Charge qubits can be created and manipulated in solid-state double-quantum-dot (DQD) platforms. Typically, these systems are strongly affected by quantum noise stemming from coupling to substrate phonons. This is usually assumed to lead to decoherence towards steady states that are diagonal in the energy eigenbasis. In this article we show, to the contrary, that due to the presence of phonons the equilibrium steady state of the DQD charge qubit spontaneously exhibits coherence in the energy eigenbasis with high purity. The magnitude and phase of the coherence can be controlled by tuning the Hamiltonian parameters of the qubit. The coherence is also robust to presence of fermionic leads. In addition, we show that this steady-state coherence can be used to drive an auxiliary cavity mode coupled to the DQD.
We present a solid state thermal machine based on quantum dots to generate steady-state entanglement between distant spins. Unlike previous approaches our system is controlled by experimentally feasible steady state currents manipulated by dc voltages. By analyzing the Liouvillian eigenspectrum as a function of the control parameters, we show that our device operates over a large voltage region. As an extension, the proposed device also works as an entanglement thermal machine under a temperature gradient that can even give rise to entanglement at zero voltage bias. Finally, we highlight a pos…
The protection of qubit coherence is an essential task in order to build a practical quantum computer able to manipulate, store and read quantum information with a high degree of fidelity. Recently, it has been proposed to increase the operation time of a qubit by means of strong pulses to achieve a dynamical decoupling of the qubit from its environment. We propose and demonstrate a simple and highly efficient alternative pulse protocol based on Floquet modes, which increases the decoherence time in a number of materials with different spin Hamiltonians and environments. We demonstrate the reg…
Electrically controllable quantum coherence in quantum dot clusters and arrays based on graphene stripes with zigzag atomic edges (ZZ-stripes) is studied using the Dirac equation and S-matrix technique. We find that respective multiqubit circuits promise stable operation up to room temperatures when the coherence time is prolonged up by a few orders of magnitude through the intrinsic spectral narrowing owing to electron transport between at bands in adjacent sections. Respectively, the coupling of qubits to a noisy environment is diminished, while the inelastic electron-phonon scattering is su…
We introduce a superconducting qubit architecture that combines high-coherence qubits and tunable qubit-qubit coupling. With the ability to set the coupling to zero, we demonstrate that this architecture is protected from the frequency crowding problems that arise from fixed coupling. More importantly, the coupling can be tuned dynamically with nanosecond resolution, making this architecture a versatile platform with applications ranging from quantum logic gates to quantum simulation. We illustrate the advantages of dynamic coupling by implementing a novel adiabatic controlled-Z gate, at a spe…
We theoretically study domain wall oscillations upon the injection of a dc current through a geometrically constrained wire with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The oscillation frequency spectrum can be tuned by the injected current density, but additionally by the application of an external magnetic field independent of the power. The results of analytical calculations are supported by micromagnetic simulations based on the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation. The simple concept of our localized steady-state oscillator might prove useful as a nanoscale microwave generator with possible applic…
In this work, we study a series of tunable flux qubits inductively coupled to a coplanar waveguide resonator fabricated on a sapphire substrate. Each qubit includes an asymmetric superconducting quantum interference device which is controlled by the application of an external magnetic field and acts as a tunable Josephson junction. The tunability of the qubits is typically $\pm 3.5$ GHz around their central gap frequency. The measured relaxation times are limited by dielectric losses in the substrate and can attain $T_{1}\sim 8 μs$. The echo dephasing times are limited by flux noise even at op…
Controlling the properties of materials by driving them out of equilibrium is an exciting prospect that has only recently begun to be explored. In this paper we give a striking theoretical example of such materials design: a tunable gap in monolayer graphene is generated by exciting a particular optical phonon. We show that the system reaches a steady state whose transport properties are the same as if the system had a static electronic gap, controllable by the driving amplitude. Moreover, the steady state displays topological phenomena: there are chiral edge currents, which circulate a fracti…
We show that quantum coherence can enhance the performance of a continuous quantum heat engine in the Lindblad description. We investigate the steady-state solutions of the particle-exchanging quantum heat engine, composed of degenerate double quantum dots coupled to two heat baths in parallel, where quantum coherence may be induced due to interference between relaxation channels. We find that the engine power can be enhanced by the coherence in the nonlinear response regime, when the symmetry of coupling configurations between dots and two baths is broken. In the symmetric case, the coherence…
We established a theoretical framework in terms of the curl flux, population landscape, and coherence for non-equilibrium quantum systems at steady state, through exploring the energy and charge transport in molecular processes. The curl quantum flux plays the key role in determining transport properties and the system reaches equilibrium when flux vanishes. The novel curl quantum flux reflects the degree of non-equilibriumness and the time-irreversibility. We found an analytical expression for the quantum flux and its relationship to the environmental pumping (non-equilibriumness quantified b…
