Driven Nonlinear Dynamics of Two Coupled Exchange-Only Qubits

Inspired by the creation of a fast exchange-only qubit [Medford et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 050501 (2013)], we develop a theory describing the nonlinear dynamics of two such qubits that are capacitively coupled, when one of them is driven resonantly at a frequency equal to its level splitting. We include conditions of strong driving, where the Rabi frequency is a significant fraction of the level splitting, and we consider situations where the splitting for the second qubit may be the same as or different than the first. We demonstrate that coupling between qubits can be detected by reading the response of the second qubit, even when the coupling between them is only of about 1% of their level splittings, and we calculate entanglement between qubits. Patterns of nonlinear dynamics of coupled qubits and their entanglement are strongly dependent on the geometry of the system, and the specific mechanism of interqubit coupling deeply influences dynamics of both qubits. In particular, we describe the development of irregular dynamics in a two-qubit system, explore approaches for inhibiting it, and demonstrate the existence of an optimal range of coupling strength maintaining stability during the operational time

Magnetic Properties of a Superconductor with no Inversion Symmetry

We study the magnetic properties of a superconductor in a crystal without $z \to -z$ symmetry, in particular how the lack of this symmetry exhibits itself. We show that, though the penetration depth itself shows no such effect, for suitable orientation of magnetic field, there is a magnetic field discontinuity at the interface which shows this absence of symmetry. The magnetic field profile of a vortex in the $x-y$ plane is shown to be identical to that of an ordinary anisotropic superconductor except for a shift in the $-z$ direction by ${\tilde \kappa} \lambda_x$ (see errata). For a vortex along $z$, there is an induced magnetization along the radial direction.Comment: J. Low Temp. Physics, 140, 67 (2005); with Errat

Electron spin-flip correlations due to nuclear dynamics in driven GaAs double dots

We present experimental data and associated theory for correlations in a series of experiments involving repeated Landau-Zener sweeps through the crossing point of a singlet state and a spin-aligned triplet state in a GaAs double quantum dot containing two conduction electrons, which are loaded in the singlet state before each sweep, and the final spin is recorded after each sweep. The experiments reported here measure correlations on time scales from 4 μ s to 2 ms. When the magnetic field is aligned in a direction such that spin-orbit coupling cannot cause spin flips, the correlation spectrum has prominent peaks centered at zero frequency and at the differences of the Larmor frequencies of the nuclei, on top of a frequency-independent background. When the spin-orbit field is relevant, there are additional peaks, centered at the frequencies of the individual species. A theoretical model which neglects the effects of high-frequency charge noise correctly predicts the positions of the observed peaks, and gives a reasonably accurate prediction of the size of the frequency-independent background, but gives peak areas that are larger than the observed areas by a factor of 2 or more. The observed peak widths are roughly consistent with predictions based on nuclear dephasing times of the order of 60 μ s . However, there is extra weight at the lowest observed frequencies, which suggests the existence of residual correlations on the scale of 2 ms. We speculate on the source of these discrepancies

Pumped double quantum dot with spin-orbit coupling

We study driven by an external electric field quantum orbital and spin dynamics of electron in a one-dimensional double quantum dot with spin-orbit coupling. Two types of external perturbation are considered: a periodic field at the Zeeman frequency and a single half-period pulse. Spin-orbit coupling leads to a nontrivial evolution in the spin and orbital channels and to a strongly spin- dependent probability density distribution. Both the interdot tunneling and the driven motion contribute into the spin evolution. These results can be important for the design of the spin manipulation schemes in semiconductor nanostructures

Ballistic Spin Resonance

The phenomenon of spin resonance has had far reaching influence since its discovery nearly 70 years ago. Electron spin resonance (ESR) driven by high frequency magnetic fields has informed our understanding of quantum mechanics, and finds application in fields as diverse as medicine and quantum information. Spin resonance induced by high frequency electric fields, known as electric dipole spin resonance (EDSR), has also been demonstrated recently. EDSR is mediated by spin-orbit interaction (SOI), which couples the spin degree of freedom and the momentum vector. Here, we report the observation of a novel spin resonance due to SOI that does not require external driving fields. Ballistic spin resonance (BSR) is driven by an internal spin-orbit field that acts upon electrons bouncing at gigaHertz frequencies in narrow channels of ultra-clean two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG). BSR is manifested in electrical measurements of pure spin currents as a strong suppression of spin relaxation length when the motion of electrons is in resonance with spin precession. These findings point the way to gate-tunable coherent spin rotations in ballistic nanostructures without external a.c. fields.Comment: 24 pages, including supplementary material

