We characterize the coherence of a triangular exchange-only (EO) spin qubit operated at a leakage-protected idle (LPI) point. The triangular geometry enables independent control of all three pairwise exchange interactions, and the LPI condition occurs when these couplings are turned on simultaneously and tuned to equal strength. In this configuration, the exchange interaction induces an energy gap $E_g = 3J/2$ that suppresses leakage from the computational subspace while leaving the qubit state unaffected. We develop procedures to calibrate the LPI point and measure $E_g$ , and use these to characterize the qubit dephasing time over a broad range of gap energies. While operating with large always-on exchange couplings exposes the qubit to charge noise, we find that $\tilde{T}_2^*$ still exceeds that of conventional exchange-only spin qubits for $E_g/h < 60$ MHz. The precise control of simultaneous, all-to-all connected exchange demonstrated here presents a natural path towards improving the performance of EO qubits and also enables novel qubit encodings.We characterize the coherence of a triangular exchange-only (EO) spin qubit operated at a leakage-protected idle (LPI) point. The triangular geometry enables independent control of all three pairwise exchange interactions, and the LPI condition occurs when these couplings are turned on simultaneously and tuned to equal strength. In this configuration, the exchange interaction induces an energy gap $E_g = 3J/2$ that suppresses leakage from the computational subspace while leaving the qubit state unaffected. We develop procedures to calibrate the LPI point and measure $E_g$, and use these to characterize the qubit dephasing time over a broad range of gap energies. While operating with large always-on exchange couplings exposes the qubit to charge noise, we find that $\tilde{T}_2^*$ still exceeds that of conventional exchange-only spin qubits for $E_g/h < 60$ MHz. The precise control of simultaneous, all-to-all connected exchange demonstrated here presents a natural path towards improving the performance of EO qubits and also enables novel qubit encodings.

quant-pharXiv:2603.06320Mar 9, 20260 citations

Demonstration of an always-on exchange-only spin qubit

Joseph Broz, Jesse C. Hoke, Edwin Acuna +1 more

Abstract In conventional exchange-only (EO) spin qubit demonstrations, quantum gates have been implemented using sequences of individually pulsed pairwise exchange interactions with only one exchange coupling active at a time. Alternatively, multiple non-commuting exchange interactions can be pulsed simultaneously, reducing circuit depths and providing protection against leakage. We demonstrate high-fidelity quantum control of an always-on exchange-only (AEON) qubit, operated using simultaneous exchange pulses in a triangular quantum dot (QD) array. We use blind randomized benchmarking to characterize the performance of the full AEON single-qubit Clifford gate set, achieving an average Clifford gate fidelity F C1 = 99.86%. Extensions of this work may enable more efficient EO two-qubit entangling gates as well as the implementation of native i -Toffoli gates in Loss-DiVincenzo single-spin qubits.Abstract In conventional exchange-only (EO) spin qubit demonstrations, quantum gates have been implemented using sequences of individually pulsed pairwise exchange interactions with only one exchange coupling active at a time. Alternatively, multiple non-commuting exchange interactions can be pulsed simultaneously, reducing circuit depths and providing protection against leakage. We demonstrate high-fidelity quantum control of an always-on exchange-only (AEON) qubit, operated using simultaneous exchange pulses in a triangular quantum dot (QD) array. We use blind randomized benchmarking to characterize the performance of the full AEON single-qubit Clifford gate set, achieving an average Clifford gate fidelity F C1 = 99.86%. Extensions of this work may enable more efficient EO two-qubit entangling gates as well as the implementation of native i -Toffoli gates in Loss-DiVincenzo single-spin qubits.

Nature CommunicationsApr 3, 20261 citation

Singlet-only always-on gapless exchange (SAGE) spin qubits: Charge noise effects and two-qubit gates

