The recent realization of coherent single-electron sources in ballistic conductors let us envision performing time-resolved electronic interferometry experiments analogous to quantum optics experiments.One could eventually use propagating electronic excitations as flying qubits. However an important missing brick is the single-shot electron detection which would enable a complete quantum information operation with flying qubits. Here, we propose and discuss the design of a single charge detector able to achieve in-flight detection of electron flying qubits. Its sub-electron sensitivity would allow the detection of the fractionally charged flying anyons of the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect and would enable the detection of anyonic statistics using coincidence measurements.
The progress of charge manipulation in semiconductor-based nanoscale devices opened up a novel route to realise a flying qubit with a single electron. In the present review, we introduce the concept of these electron flying qubits, discuss their most promising realisations and show how numerical simulations are applicable to accelerate experimental development cycles. Addressing the technological challenges of flying qubits that are currently faced by academia and quantum enterprises, we underline the relevance of interdisciplinary cooperation to move emerging quantum industry forward. The rev…
We propose a procedure for transferring the state a microwave qubit via a transmission line from one resonator to another resonator, with a theoretical efficiency arbitrarily close to 100%. The emission and capture of the microwave energy is performed using tunable couplers, whose transmission coefficients vary in time. Using the superconducting phase qubit technology and tunable couplers with maximum coupling of 100 MHz, the procedure with theoretical efficiency $η=0.999$ requires a duration of about 400 ns (excluding propagation time) and an ON/OFF ratio of 45. The procedure may also be used…
We consider the phase-coherent transport of electrons passing through an Aharonov-Bohm ring while interacting with a tunnel charge in a double quantum dot (representing a charge qubit) which couples symmetrically to both arms of the ring. For Aharonov-Bohm flux Phi_AB=h/2e we find that electrons can only be transmitted when they flip the charge qubit's pseudospin parity an odd number of times. The perfect correlations of the dynamics of the pseudospin and individual electronic transmission and reflection events can be used to entangle the charge qubit with an individual passing electron.
We investigate experimentally the capacitive coupling between a two-electron spin qubit and flying electrons propagating in quantum Hall edge channels. We demonstrate that the qubit is an ultrasensitive and fast charge detector with the potential to allow single shot detection of a single flying electron. This work opens the route towards quantum electron optics at the single electron level above the Fermi sea.
We investigate whether a two-qubit quantum gate can be implemented in a scattering process involving a flying and a static qubit. To this end, we focus on a paradigmatic setup made out of a mobile particle and a quantum impurity, whose respective spin degrees of freedom couple to each other during a one-dimensional scattering process. Once a condition for the occurrence of quantum gates is derived in terms of spin-dependent transmission coefficients, we show that this can be actually fulfilled through the insertion of an additional narrow potential barrier. An interesting observation is that u…
While the coherent control of two level quantum systems ---qubits--- is now standard, their continuum electronic equivalents ---flying qubits--- are much less developed. A first step in this direction has been achieved in DC interferometry experiments. Here, we propose a simple setup to perform the second step, the spectroscopy of these flying qubits, by measuring the DC response to a high frequency AC voltage drive. Using two different concurring approaches --- Floquet theory and time-dependent simulations --- and three different models --- an analytical model, a simple microscopic model and …
A weakly bound electron in a semiconductor quantum wire is shown to become entangled with an itinerant electron via the coulomb interaction. The degree of entanglement and its variation with energy of the injected electron, may be tuned by choice of spin and initial momentum. Full entanglement is achieved close to energies where there are spin-dependent resonances. Possible realisations of related device structures are discussed.