Graphene for spintronics: giant Rashba splitting due to hybridization with Au

Graphene in spintronics has so far primarily meant spin current leads of high performance because the intrinsic spin-orbit coupling of its pi-electrons is very weak. If a large spin-orbit coupling could be created by a proximity effect, the material could also form active elements of a spintronic device such as the Das-Datta spin field-effect transistor, however, metal interfaces often compromise the band dispersion of massless Dirac fermions. Our measurements show that Au intercalation at the graphene-Ni interface creates a giant spin-orbit splitting (~100 meV) in the graphene Dirac cone up to the Fermi energy. Photoelectron spectroscopy reveals hybridization with Au-5d states as the source for the giant spin-orbit splitting. An ab initio model of the system shows a Rashba-split dispersion with the analytically predicted gapless band topology around the Dirac point of graphene and indicates that a sharp graphene-Au interface at equilibrium distance will account for only ~10 meV spin-orbit splitting. The ab initio calculations suggest an enhancement due to Au atoms that get closer to the graphene and do not violate the sublattice symmetry.Comment: 16 pages (3 figures) + supplementary information 16 pages (14 figures

Emergence of non-centrosymmetric topological insulating phase in BiTeI under pressure

The spin-orbit interaction affects the electronic structure of solids in various ways. Topological insulators are one example where the spin-orbit interaction leads the bulk bands to have a non-trivial topology, observable as gapless surface or edge states. Another example is the Rashba effect, which lifts the electron-spin degeneracy as a consequence of spin-orbit interaction under broken inversion symmetry. It is of particular importance to know how these two effects, i.e. the non-trivial topology of electronic states and Rashba spin splitting, interplay with each other. Here we show, through sophisticated first-principles calculations, that BiTeI, a giant bulk Rashba semiconductor, turns into a topological insulator under a reasonable pressure. This material is shown to exhibit several unique features such as, a highly pressure-tunable giant Rashba spin splitting, an unusual pressure-induced quantum phase transition, and more importantly the formation of strikingly different Dirac surface states at opposite sides of the material.Comment: 5 figures are include

Electrical control over single hole spins in nanowire quantum dots

Single electron spins in semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are a versatile platform for quantum information processing, however controlling decoherence remains a considerable challenge. Recently, hole spins have emerged as a promising alternative. Holes in III-V semiconductors have unique properties, such as strong spin-orbit interaction and weak coupling to nuclear spins, and therefore have potential for enhanced spin control and longer coherence times. Weaker hyperfine interaction has already been reported in self-assembled quantum dots using quantum optics techniques. However, challenging fabrication has so far kept the promise of hole-spin-based electronic devices out of reach in conventional III-V heterostructures. Here, we report gate-tuneable hole quantum dots formed in InSb nanowires. Using these devices we demonstrate Pauli spin blockade and electrical control of single hole spins. The devices are fully tuneable between hole and electron QDs, enabling direct comparison between the hyperfine interaction strengths, g-factors and spin blockade anisotropies in the two regimes

The universal definition of spin current

The spin current, orbit angular momentum current and total angular momentum current in a tensor form have been universally defined according to the quantum electrodynamics. Their conservation quantities and the continuity equations have been discussed in different cases. Non-relativistic approximation forms are deduced in order to explain their physical meanings, and to analyze some experimental results. The spin current of helical edge states in HgTe/CdTe quantum wells is calculated to demonstrate the properties of the spin current of the two dimensional quantum spin-Hall system. A generalized spin-orbit coupling term in the semiconducting media is deduced based on the theory of the electrodynamics in the moving media. It is recommended to use the effective total angular momentum current instead of the pure spin current to describe the distribution of polarization and the transport properties in spintronics

Emergent Phenomena Induced by Spin-Orbit Coupling at Surfaces and Interfaces

Spin-orbit coupling (SOC) describes the relativistic interaction between the spin and momentum degrees of freedom of electrons, and is central to the rich phenomena observed in condensed matter systems. In recent years, new phases of matter have emerged from the interplay between SOC and low dimensionality, such as chiral spin textures and spin-polarized surface and interface states. These low-dimensional SOC-based realizations are typically robust and can be exploited at room temperature. Here we discuss SOC as a means of producing such fundamentally new physical phenomena in thin films and heterostructures. We put into context the technological promise of these material classes for developing spin-based device applications at room temperature