arXiv subjects

Sophia E. Economou

Publications and source records attributed to Sophia E. Economou.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

arXiv2019

An adaptive variational algorithm for exact molecular simulations on a quantum computer

Quantum simulation of chemical systems is one of the most promising near-term applications of quantum computers. The variational quantum eigensolver, a leading algorithm for molecular simulations on quantum hardware, has a serious limitation in that it typically relies on a pre-selected wavefunction ansatz that results in approximate wavefunctions and energies. Here we present an arbitrarily accurate variational algorithm that instead of fixing an ansatz upfront, this algorithm grows it systematically one operator at a time in a way dictated by the molecule being simulated. This generates an ansatz with a small number of parameters, leading to shallow-depth circuits. We present numerical simulations, including for a prototypical strongly correlated molecule, which show that our algorithm performs much better than a unitary coupled cluster approach, in terms of both circuit depth and chemical accuracy. Our results highlight the potential of our adaptive algorithm for exact simulations with present-day and near-term quantum hardware.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Fast high-fidelity entangling gates for spin qubits in Si double quantum dots

Implementing high-fidelity two-qubit gates in single-electron spin qubits in silicon double quantum dots is still a major challenge. In this work, we employ analytical methods to design control pulses that generate high-fidelity entangling gates for quantum computers based on this platform. Using realistic parameters and initially assuming a noise-free environment, we present simple control pulses that generate CNOT, CPHASE, and CZ gates with average fidelities greater than 99.99\% and gate times as short as 45 ns. Moreover, using the local invariants of the system's evolution operator, we show that a simple square pulse generates a CNOT gate in less than 27 ns and with a fidelity greater than 99.99\%. Last, we use the same analytical methods to generate two-qubit gates locally equivalent to $\sqrt{\mathrm{CNOT}}$ and $\sqrt{\mathrm{CZ}}$ that are used to implement simple two-piece pulse sequences that produce high-fidelity CNOT and CZ gates in the presence of low-frequency noise.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Generation of arbitrary all-photonic graph states from quantum emitters

We present protocols to generate arbitrary photonic graph states from quantum emitters that are in principle deterministic. We focus primarily on two-dimensional cluster states of arbitrary size due to their importance for measurement-based quantum computing. Our protocols for these and many other types of two-dimensional graph states require a linear array of emitters in which each emitter can be controllably pumped, rotated about certain axes, and entangled with its nearest neighbors. We show that an error on one emitter produces a localized region of errors in the resulting graph state, where the size of the region is determined by the coordination number of the graph. We describe how these protocols can be implemented for different types of emitters, including trapped ions, quantum dots, and nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2019

Enhancement of nuclear spin coherence times by driving dynamic nuclear polarization at defect centers in solids

The hyperpolarization of nuclear spins can enable powerful imaging and sensing techniques provided the hyperpolarization is sufficiently long-lived. Recent experiments on nanodiamond $^{13}$C nuclear spins demonstrate that relaxation times can be extended by three orders of magnitude by building up dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) through the driving of electron-nuclear flip-flop processes at defect centers. This finding raises the question of whether the nuclear spin coherence times are also impacted by this hyperpolarization process. Here, we theoretically examine the effect of DNP on the nuclear spin coherence times as a function of the hyperpolarization drive time. We do this by developing a microscopic theory of DNP in a nuclear spin ensemble coupled to microwave-driven defect centers in solids and subject to spin diffusion mediated by internuclear dipolar interactions. We find that, similarly to relaxation times, the nuclear spin coherence times can be increased substantially by a few orders of magnitude depending on the driving time. Our theoretical model and results will be useful for current and future experiments on enhancing nuclear spin coherence times via DNP.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

