Towards Compact Modeling of Noisy Quantum Computers: A Molecular-Spin-Qubit Case of Study

Classical simulation of Noisy Intermediate Scale Quantum computers is a crucial task for testing the expected performance of real hardware. The standard approach, based on solving Schrödinger and Lindblad equations, is demanding when scaling the number of qubits in terms of both execution time and memory. In this article, attempts in defining compact models for the simulation of quantum hardware are proposed, ensuring results close to those obtained with standard formalism. Molecular Nuclear Magnetic Resonance quantum hardware is the target technology, where three non-ideality phenomena—common to other quantum technologies—are taken into account: decoherence, off-resonance qubit evolution, and undesired qubit-qubit residual interaction. A model for each non-ideality phenomenon is embedded into a MATLAB simulation infrastructure of noisy quantum computers. The accuracy of the models is tested on a benchmark of quantum circuits, in the expected operating ranges of quantum hardware. The corresponding outcomes are compared with those obtained via numeric integration of the Schrödinger equation and the Qiskit’s QASMSimulator. The achieved results give evidence that this work is a step forward towards the definition of compact models able to provide fast results close to those obtained with the traditional physical simulation strategies, thus paving the way for their integration into a classical simulator of quantum computers.

Ultrafast coherent control of a hole spin qubit in a germanium quantum dot

Operation speed and coherence time are two core measures for the viability of a qubit. Strong spin-orbit interaction (SOI) and relatively weak hyperfine interaction make holes in germanium (Ge) intriguing candidates for spin qubits with rapid, all-electrical coherent control. Here we report ultrafast single-spin manipulation in a hole-based double quantum dot in a germanium hut wire (GHW). Mediated by the strong SOI, a Rabi frequency exceeding 540 MHz is observed at a magnetic field of 100 mT, setting a record for ultrafast spin qubit control in semiconductor systems. We demonstrate that the strong SOI of heavy holes (HHs) in our GHW, characterized by a very short spin-orbit length of 1.5 nm, enables the rapid gate operations we accomplish. Our results demonstrate the potential of ultrafast coherent control of hole spin qubits to meet the requirement of DiVincenzo’s criteria for a scalable quantum information processor.

Spin manipulation and decoherence in a quantum dot mediated by a synthetic spin-orbit coupling of broken $T$-symmetry

The electrical control of a spin qubit in a quantum dot relies on spin-orbit coupling (SOC), which could be either intrinsic to the underlying crystal lattice or heterostructure, or extrinsic via, for example, a micro-magnet. In experiments, micromagnets have been used as a synthetic SOC to enable strong coupling of a spin qubit in quantum dots with electric fields. Here we study theoretically the spin relaxation, pure dephasing, spin manipulation, and spin-photon coupling of an electron in a quantum dot due to the synthetic SOC induced spin-orbit mixing. We find qualitative difference in the spin dynamics in the presence of a synthetic SOC compared with the case of the intrinsic SOC. Specifically, spin relaxation due to the synthetic SOC and deformation potential phonon emission (or Johnson noise) shows $B_0^5$ (or $B_0$) dependence with the magnetic field, which is in contrast with the $B_0^7$ (or $B_0^3$) dependence in the case of the intrinsic SOC. Moreover, charge noise induces fast spin dephasing to the first order of the synthetic SOC, which is in sharp contrast with the negligible spin pure dephasing in the case of the intrinsic SOC. These qualitative differences are attributed to the broken time-reversal symmetry ($T$-symmetry) of the synthetic SOC. An SOC with broken $T$-symmetry (such as the synthetic SOC from a micro-magnet) eliminates the ``Van Vleck cancellation'' and causes a finite longitudinal spin-electric coupling that allows the longitudinal coupling between spin and electric field, and in turn allows spin pure dephasing. Finally, through proper choice of magnetic field orientation, the electric-dipole spin resonance via the synthetic SOC can be improved with potential applications in spin-based quantum computing.

Geometric entanglement of a photon and spin qubits in diamond

Geometric nature, which appears in photon polarization, also appears in spin polarization under a zero magnetic field. These two polarized quanta, one travelling in vacuum and the other staying in matter, behave the same as geometric quantum bits or qubits, which are promising for noise resilience compared to the commonly used dynamic qubits. Here we show that geometric photon and spin qubits are entangled upon spontaneous emission with the help of the spin − orbit entanglement inherent in a nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond. The geometric spin qubit is defined in a degenerate subsystem of spin triplet electrons and manipulated with a polarized microwave. An experiment shows an entanglement state fidelity of 86.8%. The demonstrated entangled emission, combined with previously demonstrated entangled absorption, generates purely geometric entanglement between remote matters in a process that is insensitive of time, frequency, and space mode matching, which paves the way for building a noise-resilient quantum repeater network or a quantum internet.

Opinion: Democratizing Spin Qubits

I've been building Powerpoint-based quantum computers with electron spins in silicon for 20 years. Unfortunately, real-life-based quantum dot quantum computers are harder to implement. Materials, fabrication, and control challenges still impede progress. The way to accelerate discovery is to make and measure more qubits. Here I discuss separating the qubit realization and testing circuitry from the materials science and on-chip fabrication that will ultimately be necessary. This approach should allow us, in the shorter term, to characterize wafers non-invasively for their qubit-relevant properties, to make small qubit systems on various different materials with little extra cost, and even to test spin-qubit to superconducting cavity entanglement protocols where the best possible cavity quality is preserved. Such a testbed can advance the materials science of semiconductor quantum information devices and enable small quantum computers. This article may also be useful as a light and light-hearted introduction to quantum dot spin qubits.