Recently, singlet-triplet measurements in double dots have emerged as a powerful tool in quantum information processing. In parallel, quantum dot arrays are being envisaged as analog quantum simulators of many-body models. Thus motivated, we explore the potential of the above singlet-triplet measurements for probing and exploiting the ground state of a Heisenberg spin chain in such a quantum simulator. We formulate an efficient protocol to discriminate the achieved many-body ground state with other likely states. Moreover, the transition between quantum phases, arising from the addition of frustrations in a ${J}_{1}\ensuremath{-}{J}_{2}$ model, can be systematically explored using the same set of measurements. We show that the proposed measurements have an application in producing long distance heralded entanglement between well separated quantum dots. Relevant noise sources, such as nonzero temperatures and nuclear spin interactions, are considered.
Recently, singlet-triplet measurements in double dots have emerged as a powerful tool in quantum information processing. In parallel, quantum dot arrays are being envisaged as analog quantum simulators of many-body models. Thus motivated, we explore the potential of the above singlet-triplet measurements for probing and exploiting the ground state of a Heisenberg spin chain in such a quantum simulator. We formulate an efficient protocol to discriminate the achieved many-body ground state with other likely states. Moreover, the transition between quantum phases, arising from the addition of frustrations in a J1\ensuremath−J2 model, can be systematically explored using the same set of measurements. We show that the proposed measurements have an application in producing long distance heralded entanglement between well separated quantum dots. Relevant noise sources, such as nonzero temperatures and nuclear spin interactions, are considered.
Quantum-mechanical correlations of interacting fermions result in the emergence of exotic phases.Magnetic phases naturally arise in the Mott-insulator regime of the Fermi-Hubbard model, where charges are localized and the spin degree of freedom remains.In this regime, the occurrence of phenomena such as resonating valence bonds, frustrated magnetism, and spin liquids is predicted.Quantum systems with engineered Hamiltonians can be used as simulators of such spin physics to provide insights beyond the capabilities of analytical methods and classical computers.To be useful, methods for the preparation of intricate many-body spin states and access to relevant observables are required.Here, we show the quantum simulation of magnetism in the Mott-insulator regime with a linear quantum-dot array.We characterize the energy spectrum for a Heisenberg spin chain, from which we can identify when the conditions for homogeneous exchange couplings are met.Next, we study the multispin coherence with global exchange oscillations in both the singlet and triplet subspace of the Heisenberg Hamiltonian.Last, we adiabatically prepare the low-energy global singlet of the homogeneous spin chain and probe it with two-spin singlettriplet measurements on each nearest-neighbor pair and the correlations therein.The methods and control presented here open new opportunities for the simulation of quantum magnetism benefiting from the flexibility in tuning and layout of gate-defined quantum-dot arrays.
Quantum simulation of many-body systems are one of the most interesting tasks of quantum technology. Among them is the preparation of a many-body system in its ground state when the vanishing energy gap makes the cooling mechanisms ineffective. Adiabatic theorem, as an alternative to cooling, can be exploited for driving the many-body system to its ground state. In this paper, we study two most common disorders in quantum dot arrays, namely exchange coupling fluctuations and hyperfine interaction, in adiabatic preparation of ground state in such systems. We show that the adiabatic ground-state preparation is highly robust against those disorder effects making it a good analog simulator. Moreover, we also study the adiabatic quantum information transfer, using singlet-triplet states, across a spin chain. In contrast to ground-state preparation the transfer mechanism is highly affected by disorder and in particular, the hyperfine interaction is very destructive for the performance. This suggests that for communication tasks across such arrays adiabatic evolution is not as effective and quantum quenches could be preferable.
In this thesis I present a theory of a macroscopic singlet-triplet qubit in quantum dots embedded in nanowires, each containing 4 electrons and together simulating an artficial Haldane gap material. A Haldane gap material exhibits a 4-fold degenerate ground state separated by an energy gap from excitations. The ground state is equivalent to a degenerate spin-singlet and -triplet state. The 4 degenerate states exhibit the characteristics of spins-1/2 localized on either end of the chain. These states may be used as a coded qubit for quantum information processing. Using the effective mass approximation, I calculate single-particle energy levels of one and two quantum dots in a quantum wire. Using these energy levels I compute the Coulomb matrix elements of the interacting Hamiltonian. Using configuration interaction I demonstrate that the ground state of a quantum dot with 4 electrons is a spin-1 state. I then show that the two dot system behaves approximately like two spin-1 objects interacting via an antiferromagnetic Heisenberg Hamiltonian. While the Heisenberg model is approximate, the two dots have a spin-0 ground-state, indicating antiferromagnetic coupling. I then present a simpler spin model to illustrate the physical parameters which control this interaction. Finally, I present a brief solution to the Heisenberg Hamiltonian for finite spin-chains, and show how one can manipulate the singlet-triplet combined ground state of the spin-chain via localized magnetic field, realizing a singlet-triplet qubit in a macroscopic semiconductor device.
