arXiv subjects

Filip K. Malinowski

Publications and source records attributed to Filip K. Malinowski.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

Realization of a minimal Kitaev chain in coupled quantum dots

Majorana bound states constitute one of the simplest examples of emergent non-Abelian excitations in condensed matter physics. A toy model proposed by Kitaev shows that such states can arise at the ends of a spinless $p$-wave superconducting chain. Practical proposals for its realization require coupling neighboring quantum dots in a chain via both electron tunneling and crossed Andreev reflection. While both processes have been observed in semiconducting nanowires and carbon nanotubes, crossed-Andreev interaction was neither easily tunable nor strong enough to induce coherent hybridization of dot states. Here we demonstrate the simultaneous presence of all necessary ingredients for an artificial Kitaev chain: two spin-polarized quantum dots in an InSb nanowire strongly coupled by both elastic co-tunneling and crossed Andreev reflection. We fine-tune this system to a sweet spot where a pair of Poor Man's Majorana states is predicted to appear. At this sweet spot, the transport characteristics satisfy the theoretical predictions for such a system, including pairwise correlation, zero charge and stability against local perturbations. While the simple system presented here can be scaled to simulate a full Kitaev chain with an emergent topological order, it can also be used imminently to explore relevant physics related to non-Abelian anyons.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Two Anderson impurities coupled through a superconducting island: charge stability diagrams and double impurity qubit

We present a model of two Anderson impurities coupled to and through a superconducting island. The model parametrizes the strength of the coupling between impurity sites, allowing it to represent a variable distance between the impurities. We systematically explore the effect of the model parameters in the subspaces with total even and odd occupancy, identifying unique features of the charge stability diagrams that distinguish the two parities. For total odd electron parity, we identify a device tuning, in which the splitting between the two lowest energy states is highly insensitive to changes of the chemical potentials. We investigate the degree to which a qubit based on such two states is tunable and discuss an optimal choice of parameters to maximize inhomogeneous dephasing time. Finally, we point out that the proposed qubit lacks a transition dipole moment, and outline some of the consequences on viable driving and readout mechanisms. The prototype qubits could be realized with the existing capabilities of coupling quantum dots to hard-gapped superconductors.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Flux-Tunable Hybridization in a Double Quantum Dot Interferometer

A single electron shared between two levels threaded by a magnetic flux is an irreducibly simple quantum system in which interference is predicted to occur. We demonstrate tuning of the tunnel coupling between two such electronic levels with flux, implemented in a loop comprising two quantum dots. Using radio-frequency reflectometry of the dots' gate electrodes we extract the inter-dot coupling, which exhibits oscillations with a periodicity of one flux quantum. In different tunneling regimes we benchmark the oscillations' contrast, and find that their amplitude varies with the levels involved, while tunneling is generically not suppressed at oscillation minima. These results establish the feasibility and limitations of parity readout of qubits with tunnel couplings tuned by flux.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Quantum capacitance of a superconducting subgap state in an electrostatically floating dot-island

We study a hybrid device defined in an InAs nanowire with an epitaxial Al shell that consists of a quantum dot in contact with a superconducting island. The device is electrically floating, prohibiting transport measurements, but providing access to states that would otherwise be highly excited and unstable. Radio-frequency reflectometry with lumped-element resonators couples capacitatively to the quantum dot, and detects the presence of discrete subgap states. We perform a detailed study of the case with no island states, but with quantum-dot-induced subgap states controlled by the tunnel coupling. When the gap to the quasi-continuum of the excited states is small, the capacitance loading the resonator is strongly suppressed by thermal excitations, an effect we dub "thermal screening". The resonance frequency shift and changes in the quality factor at charge transitions can be accounted for using a single-level Anderson impurity model. The established measurement method, as well as the analysis and simulation framework, are applicable to more complex hybrid devices such as Andreev molecules or Kitaev chains.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Controllable Single Cooper Pair Splitting in Hybrid Quantum Dot Systems

Cooper pair splitters hold utility as a platform for investigating the entanglement of electrons in Cooper pairs, but probing splitters with voltage-biased Ohmic contacts prevents the retention of electrons from split pairs since they can escape to the drain reservoirs. We report the ability to controllably split and retain single Cooper pairs in a multi-quantum-dot device isolated from lead reservoirs, and separately demonstrate a technique for detecting the electrons emerging from a split pair. First, we identify a coherent Cooper pair splitting charge transition using dispersive gate sensing at GHz frequencies. Second, we utilize a double quantum dot as an electron parity sensor to detect parity changes resulting from electrons emerging from a superconducting island.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Variable and orbital-dependent spin-orbit field orientations in a InSb double quantum dot characterized via dispersive gate sensing

