Injection Locking and Coupling Dynamics in Superconducting Nanowire based Cryogenic Oscillators

2025-08-06

AI Summary

This work addresses the critical need for frequency synchronization and signal coordination in cryogenic computing architectures, focusing on injection locking and mutual coupling dynamics in superconducting nanowire oscillators. Using numerical simulations, we systematically investigate how AC signal injection and capacitive/resistive coupling affect locking range, locked-amplitude response, and phase synchronization. We elucidate the regulatory roles of shunt resistance, nanowire inductance, and coupling strength on synchronization characteristics. Our key contributions include: (i) achieving precise, tunable control of inter-oscillator phase differences via adjustable coupling strength—enabling programmable phase encoding; and (ii) demonstrating a scalable array of mutually synchronized oscillators. These results establish a new paradigm for low-noise, ultra-low-power oscillatory neural networks and synchronous logic modules in cryogenic environments.

Technology Category

• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Neural Spike Coding
• Constraint Satisfaction and Optimization: Distributed CSP/Optimization
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems

Application Category

• Social Networks and Social Media: Computational social science
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Incentives in network design for Web infrastructures and ecosystems
• Security and Privacy: Applications of cryptography

Abstract

Oscillators designed to function at cryogenic temperatures play a critical role in superconducting electronics and quantum computing by providing stable, low noise signals with minimal energy loss.Here we present a comprehensive numerical study of injection locking and mutual coupling dynamics in superconducting nanowire based cryogenic oscillators.Using the design space of standalone ScNW based oscillator, we investigate two critical mechanisms that govern frequency synchronization and signal coordination in cryogenic computing architectures.First, an injection locking induced by an external AC signal with a frequency near the oscillators natural frequency, and second, the mutual coupling dynamics between two ScNW oscillators under varying coupling strengths.We identify key design parameters such as shunt resistance, nanowire inductance, and coupling strength that govern the locking range.Additionally, we examine how the amplitude of the injected signal affects the amplitude of the locked oscillation, offering valuable insights for power aware oscillator synchronization.Furthermore, we analyze mutual synchronization between coupled ScNW oscillators using capacitive and resistive coupling elements.Our results reveal that the phase difference between oscillators can be precisely controlled by tuning the coupling strength, enabling programmable phase encoded information processing.These findings could enable building ScNW based oscillatory neural networks, synchronized cryogenic logic blocks, and on chip cryogenic resonator arrays.

Problem

• Study injection locking in superconducting nanowire cryogenic oscillators
• Analyze mutual coupling dynamics between ScNW oscillators
• Identify key parameters for frequency synchronization and signal coordination

Innovation

• Injection locking with external AC signals
• Mutual coupling dynamics in ScNW oscillators
• Programmable phase control via coupling strength