arXiv subjects

Zhanning Wang

Publications and source records attributed to Zhanning Wang.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Inter-band coherence effects in disordered crystals: beyond the non-crossing approximation

We develop a quantum kinetic theory for Bloch electrons driven by a uniform dc electric field, extending the nonequilibrium density-matrix formalism beyond the non-crossing approximation. This extension is required to capture steady-state terms that are nominally zeroth order in disorder strength and compete with intrinsic band-geometric responses, as in anomalous Hall and related spin, orbital, and valley transport. Working in the length gauge with Gaussian white-noise disorder, we include impurity scattering to fourth order in the disorder potential. An iterative solution for the impurity-induced density-matrix fluctuations yields a connected $V^4$ collision integral after subtracting disconnected impurity pairings, thereby avoiding double counting. The resulting terms separate into self-energy corrections, ladder-type vertex renormalization, and crossed quantum-interference contributions. We clarify the correspondence between this density-matrix kinetic equation and the Keldysh formalism, and decompose the response into Fermi-surface and Fermi-sea components. As an application, we study the two-dimensional massive Dirac fermion model. We obtain analytical expressions for the single-particle lifetime, transport relaxation time, and longitudinal conductivity at the Born level, and then evaluate the anomalous Hall conductivity including crossed impurity processes. These processes generate an extrinsic contribution of order $\tau^0$ that coexists with the intrinsic Berry-curvature term; for Gaussian white-noise disorder in this model, the $\Psi$-type contribution cancels while the $X$-type term remains finite. The formalism provides a consistent route for incorporating band geometry and crossed-disorder corrections into multiband transport, with applications to spin, pseudospin, orbital, and valley phenomena.

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arXiv2026

Quantum Error Correction Assisted Axion Search in CMOS Spin Qubit Arrays

Searches for axion and axionlike dark matter based on solid-state spin qubits are fundamentally limited by strong longitudinal dephasing, which rapidly suppresses the sensitivity gains offered by entanglement. Here we show that quantum error correction (QEC) can substantially enhance axion search sensitivity in realistic semiconductor spin qubit platforms by mitigating this dominant noise source. By integrating an optimally chosen repetition code QEC with logical GHZ block entanglement, we derive closed-form expressions for the quantum Fisher information that explicitly incorporate the finite coherence time of the axion field. Our analysis demonstrates that modest QEC cycle frequencies are sufficient to significantly reduce the effective dephasing rate, thereby restoring a broad parameter regime in which entanglement-enhanced sensing surpasses the standard quantum limit. Projecting these results onto CMOS-compatible device parameters, we find that QEC-protected entangled sensing can revive otherwise inaccessible quantum advantages, yielding up to order-of-magnitude improvements in sensitivity to the axion-electron coupling $g_{ae}$. These results establish a practical and theoretically controlled pathway for using QEC to improve qubit array searches for physics beyond the Standard Model.

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arXiv2026

Cancelling second order frequency shifts in Ge hole spin qubits via bichromatic control

Germanium quantum dot hole spin qubits are compatible with fully electrical control and are progressing toward multi-qubit operations. However, their coherence is limited by charge noise and driving field induced frequency shifts, and the resulting ensemble $1/f$ dephasing. Here we theoretically demonstrate that a bichromatic driving scheme cancels the second order frequency shift from the control field without sacrificing the electric dipole spin resonance (EDSR) rate, and without additional gate design or microwave engineering. Based on this property, we further demonstrate that bichromatic control creates a wide operating window that reduces sensitivity to quasi-static charge noise and thus enhances single qubit gate fidelity. This method provides a low-power route to a stabler frequency operation in germanium hole spin qubits and is readily transferable to other semiconductor spin qubit platforms.

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arXiv2026

Axion Signal Search Using Hybrid Nuclear-Electronic Spin Systems

Conventional nuclear magnetic resonance searches for the galactic axion wind lose sensitivity at low frequencies due to the unfavourable scaling of inductive readout. Here, we propose a hybrid architecture where the hyperfine interaction transduces axion-driven nuclear precession into a high-bandwidth electron-spin readout channel. We demonstrate analytically that this dispersive upconversion preserves the specific sidereal and annual modulation signatures required to distinguish dark matter signals from instrumental backgrounds. When instantiated in a silicon ${ }^{209} \text{Bi}$ donor platform, the hybrid sensor is projected to outperform direct nuclear detection by more than an order of magnitude over the $10^{-16}-10^{-6} \text{eV}$ wide mass range. With collective enhancement, the design reaches a $5 \sigma$ sensitivity to DFSZ axion-nucleon couplings within one year, establishing hyperfine-mediated sensing as a competitive path for compact, solid-state dark matter searches.