We theoretically investigate the full time evolution of a nonequilibrium double quantum dot structure from initial conditions corresponding to different product states (no entanglement between dot and lead) to a nonequilibrium steady state. The structure is described by a two-level spinless Anderson model where the levels are coupled to two leads held at different chemical potentials. The problem is solved by a numerically exact hierarchical master equation technique and the results are compared to approximate ones obtained from Born-Markov theory. The methods allow us to study the time evolut…
Results are presented for an open Floquet topological system represented by Dirac fermions coupled to a circularly polarized laser and an external reservoir. It is shown that when the separation between quasi-energy bands becomes small, and comparable to the coupling strength to the reservoir, the reduced density matrix in the Floquet basis, even at steady-state, has non-zero off-diagonal elements, with the magnitude of the off-diagonal elements increasing with the strength of the coupling to the reservoir. In contrast, the coupling to the reservoir only weakly affects the diagonal elements, h…
A key challenge in quantum computation is the implementation of fast and local qubit control while simultaneously maintaining coherence. Qubits based on hole spins offer, through their strong spin-orbit interaction, a way to implement fast quantum gates. Strikingly, for hole spins in one-dimensional germanium and silicon devices, the spin-orbit interaction has been predicted to be exceptionally strong yet highly tunable with gate voltages. Such electrical control would make it possible to switch on demand between qubit idling and manipulation modes. Here, we demonstrate ultrafast and universal…
We study a superconducting single-charge transistor, where the coherence of Cooper pair tunneling is destroyed by the coupling to a tunable dissipative environment. Sequential tunneling and cotunneling processes are analyzed to construct the shape of the conductance peaks and their dependence on the dissipation and temperature. Unexpected features are found due to a cross-over between two distinct regimes, one `environment-assisted' the other `environment-dominated'. Several of the predictions have been confirmed by recent experiments. The model and results apply also to the dynamics of Joseph…
We discuss a simple quantum thermal machine for the generation of steady-state entanglement between two interacting qubits. The machine is autonomous in the sense that it uses only incoherent interactions with thermal baths, but no source of coherence or external control. By weakly coupling the qubits to thermal baths at different temperatures, inducing a heat current through the system, steady-state entanglement is generated far from thermal equilibrium. Finally, we discuss two possible implementations, using superconducting flux qubits or a semiconductor double quantum dot. Experimental pros…
Solid state quantum condensates often differ from previous examples of condensates (such as Helium, ultra-cold atomic gases, and superconductors) in that the quasiparticles condensing have relatively short lifetimes, and so as for lasers, external pumping is required to maintain a steady state. On the other hand, compared to lasers, the quasiparticles are generally more strongly interacting, and therefore better able to thermalise. This leads to questions of how to describe such non-equilibrium condensates, and their relation to equilibrium condensates and lasers. This chapter discusses in det…
We investigate the stability and coherence properties of one-dimensional exciton-polariton condensates under nonresonant pumping. We model the condensate dynamics using the open-dissipative Gross-Pitaevskii equation. In the case of spatially homogeneous pumping, we find that the instability of the steady state leads to significant eduction of the coherence length. We consider two effects that can lead to the stabilization of the steady state, i.e. the polariton energy relaxation and the influence of an inhomogeneous pumping profile. We find that, while the former has little effect on the stabi…
The existence of vacuum fluctuations is one of the most important predictions of modern quantum field theory. In the vacuum state, fluctuations occurring at different frequencies are uncorrelated. However, if a parameter in the Lagrangian of the field is modulated by an external pump, vacuum fluctuations stimulate spontaneous downconversion processes, creating squeezing between modes symmetric with respect to half of the frequency of the pump. Here we show that by double parametric pumping of a superconducting microwave cavity, it is possible to generate another fundamental type of correlation…
Engineered quantum systems allow us to observe phenomena that are not easily accessible naturally. The LEGO-like nature of superconducting circuits makes them particularly suited for building and coupling artificial atoms. Here, we introduce an artificial molecule, composed of two strongly coupled fluxonium atoms, which possesses a tunable magnetic moment. Using an applied external flux, one can tune the molecule between two regimes: one in which the ground-excited state manifold has a magnetic dipole moment and one in which the ground-excited state manifold has only a magnetic quadrupole mome…
We study macroscopic quantum coherence in antiferromagnetic molecular magnets in the presence of magnetic fields. Such fields generate artificial tunnel barriers with externally tunable strength. We give detailed semi-classical predictions for the tunnel splitting in various regimes for low and high magnetic fields. We show that the tunneling dynamics of the Neel vector can be directly measured via the static magnetization and the specific heat. We also report on a new quantum phase arising from fluctuations. The analytic results are complemented by numerical simulations.
