Three-wave mixing traveling-wave parametric amplifier with periodic variation of the circuit parameters

TL;DR

This paper presents a near-quantum-limited traveling-wave parametric amplifier using three-wave mixing with superconducting nonlinear elements, achieving high gain, broad bandwidth, and low noise through dispersion engineering.

Contribution

The work introduces a novel three-wave mixing traveling-wave amplifier with dispersion engineering and SNAIL elements, demonstrating significant performance improvements.

Findings

Up to 20 dB gain achieved

1 GHz 3-dB bandwidth demonstrated

Added noise less than one photon

Abstract

We report the implementation of a near-quantum-limited, traveling-wave parametric amplifier that uses three-wave mixing (3WM). To favor amplification by 3WM, we use the superconducting nonlinear asymmetric inductive element (SNAIL) loops, biased with a dc magnetic flux. In addition, we equip the device with dispersion engineering features to create a stop-band at the second harmonic of the pump and suppress the propagation of the higher harmonics that otherwise degrade the amplification. With a chain of 440 SNAILs, the amplifier provides up to 20 dB gain and a 3-dB bandwidth of 1 GHz. The added noise by the amplifier is found to be less than one photon.