Events on Friday, May 1st, 2026
- Academic Calendar
- Last Class Day
- Abstract: *Note: actual end time may vary.* CONTACT: admin@secfac.wisc.edu
- Thesis Defense
- Gravitational Imaging with Very Long Baseline Interferometry
- Time: 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
- Place: 5280 Chamberlin
- Speaker: Michael Martinez, Physics PhD Graduate Student
- Host: Keith Bechtol
- Preliminary Exam
- Modelling Nonequilibrium Superconducting Dynamics for MKID Applications
- Time: 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
- Place: 4272 Chamberlin
- Speaker: Soren Ormseth, Physics PhD Graduate Student
- Abstract: Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) are a leading-edge technology for the high-precision detection of single photons across the electromagnetic spectrum, from the far-infrared to X-rays. While their macroscopic operating principle, photon-induced shifts in kinetic inductance, is well understood, current models often rely on equilibrium approximations that fail to capture the complex, non-thermal dynamics of quasiparticles and phonons. This gap limits our ability to optimize MKID sensitivity and resolving power. Here, we present a modeling framework for nonequilibrium superconducting physics that accounts for quasiparticle and phonon spatial transport and scattering. By resolving these dynamics, this model provides a pathway to understanding operational behaviors in MKIDs such as pulse-shape variations or readout-induced noise. Furthermore, the universality of this approach is applicable to the problem of quasiparticle poisoning in superconducting qubits, and we aim to provide a unified tool for advancing the performance of next-generation superconducting quantum devices."
- Host: Peter Timbie