Two quantum dots with tunable mutual tunnel coupling have been embedded in a two-terminal Aharonov-Bohm geometry. Aharonov-Bohm oscillations are investigated in the cotunneling regime. Visibilities of more than 0.8 are measured indicating that phase-coherent processes are involved in the elastic and inelastic cotunneling. An oscillation-phase change of pi is detected as a function of bias voltage at the inelastic cotunneling onset.
We experimentally demonstrate quantum coherent dynamics of a triple-dot-based multi-electron hybrid qubit. Pulsed experiments show that this system can be conveniently initialized, controlled, and measured electrically, and has good coherence time as compared to gate time. Furthermore, the current multi-electron hybrid qubit has an operation frequency that is tunable in a wide range, from 2 to about 15 GHz. We provide qualitative understandings of the experimental observations by mapping it onto a three-electron system, and compare it with the double dot hybrid qubit and the all-exchange tripl…
We propose an implementation of a singlet-only spin qubit in a GaAs-based triple quantum dot with a (1,4,1) charge occupation. In the central multi-electron dot, the interplay between Coulomb interaction and an out-of-plane magnetic field creates an energy spectrum with a tunable singlet-triplet splitting, which can be exploited to create a six-particle singlet-only qubit with a qubit splitting that can straightforwardly be tuned over tens of $μ$eV by adjusting the external magnetic field. We confirm the full exchange-based electric control of the qubit and demonstrate its superior coherence p…
A pedagogical introduction to matrix Green's function, focusing on its application to steady state transport through discrete-level quantum systems. Topics covered in the notes: 1. Retarded Green's function, spectral function and density of states 2. LCR system 3. Green's function and spectral function of LCR systems 4. Landauer formula and transmission coefficient 5. Semi-infinite tight-binding leads and wide-band limit 6. Linear conductance at zero temperature 7. Steady state current in a quantum dot: resonance and coherence 8. Steady state current across a tight-binding chain: metal-insulat…
We investigate two-dimensional hole transport in GaSb quantum wells at cryogenic temperatures using gate-tunable devices. Measurements probing the valence band structure of GaSb unveil a significant spin splitting of the ground subband induced by spin-orbit coupling. We characterize the carrier densities, effective masses and quantum scattering times of these spin-split subbands and find that the results are in agreement with band structure calculations. Additionally, we study the weak anti-localization correction to the conductivity present around zero magnetic field and obtain information on…
Two transversely coupled and resonant qubits form symmetric and antisymmetric states as their eigenstates. In this paper, we show that parametric modulation of an individual qubit enables direct Rabi swapping between the two states. Its application to setup a $Λ$-type system with a pair of strongly coupled superconducting transmon qubits is discussed. The excited state is made of the symmetric state and the metastable state is the antisymmetric state. The coherence of the metastable state is only limited by the pure dephasing mechanism. Based on this scheme, $Λ$-type electromagnetically induce…
We experimentally demonstrate a tunable hybrid qubit in a five-electron GaAs double quantum dot. The qubit is encoded in the (1,4) charge regime of the double dot and can be manipulated completely electrically. More importantly, dot anharmonicity leads to quasiparallel energy levels and a new anticrossing, which help preserve quantum coherence of the qubit and yield a useful working point. We have performed Larmor precession and Ramsey fringe experiments near the new working point and find that the qubit decoherence time is significantly improved over a charge qubit. This work shows a new way …
The steady current-voltage characteristics of ferromagnet-silicon-ferromagnet channels with tunable emitter and collector polarizations are investigated in the presence of spin blockade generalizing the model developed by Pershin Yu V and Di Ventra M (2008 {\it Phys. Rev.} B {\bf 77} 073301). The dependence of the critical current on both collector and emitter polarizations is obtained analytically. It is found that the current amplitude in the channel can be effectively tuned by varying the difference between the collector and emitter ferromagnet polarizations which allows to perform the magn…
Electron interferometry with quantum Hall edge channels holds promise for probing and harnessing exotic exchange statistics of non-Abelian anyons. In semiconductor heterostructures, however, quantum Hall interferometry has proven challenging and often obscured by charging effects. Here we show that high-mobility monolayer graphene equipped with a series of gate-tunable quantum point contacts that act as electron beam-splitters provides a model system to perform Fabry-Pérot quantum Hall interferometry. We observe high-visibility Aharonov-Bohm interference free of charging effects and widely tun…
