The exchange interaction in a singlet-triplet qubit defined by two-electron states in the double-quantum-dot system (``two-electron singlet-triplet qubit'') typically varies monotonically with the exchange interaction and thus carries no sweet spot. Here we study a singlet-triplet qubit defined by four-electron states in the double-quantum-dot system (``four-electron singlet-triplet qubit''). We demonstrate, using configuration-interaction calculations, that in the four-electron singlet-triplet qubit the exchange energy as a function of detuning can be nonmonotonic, suggesting existence of sweet spots. We further show that the tuning of the sweet spot and the corresponding exchange energy by perpendicular magnetic field can be related to the variation of orbital splitting. Our results suggest that a singlet-triplet qubit with more than two electrons can have advantages in the realization of quantum computing.
The exchange interaction in a singlet-triplet qubit defined by two-electron states in the double-quantum-dot system (two-electron singlet-triplet qubit'') typically varies monotonically with the exchange interaction and thus carries no sweet spot. Here we study a singlet-triplet qubit defined by four-electron states in the double-quantum-dot system (four-electron singlet-triplet qubit''). We demonstrate, using configuration-interaction calculations, that in the four-electron singlet-triplet qubit the exchange energy as a function of detuning can be nonmonotonic, suggesting existence of sweet spots. We further show that the tuning of the sweet spot and the corresponding exchange energy by perpendicular magnetic field can be related to the variation of orbital splitting. Our results suggest that a singlet-triplet qubit with more than two electrons can have advantages in the realization of quantum computing.
A pair of self-assembled InGaAs quantum dots filled with two electrons can act as a singlet-triplet spin qubit that is robust against nuclear spin fluctuations as well as charge noise. This results in a T2* coherence time two orders of magnitude longer than that of a single electron, provided the qubit is operated at a particular "sweet spot" in gate voltage. However, at this fixed operating point the ground-state splitting can no longer be tuned into resonance with e.g. another qubit, limiting the options for coupling multiple qubits. Here, we propose using a four-electron coupled quantum dot to implement a singlet-triplet qubit that features a magnetically tunable level splitting. As a first step towards full experimental realization of this qubit design, we use optical spectroscopy to demonstrate the tunability of the four-electron singlet-triplet splitting in a moderate magnetic field.
A two-level quantum system is the building block of a quantum computer. This pair of quantum states defines the computational unit of a quantum computer, and it is called a quantum bit or qubit in analogy to the bit that is the binary unit of a classical computer. The spin of a single electron naturally defines such a two-level quantum system. A quantum dot can be tuned to the single-electron regime, and an array of singly occupied quantum dots provides a multi-qubit register. This thesis describes the multielectron encoding of a spin qubit using a pair or a trio of quantum dots, and it analyzes the coherence properties and manipulation protocols of this system. The singlet-triplet qubit, coded using the singlet state and the spinless triplet state of a pair of singly occupied quantum dots, can be controlled all electrically when applying voltages to gates close to the quantum dot structure. Rapid, subnanosecond modifications of the double quantum dot's charge configuration have been realized successfully. A small magnetic field gradient across the double quantum dot enables universal qubit control. Two modifications of the normal singlet-triplet encoding are introduced. (1) The six-electron configuration of a double quantum dot encodes a singlet-triplet qubit in the same way as for the two-electron double quantum dot. Two electrons at each quantum dot are irrelevant for the qubit manipulations because they are paired in a singlet state; the remaining two electrons encode the qubit. The qubit's wave function is immune to charge noise at moderate out-of-plane magnetic fields. (2) A singlet-triplet qubit encoded using two quantum dots of different sizes has an orbital state degeneracy of the singlet state and the spinless triplet state at finite out-of-plane magnetic fields. Spin-orbit interactions lift this state degeneracy, while the magnitude of the state coupling is determined by the size difference of the QDs. This setup enables the manipulations of singlet-triplet qubits without the need for magnetic field gradients. Finally, two-qubit gates between singlet-triplet qubits are proposed that use mediated exchange interactions via one quantum state. These operations are well controlled and highly noise insensitive. Orbital interactions alone can control spin qubits coded in a three electron Hilbert space. For example, the exchange-only qubit is encoded using three singly occupied quantum dots. The exchange interactions of two quantum dot pairs need to be modified to manipulate this qubit. The noise sensitivity of the exchange-only qubit is discussed. Alternatively, a three-electron qubit at a double quantum dot can be operated when single electrons are transferred between the quantum dots. Fast, subnanosecond manipulations of the double quantum dot's charge configuration are required to realize single-qubit gates. A novel two-qubit pulse gate for the three-electron double quantum dot qubit is proposed.
