNR and Scuola Normale Superiore, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56127, Pisa, Italy

    Gaia Germanese, Alessandro Braggio & Francesco Giazotto

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  1. Federico Paolucci
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  2. Gaia Germanese
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  3. Alessandro Braggio
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  4. Francesco Giazotto
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Correspondence to Federico Paolucci.

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Paolucci, F., Germanese, G., Braggio, A. et al. Thermoelectric Single-Photon Detection Through Superconducting Tunnel Junctions. J Low Temp Phys 214, 86–91 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10909-023-03011-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10909-023-03011-y

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