A solvable quantum model of dynamic nuclear polarization in quantum dots

We present a quantum mechanical theory of optically induced dynamic nuclear polarization applicable to quantum dots and other interacting spin systems. The exact steady state of the optically driven coupled electron-nuclear system is calculated under the assumption of uniform hyperfine coupling strengths (box model) for an arbitrary number of nuclear spins. This steady state is given by a tractable expression that allows for an intuitive interpretation in terms of spin-flip rates. Based on this result, we investigate the nuclear spin behaviour for different experimental parameter regimes and find that our model reproduces the flat-top and triangular absorption line shapes seen in various experiments (line dragging) under the assumption of fast electron spin dephasing due to phonons and co-tunneling. The mechanism responsible for line dragging has been a matter of controversy so far; in contrast with previous works, we show that the effect can be explained solely in terms of the contact hyperfine interaction, without the need to introduce non-collinear terms or other types of electron-nuclear interactions. Furthermore we predict a novel nuclear spin polarization effect: under particular, experimentally realistic conditions, the nuclear spin system tends to become sharply polarized in such a way as to cancel the effect of the external magnetic field. This effect can therefore suppress electron spin dephasing due to inhomogeneous broadening, which could have important repercussions for quantum technological applications.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2019

Stabilization and manipulation of multispin states in quantum-dot time crystals with Heisenberg interactions

A discrete time crystal is a recently discovered non-equilibrium phase of matter that has been shown to exist in disordered, periodically driven Ising spin chains. In this phase, if the system is initially prepared in one of a certain class of pure multispin product states, it periodically returns to this state over very long time scales despite the presence of interactions, disorder, and pulse imperfections. Here, we show that this phase occurs in GaAs quantum dot spin arrays containing as few as three quantum dots, each confining one electron spin, for naturally occurring levels of nuclear spin noise and charge noise. Although the physical interaction in these arrays is a nearest-neighbor Heisenberg exchange interaction, we show that this can be effectively converted into an Ising interaction by applying additional pulses during each drive period. We show that by changing the rotation axis of these pulses, we can select the direction of the Ising interaction and, consequently, the quantization axis of the stabilized multispin states. Moreover, we demonstrate that it is possible to perform coherent rotations of the stabilized states while remaining in the time crystal phase. These findings open up the intriguing possibility of using time crystal phases to extend the lifetime of quantum states for information applications.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Dynamic Nuclear Polarization from Topological Insulator Helical Edge States

Topological insulators are promising for spintronics and related technologies due to their spin-momentum-locked edge states, which are protected by time-reversal symmetry. In addition to the unique fundamental physics that arises in these systems, the potential technological applications of these protected states has also been driving TI research over the past decade. However, most known topological insulator materials naturally contain spinful nuclei, and their hyperfine coupling to helical edge states intrinsically breaks time-reversal symmetry, removing the topological protection and enabling the buildup of dynamic nuclear spin polarization through hyperfine-assisted backscattering. Here, we calculate scattering probabilities and nuclear polarization for edge channels containing up to $34$ nuclear spins using a numerically exact analysis that exploits the symmetries of the problem to drastically reduce the computational complexity. We then show the emergence of universal scaling properties that allow us to extrapolate our findings to vastly larger and experimentally relevant system sizes. We find that significant nuclear polarization can result from relatively weak helical edge currents, suggesting that it may be an important factor affecting spin transport in topological insulator devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Spin polarization through Intersystem Crossing in the silicon vacancy of silicon carbide

Silicon carbide (SiC)-based defects are promising for quantum communications, quantum information processing, and for the next generation of quantum sensors, as they feature long coherence times, frequencies near the telecom, and optical and microwave transitions. For such applications, the efficient initialization of the spin state is necessary. We develop a theoretical description of the spin polarization process by using the intersystem crossing of the silicon vacancy defect, which is enabled by a combination of optical driving, spin-orbit coupling, and interaction with vibrational modes. By using distinct optical drives, we analyze two spin polarization channels. Interestingly, we find that different spin projections of the ground state manifold can be polarized. This work helps to understand initialization and readout of the silicon vacancy and explains some existing experiments with the silicon vacancy center in SiC.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Photonic graph state generation from quantum dots and color centers for quantum communications

