Decoherence of an n-qubit quantum memory

We analyze decoherence of a quantum register in the absence of nonlocal operations, i.e., n noninteracting qubits coupled to an environment. The problem is solved in terms of a sum rule which implies linear scaling in the number of qubits. Each term involves a single qubit and its entanglement with the remaining ones. Two conditions are essential: first, decoherence must be small, and second, the coupling of different qubits must be uncorrelated in the interaction picture. We apply the result to a random matrix model, and illustrate its reach considering a Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state coupled to a spin bath.     

High-finesse optical quantum gates for electron spins in artificial molecules

A doped semiconductor double-quantum-dot molecule is proposed as a qubit realization. The quantum information is encoded in the electron spin, thus benefiting from the long relevant decoherence times; the enhanced flexibility of the molecular structure allows one to map the spin degrees of freedom onto the orbital ones and vice versa and opens the possibility for high-finesse (conditional and unconditional) quantum gates by means of stimulated Raman adiabatic passages.     

N@C60 and P@C60 as quantum bits

Due to their long electron spin relaxation times, the endohedral fullerenes N@C₆₀ and P@C₆₀ are good candidates for the implementation of qubits in an electron spin quantum computer. A central operation in this context is the rotation of the spin direction by an arbitrary angle. In the present experiment, this nutation behavior was studied in pulsed electron spin resonance measurements. We show that, even at room temperature, about 50 Rabi oscillations (about 100 qubit operations) can be performed without refocusing the spin system, although inhomogeneities are present. A special feature of the group V endohedral fullerenes is the electron spinS=3/2, which complicates the nutation behavior. The zero-field splitting at low temperature gives rise to different nutation frequencies for the (1/2,?1/2) transition and the (±3/2, ±1/2) transitions. The frequency ratio is 2/3^1/2.     

Fast hybrid silicon double-quantum-dot qubit

We propose a quantum dot qubit architecture that has an attractive combination of speed and fabrication simplicity. It consists of a double quantum dot with one electron in one dot and two electrons in the other. The qubit itself is a set of two states with total spin quantum numbers S(2)=3/4 (S=1/2) and S(z)=-1/2, with the two different states being singlet and triplet in the doubly occupied dot. Gate operations can be implemented electrically and the qubit is highly tunable, enabling fast implementation of one- and two-qubit gates in a simpler geometry and with fewer operations than in other proposed quantum dot qubit architectures with fast operations. Moreover, the system has potentially long decoherence times. These are all extremely attractive properties for use in quantum information processing devices.     

Spin-1/2 geometric phase driven by decohering quantum fields

We calculate the geometric phase of a spin-1/2 system driven by one and two mode quantum fields subject to decoherence. Using the quantum jump approach, we show that the corrections to the phase in the no-jump trajectory are different when considering adiabatic and nonadiabatic evolutions. We discuss the implications of our results from both fundamental as well as quantum computational perspectives.     

Spin quantum computation in silicon nanostructures

Proposed silicon-based quantum-computer architectures have attracted attention because of their promise for scalability and their potential for synergetically utilizing the available resources associated with the existing Si technology infrastructure. Electronic and nuclear spins of shallow donors (e.g. phosphorus) in Si are ideal candidates for qubits in such proposals because of their long spin coherence times due to their limited interactions with their environments. For these spin qubits, shallow donor exchange gates are frequently invoked to perform two-qubit operations. We discuss in this review a particularly important spin decoherence channel, and bandstructure effects on the exchange gate control. Specifically, we review our work on donor electron spin spectral diffusion due to background nuclear spin flip-flops, and how isotopic purification of silicon can significantly enhance the electron spin dephasing time. We then review our calculation of donor electron exchange coupling in the presence of degenerate silicon conduction band valleys. We show that valley interference leads to orders of magnitude variations in electron exchange coupling when donor configurations are changed on an atomic scale. These studies illustrate the substantial potential that donor electron/nuclear spins in silicon have as candidates for qubits and simultaneously the considerable challenges they pose. In particular, our work on spin decoherence through spectral diffusion points to the possible importance of isotopic purification in the fabrication of scalable solid state quantum computer architectures. We also provide a critical comparison between the two main proposed spin-based solid state quantum computer architectures, namely, shallow donor bound states in Si and localized quantum dot states in GaAs.     

Quantum Interface between a Superconducting Qubit and Spin Ensembles

An experimentally feasible strong coupling system between a spin ensemble and a superconducting qubit is studied. The coupling strength can be exponentially enhanced by applying the squeezing transformations to the system. By means of the two spin ensembles commonly coupled to a superconducting qubit, a set of universal nonadiabatic holonomic single‐qubit quantum gates can be realized in a decoherence‐free subspace. Furthermore, this proposal is robust with respect to decay of the system parameters, and it is experimentally feasible with currently available technology.     

