Quantum information technology promises powerful information processing based on the control of the dynamics of individual particles. Research on single electron dynamics aiming at the coherent electrical manipulation of single electron charge and spin in semiconductor quantum dots is expected to provide practical quantum information technology. A single electron charge quantum bit (qubit), which has recently been realized in a double quantum dot, is advantageous for flexible control of the quantum state by a high-speed electrical signal, while a single electron spin qubit is expected to have a sufficiently long decoherence time. This paper reviews our research on single electron dynamics for quantum information processing.
Quantum information technology promises powerful information processing based on the control of the dynamics of individual particles. Research on single electron dynamics aiming at the coherent electrical manipulation of single electron charge and spin in semiconductor quantum dots is expected to provide practical quantum information technology. A single electron charge quantum bit (qubit), which has recently been realized in a double quantum dot, is advantageous for flexible control of the quantum state by a high-speed electrical signal, while a single electron spin qubit is expected to have a sufficiently long decoherence time. This paper reviews our research on single electron dynamics for quantum information processing.
Quantum information processing in semiconductor quantum dots using single and multi-spin qubitsThe idea of a quantum computer, a device capable of processing information using quantum bits (qubit) instead of classical bits that outperforms classical computer in terms of computation speed, is still science ction. However, recent advances in quantum information processing showed that this ction may come true faster than anticipated. A promising platform for the physical realization of a qubit are spin qubits where the information is encoded in the quantum mechanical spin of an electron con ned in a semiconductor quantum dot. There are a variety of di erent implementations how the logical qubit is physically encoded, the use of a single electron spin or the use of the spins of multi electrons. This thesis focuses on the implementation of the spin- 1/2 qubit using the spin of a single electron in a single quantum dot, the exchangeonly (EO) qubit using three electron spins distributed in three quantum dots, and the novel quadrupolar exchange-only (QUEX) qubit using four electron spins distributed in three quantum dots. In this thesis we investigate several theoretical aspects of the physical implementation of the aforementioned qubit encodings. Since all three qubit encodings are allelectric controlled these implementations su er decoherence, the loss of information, from electric uctuations of the environment commonly called charge noise. Typically, the use of more quantum dots increases the decoherence due to charge noise while it decreases the decoherence due to magnetic noise. The rst main aspect investigated in this thesis is the protection of the quantum information encoded in the di erent qubit implementations against charge noise. Special attention is paid to the multi-electron spin implementations where high-symmetry points of operation are discovered which are less sensitive to the charge noise. Protection against charge noise is even better by increasing the number of electrons while keeping the number of quantum dots making the QUEX qubit superior to the EO qubit. So far the main direction in this thesis is the reduction of the qubit sensitivity to electric uctuations. However, coherent electromagnetic elds in form of microwaves v can be used to interconnect qubits. In this thesis also a high-performance coupling between two spin-1/2 is investigated. The use of a resonator, subsequently, allows for a coupling of qubits over macroscopic distances as well as to extract valuable information about the physical system. Because of the larger susceptibility of multi-spin qubits to the electric eld of the resonator, this thesis focuses on the coupling between an EO or a QUEX qubit and a microwave resonator. Points of operations are discovered for both qubit implementations which o er a strong coupling towards a microwave resonator while maintaining their protection against charge noise. Subsequently, a series of measurements are proposed to extract information about the microscopic structure of the quantum dots. Finally, a promising high-performance protocol for coupling two qubits remotely via the resonator is investigated in detail.
