We study the energy spectra of bound states in quantum dots (QDs) formed by an electrostatic potential in two-dimensional topological insulator (TI) and their transformation with changes in QD depth and radius. It is found that, unlike a trivial insulator, the energy difference between the levels of the ground state and first excited state can decrease with decreasing the radius and increasing the depth of the QD so that these levels intersect under some critical conditions. The crossing of the levels results in unusual features of optical properties caused by intracenter electron transitions. In particular, it leads to significant changes of light absorption due to electron transitions between such levels and to the transient electroluminescence induced by electrical tuning of QD and TI parameters. In the case of magnetic TIs, the polarization direction of the absorbed or emitted circularly polarized light is changed due to the level crossing.
Charge-based quantum computation can be attained through reliable control of single electrons in lead-less quantum systems. Single-charge transitions in electrically-isolated double quantum dots (DQD) realised in phosphorus-doped silicon can be detected via capacitively coupled single-electron tunnelling devices. By means of time-resolved measurements of the detector's conductance, we investigate the dots' occupancy statistics in temperature. We observe a significant reduction of the effective electron temperature in the DQD as compared to the temperature in the detector's leads. This sets pro…
We propose a new mechanism for polarizing nuclear spins in quantum dots, based on periodic modulation of the hyperfine coupling by electric driving at the electron spin resonance frequency. Dynamical nuclear polarization results from resonant excitation rather than hyperfine relaxation mediated by a thermal bath, and thus is not subject to Overhauser-like detailed balance constraints. This allows polarization in the direction opposite to that expected from the Overhauser effect. Competition of the electrically-driven and bath assisted mechanisms can give rise to spatial modulation and sign rev…
Three-dimensional anisotropy of the Lande g-factor and its electrical modulation are studied for single uncapped InAs self-assembled quantum dots (QDs). The g-factor is evaluated from measurement of inelastic cotunneling via Zeeman substates in the QD for various magnetic field directions. We find that the value and anisotropy of the g-factor depends on the type of orbital state which arises from the three-dimensional confinement anisotropy of the QD potential. Furthermore, the g-factor and its anisotropy are electrically tuned by a side-gate which modulates the confining potential.
Exchange-coupled singlet-triplet spin qubits in two gate-defined double quantum dots are considered theoretically. Using charge density operators to describe the double-dot orbital states, we calculate the Coulomb couplings between the qubits, and identify optimal bias points for single- and two-qubit operations, as well as convenient idle positions. The same intuitive formulation is used to derive dephasing rates of these qubits due to the fluctuating charge environment, thereby providing the main considerations for a quantum computation architecture that is within current experimental capabi…
Strong electrically tunable exciton g-factors are observed in individual (Ga)InAs self-assembled quantum dots and the microscopic origin of the effect is explained. Realistic eight band k.p simulations quantitatively account for our observations, simultaneously reproducing the exciton transition energy, DC Stark shift, diamagnetic shift and g-factor tunability for model dots with the measured size and a comparatively low In-composition of x(In)~35% near the dot apex. We show that the observed g-factor tunability is dominated by the hole, the electron contributing only weakly. The electric fiel…
We demonstrate the first wavelength-tunable electrically-pumped source of non-classical light that can emit photons with wavelength in resonance with the D2 transitions of 87Rb atoms. The device is fabricated by integrating a novel GaAs single-quantum-dot light-emitting-diode (LED) onto a piezoelectric actuator. By feeding the emitted photons into a 75-mm-long cell containing warm 87Rb atom vapor, we observe slow-light with a temporal delay of up to 3.4 ns. In view of the possibility of using 87Rb atomic vapors as quantum memories, this work makes an important step towards the realization of h…
We evaluate the Lande g factor of electrons in quantum dots (QDs) fabricated from GaAs quantum well (QW) structures of different well width. We first determine the Lande electron g factor of the QWs through resistive detection of electron spin resonance and compare it to the enhanced electron g factor determined from analysis of the magneto-transport. Next, we form laterally defined quantum dots using these quantum wells and extract the electron g factor from analysis of the cotunneling and Kondo effect within the quantum dots. We conclude that the Lande electron g factor of the quantum dot is…
Spin rotations induced by an AC electric field in a two-electron double quantum dot are studied by an exact numerical solution of the time dependent Schroedinger equation in the context of recent electric dipole spin resonance experiments based on the Pauli blockade. We demonstrate that the splitting of the main resonance line by the spin exchange coupling is accompanied by the appearance of fractional resonances and that both these effects are triggered by interdot tunnel coupling. We find that the AC driven system generates residual but distinct harmonics of the driving frequency which are a…
