Superconducting Nanowire Devices and their Performance in Magnetic Fields*

Devices based on superconducting nanowires, such as single photon detectors and cryotron logic devices, have been proposed for applications in many fields, e.g., for information transfer in quantum communication, particle detection in nuclear and high energy physics and imaging in medical fields. One of the open questions related to their long-term and large-scale viability in these applications is their ability to perform in external magnetic fields.

 

We study the performance metrics and characteristics of detectors and related devices in magnetic fields up to 5 Tesla, including signal output noise, switching characteristics and resolution in their various operating regimes, and how they relate to suppression of the superconducting state and the dynamics of the topological excitations in the condensate. We find that the devices fabricated out of polycrystalline materials have acceptable performance in magnetic fields of multiple Tesla and discuss future improvements to facilitate applications in strong-field environments.