Initial Numerical Simulation of the Thermodynamic Behaviour of a Superconducting Circuit

Abstract

Localized heating has the potential to create undesired effects in the operation of the superconducting circuits, such as thermal noise and its influence on the SFQ pulse. Left unchecked, it could form into heat zones that could destroy the superconductivity in the circuit. Heat zones only become apparent during the testing phase after manufacture. This process wastes time and materials on a problem that could have been prevented. It is, therefore, crucial to provide a method to simulate the heat propagation before manufacture. We investigate a method to simulate the heat generated by a superconducting circuit during the design process. It will help circuit designers see potential failures beforehand caused by trapped heat zones. The algorithm takes in an object generated by FEniCS as an input and a basis for the heat conduction calculation. The heat conduction is calculated by making use of the electron conduction and lattice vibrations of the material under investigation.