Nathan L. Foulk, Katharina Laubscher, Silas Hoffman +1 more

Singlet-only always-on gapless exchange (SAGE) spin qubits are an alternative type of exchange-only (EO) qubits that encode a single qubit in the spins of four electrons located in four tunnel-coupled quantum dots. While conventional EO qubits are susceptible to local magnetic field gradients caused by local nuclear environments and $g$ -factor variations, the SAGE qubit subspace is inherently protected from magnetic-gradient-induced Pauli errors by virtue of the singlet-only encoding, which is invariant under magnetic field gradients, and the always-on exchange couplings, which provide energetic leakage protection. However, the always-on operation simultaneously increases the qubit's sensitivity to charge noise. Here, starting from a Hubbard model describing the underlying electronic structure of the coupled quantum dots, we characterize the performance of SAGE qubits in the presence of $1/f$ charge noise that induces fluctuations in both the dot chemical potentials and the interdot tunnel couplings. We calculate SAGE idle coherence times and show that realistic CPMG-like pulse sequences can be used to significantly extend SAGE single-qubit coherence times for experimentally relevant charge noise strengths. We likewise study the fidelity of SAGE two-qubit gates in the presence of charge and magnetic noise and again propose a simple refocusing strategy to mitigate the noise, while increased ramp times of the entangling pulse suppress leakage into noncomputational states.Singlet-only always-on gapless exchange (SAGE) spin qubits are an alternative type of exchange-only (EO) qubits that encode a single qubit in the spins of four electrons located in four tunnel-coupled quantum dots. While conventional EO qubits are susceptible to local magnetic field gradients caused by local nuclear environments and $g$-factor variations, the SAGE qubit subspace is inherently protected from magnetic-gradient-induced Pauli errors by virtue of the singlet-only encoding, which is invariant under magnetic field gradients, and the always-on exchange couplings, which provide energetic leakage protection. However, the always-on operation simultaneously increases the qubit's sensitivity to charge noise. Here, starting from a Hubbard model describing the underlying electronic structure of the coupled quantum dots, we characterize the performance of SAGE qubits in the presence of $1/f$ charge noise that induces fluctuations in both the dot chemical potentials and the interdot tunnel couplings. We calculate SAGE idle coherence times and show that realistic CPMG-like pulse sequences can be used to significantly extend SAGE single-qubit coherence times for experimentally relevant charge noise strengths. We likewise study the fidelity of SAGE two-qubit gates in the presence of charge and magnetic noise and again propose a simple refocusing strategy to mitigate the noise, while increased ramp times of the entangling pulse suppress leakage into noncomputational states.

cond-mat.mes-hallCross-listedarXiv:2604.15419Apr 17, 20260 citations

Singlet-Only Always-On Gapless Exchange Qubits with Baseband Control

Nathan L. Foulk, Silas Hoffman, Katharina Laubscher +1 more

We propose a singlet-only always-on gapless exchange (SAGE) spin qubit that encodes a single qubit in the spins of four electrons while allowing universal baseband control. While conventional exchange-only qubits suffer from magnetic-field-gradient-induced leakage and coherent errors due to local nuclear environments and variations in the g-factor, the SAGE qubit subspace is protected from coherent errors due to local magnetic field gradients, and leakage out of the computational subspace is energetically suppressed due to the exchange interactions between electrons being always on. Consequently, we find that when magnetic gradient noise dominates over charge noise, coherence times and single-qubit gate infidelities of the SAGE qubit improve by an order of magnitude compared to conventional exchange-only qubits. Moreover, using realistic parameters, two-qubit gates can be performed with a single interqubit exchange pulse with times comparable in duration to conventional exchange-only qubits but with a significantly simplified pulse sequence.We propose a singlet-only always-on gapless exchange (SAGE) spin qubit that encodes a single qubit in the spins of four electrons while allowing universal baseband control. While conventional exchange-only qubits suffer from magnetic-field-gradient-induced leakage and coherent errors due to local nuclear environments and variations in the g-factor, the SAGE qubit subspace is protected from coherent errors due to local magnetic field gradients, and leakage out of the computational subspace is energetically suppressed due to the exchange interactions between electrons being always on. Consequently, we find that when magnetic gradient noise dominates over charge noise, coherence times and single-qubit gate infidelities of the SAGE qubit improve by an order of magnitude compared to conventional exchange-only qubits. Moreover, using realistic parameters, two-qubit gates can be performed with a single interqubit exchange pulse with times comparable in duration to conventional exchange-only qubits but with a significantly simplified pulse sequence.

arXiv:2501.18589Physical Review LettersAug 11, 20252 citations

Three-qubit entangling gates with simultaneous exchange controls in spin qubit systems

