Primary thermometry triad at 6 mK in mesoscopic circuits.
Nat Commun 2016;
7:12908. [PMID:
27659941 PMCID:
PMC5036159 DOI:
10.1038/ncomms12908]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2016] [Accepted: 08/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantum physics emerge and develop as temperature is reduced. Although mesoscopic electrical circuits constitute an outstanding platform to explore quantum behaviour, the challenge in cooling the electrons impedes their potential. The strong coupling of such micrometre-scale devices with the measurement lines, combined with the weak coupling to the substrate, makes them extremely difficult to thermalize below 10 mK and imposes in situ thermometers. Here we demonstrate electronic quantum transport at 6 mK in micrometre-scale mesoscopic circuits. The thermometry methods are established by the comparison of three in situ primary thermometers, each involving a different underlying physics. The employed combination of quantum shot noise, quantum back action of a resistive circuit and conductance oscillations of a single-electron transistor covers a remarkably broad spectrum of mesoscopic phenomena. The experiment, performed in vacuum using a standard cryogen-free dilution refrigerator, paves the way towards the sub-millikelvin range with additional thermalization and refrigeration techniques.
Mesoscopic electrical circuits are an ideal platform to explore quantum phenomena, but this requires cooling the electrons to very low temperature, which is challenging. Here, the authors employ three different in situ thermometers to report electronic quantum transport at 6mK in a micrometer-scale circuit.
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