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arXiv2025

Annual-modulation fingerprint of the axion wind induced sideband triplet in quantum dot spin qubit sensors

We propose a phase-coherent, narrowband magnetometer for searching couplings between axions or axion-like particles (ALPs) and electron spins, using gate-defined silicon quantum-dot spin qubits. With repeated Ramsey echo sequences and dispersive readout, the qubit precession response can be tracked with sub-Hz spectral resolution. The accessible axion mass window is determined using a series of filtering protocols that take into account sensing noise, including readout errors and $1/f$ noise. We demonstrate clear evidence of sidereal modulation of the signal due to Earth's rotation, while Earth's orbital motion produces an annual amplitude envelope that generates sidebands at fixed frequency spacing $\pm \Omega_\oplus$ around the sidereal component. For axion masses between $1$-$10~\mu{\rm eV}$, the proposed method covers axion-electron coupling strengths $g_{ae}$ ranging from $10^{-14}$ to $10^{-10}$. Including both daily and annual modulation patterns in the likelihood analysis enhances the rejection of stationary or instrumental noise. Our results indicate that spin-qubit magnetometry can achieve sensitivities approaching those suggested by astrophysical considerations, providing a complementary, laboratory-based probe of axion-electron interactions. Although we focus on silicon spin-qubit architectures, the approach is broadly applicable to spin-based quantum sensors.

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arXiv2025

Orbital Hall effect in spin-3/2 hole-doped semiconductors and its implications for orbitronics

State-of-the-art magnetic devices rely on faster, more efficient memory elements. A major recent advance is the discovery of orbital torques, which use the orbital angular momentum of Bloch electrons to switch the magnetisation of an adjacent ferromagnet, motivating the search for orbitronic materials with strong orbital responses, exemplified by the orbital Hall effect (OHE). Here we propose $p$-type semiconductors, with a focus on Ge, as orbitronic platforms. We demonstrate that bulk holes in five common semiconductors exhibit a large orbital Hall conductivity of order $10^3 (\hbar/e)\Omega^{-1}$cm$^{-1}$, exceeding the spin-Hall effect by 2-3 orders of magnitude. The calculation is performed within the framework of the modern theory of orbital magnetisation, while incorporating recently-discovered quantum corrections to the OHE. Moreover, we argue that bulk $p$-type Ge and Si serve as ideal testbeds for the orbital torque resulting from a charge current, since the spin- and orbital-Edelstein effects are forbidden by symmetry. Our results provide a blueprint for producing strong orbital torques in magnetic devices with $p$-type semiconductors, guiding experimental work in this direction.

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arXiv2025

Toward Axion Signal Extraction in Semiconductor Spin Qubits Via Spectral Engineering

Recent advances in quantum sensing and computational technologies indicate the possibility of improving the precision of measurements aimed at detecting cosmological particles and weakly interacting massive particles using various qubit platforms. While recent progress has been made, mitigating environmental noise remains a challenge in extracting particle parameters with high fidelity. Addressing these challenges requires efforts on two levels. At the device level, the qubit and its array acting as a probe, must be isolated from electrical and magnetic noise through optimized device geometry. At the signal-processing level, it is necessary to develop filtering methods targeting specific noise spectra based on different qubit architectures. In this work, we explore the possibility of using semiconductor quantum dot spin qubits as a platform to search for quantum chromodynamics axions and, more broadly, axion like particles (ALPs). Starting by deriving an effective Hamiltonian for electron-axion interactions, we identify an axion-induced effective magnetic field and determine the characteristic axion oscillation frequency. To suppress charge noise in the devices and environmental noise, we first analyze the charge noise spectrum and then develop a dedicated filtering and noise-reduction protocol, paving the way for exploring feasible axion mass ranges. Our preliminary study holds promise for enhancing the screening of various axion signals using quantum technologies. We expect that our analysis and filtering protocol can help advance the use of semiconductor quantum dot spin qubit arrays in axion detection.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Anisotropic spin-blockade leakage current in a Ge hole double quantum dot

Group IV quantum dot hole spin systems, exhibiting strong spin-orbit coupling, provide platforms for various qubit architectures. The rapid advancement of solid-state technologies has significantly improved qubit quality, including the time scales characterizing electrical operation, relaxation, and dephasing. At this stage of development, understanding the relations between the underlying spin-orbit coupling and experimental parameters, such as quantum dot geometry and external electric and magnetic fields, has become a priority. Here we focus on a Ge hole double quantum dot in the Pauli spin blockade regime and present a complete analysis of the leakage current under an out-of-plane magnetic field. By considering a model of anisotropic in-plane confinement and $k^3$-Rashba spin-orbit coupling, we determine the behaviour of the leakage current as a function of detuning, magnetic field magnitude, interdot distance, and individual dot ellipticities. We identify regions in which the leakage current can be suppressed by quantum dot geometry designs. Most importantly, by rotating one of the quantum dots, we observe that the quantum dot shape induces a strongly anisotropic leakage current. These findings provide guidelines for probing the spin-orbit coupling, enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio, and improving the precision of Pauli spin blockade readout in hole qubit architectures.