The heteroepitaxy of III-V semiconductors on silicon is a promising approach for making silicon a photonic platform for on-chip optical interconnects and quantum optical applications. Monolithic integration of both material systems is a long-time challenge, since different material properties lead to high defect densities in the epitaxial layers. In recent years, nanostructures however have shown to be suitable for successfully realising light emitters on silicon, taking advantage of their geometry. Facet edges and sidewalls can minimise or eliminate the formation of dislocations, and due to t…
We describe dynamics of spin and valley transitions driven by alternating electric fields in quantum dots defined electrostatically within semiconducting carbon nanotubes (CNT). We use the tight-binding approach to describe the states localized within a quantum dot taking into account the circumferential spin-orbit interaction due to the s-p hybridization and external fields. The basis of eigenstates localized in the quantum dot is used in the solution of the time-dependent Schroedinger equation for description of spin flips and inter-valley transitions that are driven by periodic perturbation…
We present a modulated microwave approach for quantum computing with qubits comprising three spins in a triple quantum dot. This approach includes single- and two-qubit gates that are protected against low-frequency electrical noise, due to an operating point with a narrowband response to high frequency electric fields. Furthermore, existing double quantum dot advances, including robust preparation and measurement via spin-to-charge conversion, are immediately applicable to the new qubit. Finally, the electric dipole terms implicit in the high frequency coupling enable strong coupling with sup…
An ambipolar $n$-$p$ double quantum dot defined by potential variation along a semiconducting carbon-nanotube is considered. We focus on the (1e,1h) charge configuration with a single excess electron in the conduction band state confined in the $n$-type dot and a single missing electron in the valence band state of the $p$-dot for which lifting of the Pauli blockade of the current was observed in the electric-dipole spin resonance [E. A. Laird et al. Nat. Nanotech. 8 , 565 (2013)]. The dynamics of the system driven by periodic electric field is studied with the Floquet theory and the time-depe…
We study avoided crossings opened by spin-orbit interaction in the energy spectra of one- and two-electron anisotropic quantum dots in perpendicular magnetic field. We find that for simultaneously present Rashba and Dresselhaus interactions the width of avoided crossings and the effective $g$ factor depend on the dot orientation within (001) crystal plane. The extreme values of these quantities are obtained for [110] and [1$\bar{1}$0] orientations of the dot. The width of singlet-triplet avoided crossing changes between these two orientations by as much as two orders of magnitude. The discusse…
In III-V semiconductor nano-structures the electron and nuclear spin dynamics are strongly coupled. Both spin systems can be controlled optically. The nuclear spin dynamics is widely studied, but little is known about the initialization mechanisms. Here we investigate optical pumping of carrier and nuclear spins in charge tunable GaAs dots grown on 111A substrates. We demonstrate dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) at zero magnetic field in a single quantum dot for the positively charged exciton X$^+$ state transition. We tune the DNP in both amplitude and sign by variation of an applied bias v…
We analyze the reading and initialization of a topological qubit encoded by Majorana fermions in one-dimensional semiconducting nanowires, weakly coupled to a single level quantum dot (QD). It is shown that when the Majorana fermions are fused by tuning gate voltage, the topological qubit can be read out directly through the occupation of the QD in an energy window. The initialization of the qubit can also be realized via adjusting the gate voltage on the QD, with the total fermion parity conserved. As a result, both reading and initialization processes can be achieved in an all-electrical way…
The statistical properties of the dynamics of energy levels are investigated in the case of two two-dimensional disordered quantum dot models with nearest neighbor hopping subjected to external time-dependent perturbations. While in the first model the external drivings are realized by a continuous variation of the on-site energies, in the second one it is generated by deformations of a parabolic potential. We concentrate on the effects of the potential on the localization properties and investigate the statistics of the energy level velocities and curvatures regarding their typical magnitudes…
We investigate the interplay between the quantum coherence and statistics in electrically driven nano-structures. We obtain expression for the admittance and the current noise for a driven nano-capacitor in terms of the Floquet scattering matrix and derive a non-equilibrium fluctuation-dissipation relation. As an interplay between the quantum phase coherence and the many-body correlation, the admittance has peak values whenever the noise power shows a step as a function of near-by gate voltage. Our theory is demonstrated by calculating the admittance and noise of driven double quantum dots.