The search for a sweet spot, the locus in qubit parameters where quantum control is first-order insensitive to noises, is key to achieve high-fidelity quantum gates. Efforts to search for such a sweet spot in conventional double-quantum-dot singlet-triplet qubits where each dot hosts one electron (``two-electron singlet-triplet qubit''), especially for two-qubit operations, have been unsuccessful. Here we consider singlet-triplet qubits allowing each dot to host more than one electron, with a total of four electrons in the double quantum dots (``four-electron singlet-triplet qubit''). We theoretically demonstrate, using configuration interaction calculations, that sweet spots appear in this coupled qubit system. We further demonstrate that, under realistic charge noise and hyperfine noise, a two-qubit operation at the proposed sweet spot could offer gate fidelities ($\ensuremath{\sim}99%$) that are higher than the conventional two-electron singlet-triplet qubit system ($\ensuremath{\sim}90%$). Our results should facilitate realization of high-fidelity two-qubit gates in singlet-triplet qubit systems.
We present a theoretical study of a four-electron four-quantum-dot system based on molecular-orbital methods, which hosts a pair of singlet-triplet spin qubits. We took into account the admixture of electron wave functions in all dots, and we found that this mixing of wave functions has consequences to the energy spectrum, exchange interaction, and gate crosstalk of the system. Specifically, we found that when the two singlet-triplet qubits are close enough, some of the states are no longer dominated by the computational basis states, and the exchange interaction cannot simply be understood as the energy difference between the singlet and triplet states. Using the Hund-Mulliken calculation of the Hubbard parameters, we characterized the effective exchange interaction of the system, and we found good agreement with results calculated by taking energy differences where applicable. We studied the two commonly conceived schemes coupling two qubits, namely the exchange and capacitive coupling, and we found that when the interqubit distance is at certain intermediate values, the two kinds of coupling are comparable in strength, complicating the analyses of the evolution of the two qubits. We also investigated the gate crosstalk in the system due to the quantum-mechanical mixing of electron states, and we found that while this effect is typically very weak, it should not be ignored if the spacing between the qubits is similar to or less than the distance between the double dots that constitute the qubit.
We employ density functional calculated eigenstates as a basis for exact diagonalization studies of semiconductor double quantum dots, with two electrons, through the transition from the symmetric bias regime to the regime where both electrons occupy the same dot. We calculate the singlet-triplet splitting J(epsilon) as a function of bias detuning epsilon and explain its functional shape with a simple, double anticrossing model. A voltage noise suppression "sweet spot," where d J(epsilon)/d(epsilon) = 0 with nonzero J(epsilon), is predicted and shown to be tunable with a magnetic field B.
A triple-quantum-dot system can be operated as either an exchange-only qubit or a resonant-exchange qubit. While it is generally believed that the decisive advantage of the resonant-exchange qubit is the suppression of charge noise because it is operated at a sweet spot, we show that the leakage is also an important factor. Through molecular-orbital-theoretic calculations, we show that when the system is operated in the exchange-only scheme, the leakage to states with double electron occupancy in quantum dots is severe when rotations around the axis ${120}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ from $\stackrel{\ifmmode \hat{}\else \^{}\fi{}}{z}$ is performed. While this leakage can be reduced by either shrinking the dots or separating them further, the exchange interactions are also suppressed at the same time, making the gate operations unfavorably slow. When the system is operated as a resonant-exchange qubit, the leakage is three to five orders of magnitude smaller. We have also calculated the optimal detuning point which minimizes the leakage for the resonant-exchange qubit, and have found that although it does not coincide with the double sweet spot for the charge noise, they are rather close. Our results suggest that the resonant-exchange qubit has another advantage, that leakage can be greatly suppressed compared to the exchange-only qubit, and operating at the double sweet spot point should be optimal both for reducing charge noise and suppressing leakage.