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arXiv2024

Probing g-tensor reproducibility and spin-orbit effects in planar silicon hole quantum dots

In this work, we probe the sensitivity of hole-spin properties to hole occupation number in a planar silicon double-quantum dot device fabricated on a 300 mm integrated platform. Using DC transport measurements, we investigate the g-tensor and spin-relaxation induced leakage current within the Pauli spin-blockade regime as a function of magnetic-field orientation at three different hole occupation numbers. We find the g-tensor and spin-leakage current to be highly anisotropic due to light-hole/heavy-hole mixing and spin-orbit mixing, but discover the anisotropies to be relatively insensitive to the dot hole number. Furthermore, we extract the dominant inter-dot spin-orbit coupling mechanism as surface Dresselhaus, with an in-plane orientation parallel to transport and magnitude $\boldsymbol{t_{SO}}$ $\approx$ 300 neV. Finally, we observe a strong correlation between the g-factor difference ($\delta$$\boldsymbol{g}$) between each dot and the spin-leakage current anisotropy, as a result of $\delta$$\boldsymbol{g}$ providing an additional spin-relaxation pathway, and should be considered. ]Our findings indicate that hole-spin devices are not as sensitive to precise operating conditions as anticipated. This has important implications optimizing spin control and readout based on magnetic-field direction, together with tuning large arrays of QDs as spin-qubits.

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arXiv2024

Dephasing of planar Ge hole spin qubits due to 1/$\textit{f}$ charge noise

Hole spin qubits in Ge, investigated for all-electrical spin manipulation because of its large spin-orbit coupling, are exposed to charge noise leading to decoherence. Here we construct a model of $1/f$ noise from individual fluctuators and determine the dephasing time $T_2^*$ as a function of qubit properties. $T_2^*$ decreases with increasing magnetic field and is an order of magnitude longer for out-of-plane than for in-plane fields for the same Zeeman energy. $T_2^*$ shows little variation as a function of the top gate field and is a complex function of the dot radius. Our results should help experiments to enhance coherence in hole qubit architectures.

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arXiv2023

Electrical operation of hole spin qubits in planar MOS silicon quantum dots

Silicon hole quantum dots have been the subject of considerable attention thanks to their strong spin-orbit coupling enabling electrical control. The physics of silicon holes is qualitatively different from germanium holes and requires a separate theoretical description. In this work, we theoretically study the electrical control and coherence properties of silicon hole dots with different magnetic field orientations. We discuss possible experimental configurations to optimize the electric dipole spin resonance (EDSR) Rabi time, the phonon relaxation time, and the dephasing due to random telegraph noise. Our main findings are: (i) The in-plane $g$-factor is strongly influenced by the presence of the split-off band, as well as by any shear strain. The $g$-factor is a non-monotonic function of the top gate electric field, in agreement with recent experiments. This enables coherence sweet spots at specific values of the top gate field and specific magnetic field orientations. (ii) Even a small ellipticity (aspect ratios $\sim 1.2$) causes significant anisotropy in the in-plane $g$-factor, which can vary by $50\% - 100\%$ as the magnetic field is rotated in the plane. (iii) EDSR Rabi frequencies are comparable to Ge, and the ratio between the relaxation time and the EDSR Rabi time $\sim 10^5$. For an out-of-plane magnetic field the EDSR Rabi frequency is anisotropic with respect to the orientation of the driving electric field, varying by $\approx 20\%$ as the driving field is rotated in the plane. Our work aims to stimulate experiments by providing guidelines on optimizing configurations and geometries to achieve robust, fast and long-lived hole spin qubits in silicon.