We electrically measure intrinsic silicon quantum dots with electrostatically defined tunnel barriers. The presence of both p-type and n-type ohmic contacts enables the accumulation of either electrons or holes. Thus we are able to study both transport regimes within the same device. We investigate the effect of the tunnel barriers and the electrostatically defined quantum dots. There is greater localisation of charge states under the tunnel barriers in the case of hole conduction leading to higher charge noise in the p-regime.
We study the spectrum and the transport properties of two identical, vertically coupled quantum dots in a perpendicular magnetic field. We find correlation-induced energy crossings in a magnetic field sweep between states differing only in the vertical degree of freedom. Considering the influence of a slight asymmetry between the dots caused by the applied source-drain voltage in vertical transport experiments these crossings convert to anticrossings accompanied by the build-up of charge polarization which is tunable by the perpendicular magnetic field. The polarization strongly affects the ve…
We investigate the in-plane oscillations of the relaxed shape graphene due to externally applied tensile edge stress along both the armchair and zigzag directions. We show that the total elastic energy density is enhanced with temperature for the case of applied tensile edge stress along the zigzag direction. Thermo-electromechanical effects are treated via pseudomorphic vector potentials to analyze the influence of these coupled effects on the bandstructures of bilayer graphene quantum dots (QDs). We report that the level crossing between ground and first excited states in the localized edge …
We investigate theoretically the combined effects of the electron-electron and the Rashba spin-orbit interactions on two electrons confined in quasi-one-dimensional AlInSb-based double quantum dots. We calculate the two-electron wave functions and explore the interplay between these two interactions on the energy levels and the spin of the states. The energy spectrum as a function of an applied magnetic field shows crossings and anticrossings between triplet and singlet states, associated with level mixing induced by the spin-orbit coupling. We find that the fields at which these crossings occ…
Trilayer graphene in the fractional Quantum Hall Effect regime displays a set of unique interaction-induced transitions that can be tuned entirely by the applied bias voltage. These transitions occur near the anti-crossing points of two Landau levels. In a large magnetic field ($> 8$ T) the electron-electron interactions close the anti-crossing gap, resulting in some unusual transitions between different Landau levels. For the filling factor $ν=\frac23$, these transitions are accompanied by a change of spin polarization of the ground state. For a small Zeeman energy, this provides an unique op…
We report charge detection in degenerately phosphorus-doped silicon double quantum dots (DQD) electrically connected to an electron reservoir. The sensing device is a single electron transistor (SET) patterned in close proximity to the DQD. Measurements performed at 4.2K show step-like behaviour and shifts of the Coulomb Blockade oscillations in the detector's current as the reservoir's potential is swept. By means of a classical capacitance model, we demonstrate that the observed features can be used to detect single-electron tunnelling from, to and within the DQD, as well as to reveal the DQ…
Spin qubits offer one of the most promising routes to the implementation of quantum computers. Very recent results in semiconductor quantum dots show that electrically-controlled gating schemes are particularly well-suited for the realization of a universal set of quantum logical gates. Scalability to a larger number of qubits, however, remains an issue for such semiconductor quantum dots. In contrast, a chemical bottom-up approach allows one to produce identical units in which localized spins represent the qubits. Molecular magnetism has produced a wide range of systems with tailored properti…
Quantum confinenement and manipulation of charge carriers are critical for achieving devices practical for quantum technologies. The interplay between electron spin and valley, as well as the possibility to address their quantum states electrically and optically, make two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides an emerging platform for the development of quantum devices. In this work, we fabricate devices based on heterostructures of layered 2D materials, in which we realize gate-controlled tungsten diselenide (WSe2) hole quantum dots. We discuss the observed mesoscopic transport fea…
The out-of-equilibrium transport properties of a double quantum dot system in the Kondo regime are studied theoretically by means of a two-impurity Anderson Hamiltonian with inter-impurity hopping. The Hamiltonian, formulated in slave-boson language, is solved by means of a generalization of the non-crossing approximation (NCA) to the present problem. We provide benchmark calculations of the predictions of the NCA for the linear and nonlinear transport properties of coupled quantum dots in the Kondo regime. We give a series of predictions that can be observed experimentally in linear and nonli…
