Quantum sensing

In search for dark matter

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Rodolfo Carobene

Rodolfo Carobene

PhD student at University of Milano-Bicocca and INFN, Italy

TestimonialProduct: PFE

Summary

Challenge: To advance research into superconducting qudits for dark matter sensing, the group at the University of Milano-Bicocca struggled with an extremely cluttered and unmanageable experimental setup. Relying on the default ZCU216 auxiliary board required numerous external components—including amplifiers, DC pulse and bias converters, and extensive cabling—which made physical management difficult and disorganized.

Solution: The PFE add-ons transformed the complex arrangement into a compact, structured, and high-performance layout. The modular design proved particularly valuable, offering the flexibility to freely swap modules to accommodate different chips and firmware configurations. This allowed the team to easily adapt DC lines and ADC/DAC tiles by simply rearranging the cards, streamlining the workflow for their qudit measurement and characterization.
Figure 1
Figure 2

Fig 1: Modular PFE solution in the lab at University of Milano-Bicocca. Fig. 2: Schematic representation of a QND axion detection scheme. The axion field a, interacting with the magnetic field B inside the haloscope, produces a photon (γ) and a virtual photon (γ∗). The photon is absorbed by a tunable storage cavity (green), inducing a phase precession in the qubit (blue) state. Repeated photon detection is achieved by performing parity measurements via the readout resonator (red).

In search for dark matter

Q: Could you introduce yourself and describe your research focus?
A: I am a PhD candidate at the University of Milano-Bicocca, working under the supervision of Assistant Professor Andrea Giachero. Our group focuses on superconducting qubits and parametric amplifiers, with the goal of developing novel sensing techniques for dark matter detection (namely axions and dark photons). My personal research interest lies in the use of generalized superconducting qudits, with dimension greater than two, and in exploring how these systems can be exploited for quantum sensing applications.

Q: How does PFE fit in your setup?
A: Before purchasing the PFE add-ons, our experimental setup was extremely cluttered and difficult to manage. We were using the default auxiliary board of the ZCU216 and frequently needed several external components, such as amplifiers, DC pulse and bias converters, and a large number of cables scattered throughout the rack. After introducing the PFEs, we were able to significantly clean up and reorganize the setup, achieving a much more compact and structured layout while still obtaining excellent experimental performance.

Q: Are there features of PFE that you find particularly useful?
A: One of the most useful features is the ability to freely change the position of the different PFE modules. In our lab, we often work with multiple firmware configurations and frequently switch between different chips to be measured and characterized. As a result, the number of required DC lines can vary, and different firmware versions may rely on different ADC or DAC tiles. Since the PFE modules are fully swappable, adapting the setup is straightforward. It simply requires powering down the system, rearranging the cards, and then powering back up to be immediately operational again.

Q: How was it to interact with the team at IMP?
A: Interacting with the IMP team was an excellent experience. They were extremely fast, precise, and responsive throughout the entire process. Not only did they outperform their expected delivery timeline, despite initially not having some PFE modules in stock, but they also successfully navigated the complexities of the Italian university procurement bureaucracy, which is no small achievement. The modules arrived with high-quality protective packaging, and the inclusion of a complementary torque wrench was a very welcome and practical addition for our lab work.

Q: Any concluding remarks?
A: Our lab is relatively new, and we are just beginning to establish ourselves in a research field that is generally dominated by large, well-established laboratories. Nevertheless, we are motivated to contribute meaningful results to the field. For this reason, every piece of hardware in our lab is selected with care, as it is meant to support and accompany us in this scientific journey. We are confident that the PFEs will prove to be a reliable and valuable instrument within this context.

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