Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yanik, Kagan, Huang, Irwin, Bhandari, Bibek, Qing, Bingcheng, Hajr, Ahmed, Wang, Ke, Santiago, David I., Siddiqi, Irfan, Dressel, Justin, Jordan, Andrew N.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.13563
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866912904327987200
author Yanik, Kagan
Huang, Irwin
Bhandari, Bibek
Qing, Bingcheng
Hajr, Ahmed
Wang, Ke
Santiago, David I.
Siddiqi, Irfan
Dressel, Justin
Jordan, Andrew N.
author_facet Yanik, Kagan
Huang, Irwin
Bhandari, Bibek
Qing, Bingcheng
Hajr, Ahmed
Wang, Ke
Santiago, David I.
Siddiqi, Irfan
Dressel, Justin
Jordan, Andrew N.
contents We propose a flux-pumped superconducting parametric amplifier based on symmetrically threaded superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) that achieves a Kerr-free operating point under suitable drive conditions. Eliminating the Kerr nonlinearity is advantageous for quantum-limited amplification, as it mitigates unwanted distortions in squeezing and prevents degradation of both gain and quantum efficiency in the high-gain strong drive regime. By replacing the central junction in the symmetrically threaded SQUIDs (STS) configuration with a linear inductor, we find that the Kerr-nonlinearity can be eliminated and the effective Hamiltonian reduces to that of a degenerate parametric amplifier (DPA), up to higher-order corrections in the zero-point fluctuations of the superconducting phase operator. We show that the deviations from ideal DPA behavior introduced by these higher-order terms are significantly weaker than those associated with a Kerr nonlinearity. Consequently, the STS design can be driven strongly while maintaining near-quantum-limited performance at the Kerr-free point. Our analysis predicts phase-preserving gain and efficiency approaching the quantum limit, with robust operation demonstrated up to 25 dB of gain.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_13563
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Flux Pumped Kerr-Free Parametric Amplifier
Yanik, Kagan
Huang, Irwin
Bhandari, Bibek
Qing, Bingcheng
Hajr, Ahmed
Wang, Ke
Santiago, David I.
Siddiqi, Irfan
Dressel, Justin
Jordan, Andrew N.
Quantum Physics
We propose a flux-pumped superconducting parametric amplifier based on symmetrically threaded superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) that achieves a Kerr-free operating point under suitable drive conditions. Eliminating the Kerr nonlinearity is advantageous for quantum-limited amplification, as it mitigates unwanted distortions in squeezing and prevents degradation of both gain and quantum efficiency in the high-gain strong drive regime. By replacing the central junction in the symmetrically threaded SQUIDs (STS) configuration with a linear inductor, we find that the Kerr-nonlinearity can be eliminated and the effective Hamiltonian reduces to that of a degenerate parametric amplifier (DPA), up to higher-order corrections in the zero-point fluctuations of the superconducting phase operator. We show that the deviations from ideal DPA behavior introduced by these higher-order terms are significantly weaker than those associated with a Kerr nonlinearity. Consequently, the STS design can be driven strongly while maintaining near-quantum-limited performance at the Kerr-free point. Our analysis predicts phase-preserving gain and efficiency approaching the quantum limit, with robust operation demonstrated up to 25 dB of gain.
title Flux Pumped Kerr-Free Parametric Amplifier
topic Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.13563