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arXiv2023

Electrical operation of planar Ge hole spin qubits in an in-plane magnetic field

In this work we present a comprehensive theory of spin physics in planar Ge hole quantum dots in an in-plane magnetic field, where the orbital terms play a dominant role in qubit physics, and provide a brief comparison with experimental measurements of the angular dependence of electrically driven spin resonance. We focus the theoretical analysis on electrical spin operation, phonon-induced relaxation, and the existence of coherence sweet spots. We find that the choice of magnetic field orientation makes a substantial difference for the properties of hole spin qubits. Furthermore, although the Schrieffer-Wolff approximation can describe electron dipole spin resonance (EDSR), it does not capture the fundamental spin dynamics underlying qubit coherence. Specifically, we find that: (i) EDSR for in-plane magnetic fields varies non-linearly with the field strength and weaker than for perpendicular magnetic fields; (ii) The EDSR Rabi frequency is maximized when the a.c. electric field is aligned parallel to the magnetic field, and vanishes when the two are perpendicular; (iii) The Rabi ratio $T_1/T_π$, i.e. the number of EDSR gate operation per unit relaxation time, is expected to be as large as $5{\times}10^5$ at the magnetic fields used experimentally; (iv) The orbital magnetic field terms make the in-plane $g$-factor strongly anisotropic in a squeezed dot, in excellent agreement with experimental measurements; (v) The coherence sweet spots do not exist in an in-plane magnetic field, as the orbital magnetic field terms expose the qubit to all components of the defect electric field. These findings will provide a guideline for experiments to design ultrafast, highly coherent hole spin qubits in Ge.

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arXiv2022

Ultrafast coherent control of a hole spin qubit in a germanium quantum dot

Operation speed and coherence time are two core measures for the viability of a qubit. Strong spin-orbit interaction (SOI) and relatively weak hyperfine interaction make holes in germanium (Ge) intriguing candidates for spin qubits with rapid, all-electrical coherent control. Here we report ultrafast single-spin manipulation in a hole-based double quantum dot in a germanium hut wire (GHW). Mediated by the strong SOI, a Rabi frequency exceeding 540 MHz is observed at a magnetic field of 100 mT, setting a record for ultrafast spin qubit control in semiconductor systems. We demonstrate that the strong SOI of heavy holes (HHs) in our GHW, characterized by a very short spin-orbit length of 1.5 nm, enables the rapid gate operations we accomplish. Our results demonstrate the potential of ultrafast coherent control of hole spin qubits to meet the requirement of DiVincenzo's criteria for a scalable quantum information processor.

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arXiv2021

Unidirectional magneto-transport of linearly dispersing topological edge states

Quantum spin-Hall edges are envisaged as next-generation transistors, yet they exhibit dissipationless transport only over short distances. Here we show that in a diffusive sample, where charge puddles with odd spin cause back-scattering, a magnetic field drastically increases the mean free path and drives the system into the ballistic regime with a Landauer-Buttiker conductance. A strong non-linear non-reciprocal current emerges in the diffusive regime with opposite signs on each edge, and vanishes in the ballistic limit. We discuss its detection in state-of-the-art experiments.

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arXiv2021

Optimal operation points for ultrafast, highly coherent Ge hole spin-orbit qubits

Strong spin-orbit interactions make hole quantum dots central to the quest for electrical spin qubit manipulation enabling fast, low-power, scalable quantum computation. Yet it is important to establish to what extent spin-orbit coupling exposes qubits to electrical noise, facilitating decoherence. Here, taking Ge as an example, we show that group IV gate-defined hole spin qubits generically exhibit optimal operation points, defined by the top gate electric field, at which they are both fast and long-lived: the dephasing rate vanishes to first order in electric field noise along all directions in space, the electron dipole spin resonance strength is maximised, while relaxation is drastically reduced at small magnetic fields. The existence of optimal operation points is traced to group IV crystal symmetry and properties of the Rashba spin-orbit interaction unique to spin-3/2 systems. Our results overturn the conventional wisdom that fast operation implies reduced lifetimes, and suggest group IV hole spin qubits as ideal platforms for ultra-fast, highly coherent scalable quantum computing.

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arXiv2021

Theory of Hole-Spin Qubits in Strained Germanium Quantum Dots

We theoretically investigate the properties of holes in a Si$_{x}$Ge$_{1-x}$/Ge/ Si$_{x}$Ge$_{1-x}$ quantum well in a perpendicular magnetic field that make them advantageous as qubits, including a large ($>$100~meV) intrinsic splitting between the light and heavy hole bands, a very light ($\sim$0.05$\, m_0$) in-plane effective mass, consistent with higher mobilities and tunnel rates, and larger dot sizes that could ameliorate constraints on device fabrication. Compared to electrons in quantum dots, hole qubits do not suffer from the presence of nearby quantum levels (e.g., valley states) that can compete with spins as qubits. The strong spin-orbit coupling in Ge quantum wells may be harnessed to implement electric-dipole spin resonance, leading to gate times of several nanoseconds for single-qubit rotations. The microscopic mechanism of this spin-orbit coupling is discussed, along with its implications for quantum gates based on electric-dipole spin resonance, stressing the importance of coupling terms that arise from the underlying cubic crystal field. Our results provide a theoretical foundation for recent experimental advances in Ge hole-spin qubits.

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