Radical Electron-spin-light Interface Dynamics

REID will design and test molecular systems with unpaired electrons that interface light and quantum-mechanical spin states.

The electron spin-up and down states in molecules have spin properties that are attractive for quantum bits (qubits) in quantum information science (QIS). Step-change advancements from exploiting molecular spins are anticipated in: memory (higher density), computing (higher speed), communication (higher security) and sensing (higher sensitivity). For molecules to be used here, the light interface with molecular spins must be established for initialisation, manipulation and probing of spin states. Nitrogen-vacancy diamond defects have led the way for quantum technologies which use an optical-spin interface from ground state and excited-state energy levels. However higher tunability and more controllable qubit locations is achievable by chemistry and molecular qubits.

The starting point for REID is my previous work where I demonstrated that luminescent pi-radicals with unpaired electrons are usable as doublet-spin manifolds for more efficient optoelectronics. There is now an opportunity to create altogether new technology platforms in QIS from the optical, spin and magnetic properties of unpaired electrons with a molecular optical-spin interface.

Novel spin and energy manifolds will be designed in REID from precise control over positioning of unpaired electrons in molecular structures. The optical-spin systems will be studied by magneto-optical spectroscopy to give unique insights into new photo- and spin physics, with focus from the spin sub-levels to molecular energy levels.

REID will test the molecular-spin systems as quantum sensors with exceptional sensitivity of weak magnetic fields, even from individual nuclei in solution and solid-state environments.