417 research outputs found
Continuous measurement of a microwave-driven solid state qubit
We analyze the dynamics of a continuously observed, damped, microwave-driven solid state charge qubit, consisting of a single electron in a double well potential. The microwave field induces transitions between the qubit eigenstates, which have a profound effect on the detector output current. Useful information about the qubit dynamics, such as dephasing and relaxation rates, and the Rabi frequency, can be extracted from the detector conductance and output noise power spectrum. We also propose a technique for single-shot electron spin readout, for spin based quantum information processing, which has a number of practical advantages over existing schemes
Continuous quantum measurement: inelastic tunnelling suppresses current oscillations
We study the dynamics of a charge qubit, consisting of a single electron in a
double well potential coupled to a point-contact (PC) electrometer, using the
quantum trajectories formalism. Contrary to previous predictions, we show
formally that, in the sub-Zeno limit, coherent oscillations in the detector
output are suppressed, and the dynamics is dominated by inelastic processes in
the PC. Furthermore, these reduce the detector efficiency and induce relaxation
even when the source-drain bias is zero. This is of practical significance
since it means the detector will act as a source of decoherence. Finally, we
show that the sub-Zeno dynamics is divided into two regimes: low- and high-bias
in which the PC current power spectra show markedly different behaviour.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, comments are welcom
Superabsorption of light via quantum engineering
Almost 60 years ago Dicke introduced the term superradiance to describe a
signature quantum effect: N atoms can collectively emit light at a rate
proportional to N^2. Even for moderate N this represents a significant increase
over the prediction of classical physics, and the effect has found applications
ranging from probing exciton delocalisation in biological systems, to
developing a new class of laser, and even in astrophysics. Structures that
super-radiate must also have enhanced absorption, but the former always
dominates in natural systems. Here we show that modern quantum control
techniques can overcome this restriction. Our theory establishes that
superabsorption can be achieved and sustained in certain simple nanostructures,
by trapping the system in a highly excited state while extracting energy into a
non-radiative channel. The effect offers the prospect of a new class of quantum
nanotechnology, capable of absorbing light many times faster than is currently
possible; potential applications of this effect include light harvesting and
photon detection. An array of quantum dots or a porphyrin ring could provide an
implementation to demonstrate this effect
Mesoscopic one-way channels for quantum state transfer via the Quantum Hall Effect
We show that the one-way channel formalism of quantum optics has a physical
realisation in electronic systems. In particular, we show that magnetic edge
states form unidirectional quantum channels capable of coherently transporting
electronic quantum information. Using the equivalence between one-way photonic
channels and magnetic edge states, we adapt a proposal for quantum state
transfer to mesoscopic systems using edge states as a quantum channel, and show
that it is feasible with reasonable experimental parameters. We discuss how
this protocol may be used to transfer information encoded in number, charge or
spin states of quantum dots, so it may prove useful for transferring quantum
information between parts of a solid-state quantum computer.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Parity measurement of one- and two-electron double well systems
We outline a scheme to accomplish measurements of a solid state double well
system (DWS) with both one and two electrons in non-localised bases. We show
that, for a single particle, measuring the local charge distribution at the
midpoint of a DWS using an SET as a sensitive electrometer amounts to
performing a projective measurement in the parity (symmetric/antisymmetric)
eigenbasis. For two-electrons in a DWS, a similar configuration of SET results
in close-to-projective measurement in the singlet/triplet basis. We analyse the
sensitivity of the scheme to asymmetry in the SET position for some
experimentally relevant parameter, and show that it is realisable in
experiment.Comment: 18 Pages, to appear in PR
Approximate method for treating dispersion in one-way quantum channels
Coupling the output of a source quantum system into a target quantum system is easily treated by cascaded systems theory if the intervening quantum channel is dispersionless. However, dispersion may be important in some transfer protocols, especially in solid-state systems. In this paper we show how to generalize cascaded systems theory to treat such dispersion, provided it is not too strong. We show that the technique also works for fermionic systems with a low flux, and can be extended to treat fermionic systems with large flux. To test our theory, we calculate the effect of dispersion on the fidelity of a simple protocol of quantum state transfer. We find good agreement with an approximate analytical theory that had been previously developed for this example
Pulse-induced acoustoelectric vibrations in surface-gated GaAs-based quantum devices
We present the results of a numerical investigation which show the excitation
of acoustoelectric modes of vibration in GaAs-based heterostructures due to
sharp nano-second electric-field pulses applied across surface gates. In
particular, we show that the pulses applied in quantum information processing
applications are capable of exciting acoustoelectric modes of vibration
including surface acoustic modes which propagate for distances greater than
conventional device dimensions. We show that the pulse-induced acoustoelectric
vibrations are capable of inducing significant undesired perturbations to the
evolution of quantum systems.Comment: To be published in Phys. Rev.
Diffusion effects in gradient echo memory
We study the effects of diffusion on a Lambda-gradient echo memory, which is a coherent optical quantum memory, using thermal gases. The efficiency of this memory is high for short storage time, but decreases exponentially due to decoherence as the storage time is increased. We study the effects of both longitudinal and transverse diffusion in this memory system, and give both analytical and numerical results that are in good agreement. Our results show that diffusion has a significant effect on the efficiency. Further, we suggest ways to reduce these effects to improve storage efficiency. We also report on a mechanism by which the rate of expansion of the transverse width of the beam is reduced compared to the naive expectation of diffusive effects, as observed in recent experiments
The Effect of Stochastic Noise on Quantum State Transfer
We consider the effect of classical stochastic noise on control laser pulses
used in a scheme for transferring quantum information between atoms, or quantum
dots, in separate optical cavities via an optical connection between cavities.
We develop a master equation for the dynamics of the system subject to
stochastic errors in the laser pulses, and use this to evaluate the sensitivity
of the transfer process to stochastic pulse shape errors for a number of
different pulse shapes. We show that under certain conditions, the sensitivity
of the transfer to the noise depends on the pulse shape, and develop a method
for determining a pulse shape that is minimally sensitive to specific errors.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, to appear in Physical Review
Dynamical steady states in driven quantum systems
We derive dynamical equations for a driven, dissipative quantum system in which the environment-induced relaxation rate is comparable to the Rabi frequency, avoiding assumptions on the frequency dependence of the environmental coupling. When the environmental coupling varies significantly on the scale of the Rabi frequency, secular or rotating wave approximations break down. We avoid these approximations, yielding dynamical steady states which account for the interaction between driven quantum dots and their phonon environment. The theory, which is motivated by recent experimental observations, qualitatively and quantitatively describes the transition from asymmetric unsaturated resonances at weak driving to population inversion at strong driving
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