Solid-state spin qubits are promising candidates for the realization of a quantum computer due to their long coherence times and easy electrical manipulation. However, spin-spin interactions, which are needed for entangling gates, have only limited range as they generally rely on tunneling between neighboring quantum dots. This severely constrains scalability. Proposals to extend the interaction range generally focus on coherent electron transport between dots or on extending the coupling range. Here, we study a setup in which such an extension is obtained by using a superconductor as a quantum mediator. Because of its gap, the superconductor effectively acts as a long tunnel barrier. We analyze the impact of spin-orbit (SO) coupling, external magnetic fields, and the geometry of the superconductor. We show that while spin-nonconserving tunneling between the dots and the superconductor due to SO coupling does not affect the exchange interaction, strong SO scattering in the superconducting bulk is detrimental. Moreover, we find that the addition of an external magnetic field decreases the strength of the exchange interaction. Fortunately, the geometry of the superconducting link offers a lot of room to optimize the interaction range, with gains of over an order of magnitude from a two-dimensional (2D) film to a quasi-1D strip. We estimate that for superconductors with weak SO coupling (e.g., aluminum), exchange rates of up to 100 MHz over a micron-scale range can be achieved with this setup in the presence of magnetic fields of the order of 100 mT.Solid-state spin qubits are promising candidates for the realization of a quantum computer due to their long coherence times and easy electrical manipulation. However, spin-spin interactions, which are needed for entangling gates, have only limited range as they generally rely on tunneling between neighboring quantum dots. This severely constrains scalability. Proposals to extend the interaction range generally focus on coherent electron transport between dots or on extending the coupling range. Here, we study a setup in which such an extension is obtained by using a superconductor as a quantum mediator. Because of its gap, the superconductor effectively acts as a long tunnel barrier. We analyze the impact of spin-orbit (SO) coupling, external magnetic fields, and the geometry of the superconductor. We show that while spin-nonconserving tunneling between the dots and the superconductor due to SO coupling does not affect the exchange interaction, strong SO scattering in the superconducting bulk is detrimental. Moreover, we find that the addition of an external magnetic field decreases the strength of the exchange interaction. Fortunately, the geometry of the superconducting link offers a lot of room to optimize the interaction range, with gains of over an order of magnitude from a two-dimensional (2D) film to a quasi-1D strip. We estimate that for superconductors with weak SO coupling (e.g., aluminum), exchange rates of up to 100 MHz over a micron-scale range can be achieved with this setup in the presence of magnetic fields of the order of 100 mT.

arXiv:2009.05775Physical review. B./Physical review. BJan 26, 202110 citations

Electron-Spin Interaction in High-Tc Superconductors

Zhongbing Huang, Werner R. Hanke, Enrico Arrigoni

Springer eBooksNov 17, 20050 citations

A New Spin on Superconductivity

Marric Stephens

PhysicsAug 19, 20260 citations

Universal quantum computation with hybrid spin-Majorana qubits

Silas Hoffman, Constantin Schrade, Jelena Klinovaja +1 more

We theoretically propose a set of universal quantum gates acting on a hybrid qubit formed by coupling a quantum-dot spin qubit and Majorana fermion qubit. First, we consider a quantum dot that is tunnel coupled to two topological superconductors. The effective spin-Majorana exchange facilitates a hybrid cnot gate for which either qubit can be the control or target. The second setup is a modular scalable network of topological superconductors and quantum dots. As a result of the exchange interaction between adjacent spin qubits, a cnot gate is implemented that acts on neighboring Majorana qubits and eliminates the necessity of interqubit braiding. In both setups, the spin-Majorana exchange interaction allows for a phase gate, acting on either the spin or the Majorana qubit, and for a swap or hybrid swap gate which is sufficient for universal quantum computation without projective measurements.We theoretically propose a set of universal quantum gates acting on a hybrid qubit formed by coupling a quantum-dot spin qubit and Majorana fermion qubit. First, we consider a quantum dot that is tunnel coupled to two topological superconductors. The effective spin-Majorana exchange facilitates a hybrid cnot gate for which either qubit can be the control or target. The second setup is a modular scalable network of topological superconductors and quantum dots. As a result of the exchange interaction between adjacent spin qubits, a cnot gate is implemented that acts on neighboring Majorana qubits and eliminates the necessity of interqubit braiding. In both setups, the spin-Majorana exchange interaction allows for a phase gate, acting on either the spin or the Majorana qubit, and for a swap or hybrid swap gate which is sufficient for universal quantum computation without projective measurements.

