Long distance qubit-qubit coupling in silicon quantum dots

Abstract: I study the interaction between quantum mechanical spins controllably trapped in small regions known as quantum dots at the interfaces of a semiconductor, such as silicon, and and an insulator. Even though the electric field of an electron is spherical, electrons have orientation, the spin. Spins can encode information, which can be controlled with the help of electric and magnetic fields. Electron spins in quantum dots can be studied in cold environments provided by so-called dilution refrigerators, which cool them and their immediate environment down very close to absolute zero. Such cold temperatures are required to differentiate the faint signals transmitted by these tiny particles from the ones caused by inevitably noisy environment.

To fully process the information contained in spins, they need to interact with one another in a well-defined manner. I study an interaction which can be seen as an interplay of two facts. First, two electrons repel each other due to both having a charge with the same signature. Second, two electrons with exactly the same energy and orientation cannot occupy exactly the same physical space. In systems where two nearby electrons are trapped, they repeatedly swap their spin orientations with one another. This effect is known as the exchange interaction.

It turns out that the outer electrons in a system of three or more quantum dot electrons can also interact via spin exchange. We aim to apply this effect to demonstrate qubit-qubit interactions over distances that are long compared to quantum dot sizes. In particular, we aim to study the controllability and quality of the resulting two-qubit gates. If sufficiently strong and controllable, such and interaction would be a helpful step towards realising scalable qubit processors.

Quantum technologies promise a transformation of the fields of measurement, communication and information processing. They present a particular opportunity since they are disruptive technologies: not only do they offer a chance for rapid growth but they also allow lesser participants in a field (such as the UK in IT) to become major players through appropriate risk-taking and manpower development. Students graduating from the InQuBATE Skills Hub will have the right mindset to work in the industries where quantum technologies will be applied, and help to break down the traditional barriers between those sectors to make this transformation happen. They will have all the necessary technical and transferable skills, plus a network of contacts with our partners, their fellow cohort members and the academic supervisors.

Our commercial partners are keen to help our students realise their potential and achieve the impact we expect of them, through the training they offer and their contributions to the centre's research. They include companies who have already developed quantum technologies to products in quantum communication (Toshiba) and optimization (D-Wave), large corporates who are investing in quantum technology because they see its potential to transform their businesses in aerospace, defence, instrumentation and internet services (Lockheed Martin, Google,) and government agencies with key national responsibilities (NPL). We want to see the best communication of our students' research, so our students will benefit from the existing training programme set up with a leading scientific publisher (Nature Publishing Group); we also want to see more of the future companies that lead this field based the UK, so we have partnered with venture capital group DFJ Esprit to judge and mentor the acceleration of our students' innovations toward the market.