Utilizing dispersive gate sensing (DGS), we investigate the spin-orbit field ($\textbf{B}_{SO}$) orientation in a many-electron double quantum dot (DQD) defined in an InSb nanowire. While characterizing the inter-dot tunnel couplings, the measured dispersive signal depends on the electron charge occupancy, as well as on the amplitude and orientation of the external magnetic field. The dispersive signal is mostly insensitive to the external field orientation when a DQD is occupied by a total odd number of electrons. For a DQD occupied by a total even number of electrons, the dispersive signal is reduced when the finite external magnetic field aligns with the effective $\textbf{B}_{SO}$ orientation. This fact enables the identification of $\textbf{B}_{SO}$ orientations for different DQD electron occupancies. The $\textbf{B}_{SO}$ orientation varies drastically between charge transitions, and is generally neither perpendicular to the nanowire nor in the chip plane. Moreover, $\textbf{B}_{SO}$ is similar for pairs of transitions involving the same valence orbital, and varies between such pairs. Our work demonstrates the practicality of DGS in characterizing spin-orbit interactions in quantum dot systems, without requiring any current flow through the device.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Parametric exploration of zero-energy modes in three-terminal InSb-Al nanowire devices

We systematically study three-terminal InSb-Al nanowire devices by using radio-frequency reflectometry. Tunneling spectroscopy measurements on both ends of the hybrid nanowires are performed while systematically varying the chemical potential, magnetic field and junction transparencies. Identifying the lowest-energy state allows for the construction of lowest- and zero-energy state diagrams, which show how the states evolve as a function of the aforementioned parameters. Importantly, comparing the diagrams taken for each end of the hybrids enables the identification of states which do not coexist simultaneously, ruling out a significant amount of the parameter space as candidates for a topological phase. Furthermore, altering junction transparencies filters out zero-energy states sensitive to a local gate potential. Such a measurement strategy significantly reduces the time necessary to identify a potential topological phase and minimizes the risk of falsely recognizing trivial bound states as Majorana zero modes.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Radio-frequency C-V measurements with sub-attofarad sensitivity

We demonstrate the use of radio-frequency (rf) resonators to measure the capacitance of nano-scale semiconducting devices in field-effect transistor configurations. The rf resonator is attached to the gate or the lead of the device. Consequently, tuning the carrier density in the conducting channel of the device affects the resonance frequency, quantitatively reflecting its capacitance. We test the measurement method on InSb and InAs nanowires at dilution-refrigerator temperatures. The measured capacitances are consistent with those inferred from the periodicity of the Coulomb blockade of quantum dots realized in the same devices. In an implementation of the resonator using an off-chip superconducting spiral inductor we find sensitivity values reaching down to 75~zF/$\sqHz$ at 1~kHz measurement bandwidth, and noise down to 0.45~aF at 1~Hz bandwidth. We estimate the sensitivity of the method for a number of other implementations. In particular we predict typical sensitivity of about 40~zF/$\sqHz$ at room temperature with a resonator comprised of off-the-shelf components. Of several proposed applications, we demonstrate two: the capacitance measurement of several identical 80~nm-wide gates with a single resonator, and the field-effect mobility measurement of an individual nanowire with the gate capacitance measured in-situ.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Rapid microwave-only characterization and readout of quantum dots using multiplexed gigahertz-frequency resonators

Superconducting resonators enable fast characterization and readout of mesoscopic quantum devices. Finding ways to perform measurements of interest on such devices using resonators only is therefore of great practical relevance. We report the experimental investigation of an InAs nanowire multi-quantum dot device by probing GHz resonators connected to the device. First, we demonstrate accurate extraction of the DC conductance from measurements of the high-frequency admittance. Because our technique does not rely on DC calibration, it could potentially obviate the need for DC measurements in semiconductor qubit devices. Second, we demonstrate multiplexed gate sensing and the detection of charge tunneling on microsecond time scales. The GHz detection of dispersive resonator shifts allows rapid acquisition of charge-stability diagrams, as well as resolving charge tunneling in the device with a signal-to-noise ratio of up to 15 in one microsecond. Our measurements show that GHz-frequency resonators may serve as a universal tool for fast tune-up and high-fidelity readout of semiconductor qubits.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Suppressing quasiparticle poisoning with a voltage-controlled filter

