The Argo is our first traveling wave parametric amplifier. Besides its high bandwidth and low added noise, the Argo is easy to install and immune to flux-noise, making it suitable for use in applications involving magnetic fields. In order to reach high gain over such a large bandwidth, we introduce a photonic gap in the dispersion relation. This translates in a gap of about 0.4 GHz in the gain figure. We can customize this gap to optimize the amplifier for your desired frequencies. The Argo does not require a DC current source and is powered by a microwave source, offering convenience and versatility.
Typical gain
>15 dB
Bandwidth
2 GHz
Saturation power
-100 dBm
(at 20 dB)
Near quantum limited
<1K noise
at maximum gain
In order to achieve high-gain across a bandwidth exceeding 2 GHz, phase-matching between the pump, the signal and the idler is required. To satisfy this condition, we introduce a feature in the dispersion relation — a photonic gap engineered by spatially modulating the Josephson junctions.