We study an electron-hole pair in a stack of multiple quantum dots in the presence of an external electric field using the configuration interaction approach. We find that the bright energy levels can be grouped into families which are associated with the hole localized in a specific dot of the stack. The exciton energy levels undergo avoided crossings as function of the external electric field with different pattern for each family. We show that the variation of the depths of the dots along the stack can be deduced from the exciton spectrum. In the strong confinement limit the families are mi…
The notion of artifical atom relies on the capability to change the number of carriers one by one in semiconductor quantum dots, and the resulting changes in their electronic structure. Organic molecules with transition metal atoms that have a net magnetic moment and display hysteretic behaviour are known as single molecule magnets (SMM). The fabrication of CdTe quantum dots chemically doped with a controlled number of Mn atoms and with a number of carriers controlled either electrically or optically paves the way towards a new concept in nanomagnetism: the artificial single molecule magnet. H…
The electrical control of single spin qubits based on semiconductor quantum dots is of great interest for scalable quantum computing since electric fields provide an alternative mechanism for qubit control compared with magnetic fields and can also be easier to produce. Here we outline the mechanism for a drastic enhancement in the electrically-driven spin rotation frequency for silicon quantum dot qubits in the presence of a step at a hetero-interface. The enhancement is due to the strong coupling between the ground and excited states which occurs when the electron wave-function overcomes the…
We present magnetoresistance (MR) experiments on an InAs nanowire quantum dot device with two ferromagnetic sidegates (FSGs) in a split-gate geometry. The wire segment can be electrically tuned to a single dot or to a double dot regime using the FSGs and a backgate. In both regimes we find a strong MR and a sharp MR switching of up to 25\% at the field at which the magnetizations of the FSGs are inverted by the external field. The sign and amplitude of the MR and the MR switching can both be tuned electrically by the FSGs. In a double dot regime close to pinch-off we find {\it two} sharp trans…
GaAs/AlGaAs quantum dots grown by in-situ droplet etching and nanohole infilling offer a combination of strong charge confinement, optical efficiency, and spatial symmetry required for polarization entanglement and spin-photon interface. Here we study spin properties of such dots. We find nearly vanishing electron $g$-factor ($g_e<0.05$), providing a route for electrically driven spin control schemes. Optical manipulation of the nuclear spin environment is demonstrated with nuclear spin polarization up to $60\%$ achieved. NMR spectroscopy reveals the structure of two types of quantum dots and …
Non-adiabatic quantum effects, often experimentally observed in semiconductors nano-devices such as single-electron pumps operating at high frequencies, can result in undesirable and uncontrollable behaviour. However, when combined with the valley degree of freedom inherent to silicon, these unfavourable effects may be leveraged for quantum information processing schemes. By using an explicit time evolution of the Schrodinger equation, we study numerically non-adiabatic transitions between the two lowest valley states of an electron in a quantum dot formed in a SiGe/Si heterostructure. The pre…
Compact and electrically controllable on-chip sources of indistinguishable photons are desirable for the development of integrated quantum technologies. We demonstrate that two quantum dot light emitting diodes (LEDs) in close proximity on a single chip can function as a tunable, all-electric quantum light source. Light emitted by an electrically excited driving LED is used to excite quantum dots the neighbouring diode. The wavelength of the quantum dot emission from the neighbouring driven diode is tuned via the quantum confined Stark effect. We also show that we can electrically tune the fin…
We report on hole g-factor measurements in three terminal SiGe self-assembled quantum dot devices with a top gate electrode positioned very close to the nanostructure. Measurements of both the perpendicular as well as the parallel g-factor reveal significant changes for a small modulation of the top gate voltage. From the observed modulations we estimate that, for realistic experimental conditions, hole spins can be electrically manipulated with Rabi frequencies in the order of 100MHz. This work emphasises the potential of hole-based nano-devices for efficient spin manipulation by means of the…