We study single-electron charging events in an Al/InAs nanowire hybrid system with deliberately introduced gapless regions. The occupancy of a Coulomb island is detected using a nearby radio-frequency quantum dot as a charge sensor. We demonstrate that a 1 micron gapped segment of the wire can be used to efficiently suppress single electron poisoning of the gapless region and therefore protect the parity of the island while maintaining good electrical contact with a normal lead. In the absence of protection by charging energy, the 1e switching rate can be reduced below 200 per second. In the same configuration, we observe strong quantum charge fluctuations due to exchange of electron pairs between the island and the lead. The magnetic field dependence of the poisoning rate yields a zero-field superconducting coherence length of ~ 90 nm.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Radio-frequency methods for Majorana-based quantum devices: fast charge sensing and phase diagram mapping

Radio-frequency (RF) reflectometry is implemented in hybrid semiconductor-superconductor nanowire systems designed to probe Majorana zero modes. Two approaches are presented. In the first, hybrid nanowire-based devices are part of a resonant circuit, allowing conductance to be measured as a function of several gate voltages ~40 times faster than using conventional low-frequency lock-in methods. In the second, nanowire devices are capacitively coupled to a nearby RF single-electron transistor made from a separate nanowire, allowing RF detection of charge, including charge-only measurement of the crossover from 2e inter-island charge transitions at zero magnetic field to 1e transitions at axial magnetic fields above 0.6 T, where a topological state is expected. Single-electron sensing yields signal-to-noise exceeding 3 and visibility 99.8% for a measurement time of 1 μs.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Fast spin exchange between two distant quantum dots

The Heisenberg exchange interaction between neighboring quantum dots allows precise voltage control over spin dynamics, due to the ability to precisely control the overlap of orbital wavefunctions by gate electrodes. This allows the study of fundamental electronic phenomena and finds applications in quantum information processing. Although spin-based quantum circuits based on short-range exchange interactions are possible, the development of scalable, longer-range coupling schemes constitutes a critical challenge within the spin-qubit community. Approaches based on capacitative coupling and cavity-mediated interactions effectively couple spin qubits to the charge degree of freedom, making them susceptible to electrically-induced decoherence. The alternative is to extend the range of the Heisenberg exchange interaction by means of a quantum mediator. Here, we show that a multielectron quantum dot with 50-100 electrons serves as an excellent mediator, preserving speed and coherence of the resulting spin-spin coupling while providing several functionalities that are of practical importance. These include speed (mediated two-qubit rates up to several gigahertz), distance (of order of a micrometer), voltage control, possibility of sweet spot operation (reducing susceptibility to charge noise), and reversal of the interaction sign (useful for dynamical decoupling from noise).

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Spin of a multielectron quantum dot and its interaction with a neighboring electron

We investigate the spin of a multielectron GaAs quantum dot in a sequence of nine charge occupancies, by exchange coupling the multielectron dot to a neighboring two-electron double quantum dot. For all nine occupancies, we make use of a leakage spectroscopy technique to reconstruct the spectrum of spin states in the vicinity of the interdot charge transition between a single- and a multielectron quantum dot. In the same regime we also perform time-resolved measurements of coherent exchange oscillations between the single- and multielectron quantum dot. With these measurements, we identify distinct characteristics of the multielectron spin state, depending on whether the dot's occupancy is even or odd. For three out of four even occupancies we do not observe any exchange interaction with the single quantum dot, indicating a spin-0 ground state. For the one remaining even occupancy, we observe an exchange interaction that we associate with a spin-1 multielectron quantum dot ground state. For all five of the odd occupancies, we observe an exchange interaction associated with a spin-1/2 ground state. For three of these odd occupancies, we clearly demonstrate that the exchange interaction changes sign in the vicinity of the charge transition. For one of these, the exchange interaction is negative (i.e. triplet-preferring) beyond the interdot charge transition, consistent with the observed spin-1 for the next (even) occupancy. Our experimental results are interpreted through the use of a Hubbard model involving two orbitals of the multielectron quantum dot. Allowing for the spin correlation energy (i.e. including a term favoring Hund's rules) and different tunnel coupling to different orbitals, we qualitatively reproduce the measured exchange profiles for all occupancies.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Negative spin exchange in a multielectron quantum dot

