No Arabic abstract
We discuss a general framework to address spin decoherence resulting from fluctuations in a spin Hamiltonian. We performed a systematic study on spin decoherence in the compound K$_6$[V$_{15}$As$_6$O$_{42}$(D$_2$O)] $cdot$ 8D$_2$O, using high-field Electron Spin Resonance (ESR). By analyzing the anisotropy of resonance linewidths as a function of orientation, temperature and field, we find that the spin-orbit term is a major decoherence source. The demonstrated mechanism can alter the lifetime of any spin qubit and we discuss how to mitigate it by sample design and field orientation.
We study an effective one-dimensional quantum model that includes friction and spin-orbit coupling (SOC), and show that the model exhibits spin polarization when both terms are finite. Most important, strong spin polarization can be observed even for moderate SOC, provided that friction is strong. Our findings might help to explain the pronounced effect of chirality on spin distribution and transport in chiral molecules. In particular, our model implies static magnetic properties of a chiral molecule, which lead to Shiba-like states when a molecule is placed on a superconductor, in accordance with recent experimental data.
We detect in real time inter-dot tunneling events in a weakly coupled two electron double quantum dot in GaAs. At finite magnetic fields, we observe two characteristic tunneling times, T_d and T_b, belonging to, respectively, a direct and a blocked (spin-flip-assisted) tunneling. The latter corresponds to lifting of a Pauli spin blockade and the tunneling times ratio eta=T_b/T_d characterizes the blockade efficiency. We find pronounced changes in the behavior of eta upon increasing the magnetic field, with eta increasing, saturating and increasing again. We explain this behavior as due to the crossover of the dominant blockade lifting mechanism from the hyperfine to spin-orbit interactions and due to a change in the contribution of the charge decoherence.
In a two-dimensional quantum dot in a GaAs heterostructure, the spin-orbit scattering rate is substantially reduced below the rate in a bulk two-dimensional electron gas [B.I. Halperin et al, Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, 2106 (2001)]. Such a reduction can be undone if the spin-orbit coupling parameters acquire a spatial dependence, which can be achieved, e.g., by a metal gate covering only a part of the quantum dot. We calculate the effect of such spatially non-uniform spin-orbit scattering on the weak localization correction and the universal conductance fluctuations of a chaotic quantum dot coupled to electron reservoirs by ballistic point contacts, in the presence of a magnetic field parallel to the plane of the quantum dot.
Spin qubits composed of either one or three electrons are realized in a quantum dot formed at a Si/SiO_2-interface in isotopically enriched silicon. Using pulsed electron spin resonance, we perform coherent control of both types of qubits, addressing them via an electric field dependent g-factor. We perform randomized benchmarking and find that both qubits can be operated with high fidelity. Surprisingly, we find that the g-factors of the one-electron and three-electron qubits have an approximately linear but opposite dependence as a function of the applied dc electric field. We develop a theory to explain this g-factor behavior based on the spin-valley coupling that results from the sharp interface. The outer shell electron in the three-electron qubit exists in the higher of the two available conduction-band valley states, in contrast with the one-electron case, where the electron is in the lower valley. We formulate a modified effective mass theory and propose that inter-valley spin-flip tunneling dominates over intra-valley spin-flips in this system, leading to a direct correlation between the spin-orbit coupling parameters and the g-factors in the two valleys. In addition to offering all-electrical tuning for single-qubit gates, the g-factor physics revealed here for one-electron and three-electron qubits offers potential opportunities for new qubit control approaches.
The existence of a spin-orbit coupling (SOC) induced by the gradient of the effective mass in low-dimensional heterostructures is revealed. In structurally asymmetric quasi-two-dimensional semiconductor heterostructures the presence of a mass gradient across the interfaces results in a SOC which competes with the SOC created by the electric field in the valence band. However, in graded quantum wells subjected to an external electric field, the mass-gradient induced SOC can be finite even when the electric field in the valence band vanishes.