arXiv:1602.06923Physical review. B./Physical review. BJul 25, 2016106 citations

Kondo screening and indirect magnetic exchange through a conventional superconductor studied by the density matrix renormalization group

Cassian Plorin, Michael Potthoff

The competition between the Kondo screening and indirect magnetic exchange in systems with two magnetic impurities coupled to a conventional $s$ -wave superconductor gives rise to a nontrivial ground-state phase diagram. Here, we utilize the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) method and exploit the non-Abelian spin-SU(2) symmetry to study the phase diagram for two quantum spin- $\frac{1}{2}$ impurities locally exchange coupled to large one-dimensional chains. The nonlocal interimpurity exchange is treated as an emergent Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) coupling. We find qualitatively different phase diagrams for impurity spins coupled to sites with odd or even distances $d$ on the chain and a partial Kondo-screened spin-doublet phase that extends over the whole range of local exchange couplings $J$ in the limit of weak superconducting pairing strength $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}$. Our numerical DMRG studies are complemented by exact diagonalization of small (quantum-box) systems and by perturbative-in- $J$ computations of the $d$ - and $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}$-dependent RKKY interaction. It is thereby demonstrated that the specific system geometry is essential for our understanding of magnetic impurity interactions in superconducting hosts, and thus for insights into the control of quantum-state properties in nanoparticle systems and topological superconductivity.The competition between the Kondo screening and indirect magnetic exchange in systems with two magnetic impurities coupled to a conventional $s$-wave superconductor gives rise to a nontrivial ground-state phase diagram. Here, we utilize the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) method and exploit the non-Abelian spin-SU(2) symmetry to study the phase diagram for two quantum spin-$\frac{1}{2}$ impurities locally exchange coupled to large one-dimensional chains. The nonlocal interimpurity exchange is treated as an emergent Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) coupling. We find qualitatively different phase diagrams for impurity spins coupled to sites with odd or even distances $d$ on the chain and a partial Kondo-screened spin-doublet phase that extends over the whole range of local exchange couplings $J$ in the limit of weak superconducting pairing strength $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}$. Our numerical DMRG studies are complemented by exact diagonalization of small (quantum-box) systems and by perturbative-in-$J$ computations of the $d$- and $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}$-dependent RKKY interaction. It is thereby demonstrated that the specific system geometry is essential for our understanding of magnetic impurity interactions in superconducting hosts, and thus for insights into the control of quantum-state properties in nanoparticle systems and topological superconductivity.

arXiv:2406.05029Physical review. B./Physical review. BAug 9, 20241 citation

The competition between the Kondo screening and indirect magnetic exchange in systems with two magnetic impurities coupled to a conventional

s

-wave superconductor gives rise to a nontrivial ground-state phase diagram. Here, we utilize the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) method and exploit the non-Abelian spin-SU(2) symmetry to study the phase diagram for two quantum spin-

\frac{1}{2}

impurities locally exchange coupled to large one-dimensional chains. The nonlocal interimpurity exchange is treated as an emergent Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) coupling. We find qualitatively different phase diagrams for impurity spins coupled to sites with odd or even distances

d

on the chain and a partial Kondo-screened spin-doublet phase that extends over the whole range of local exchange couplings

J

in the limit of weak superconducting pairing strength $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}$. Our numerical DMRG studies are complemented by exact diagonalization of small (quantum-box) systems and by perturbative-in-

J

computations of the

d

- and $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}$-dependent RKKY interaction. It is thereby demonstrated that the specific system geometry is essential for our understanding of magnetic impurity interactions in superconducting hosts, and thus for insights into the control of quantum-state properties in nanoparticle systems and topological superconductivity.