Highly entangled graph states of photons have applications in universal quantum computing and in quantum communications. In the latter context, they have been proposed as the key ingredient in the establishment of long-distance entanglement across quantum repeater networks. Recently, a general deterministic approach to generate repeater graph states from quantum emitters was given. However, a detailed protocol for the generation of such states from realistic systems is still needed in order to guide experiments. Here, we provide such explicit protocols for the generation of repeater graph states from two types of quantum emitters: NV centers in diamond and self-assembled quantum dots. A crucial element of our designs is an efficient controlled-Z gate between the emitter and a nuclear spin, used as an ancilla qubit. Additionally, a fast protocol for using pairs of exchange-coupled quantum dots to produce repeater graph states is described. Our focus is on near-term experiments feasible with existing experimental capabilities.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Quantum properties of dichroic silicon vacancies in silicon carbide

The controlled generation and manipulation of atom-like defects in solids has a wide range of applications in quantum technology. Although various defect centres have displayed promise as either quantum sensors, single photon emitters or light-matter interfaces, the search for an ideal defect with multi-functional ability remains open. In this spirit, we investigate here the optical and spin properties of the V1 defect centre, one of the silicon vacancy defects in the 4H polytype of silicon carbide (SiC). The V1 centre in 4H-SiC features two well-distinguishable sharp optical transitions and a unique S=3/2 electronic spin, which holds promise to implement a robust spin-photon interface. Here, we investigate the V1 defect at low temperatures using optical excitation and magnetic resonance techniques. The measurements, which are performed on ensemble, as well as on single centres, prove that this centre combines coherent optical emission, with up to 40% of the radiation emitted into the zero-phonon line (ZPL), a strong optical spin signal and long spin coherence time. These results single out the V1 defect in SiC as a promising system for spin-based quantum technologies.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2018

Topological insulator ring with magnetic impurities

Topological insulators exhibit gapless edge or surface states that are topologically protected by time-reversal symmetry. However, several promising candidates for topologically insulating materials (such as Bi$_2$Se$_3$ and HgTe) contain spinful nuclei or other types of magnetic impurities that break time-reversal symmetry. We investigate the consequences of such impurities coupled to electronic edge states in a topological insulator quantum ring threaded by a magnetic flux. We use spin conservation and additional symmetry arguments to derive a universal formula for the spectrum of propagating edge modes in terms of the amplitude of transmission through the impurity. Our results apply for impurities of arbitrary spin. We show that there exists an energy regime in which the spectrum becomes nearly independent of the flux and significant spectral gaps form. We further analyze the electron-impurity entanglement entropy, finding that maximal entanglement occurs near the gaps in the spectrum. Our predictions can be investigated with quantum ring transport interference experiments or through spin-resolved STM measurements, providing a new approach to understand the role of impurities in topological insulator edge transport.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Deterministic generation of all-photonic quantum repeaters from solid-state emitters

Quantum repeaters are nodes in a quantum communication network that allow reliable transmission of entanglement over large distances. It was recently shown that highly entangled photons in so-called graph states can be used for all-photonic quantum repeaters, which require substantially fewer resources compared to atomic-memory based repeaters. However, standard approaches to building multi-photon entangled states through pairwise probabilistic entanglement generation severely limit the size of the state that can be created. Here, we present a protocol for the deterministic generation of large photonic repeater states using quantum emitters such as semiconductor quantum dots and defect centers in solids. We show that arbitrarily large repeater states can be generated using only two coupled emitters, reducing the necessary number of photon sources by six orders of magnitude. Our protocol includes a built-in redundancy which makes it resilient to photon loss.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Interplay of valley polarization and dynamic nuclear polarization in 2D transition metal dichalcogenides

The interplay of Ising spin-orbit coupling and non-trivial band topology in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) produces anomalous transport and optical properties that are very different from a regular 2D electron gas. The spin-momentum locking of optically excited carriers near a valley point can give rise to an anomalous spin-valley Hall current under the application of an in-plane electric field. TMDs also exhibit strong electron-nuclear hyperfine interactions, but their effect on spin-valley-locked currents remains unknown. Here, we show that hyperfine interactions can create a feedback mechanism in which spin-valley currents generate significant dynamical nuclear polarization which in turn Zeeman shifts excitonic transitions out of resonance with an optical driving field, saturating the production of spin-valley polarization. We propose an experimental signature of dynamic nuclear polarization which can be detected via measurements of the anomalous Hall current. Our results help to elucidate the interplay of valley polarization and nuclear spin dynamics in TMDs.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Robustness of error-suppressing entangling gates in cavity-coupled transmon qubits