Dissipation is ubiquitous in quantum systems, and its interplay with fluctuations is critical to maintaining quantum coherence. We experimentally investigate the dissipation dynamics in single-walled carbon nanotubes coupled to superconductors. The voltage-current characteristics display gate-tunable hysteresis, with sizes that perfectly correlate with the normal state resistance RN, indicating the junction undergoes a periodic modulation between underdamped and overdamped regimes. Surprisingly, when a device's Fermi-level is tuned through a local conductance minimum, we observe a gate-control…
Extremely long coherence times, excellent single-qubit gate fidelities and two-qubit logic have been demonstrated with silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor spin qubits, making it one of the leading platforms for quantum information processing. Despite this, a long-standing challenge in this system has been the demonstration of tunable tunnel coupling between single electrons. Here we overcome this hurdle with gate-defined quantum dots and show couplings that can be tuned on and off for quantum operations. We use charge sensing to discriminate between the (2,0) and (1,1) charge states of a double …
Twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) realizes a highly tunable, strongly interacting system featuring superconductivity and various correlated insulating states. We establish gate-defined wires in TBG with proximity-induced spin-orbit coupling as $(i)$ a tool for revealing the nature of correlated insulators and $(ii)$ a platform for Majorana-based topological qubits. In particular, we show that the band structure of a gate-defined wire immersed in an `inter-valley coherent' correlated insulator inherits electrically detectable fingerprints of symmetry breaking native to the latter. Surrounding the …
We present comprehensive results on the edge-mode velocities in a quantum Hall droplet with realistic interaction and confinement at various filling fractions. We demonstrate that the charge-mode velocity scales roughly with the valence Landau level filling fraction and the Coulomb energy in the corresponding Landau level. At Landau level filling fraction nu = 5/2, the stark difference between the bosonic charge-mode velocity and the fermionic neutral-mode velocity can manifest itself in the thermal smearing of the non-Abelian quasiparticle interference. We estimate the dependence of the coher…
We discuss a practical design for tunably coupling a pair of flux qubits via the quantum inductance of a third high-frequency qubit. The design is particularly well suited for realizing a recently proposed microwave-induced parametric coupling scheme. This is attractive because the qubits can always remain at their optimal points. Furthermore, we will show that the resulting coupling also has an optimal point where it is insensitive to low-frequency flux noise. This is an important feature for the coherence of coupled qubits. The presented scheme is an experimentally realistic way of carrying …
Quantum dots realized in InAs are versatile systems to study the effect of spin-orbit interaction on the spin coherence, as well as the possibility to manipulate single spins using an electric field. We present transport measurements on quantum dots realized in InAs nanowires. Lithographically defined top-gates are used to locally deplete the nanowire and to form tunneling barriers. By using three gates, we can form either single quantum dots, or two quantum dots in series along the nanowire. Measurements of the stability diagrams for both cases show that this method is suitable for producing …
The decoherence rate of a quantum dot coupled to a fluctuating environment described by a normal-metal superconductor junction is considered. The density-density correlator at low frequencies constitutes the kernel which enters the calculation of the phase coherence time. The density fluctuations are connected to the finite frequency current-current correlations in the point contact via the continuity equation. Below and above the gap, at zero temperature the density correlator contains spatial oscillations at half of the Fermi wave length on the normal side. As the bias crosses the supercondu…
Absorption refrigerators transfer thermal energy from a cold reservoir to a hot reservoir using input energy from a third, so-called work reservoir. We examine the operation of quantum absorption refrigerators when coherences between eigenstates survive in the steady state limit. In our model, the working medium comprises a discrete, four-level system. We manifest that eigenbasis quantum coherences within this system generally suppress the cooling current in the refrigerator, while minimally affecting the coefficient of performance (cooling efficiency). We rationalize the behavior of the four-…