Solid-state approaches to quantum information technology are attractive because they are scalable. The coherent transport of quantum information over large distances, as required for a practical quantum computer, has been demonstrated by coupling solid-state qubits to photons1. As an alternative approach for a spin-based quantum computer, single electrons have also been transferred between distant quantum dots in times faster than their coherence time2, 3. However, there have been no demonstrations to date of techniques that can coherently transfer scalable qubits and perform quantum operation…
Hybrid architectures, consisting of conventional and topological qubits, have recently attracted much attention due to their capability in consolidating the robustness of topological qubits and the universality of conventional qubits. However, these two kinds of qubits are normally constructed in significantly different energy scales, and thus this energy mismatch is a major obstacle for their coupling that supports the exchange of quantum information between them. Here, we propose a microwave photonic quantum bus for a direct strong coupling between the topological and conventional qubits, in…
We show that the state of a flying qubit may be transferred to a chain of identical, (near) ferromagnetically polarised, but non-interacting, static spin-1/2 particles in a passive way. During this process the flying qubit is coherently polarised, emerging in the direction of the majority static spins. We also show that this process is reversible for at least two flying qubits injected sequentially and thus has the potential to be exploited as a passive quantum memory to encode the flying qubits without the necessity of resetting between successive encoding operations. We show that the quantum…
Controlling photon emission by single quantum emitters with nanostructures is crucial for scalable on-chip quantum information processing. Nowadays nanoresonators can affect the lifetime of emitters and ultimately induce strong coupling between the emitters and the light field, while nanoantennas can control the directionality of the emission. Expanding this control to the manipulation of the emission of orbital angular momentum-changing transitions would enable coupling between long-lived solid-state qubits and flying qubits. As these transitions are associated with circular rather than linea…
We discuss an electronic interferometer recently measured by Yamamoto et al. This "flying quantum bit" experiment showed quantum oscillations between electronic trajectories of two tunnel-coupled wires connected via an Aharanov-Bohm ring. We present a simple scattering model as well as a numerical microscopic model to describe this experiment. In addition, we present new experimental data to which we confront our numerical results. While our analytical model provides basic concepts for designing the flying qubit device, we find that our numerical simulations allow to reproduce detailed feature…
We consider a one-dimensional (1D) structure where non-interacting spin-$s$ scattering centers, such as quantum impurities or multi-level atoms, are embedded at given positions. We show that the injection into the structure of unpolarized flying qubits, such as electrons or photons, along with {path} detection suffice to accomplish spin-state teleportation between two centers via a third ancillary one. {No action over the internal quantum state of both the spin-$s$ particles and the flying qubits is required. The protocol enables the transfer of quantum information between well-seperated stati…
We propose a method of generating fully entangled electron spin pairs using an open static quantum dot and a moving quantum dot, realized by the propagation of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) along a quasi-one-dimensional channel in a semiconductor heterostructure. In particular, we consider a static dot (SD) loaded with two interacting electrons in a singlet state and demonstrate a mechanism which enables the moving SAW-dot to capture and carry along one of the electrons, hence yielding a fully entangled static-flying pair. We also show how with the same mechanism we can load the SD with one or…
Entanglement can be generated by two electrons in a spin-zero state on a semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotube. The two electrons, one weakly bound in a shallow well in the conduction band, and the other injected into the conduction band, are coupled by the Coulomb interaction. Both transmission and entanglement are dependent on the well characteristics, which can be controlled by a local gate, and on the kinetic energy of the injected electron. Regimes with different degrees of electron correlation exhibit full or partial entanglement. In the latter case, the maximum entanglement can b…
We investigate experimentally the capacitive coupling between a two-electron singlet-triplet spin qubit and flying electrons propagating in quantum Hall edge channels. After calibration of the spin qubit detector, we assess its charge sensibility and demonstrate experimentally the detection of less than five flying electrons with average measurement. This experiment demonstrates that the spin qubit is an ultrasensitive and fast charge detector with the perspective of a future single shot-detection of a single flying electron. This work opens the route toward quantum electron optics experiments…