Strong electron correlations and interference effects are discussed in parallel-coupled single-level and orbitally doubly degenerate quantum dots. The finite-U mean-field slave boson approach is used to study many-body effects. The analysis is carried out in a wide range of parameter space including both atomic-like and molecular-like Kondo regimes and taking into account various perturbations, like interdot tunneling, interdot interaction, mixing of the electrode channels and exchange interaction. We also discuss the influence of singularities of electronic structure and the impact of polariz…
We report on ambipolar gate-defined quantum dots in silicon on insulator (SOI) nanowires fabricated using a customised complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) process. The ambipolarity was achieved by extending a gate over an intrinsic silicon channel to both highly doped n-type and p-type terminals. We utilise the ability to supply ambipolar carrier reservoirs to the silicon channel to demonstrate an ability to reconfigurably define, with the same electrodes, double quantum dots with either holes or electrons. We use gate-based reflectometry to sense the inter-dot charge transition(IDT…
We consider the dynamic nuclear spin polarization (DNP) using two electrons in a double quantum dot in presence of external magnetic field and spin-orbit interaction, in various schemes of periodically repeated sweeps through the S-T+ avoided crossing. By treating the problem semi-classically, we find that generally the DNP have two distinct contributions - a geometrical polarization and a dynamic polarization, which have different dependence on the control parameters such as the sweep rates and waiting times in each period. Both terms show non-trivial dependence on those control parameter. We…
We study level mixing in the single particle energy spectrum of one of the constituent quantum dots in a vertical double quantum dot by performing magneto-resonant-tunneling spectroscopy. The device used in this study differs from previous vertical double quantum dot devices in that the single side gate is now split into four separate gates. Because of the presence of natural perturbations caused by anharmonicity and anistrophy, applying different combinations of voltages to these gates allows us to alter the effective potential landscape of the two dots and hence influence the level mixing. W…
We demonstrate tuning of single quantum dot emission lines by the combined action of the dynamic acoustic field of a radio frequency surface acoustic wave and a static electric field. Both tuning parameters are set all-electrically in a LiNbO$_{3}$-GaAs hybrid device. The surface acoustic wave is excited directly on the strong piezoelectric LiNbO$_{3}$ onto which a GaAs-based p-i-n photodiode containing a single layer of quantum dots was epitaxially transferred. We demonstrate dynamic spectral tuning with bandwidths exceeding 3 meV of single quantum dot emission lines due to deformation potent…
Recent experiments have demonstrated quantum manipulation of two-electron spin states in double quantum dots using electrically controlled exchange interactions. Here, we present a detailed theory for electron spin dynamics in two-electron double dot systems that was used to guide these experiments and analyze experimental results. The theory treats both charge and spin degrees of freedom on an equal basis. Specifically, we analyze the relaxation and dephasing mechanisms that are relevant to experiments and discuss practical approaches for quantum control of two-electron system. We show that b…
We study the spin-resolved transport properties of T-shaped double quantum dots coupled to ferromagnetic leads. Using the numerical renormalization group method, we calculate the linear conductance and the spin polarization of the current for various model parameters and at different temperatures. We show that an effective exchange field due to the presence of ferromagnets results in different conditions for Fano destructive interference in each spin channel. This spin dependence of the Fano effect leads to perfect spin polarization, the sign of which can be changed by tuning the dots' levels.…
We study theoretically the performance of electrically pumped self-organized quantum dots as a gain material in the mid-IR range at room temperature. We analyze an AlGaAs/InGaAs based structure composed of dots-in-a-well sandwiched between two quantum wells. We numerically analyze a comprehensive model by combining a many-particle approach for electronic dynamics with a realistic modeling of the electronic states in the whole structure. We investigate the gain both for quasi-equilibrium conditions and current injection. Comparing different structures we find that steady-state gain can only be …
Systems of photonic crystal cavities coupled to quantum dots are a promising architecture for quantum networking and quantum simulators. The ability to independently tune the frequencies of laterally separated quantum dots is a crucial component of such a scheme. Here, we demonstrate independent tuning of laterally separated quantum dots in photonic crystal cavities coupled by in-plane waveguides by implanting lines of protons which serve to electrically isolate different sections of a diode structure.