Decoherence in solid-state qubits

The interaction of solid-state qubits with environmental degrees of freedom strongly affects the qubit dynamics, and leads to decoherence. In quantum information processing with solid-state qubits, decoherence significantly limits the performances of such devices. Therefore, it is necessary to fully understand the mechanisms that lead to decoherence. In this review, we discuss how decoherence affects two of the most successful realizations of solid-state qubits, namely, spin qubits and superconducting qubits. In the former, the qubit is encoded in the spin 1/2 of the electron, and it is implemented by confining the electron spin in a semiconductor quantum dot. Superconducting devices show quantum behaviour at low temperatures, and the qubit is encoded in the two lowest energy levels of a superconducting circuit. The electron spin in a quantum dot has two main decoherence channels, a (Markovian) phonon-assisted relaxation channel, due to the presence of a spin–orbit interaction, and a (non-Markovian) spin bath constituted by the spins of the nuclei in the quantum dot that interact with the electron spin via the hyperfine interaction. In a superconducting qubit, decoherence takes place as a result of fluctuations in the control parameters, such as bias currents, applied flux and bias voltages, and via losses in the dissipative circuit elements.     

Preserving coherence in Rydberg quantum bits

The effectiveness of decoherence suppression schemes is explored using quantum bits (qubits) stored in Li np Rydberg states. Following laser excitation, pulsed electric fields coherently control the electronic spin-orbit coupling, facilitating qubit creation, manipulation, and measurement. Spin-orbit coupling creates an approximate decoherence-free subspace for extending qubit storage times. However, sequences of fast NOT operations are found to be substantially more effective for preserving coherence.     

Spin relaxation and decoherence of holes in quantum dots

We investigate heavy-hole spin relaxation and decoherence in quantum dots in perpendicular magnetic fields. We show that at low temperatures the spin decoherence time is 2 times longer than the spin relaxation time. We find that the spin relaxation time for heavy holes can be comparable to or even longer than that for electrons in strongly two-dimensional quantum dots. We discuss the difference in the magnetic-field dependence of the spin relaxation rate due to Rashba or Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling for systems with positive (i.e., GaAs quantum dots) or negative (i.e., InAs quantum dots) g factor.     

Decoherence in crystal lattice quantum computation

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) quantum computation in a crystal lattice holds more promise for scalability than its solution NMR counterpart, but dephasing is a severe concern. Pulse sequence refocusing can help bring the qubit dephasing time closer to the limit of the intrinsic decoherence time, but the intrinsic transverse relaxation time (T₂) and the longitudinal relaxation time (T₁) of the crystal must be sufficiently long for a successful implementation. We discuss these time scales and their relation to parameters relevant to quantum computation for several crystal types, discussing in detail the examples of CaF₂, MnF₂, and CeP. Included in the calculation of coherence times for CeP is the development of spin-wave spectra in a type-1 antiferromagnetic FCC lattice.     

Theory of the electron and nuclear spin coherence times of shallow donor spin qubits in isotopically and chemically purified zinc oxide

In this article, I present a theoretical study of the electron and nuclear spin coherence times of shallow donor spin qubits in zinc oxide (ZnO) at low temperature. The influence of different spin-phonon processes as well as different spin-spin processes on the spin coherence time of shallow donors in ZnO is considered, both in the case of an electron spin qubit and in the case of a nuclear spin qubit encoded on a shallow donor. It is estimated that the electron spin coherence time of an isolated indium shallow donor in natural quasi-intrinsic ZnO is on the order of hundreds of microseconds, limited by the nuclear spectral diffusion process. The electron spin coherence time of an isolated indium shallow donor can be extended to few milliseconds in isotopically and chemically purified quasi-intrinsic ZnO. In this optimal case, the electron spin coherence time of an isolated indium shallow donor is only limited by a spin-lattice decoherence process. It is also estimated that the nuclear spin coherence time of an isolated indium shallow donor in natural quasi-intrinsic ZnO is on the order of hundreds of milliseconds, limited by the nuclear spectral diffusion process. The nuclear spin coherence time of an isolated indium shallow donor can be extended to few seconds in isotopically and chemically purified quasi-intrinsic ZnO. In this optimal case, the nuclear spin coherence time of an isolated indium shallow donor is only limited by the cross relaxation decoherence process. This study thus shows the great potential of electron and nuclear spin qubits encoded on shallow donors in isotopically and chemically purified quasi-intrinsic ZnO for the implementation of quantum processor and/or quantum memories.     

High-fidelity quantum memory realized via Wigner crystals of polar molecules

The collective excitations of spin states of an ensemble of polar molecules are studied as a candidate for high-fidelity quantum memory. To avoid the collisional properties of the molecules, they are arranged in dipolar crystals under one or two dimensional trapping conditions. We calculate the lifetime of the quantum memory by identifying the dominant decoherence mechanisms and estimating their effects on gate operations when a molecular ensemble qubit is transferred to a microwave cavity.     