Miguel G. Rodriguez, Yun-Pil Shim

Pairwise exchange couplings have long been the standard mechanism for entangling spin qubits in semiconductor systems. However, implementing quantum circuits based on pairwise exchange gates often requires a lengthy sequence of elementary gate operations. In this work, we present an alternative approach: multi-qubit entangling gate operations that simultaneously drive the exchange couplings between multiple pairs of spin qubits. We explore three spin qubit systems in linear or triangular configurations. We derive analytical expressions for these multi-exchange entangling operations and demonstrate how to use the resulting three-qubit gates to construct quantum circuits capable of generating standard entangled states such as GHZ and W states, and the Toffoli gate, by optimizing control parameters. Our results show that this multi-qubit strategy significantly reduces the number of required operations, offering a pathway to more efficient, shallower, and more coherent circuits for spin-qubit processors.Pairwise exchange couplings have long been the standard mechanism for entangling spin qubits in semiconductor systems. However, implementing quantum circuits based on pairwise exchange gates often requires a lengthy sequence of elementary gate operations. In this work, we present an alternative approach: multi-qubit entangling gate operations that simultaneously drive the exchange couplings between multiple pairs of spin qubits. We explore three spin qubit systems in linear or triangular configurations. We derive analytical expressions for these multi-exchange entangling operations and demonstrate how to use the resulting three-qubit gates to construct quantum circuits capable of generating standard entangled states such as GHZ and W states, and the Toffoli gate, by optimizing control parameters. Our results show that this multi-qubit strategy significantly reduces the number of required operations, offering a pathway to more efficient, shallower, and more coherent circuits for spin-qubit processors.

quant-pharXiv:2512.13558Dec 16, 20250 citations

Energetic suppression of decoherence in exchange-only quantum computation

Yaakov S. Weinstein, C. Stephen Hellberg

Universal quantum computation requiring only the Heisenberg exchange interaction and suppressing decoherence via an energy gap is presented. The combination of an always-on exchange interaction between the three physical qubits comprising the encoded qubit and a global magnetic field generates an energy gap between the subspace of interest and all other states. This energy gap suppresses decoherence. Always-on exchange couplings greatly simplify hardware specifications and the implementation of inter-logical-qubit gates. A controlled phase gate can be implemented using only three Heisenberg exchange operations all of which can be performed simultaneously.Universal quantum computation requiring only the Heisenberg exchange interaction and suppressing decoherence via an energy gap is presented. The combination of an always-on exchange interaction between the three physical qubits comprising the encoded qubit and a global magnetic field generates an energy gap between the subspace of interest and all other states. This energy gap suppresses decoherence. Always-on exchange couplings greatly simplify hardware specifications and the implementation of inter-logical-qubit gates. A controlled phase gate can be implemented using only three Heisenberg exchange operations all of which can be performed simultaneously.

arXiv:quant-ph/0408037Physical Review AAug 17, 200530 citations

E_g = 3J/2

that suppresses leakage from the computational subspace while leaving the qubit state unaffected. We develop procedures to calibrate the LPI point and measure

E_g

, and use these to characterize the qubit dephasing time over a broad range of gap energies. While operating with large always-on exchange couplings exposes the qubit to charge noise, we find that

\tilde{T}_2^*

still exceeds that of conventional exchange-only spin qubits for

E_g/h < 60

MHz. The precise control of simultaneous, all-to-all connected exchange demonstrated here presents a natural path towards improving the performance of EO qubits and also enables novel qubit encodings.

g

-factor variations, the SAGE qubit subspace is inherently protected from magnetic-gradient-induced Pauli errors by virtue of the singlet-only encoding, which is invariant under magnetic field gradients, and the always-on exchange couplings, which provide energetic leakage protection. However, the always-on operation simultaneously increases the qubit's sensitivity to charge noise. Here, starting from a Hubbard model describing the underlying electronic structure of the coupled quantum dots, we characterize the performance of SAGE qubits in the presence of

1/f

charge noise that induces fluctuations in both the dot chemical potentials and the interdot tunnel couplings. We calculate SAGE idle coherence times and show that realistic CPMG-like pulse sequences can be used to significantly extend SAGE single-qubit coherence times for experimentally relevant charge noise strengths. We likewise study the fidelity of SAGE two-qubit gates in the presence of charge and magnetic noise and again propose a simple refocusing strategy to mitigate the noise, while increased ramp times of the entangling pulse suppress leakage into noncomputational states.