No Arabic abstract
A long-lived multi-mode qubit register is an enabling technology for modular quantum computing architectures. For interfacing with superconducting qubits, such a quantum memory should be able to store incoming quantum microwave fields at the single-photon level for long periods of time, and retrieve them on-demand. Here, we demonstrate the partial absorption of a train of weak microwave fields in an ensemble of bismuth donor spins in silicon, their storage for 100 ms, and their retrieval, using a Hahn-echo-like protocol. The long storage time is obtained by biasing the bismuth donors at a clock transition. Phase coherence and quantum statistics are preserved in the storage.
A quantum memory at microwave frequencies, able to store the state of multiple superconducting qubits for long times, is a key element for quantum information processing. Electronic and nuclear spins are natural candidates for the storage medium as their coherence time can be well above one second. Benefiting from these long coherence times requires to apply the refocusing techniques used in magnetic resonance, a major challenge in the context of hybrid quantum circuits. Here we report the first implementation of such a scheme, using ensembles of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres in diamond coupled to a superconducting resonator, in a setup compatible with superconducting qubit technology. We implement the active reset of the NV spins into their ground state by optical pumping and their refocusing by Hahn echo sequences. This enables the storage of multiple microwave pulses at the picoWatt level and their retrieval after up to $35 mu$s, a three orders of magnitude improvement compared to previous experiments.
Interfacing between various elements of a computer - from memory to processors to long range communication - will be as critical for quantum computers as it is for classical computers today. Paramagnetic rare earth doped crystals, such as Nd$^{3+}$:Y$_2$SiO$_5$ (YSO), are excellent candidates for such a quantum interface: they are known to exhibit long optical coherence lifetimes (for communication via optical photons), possess a nuclear spin (memory) and have in addition an electron spin that can offer hybrid coupling with superconducting qubits (processing). Here we study two of these three elements, demonstrating coherent storage and retrieval between electron and $^{145}$Nd nuclear spin states in Nd$^{3+}$:YSO. We find nuclear spin coherence times can reach 9 ms at $approx 5$ K, about two orders of magnitude longer than the electron spin coherence, while quantum state and process tomography of the storage/retrieval operation reveal an average state fidelity of 0.86. The times and fidelities are expected to further improve at lower temperatures and with more homogeneous radio-frequency excitation.
Quantum emitters respond to resonant illumination by radiating electromagnetic fields. A component of these fields is phase-coherent with the driving tone, while another one is incoherent, consisting of spontaneously emitted photons and forming the fluorescence signal. Atoms and molecules are routinely detected by their fluorescence at optical frequencies, with important applications in quantum technology and microscopy. Spins, on the other hand, are usually detected by {their coherent response} at radio- or microwave frequencies, either in continuous-wave or pulsed magnetic resonance. Indeed, fluorescence detection of spins is hampered {by their low spontaneous emission rate} and by the lack of single-photon detectors in this frequency range. Here, using superconducting quantum devices, we demonstrate the detection of a small ensemble of donor spins in silicon by their fluorescence at microwave frequency and millikelvin temperatures. We enhance the spin radiative decay rate by coupling them to a high-quality-factor and small-mode-volume superconducting resonator, and we connect the device output to a newly-developed microwave single-photon counter based on a superconducting qubit. We discuss the potential of fluorescence detection as a novel method for magnetic resonance spectroscopy of small numbers of spins.
We demonstrate the coherent coupling and the resulting transfer of phase information between microwave and optical fields in a single nitrogen vacancy center in diamond. The relative phase of two microwave fields is encoded in a coherent superposition spin state. This phase information is then retrieved with a pair of optical fields. A related process is also used for the transfer of phase information from optical to microwave fields. These studies show the essential role of dark states, including optical pumping into the dark states, in the coherent microwave-optical coupling and open the door to the full quantum state transfer between microwave and optical fields in a solid-state spin ensemble.
The parity of the number of elementary excitations present in a quantum system provides important insights into its physical properties. Parity measurements are used, for example, to tomographically reconstruct quantum states or to determine if a decay of an excitation has occurred, information which can be used for quantum error correction in computation or communication protocols. Here we demonstrate a versatile parity detector for propagating microwaves, which distinguishes between radiation fields containing an even or odd number n of photons, both in a single-shot measurement and without perturbing the parity of the detected field. We showcase applications of the detector for direct Wigner tomography of propagating microwaves and heralded generation of Schrodinger cat states. This parity detection scheme is applicable over a broad frequency range and may prove useful, for example, for heralded or fault-tolerant quantum communication protocols.