We consider the relaxation of a spin qubit in a quantum dot propagating as a whole in a one-dimensional semiconductor with hyperfine coupling. We show that this motion leads to qualitatively new features in this process compared to static quantum dots. For a fast straightforward motion, the initial spin density decreases to zero with the relaxation rate independent of the spatial spread of the electron wave function and inversely proportional to the electron speed. However, for the oscillatory motion, the qubit acquires memory, and the dephasing becomes Gaussian rather than exponential. After …
We develop a coherent beam splitter for single electrons driven through two tunnel-coupled quantum wires by surface acoustic waves (SAWs). The output current through each wire oscillates with gate voltages to tune the tunnel-coupling and potential difference between the wires. This oscillation is assigned to coherent electron tunneling motion that can be used to encode a flying qubit and is well reproduced by numerical calculations of time evolution of the SAW-driven single electrons. The oscillation visibility is currently limited to about 3%, but robust against decoherence, indicating that t…
We consider a model of a detector of ballistic electrons at the edge of a two-dimensional electron gas in the integer quantum Hall regime. The electron is detected by capacitive coupling to a gate which is also coupled to a passive RC circuit. Using a quantum description of this circuit, we determine the signal over noise ratio of the detector in term of the detector characteristics. The back-action of the detector on the incident wavepacket is then computed using a Feynman-Vernon influence functional approach. Using information theory, we define the appropriate notion of quantum limit for suc…
Spin and orbital freedoms of electrons traveling on spin-resolved quantum Hall edge states (quantum Hall ferromagnets) are maximally entangled. The unitary operations on these two freedoms are hence equivalent, which means one can manipulate the spins with non-magnetic methods through the orbitals. If one takes the quantization axis of spins along the magnetization axis, the zenith angle is determined by the partition rate of spin-separated edges while the azimuth angle is defined as the phase difference between the edges. Utilizing these properties, we have realized electrically controlled un…
The control of "flying" (or moving) spin qubits is an important functionality for the manipulation and exchange of quantum information between remote locations on a chip. Typically, gates based on electric or magnetic fields provide the necessary perturbation for their control either globally or at well-defined locations. Here, we demonstrate the dynamic control of moving electron spins via contactless gates that move together with the spin. The concept is realized using electron spins trapped and transported by moving potential dots defined by a surface acoustic wave (SAW). The SAW strain at …
We propose a setup comprising an arbitrarily large array of static qubits (SQs), which interact with a flying qubit (FQ). The SQs work as a quantum register, which can be written or read-out by means of the FQ through quantum state transfer (QST). The entire system, including the FQ's motional degrees of freedom, behaves quantum mechanically. We demonstrate a strategy allowing for selective QST between the FQ and a single SQ chosen from the register. This is achieved through a perfect mirror located beyond the SQs and suitable modulation of the inter-SQ distances.
We perform a nonperturbative analysis of a charge qubit in a double quantum dot structure coupled to its detector. We show that strong detector-dot interaction tends to slow down and halt coherent oscillations. The transitions to a classical and a low-temperature quantum overdamping (Zeno) regime are studied. In the latter, the physics of the dissipative phase transition competes with the effective shot noise.
A better understanding of the noise causing qubit decoherence is crucial for improving qubit performance. The noise spectrum affecting the qubit may be extracted by measuring dephasing under the application of pulse sequences but requires accurate qubit control and sufficiently long relaxation times, which are not always available. Here, we describe an alternative method to extract the spectrum from correlations of single-shot measurement outcomes of successive free induction decays. This method only requires qubit initialization and readout with a moderate fidelity and also allows independent…
We consider electron spin qubits in quantum dots and define a measurement efficiency e to characterize reliable measurements via n-shot read outs. We propose various implementations based on a double dot and quantum point contact (QPC) and show that the associated efficiencies e vary between 50% and 100%, allowing single-shot read out in the latter case. We model the read out microscopically and derive its time dynamics in terms of a generalized master equation, calculate the QPC current and show that it allows spin read out under realistic conditions.
Determination of qubit initialisation and measurement fidelity is important for the overall performance of a quantum computer. However, the method by which it is calculated in semiconductor qubits varies between experiments. In this paper we present a full theoretical analysis of electronic single-shot readout and describe critical parameters to achieve high fidelity readout. In particular, we derive a model for energy selective state readout based on a charge detector response and examine how to optimise the fidelity by choosing correct experimental parameters. Although we focus on single ele…