By operating a one-electron quantum dot (fabricated between a multielectron dot and a one-electron reference dot) as a spectroscopic probe, we study the spin properties of a gate-controlled multielectron GaAs quantum dot at the transition between odd and even occupation number. We observe that the multielectron groundstate transitions from spin-1/2-like to singlet-like to triplet-like as we increase the detuning towards the next higher charge state. The sign reversal in the inferred exchange energy persists at zero magnetic field, and the exchange strength is tunable by gate voltages and in-plane magnetic fields. Complementing spin leakage spectroscopy data, the inspection of coherent multielectron spin exchange oscillations provides further evidence for the sign reversal and, inferentially, for the importance of non-trivial multielectron spin exchange correlations.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Spectrum of the Nuclear Environment for GaAs Spin Qubits

Using a singlet-triplet spin qubit as a sensitive spectrometer of the GaAs nuclear spin bath, we demonstrate that the spectrum of Overhauser noise agrees with a classical spin diffusion model over six orders of magnitude in frequency, from 1 mHz to 1 kHz, is flat below 10 mHz, and falls as $1/f^2$ for frequency $f \! \gtrsim \! 1$ Hz. Increasing the applied magnetic field from 0.1 T to 0.75 T suppresses electron-mediated spin diffusion, which decreases spectral content in the $1/f^2$ region and lowers the saturation frequency, each by an order of magnitude, consistent with a numerical model. Spectral content at megahertz frequencies is accessed using dynamical decoupling, which shows a crossover from the few-pulse regime ($\lesssim \! 16$ $π$-pulses), where transverse Overhauser fluctuations dominate dephasing, to the many-pulse regime ($\gtrsim \! 32$ $π$-pulses), where longitudinal Overhauser fluctuations with a $1/f$ spectrum dominate.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Symmetric Operation of the Resonant Exchange Qubit

We operate a resonant exchange qubit in a highly symmetric triple-dot configuration using IQ-modulated RF pulses. At the resulting three-dimensional sweet spot the qubit splitting is an order of magnitude less sensitive to all relevant control voltages, compared to the conventional operating point, but we observe no significant improvement in the quality of Rabi oscillations. For weak driving this is consistent with Overhauser field fluctuations modulating the qubit splitting. For strong driving we infer that effective voltage noise modulates the coupling strength between RF drive and the qubit, thereby quickening Rabi decay. Application of CPMG dynamical decoupling sequences consisting of up to n = 32 π pulses significantly prolongs qubit coherence, leading to marginally longer dephasing times in the symmetric configuration. This is consistent with dynamical decoupling from low frequency noise, but quantitatively cannot be explained by effective gate voltage noise and Overhauser field fluctuations alone. Our results inform recent strategies for the utilization of partial sweet spots in the operation and long-distance coupling of triple-dot qubits.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Filter function formalism beyond pure dephasing and non-Markovian noise in singlet-triplet qubits

The filter function formalism quantitatively describes the dephasing of a qubit by a bath that causes Gaussian fluctuations in the qubit energies with an arbitrary noise power spectrum. Here, we extend this formalism to account for more general types of noise that couple to the qubit through terms that do not commute with the qubit's bare Hamiltonian. Our approach applies to any power spectrum that generates slow noise fluctuations in the qubit's evolution. We demonstrate our formalism in the case of singlet-triplet qubits subject to both quasistatic nuclear noise and $1/ω^α$ charge noise and find good agreement with recent experimental findings. This comparison shows the efficacy of our approach in describing real systems and additionally highlights the challenges with distinguishing different types of noise in free induction decay experiments.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Noise suppression using symmetric exchange gates in spin qubits

We demonstrate a substantial improvement in the spin-exchange gate using symmetric control instead of conventional detuning in GaAs spin qubits, up to a factor-of-six increase in the quality factor of the gate. For symmetric operation, nanosecond voltage pulses are applied to the barrier that controls the interdot potential between quantum dots, modulating the exchange interaction while maintaining symmetry between the dots. Excellent agreement is found with a model that separately includes electrical and nuclear noise sources for both detuning and symmetric gating schemes. Unlike exchange control via detuning, the decoherence of symmetric exchange rotations is dominated by rotation-axis fluctuations due to nuclear field noise rather than direct exchange noise.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