Spin-flip rates in GaAs quantum dots can be quite slow, thus opening up the possibilities to manipulate spin states in the dots. We present here estimations of inelastic spin-flip rates mediated by hyperfine interaction with nuclei. Under general assumptions the nucleus mediated rate is proportional to the phonon relaxation rate for the corresponding non-spin-flip transitions. The rate can be accelerated in the vicinity of a singlet-triplet excited states crossing. The small proportionality coefficient depends inversely on the number of nuclei in the quantum dot. We compare our results with kn…
Electrically tunable g-factors in quantum dots are highly desirable for applications in quantum computing and spintronics. We report giant modulation of the hole g-factor in a SiGe nanocrystal when an electric field is applied to the nanocrystal along its growth direction. We derive a contribution to the g-factor that stems from an orbital effect of the magnetic field, which lifts the Kramers degeneracy in the nanocrystal by altering the mixing between the heavy and the light holes. We show that the relative displacement between the heavy- and light-hole wave functions, occurring upon applicat…
We study ground states and excited states in semiconductor quantum dots containing 1 to 12 electrons. For the first time, it is possible to identify the quantum numbers of the states in the excitation spectra and make a direct comparison to exact calculations. A magnetic field induces transitions between excited states and ground state. These transitions are discussed in terms of crossings between single-particle states, singlet-triplet transitions, spin polarization, and Hund's rule. Our impurity-free quantum dots allow for atomic physics experiments in magnetic field regimes not accessible f…
The non-Abelian braiding of Majorana fermions is one of the most promising operations providing a key building block for the realization of topological quantum computation. Recently, the chiral Majorana fermions were observed in a hybrid junction btween a quantum anomalous Hall insulator and an s-wave superconductor. Here we show that if a quantum dot or Majorana zero mode couples to the chiral Majorana fermions, the resulting resonant exchange of chiral Majorana fermions can lead to the non-Abelian braiding. Remarkably, any operation in the braid group can be achieved by this scheme. We furth…
An idea of employing the Landau-Zener-Stückelberg-Majorana (LZSM) dynamics to flip a spin of a single ground state hole is introduced and explored by a time-dependent simulation. This configuration interaction study considers a hole confined in a quantum molecule formed in InSb $\langle111\rangle$ quantum wire by application of an electrostatic potential. An up-down spin-mixing avoided crossing is formed by non-axial terms in the Kohn-Luttinger Hamiltonian and the Dresselhaus spin-orbit one. Manipulation of the system is possible by dynamic change of external vertical electric field, which ena…
In this paper, we investigate the impact of gating potential and magnetic field on phonon induced spin relaxation rate and the speed of the electrically driven single-qubit operations inside the InSb nanowire spin qubit. We show that a strong $g$ factor and high magnetic field strength lead to the prevailing influence of electron-phonon scattering due to deformation potential, considered irrelevant for materials with a weak $g$ factor, like GaAs or Si/SiGe. In this regime, we find that spin relaxation between qubit states is significantly suppressed due to the confinement perpendicular to the …
We calculate the orbital magnetization of single and double quantum dots coupled both by Coulomb interaction and by electron tunneling. The electronic states of the quantum dots are calculated in a tight-binding model and the magnetization is discussed in relation to the energy spectrum and to the edge and bulk states. We identify effects of chirality of the electronic orbits and of the anti-crossing of the energy levels when the magnetic field is varied. We also consider the effects of detuning the energy spectra of the quantum dots by an external gate potential. We compare our results with t…
