Quasiparticle Quality Factors in Superconducting Resonators: Effects of Bath Temperature and Readout Power

TL;DR

This paper introduces a macroscopic model that explains how bath temperature and readout power affect the quality factors of superconducting resonators, aligning well with experimental data.

Contribution

A new power-dependent phonon generation model based on Rothwarf-Taylor equations that predicts resonator quality factors across various conditions.

Findings

Model agrees with temperature sweep measurements of NbN resonators.

Captures transition between thermally-dominated and microwave-induced loss regimes.

Provides a predictive framework for optimizing superconducting resonator performance.

Abstract

The performance of superconducting resonators underpins a wide range of modern quantum technologies, yet their quality factor often deviates at low temperatures from standard Mattis-Bardeen predictions. This discrepancy is often attributed to nonthermal quasiparticles generated by microwave readout power, which limits the sensitivity of superconducting devices. We present a macroscopic model based on modified Rothwarf-Taylor equations that incorporates a power-dependent phonon generation term, providing an explicit relationship between quality factor, bath temperature and readout power. The model shows excellent agreement with temperature sweep measurements of NbN microstrip resonators with \b{eta}-Ta terminations over a wide dynamic range of readout power levels, accurately capturing the transition between thermally-dominated and microwave-induced loss regimes. This framework provides a predictive tool for optimizing superconducting resonators and advancing the design of high-Q devices for quantum sensing and quantum information processing.