Kerr nonlinearity and three-wave mixing in superconducting resonators hosting Al-InAs weak links
Abstract
Nonlinear microwave resonators are a versatile tool in quantum information processing, enabling parametric amplification, continuous variable quantum computing, and engineered mode interactions. Many of these applications especially benefit from cubic nonlinearities enabling three-wave mixing; at the same time, they are limited by quartic nonlinearities giving rise to undesired Kerr effects. A recurrent challenge is therefore to engineer resonators with a finite cubic nonlinearity while suppressing quartic terms. Here, we investigate a superconducting resonator hosting two weak links fabricated from an aluminum-capped indium arsenide nanowire. We characterize the Kerr nonlinearity as a function of magnetic flux and gate bias, showing that it can be tuned to zero with either control parameter. Furthermore, we experimentally demonstrate three-wave mixing in a semiconductor-superconductor hybrid device, establishing nonzero cubic nonlinearity. An effective model based on Andreev bound states qualitatively captures the observed trends. Our results validate semiconductor-superconductor hybrid devices as a promising platform for tunable nonlinear superconducting circuits, with applications in parametric amplification, quantum control of bosonic modes, and engineering interactions between microwave modes.
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BibTeX
@misc{buccheri2026kerr,
title = {{Kerr nonlinearity and three-wave mixing in superconducting resonators hosting Al-InAs weak links}},
author = {Vittorio Buccheri and Ivo P. C. Cools and Nermin Trnjanin and Ankit Khola and Oleg Shvetsov and Thomas Kanne and Jesper Nygård and Attila Geresdi and Simone Gasparinetti},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2608.28428},
eprint = {2608.28428},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.28428},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Kerr nonlinearity and three-wave mixing in superconducting resonators hosting Al-InAs weak links
AU - Vittorio Buccheri
AU - Ivo P. C. Cools
AU - Nermin Trnjanin
AU - Ankit Khola
AU - Oleg Shvetsov
AU - Thomas Kanne
AU - Jesper Nygård
AU - Attila Geresdi
AU - Simone Gasparinetti
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/28
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2608.28428
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.28428
AB - Nonlinear microwave resonators are a versatile tool in quantum information processing, enabling parametric amplification, continuous variable quantum computing, and engineered mode interactions. Many of these applications especially benefit from cubic nonlinearities enabling three-wave mixing; at the same time, they are limited by quartic nonlinearities giving rise to undesired Kerr effects. A recurrent challenge is therefore to engineer resonators with a finite cubic nonlinearity while suppressing quartic terms. Here, we investigate a superconducting resonator hosting two weak links fabricated from an aluminum-capped indium arsenide nanowire. We characterize the Kerr nonlinearity as a function of magnetic flux and gate bias, showing that it can be tuned to zero with either control parameter. Furthermore, we experimentally demonstrate three-wave mixing in a semiconductor-superconductor hybrid device, establishing nonzero cubic nonlinearity. An effective model based on Andreev bound states qualitatively captures the observed trends. Our results validate semiconductor-superconductor hybrid devices as a promising platform for tunable nonlinear superconducting circuits, with applications in parametric amplification, quantum control of bosonic modes, and engineering interactions between microwave modes.
ER -