Ultrafast initialization enables fault-tolerant processing of quantum information while QND readout enables scalable quantum computation. By spatially assembling photon resonators and wave-guides around an n-doped nanodot and by temporally designing optical pump pulses, an efficient quantum pathway can be established from an electron spin to a charged exciton to a cavity photon and finally to a flying photon in the waveguide. Such control of vacuum-nanodot coupling can be exploited for ultrafast initialization and QND readout of the spin, which are particularly compatible with the optically dr…
The recent development of hybrid systems based on superconducting circuits has opened up the possibility of engineering sensors of quanta of different degrees of freedom. Quantum magnonics, which aims to control and read out quanta of collective spin excitations in magnetically-ordered systems, furthermore provides unique opportunities for advances in both the study of magnetism and the development of quantum technologies. Using a superconducting qubit as a quantum sensor, we report the detection of a single magnon in a millimeter-sized ferromagnetic crystal with a quantum efficiency of up to~…
Electrons in a metal are indistinguishable particles that strongly interact with other electrons and their environment. Isolating and detecting a single flying electron after propagation to perform quantum optics like experiments at the single electron level is therefore a challenging task. Up to date, only few experiments have been performed in a high mobility two-dimensional electron gas where the electron propagates almost ballistically. Flying electrons were detected via the current generated by an ensemble of electrons and electron correlations were encrypted in the current noise. Here we…
We propose and demonstrate a new read-out technique for a superconducting qubit by dispersively coupling it to a Josephson parametric oscillator. We employ a tunable quarter-wavelength superconducting resonator and modulate its resonant frequency at twice its value with an amplitude surpassing the threshold for parametric instability. We map the qubit states onto two distinct states of classical parametric oscillation: one oscillating state, with $185\pm15$ photons in the resonator, and one with zero oscillation amplitude. This high contrast obviates a following quantum-limited amplifier. We d…
A critical element towards the realization of scalable quantum processors is non-local coupling between nodes. Scaling connectivity beyond nearest-neighbor interactions requires the implementation of a mediating interaction often termed a 'quantum bus'. Cavity photons have long been used as a bus by the superconducting qubit community, but it has only recently been demonstrated that spin-based qubits in double quantum dot architectures can reach the strong coupling regime and exhibit spin-spin interactions via the exchange of real or virtual photons. Two-qubit gate operations are predicted in …
We analyze three different post-processing methods applied to a single-shot qubit readout: the average-signal (boxcar filter), peak-signal, and maximum-likelihood methods. In contrast to previous work, we account for a stochastic turn-on time $t_i$ associated with the leading edge of a pulse signaling one of the qubit states. This model is relevant to spin-qubit readouts based on spin-to-charge conversion and would be generically reached in the limit of large signal-to-noise ratio $r$ for several other physical systems, including fluorescence-based readouts of ion-trap qubits and nitrogen-vaca…
A key ingredient for a quantum network is an interface between stationary quantum bits and photons, which act as flying qubits for interactions and communication. Photonic crystal architectures are promising platforms for enhancing the coupling of light to solid state qubits. Quantum dots can be integrated into a photonic crystal, with optical transitions coupling to photons and spin states forming a long-lived quantum memory. Many researchers have now succeeded in coupling these emitters to photonic crystal cavities, but there have been no demonstrations of a functional spin qubit and quantum…
We use the electronic spin of a single Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) defect in diamond to observe the real-time evolution of neighboring single nuclear spins under ambient conditions. Using a diamond sample with a natural abundance of $^{13}$C isotopes, we first demonstrate high fidelity initialization and single-shot readout of an individual $^{13}$C nuclear spin. By including the intrinsic $^{14}$N nuclear spin of the NV defect in the quantum register, we then report the simultaneous observation of quantum jumps linked to both nuclear spin species, providing an efficient initialization of the two qu…
We report single-shot readout of a superconducting flux qubit by using a flux-driven Josephson parametric amplifier (JPA). After optimizing the readout power, gain of the JPA and timing of the data acquisition, we observe the Rabi oscillations with a contrast of 74% which is mainly limited by the bandwidth of the JPA and the energy relaxation of the qubit. The observation of quantum jumps between the qubit eigenstates under continuous monitoring indicates the nondestructiveness of the readout scheme.
The coherent coupling of flying photonic qubits to stationary matter-based qubits is an essential building block for quantum communication networks. We show how such a quantum interface can be realized between a traveling-wave optical field and the polarized nuclear spins in a singly charged quantum dot strongly coupled to a high-finesse optical cavity. By adiabatically eliminating the electron a direct effective coupling is achieved. Depending on the laser field applied, interactions that enable either write-in or read-out are obtained.