Single spins in semiconductor quantum dots form a promising platform for solid-state quantum information processing. The spin-up and spin-down states of a single electron or hole, trapped inside a quantum dot, can represent a single qubit with a reasonably long decoherence time. The spin qubit can be optically coupled to excited (charged exciton) states that are also trapped in the quantum dot, which provides a mechanism to quickly initialize, manipulate and measure the spin state with optical pulses, and to interface between a stationary matter qubit and a 'flying' photonic qubit for quantum communication and distributed quantum information processing. The interaction of the spin qubit with light may be enhanced by placing the quantum dot inside a monolithic microcavity. An entire system, consisting of a two-dimensional array of quantum dots and a planar microcavity, may plausibly be constructed by modern semiconductor nano-fabrication technology and could offer a path toward chip-sized scalable quantum repeaters and quantum computers. This article reviews the recent experimental developments in optical control of single quantum dot spins for quantum information processing. We highlight demonstrations of a complete set of all-optical single-qubit operations on a single quantum dot spin: initialization, an arbitrary SU(2) gate, and measurement. We review the decoherence and dephasing mechanisms due to hyperfine interaction with the nuclear-spin bath, and show how the single-qubit operations can be combined to perform spin echo sequences that extend the qubit decoherence from a few nanoseconds to several microseconds, more than 5 orders of magnitude longer than the single-qubit gate time. Two-qubit coupling is discussed, both within a single chip by means of exchange coupling of nearby spins and optically induced geometric phases, as well as over longer-distances. Long-distance spin-spin entanglement can be generated if each spin can emit a photon that is entangled with the spin, and these photons are then interfered. We review recent work demonstrating entanglement between a stationary spin qubit and a flying photonic qubit. These experiments utilize the polarization- and frequency-dependent spontaneous emission from the lowest charged exciton state to single spin Zeeman sublevels.
Abstract Quantum control allows a wide range of quantum operations employed in molecular physics, nuclear magnetic resonance and quantum information processing. Thanks to the existing microelectronics industry, semiconducting qubits, where quantum information is encoded in spin or charge degree freedom of electrons or nuclei in semiconductor quantum dots, constitute a highly competitive candidate for scalable solid-state quantum technologies. In quantum information processing, advanced control techniques are needed to realize quantum manipulations with both high precision and noise resilience. In this review, we first introduce the basics of various widely-used control methods, including resonant excitation, adabatic passage, shortcuts to adiabaticity, composite pulses, and quantum optimal control. Then we review the practical aspects in applying these methods to realize accurate and robust quantum gates for single semiconductor qubits, such as Loss–DiVincenzo spin qubit, spinglet-triplet qubit, exchange-only qubit and charge qubit.
The phase coherence of a physical qubit is essential for quantum information processing, motivating fast control methods to preserve that phase. Ultrafast optical techniques allow complete spin control to be performed on a much faster timescale than microwave or electrical control (ps vs. ns at best). Using our ultrafast control techniques, we demonstrate our experimental approach towards a spin echo sequence on the spin of a single electron confined in a semiconductor quantum dot (QD), increasing the observed decoherence time of a single QD electron spin from nanoseconds to several microseconds. The ratio of the observed decoherence time to the demonstrated single-qubit gate time exceeds 105, suggesting strong promise for future quantum information processors.
Recent experiments have demonstrated quantum manipulation of two-electron spin states in double quantum dots using electrically controlled exchange interactions. Here we present a detailed theory for electron-spin dynamics in two-electron double-dot systems that was used to guide those experiments and analyze the results. Specifically, we analyze both spin- and charge-relaxation and dephasing mechanisms that are relevant to experiments and discuss practical approaches for quantum control of two-electron systems. We show that both charge and spin dephasing play important roles in the dynamics of the two-spin system, but neither represents a fundamental limit for electrical control of spin degrees of freedom in semiconductor quantum bits.
Abstract As a foundational technology in quantum information science (QIS), the manipulation and detection of quantum spins enable precise control, opening new avenues for significant advancements. Early research focused on macroscopic ensemble quantum systems, where electron spin resonance is used to coherently address electron spins within different ensembles. However, the low initialization efficiency and readout sensitivity of such systems hinder their further development. Unlocking the full potential of quantum technology, it is essential to achieve single‐spin precision. Various quantum systems, including color centers, quantum dots, atoms, and molecules, have been demonstrated the capability for single‐spin manipulation. The successful control of spin quantum states in these systems through diverse techniques has paved the way for new ideas and boundless possibilities in QIS. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent significant advances in the field and explores future development directions, aiming to shed light on the ongoing evolution of QIS.