Electron spins confined in semiconductor quantum dots are emerging as a promising system to study quantum information science and to perform sensitive metrology. Their weak interaction with the environment leads to long coherence times and robust storage for quantum information, and the intrinsic tunability of semiconductors allows for controllable operations, initialization, and readout of their quantum state. These spin qubits are also promising candidates for the building block for a scalable quantum information processor due to their prospects for scalability and miniaturization. owever, several obstacles limit the performance of quantum information experiments in these systems. For example, the weak coupling to the environment makes inter-qubit operations challenging, and a fluctuating nuclear magnetic field limits the performance of single-qubit operations.\n\n\n\nThe focus of this thesis will be several experiments which address some of the outstanding problems in semiconductor spin qubits, in particular, singlet-triplet (S-T0) qubits. We use these qubits to probe both the electric field and magnetic field noise that limit the performance of these qubits. The magnetic noise bath is probed with high bandwidth and precision using novel techniques borrowed from the field of Hamiltonian learning, which are effective due to the rapid control and readout available in S-T0 qubits. These findings allow us to effectively undo the undesired effects of the fluctuating nuclear magnetic field by tracking them in real-time, and we demonstrate a 30-fold improvement in the coherence time T2*.\n\n\n\nWe probe the voltage noise environment of the qubit using coherent qubit oscillations, which is partially enabled by control of the nuclear magnetic field. We find that the voltage noise bath is frequency- dependent, even at frequencies as high as 1MHz, and it shows surprising and, as of yet, unexplained temperature dependence. We leverage this knowledge of the voltage noise environment, the nuclear magnetic field control, as well as new techniques for calibrated measurement of the density matrix in a singlet-triplet qubit to entangle two adjacent single-triplet qubits. We fully characterize the generated entangled states and prove that they are, indeed, entangled.\n\n\n\nThis work opens new opportunities to use qubits as sensors for improved metrological capabilities, as well as for improved quantum information processing. The singlet-triplet qubit is unique in that it can be used to probe two fundamentally different noise baths, which are important for a large variety of solid state qubits. More specifically, this work establishes the singlet-triplet qubit as a viable candidate for the building block of a scalable quantum information processor.
The ground state of two-electron quantum dots in single-valley materials like GaAs is always a spin singlet regardless of what the potential and interactions are. This statement cannot be generalized to the multivalley materials like n-doped Si. Here we calculate numerically the spectrum of a two-electron Si quantum dot and show that the dot with the lateral size of several nm can have the spin triplet ground state which is impossible in the single-valley materials. Predicted singlet-triplet level crossing in two-electron Si quantum dots can potentially establish the platform for quantum simulation of magnetic many body systems based on quantum dots. We suggest several examples of such systems that open a way to controlled quantum simulations within the condensed matter setting.
There is a huge, worldwide effort to build a quantum computer due to its potential to perform chemical and materials simulations and to break current cryptography schemes. While there has been incredible progress in recent years, each potential platform still faces meaningful obstacles. The singlet-triplet qubit in gallium arsenide, which is based on electric spin, boasts several advantages, including fast single-gate times and readout, long lifetimes, and a clear path to large-scale integration using current semiconductor manufacturing techniques. However, it also suffers from electric and magnetic field noise that limits coherence time and weak two-qubit interactions, which have prevented the construction of multi-qubit systems so far. In this thesis, I will discuss my research measuring and working to improve noise and entangling gates in singlet-triplet qubits and will examine the viability of the singlet-triplet qubit as the building block for a quantum computer. \nBy measuring the dynamics of the electric and magnetic field noise that the singlet-triplet experiences, we can develop an understanding of their origins and how to reduce their impact. The singlet-triplet can be operated rapidly enough to use it as a sensor and directly measure the fluctuating magnetic field arising from the nuclear spins in the semiconductor heterostructure surrounding it. We use Hamiltonian parameter estimation, a technique that maximizes the rate at which we learn information, given the strange properties of quantum measurement, to measure magnetic noise to within 15 μT at a rate of 2 kHz, and we use these measurements to provide real-time feedback to system controls, increasing the coherence time by a factor of 30. Charge noise has much larger high-frequency components than magnetic noise, and thus requires use of dynamical decoupling methods borrowed from NMR to measure it. We measure its power spectrum up to 1 MHz and find that it has a 1/f spectrum. We perform these measurements for several different devices and have begun to determine how our growth and fabrication processes affect dephasing. \nPlacing a high-impedance resonator between two singlet-triplet qubits to mediate their interaction shows promise as way to create long-distance entanglement and to increase the speed of the entangling gate. We analyze this gate theoretically, finding that we expect the fidelity to be over 95%, with a straightforward path to increasing it to above 99% with improved resonator parameters. However, because the singlet-triplet qubit is extremely sensitive to changes in its electrostatic environment, which can be affected both by the resonator’s fabrication process and the presence of the proximal resonator gate, implementing this gate experimentally is challenging. We have developed processes for fabricating narrow, thin, NbN resonators directly adjacent to the double quantum dots that compose singlet-triplet qubits. These processes yield quantum dots that can be tuned into low-noise, stable singlet-triplet qubits, and superconducting resonators with impedances over 1 kOhm.