For solid-state spin qubits, single-gate RF readout can help minimise the number of gates required for scale-up to many qubits since the readout sensor can integrate into the existing gates required to manipulate the qubits (Veldhorst 2017, Pakkiam 2018). However, a key requirement for a scalable quantum computer is that we must be capable of resolving the qubit state within single-shot, that is, a single measurement (DiVincenzo 2000). Here we demonstrate single-gate, single-shot readout of a singlet-triplet spin state in silicon, with an average readout fidelity of $82.9\%$ at a $3.3~\text{kH…
Single-shot read-out of individual qubits is typically the slowest process among the elementary single- and two-qubit operations required for quantum information processing. Here, we use resonance fluorescence from a single-electron charged quantum dot to read-out the spin-qubit state in 800 nanoseconds with a fidelity exceeding 80%. Observation of the spin evolution on longer timescales reveals quantum jumps of the spin state: we use the experimentally determined waiting-time distribution to characterize the quantum jumps. Embedding a quantum dot in a photonic nanostructure could be used to e…
A cavity coupling a charged nanodot and a fiber can act as a quantum interface, through which a stationary spin qubit and a flying photon qubit can be inter-converted via cavity-assisted Raman process. This Raman process can be controlled to generate or annihilate an arbitrarily shaped single-photon wavepacket by pulse-shaping the controlling laser field. This quantum interface forms the basis for many essential functions of a quantum network, including sending, receiving, transferring, swapping, and entangling qubits at distributed quantum nodes as well as a deterministic source and an effici…
We propose a new scheme for quantum computation using flying qubits--propagating photons in a one-dimensional waveguide--interacting with matter qubits. Photon-photon interactions are mediated by the coupling to a three- or four-level system, based on which photon-photon π-phase gates (Controlled-NOT) can be implemented for universal quantum computation. We show that high gate fidelity is possible given recent dramatic experimental progress in superconducting circuits and photonic-crystal waveguides. The proposed system can be an important building block for future on-chip quantum networks.
In this chapter we review the use of spins in optically-active InAs quantum dots as the key physical building block for constructing a quantum repeater, with a particular focus on recent results demonstrating entanglement between a quantum memory (electron spin qubit) and a flying qubit (polarization- or frequency-encoded photonic qubit). This is a first step towards demonstrating entanglement between distant quantum memories (realized with quantum dots), which in turn is a milestone in the roadmap for building a functional quantum repeater. We also place this experimental work in context by p…
The readout of semiconductor spin qubits based on spin blockade is fast but suffers from a small charge signal. Previous work suggested large benefits from additional charge mapping processes, however uncertainties remain about the underlying mechanisms and achievable fidelity. In this work, we study the single-shot fidelity and limiting mechanisms for two variations of an enhanced latching readout. We achieve average single-shot readout fidelities > 99.3% and > 99.86% for the conventional and enhanced readout respectively, the latter being the highest to date for spin blockade. The signal amp…
Electron spins in silicon quantum dots provide a promising route towards realising the large number of coupled qubits required for a useful quantum processor. At present, the requisite single-shot spin qubit measurements are performed using on-chip charge sensors, capacitively coupled to the quantum dots. However, as the number of qubits is increased, this approach becomes impractical due to the footprint and complexity of the charge sensors, combined with the required proximity to the quantum dots. Alternatively, the spin state can be measured directly by detecting the complex impedance of sp…
We report repeated single-shot measurements of the two-electron spin state in a GaAs double quantum dot. The readout scheme allows measurement with fidelity above 90% with a 7 microsecond cycle time. Hyperfine-induced precession between singlet and triplet states of the two-electron system are directly observed, as nuclear Overhauser fields are quasi-static on the time scale of the measurement cycle. Repeated measurements on millisecond to second time scales reveal evolution of the nuclear environment.
We demonstrate single-shot readout of quantum states of the Josephson charge qubit. The quantum bits are transformed into and stored as classical bits (charge quanta) in a dynamic memory cell - a superconducting island. The transformation of state |1> (differing form state |0> by an extra Cooper pair) is a result of a controllable quasiparticle tunneling to the island. The charge is then detected by a conventional single-electron transistor, electrostatically decoupled from the qubit. We study relaxation dynamics in the system and obtain the readout efficiency of 87% and 93% for |1> and |0> st…
The recent realization of single electron sources let us envision performing electron quantum optics experiments, where electrons can be viewed as flying qubits propagating in a ballistic conductor. To date, all electron sources operate in a periodic electron injection mode leading to energy spectrum singularities in various physical observables which sometimes hide the bare nature of physical effects. To go beyond this, we propose a spread-spectrum approach where electron flying qubits are injected in a non-periodic manner following a pseudorandom binary bit pattern. Extending the Floquet sca…
Motion of electrons can influence their spins through a fundamental effect called spin-orbit interaction. This interaction provides a way to electrically control spins and as such lies at the foundation of spintronics. Even at the level of single electrons, spin-orbit interaction has proven promising for coherent spin rotations. Here we report a spin-orbit quantum bit implemented in an InAs nanowire, where spin-orbit interaction is so strong that spin and motion can no longer be separated. In this regime we realize fast qubit rotations and universal single qubit control using only electric fie…