Fast holonomic quantum computation based on solid-state spins with all-optical control

Holonomic quantum computation is a quantum computation strategy that promises some built-in noise-resilience features. Here, we propose a scheme for nonadiabatic holonomic quantum computation with nitrogen-vacancy center electron spins, which are characterized by fast quantum gates and long qubit coherence times. By varying the detuning, amplitudes, and phase difference of lasers applied to a nitrogen-vacancy center, one can directly realize an arbitrary single-qubit holonomic gate on the spin. Meanwhile, with the help of cavity-assisted interactions, a nontrivial two-qubit holonomic quantum gate can also be induced. The distinct merit of this scheme is that all the quantum gates are obtained via an all-optical geometric manipulation of the solid-state spins. Therefore, our scheme opens the possibility for robust quantum computation using solid-state spins in an all-optical way.     

Teleportation on a quantum dot array

We present a model of quantum teleportation protocol based on a double quantum dot array. The unknown qubit is encoded using a pair of quantum dots, with one excess electron, coupled by tunneling. It is shown how to create a maximally entangled state using an adiabatically increasing Coulomb repulsion between different dot pairs. This entangled state is exploited to perform teleportation again using an adiabatic coupling between itself and the incoming unknown state. Finally, a sudden separation of Bob's qubit allows a time evolution of Alice's, which amounts to a modified version of standard Bell measurement. A transmission over a long distance could be obtained by considering the entangled state of a chain of N coupled double quantum dots. The system is shown to be increasingly robust with N against decoherence due to phonons.     

One‐Step Implementation of N‐Qubit Nonadiabatic Holonomic Quantum Gates with Superconducting Qubits via Inverse Hamiltonian Engineering

A protocol is proposed to realize one‐step implementation of the N‐qubit nonadiabatic holonomic quantum gates with superconducting qubits. The inverse Hamiltonian engineering is applied in designing microwave pulses to drive superconducting qubits. By combining curve fitting, the wave shapes of the designed pulses can be described by simple functions, which are not hard to realize in experiments. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the protocol, a three‐qubit holonomic controlled π‐phase gate is taken as an example in numerical simulations. The results show that the protocol holds robustness against noise and decoherence. Therefore, the protocol may provide an alternative approach for implementing N‐qubit nonadiabatic holonomic quantum gates.     

准一维半导体量子点中电偶极自旋共振的物理机理

半导体量子点中的电子自旋具有较长相干时间以及可扩展性的特点, 在近十几年来引起了人们的广泛兴趣. 人们常常利用电子自旋共振技术来对单个自旋进行操纵. 这样不但需要一个静磁场来使电子产生赛曼劈裂, 同时还需要一个与之垂直的局域振荡磁场. 但是, 在实验上产生足够强且具有固定频率的局域磁场是比较困难的. 后来人们发现, 局域的振荡电场也可以操纵单个电子自旋, 也就是所谓的电偶极自旋共振. 众所周知, 自旋只有自旋磁矩, 不会与电场有任何直接的相互作用. 所以, 电偶极自旋共振的发生必须依赖于某些媒质. 这些媒质包括：量子点材料中的自旋轨道耦合作用, 量子点中的局域磁场梯度, 以及量子点中电子自旋与核自旋的超精细相互作用. 这些媒质能诱导出自旋与电场之间间接的相互作用, 从而外电场操纵单个电子自旋得以实现. 本文总结归纳了目前半导体量子点系统中发生电偶极自旋共振的三种主要物理机理.     

Buckyball quantum computer: realization of a quantum gate

We have studied a system composed by two endohedral fullerene molecules. We have found that this system can be used as good candidate for the realization of quantum gates. Each of these molecules encapsules an atom carrying a spin, therefore they interact through the spin dipole interaction. We show that a phase gate can be realized if we apply static and time dependent magnetic fields on each encased spin. We have evaluated the operational time of a π-phase gate, which is of the order of ns. We made a comparison between the theoretical estimation of the gate time and the experimental decoherence time for each spin. The comparison shows that the spin relaxation time is much larger than the π-gate operational time. Therefore, this indicates that, during the decoherence time, it is possible to perform some thousands of quantum computational operations. Moreover, through the study of concurrence, we get very good results for the entanglement degree of the two-qubit system. This finding opens a new avenue for the realization of quantum computers.     

Spin echoes in the charge transport through phosphorus donors in silicon

The electrical detection of spin echoes via echo tomography is used to observe coherent processes associated with the electrical readout of the spin state of phosphorus donor electrons in silicon near a SiO2 interface. Using the Carr-Purcell pulse sequence, an echo decay with a time constant of 1.7+/-0.2 micros is observed and discussed in terms of decoherence and recombination times. Electrical spin echo tomography thus can be used to study the dynamics of the spin-dependent transport processes, e.g., in realistic spin qubit devices for quantum information processing.