Superconducting transmon qubits comprise one of the most promising platforms for quantum information processing due to their long coherence times and to their scalability into larger qubit networks. However, their weakly anharmonic spectrum leads to spectral crowding in multiqubit systems, making it challenging to implement fast, high-fidelity gates while avoiding leakage errors. To address this challenge, we use a protocol known as SWIPHT [Phys. Rev. B 91, 161405(R) (2015)], which yields smooth, simple microwave pulses designed to suppress leakage without sacrificing gate speed through spectral selectivity. Here, we determine the parameter regimes in which SWIPHT is effective and demonstrate that in these regimes it systematically produces two-qubit gate fidelities for cavity-coupled transmons in the range 99.6%-99.9% with gate times as fast as 23 ns. Our results are obtained from full numerical simulations that include current experimental levels of relaxation and dephasing. These high fidelities persist over a wide range of system parameters that encompass many current experimental setups and are insensitive to small parameter variations and pulse imperfections.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2017

Qubit gates using hyperbolic secant pulses

It has been known since the early days of quantum mechanics that hyperbolic secant pulses possess the unique property that they can perform cyclic evolution on two-level quantum systems independently of the pulse detuning. More recently, it was realized that they induce detuning- controlled phases without changing state populations. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the properties of hyperbolic secant pulses on superconducting transmon qubits and contrast them with the more commonly used Gaussian and square waves. We further show that these properties can be exploited to implement phase gates, nominally without exiting the computational subspace. This enables us to demonstrate the first microwave-driven Z-gates with a single control parameter, the detuning.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2016

Fast microwave-driven three-qubit gates for cavity-coupled superconducting qubits

Although single and two-qubit gates are sufficient for universal quantum computation, single-shot three-qubit gates greatly simplify quantum error correction schemes and algorithms. We design fast, high-fidelity three-qubit entangling gates based on microwave pulses for transmon qubits coupled through a superconducting resonator. We show that when interqubit frequency differences are comparable to single-qubit anharmonicities, errors occur primarily through a single unwanted transition. This feature enables the design of fast three-qubit gates based on simple analytical pulse shapes that are engineered to minimize such errors. We show that a three-qubit ccz gate can be performed in 260 ns with fidelities exceeding $99.38\%$, or $99.99\%$ with numerical optimization.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Spin-photon entanglement interfaces in silicon carbide defect centers

Optically active spins in solid-state systems can be engineered to emit photons that are entangled with the spin in the solid. This allows for applications such as quantum communications, quantum key distribution, and distributed quantum computing. Recently, there has been a strong interest in silicon carbide defects, as they emit very close to the telecommunication wavelength, making them excellent candidates for long range quantum communications. In this work we develop explicit schemes for spin-photon entanglement in several SiC defects: the silicon monovacancy, the silicon divacancy, and the NV center in SiC. Distinct approaches are given for (i) single-photon and spin entanglement and (ii) the generation of long strings of entangled photons. The latter are known as cluster states and comprise a resource for measurement-based quantum information processing.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2016

Silicon vacancy center in 4H-SiC: Electronic structure and spin-photon interfaces

Defects in silicon carbide are of intense and increasing interest for quantum-based applications due to this material's properties and technological maturity. We calculate the multi-particle symmetry adapted wave functions of the negatively charged silicon vacancy defect in hexagonal silicon carbide via use of group theory and density functional theory and find the effects of spin-orbit and spin-spin interactions on these states. Although we focused on $\textrm{V}_{\textrm{Si}}^-$ in 4H-SiC, because of its unique fine structure due to odd number of active electrons, our methods can be easily applied to other defect centers of different polytpes, especially to the 6H-SiC. Based on these results we identify the mechanism that polarizes the spin under optical drive, obtain the ordering of its dark doublet states, point out a path for electric field or strain sensing, and find the theoretical value of its ground-state zero field splitting to be 68 MHz, in good agreement with experiment. Moreover, we present two distinct protocols of a spin-photon interface based on this defect. Our results pave the way toward novel quantum information and quantum metrology applications with silicon carbide.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