Amrit De

Suppression of decoherence and disentanglement by the exchange interaction

Entangled qubit pairs can serve as a quantum memory or as a resource for quantum communication. The utility of such pairs is measured by how long they take to disentangle or decohere. To answer the question of whether qubit-qubit interactions can prolong entanglement, we calculate the dissipative dynamics of a pair of qubits coupled via the exchange interaction in the presence of random telegraph noise and 1/f noise. We show that for maximally entangled (Bell) states, the exchange interaction generally suppresses decoherence and disentanglement. This suppression is more apparent for random telegraph noise if the noise is non-Markovian, whereas for 1/f noise the exchange interaction should be comparable in magnitude to the strongest noise source. The entangled singlet-triplet superposition state of two qubits ({psi}{sub {+-}} Bell state) can be protected by the interaction, while for the triplet-triplet state ({phi}{sub {+-}} Bell state), it is less effective. Thus the former is more suitable for encoding quantum information.

Spin transfer of quantum information between majorana modes and a resonator

We show that resonant coupling and entanglement between a mechanical resonator and Majorana bound states can be achieved via spin currents in a 1D quantum wire with strong spin-orbit interactions. The bound states induced by vibrating and stationary magnets can hybridize, thus resulting in spin-current induced 4π-periodic torques, as a function of the relative field angle, acting on the resonator. We study the feasibility of detecting and manipulating Majorana bound states with the use of magnetic resonance force microscopy techniques.

Interlayer resistance of misoriented MoS2

Interlayer misorientation in transition metal dichalcogenides alters their interlayer distance, total energy, electronic band structure, and vibrational modes, but its effect on the interlayer resistance is not known. This study analyzes the interlayer resistance of misoriented bilayer MoS2 as a function of the misorientation angle, and it shows that interlayer misorientation exponentially increases the electron resistivity while leaving the hole resistivity almost unchanged. The physics, determined by the wave functions at the high symmetry points, are generic among the popular semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). The asymmetrical effect of misorientation on the electron and hole transport may be exploited in the design and optimization of vertical transport devices such as a bipolar transistor. Density functional theory provides the interlayer coupling elements used for the resistivity calculations.

Continuous third harmonic generation in a terahertz driven modulated nanowire

We consider the possibility of observing continuous third-harmonic generation using a strongly driven, single-band one-dimensional metal. In the absence of scattering, the quantum efficiency of frequency tripling for such a system can be as high as 93%. Combining the Floquet quasi-energy spectrum with the Keldysh Greens function technique, we derive a semiclassical master equation for a one-dimensional band of strongly and rapidly driven electrons in the presence of weak scattering by phonons. The power absorbed from the driving field is continuously dissipated by phonon modes, leading to a quasi-equilibrium in the electron distribution. We use the Kronig-Penney model with varying effective mass to establish the growth parameters of an InAs/InP nanowire near optimal for third harmonic generation at terahertz frequency range.

Universal set of scalable dynamically corrected gates for quantum error correction with always-on qubit couplings.

We construct a universal set of high fidelity quantum gates to be used on a sparse bipartite lattice with always-on Ising couplings. The gates are based on dynamical decoupling sequences using shaped pulses, they protect against low-frequency phase noise, and can be run in parallel on non-neighboring qubits. This makes them suitable for implementing quantum error correction with low-density parity check codes like the surface codes and their finite-rate generalizations. We illustrate the construction by simulating the quantum Zeno effect with the [[4, 2, 2]] toric code on a spin chain.

Ising-Glauber Spin Cluster Model for Temperature-Dependent Magnetization Noise in SQUIDs

Clusters of interacting two-level-systems, likely due to Farbe+(F(+)) centers at the metal-insulator interface, are shown to self-consistently lead to 1/f(α) magnetization noise [with α(T)≲1] in SQUIDs. Model calculations, based on a new method of obtaining correlation functions, explains various puzzling experimental features. It is shown why the inductance noise is inherently temperature dependent while the flux noise is not, despite the same underlying microscopics. Magnetic ordering in these systems, established by three-point correlation functions, explains the observed flux-inductance-noise cross correlations. Since long-range ferromagnetic interactions are shown to lead to a more weakly temperature dependent flux noise when compared to short-range interactions, the time reversal symmetry of the clusters is also not likely broken by the same mechanism which mediates surface ferromagnetism in nanoparticles and thin films of the same insulator materials.

Dynamically corrected gates for qubits with always-on Ising couplings: Error model and fault tolerance with the toric code

We describe how a universal set of dynamically corrected quantum gates can be implemented using sequences of shaped decoupling pulses on any qubit network forming a sparse bipartite graph with always-on Ising interactions. These interactions are constantly decoupled except when they are needed for two-qubit gates. We analytically study the error operators associated with the constructed gates up to third order in the Magnus expansion, analyze these errors numerically in the unitary time evolution of small qubit clusters, and give a bound on high-order errors for qubits on a large square lattice. We prove that with a large enough toric code the present gate set can be used to implement fault-tolerant quantum memory.

Magnetization-noise-induced collapse and revival of Rabi oscillations in circuit QED

We use a quasi Hamiltonian formalism to describe the dissipative dynamics of a circuit QED qubit that is affected by several fluctuating two level systems with a 1/f noise power spectrum. The qubit-resonator interactions are described by the Jaynes Cummings model. We argue that the presence of pure dephasing noise in such a qubit-resonator system will also induce an energy relaxation mechanism via a fluctuating dipole coupling term. This random modulation of the coupling is seen to lead to rich physical behavior. For non-Markovian noise, the coupling can either worsen or alleviate decoherence depending on the initial conditions. The magnetization noise leads to behavior resembling the collapse and revival of Rabi oscillations. For a broad distribution of noise couplings, the frequency of these oscillations depends on the mean noise strength. We describe this behavior semi-analytically and find it to be independent of the number of fluctuators. This phenomenon could be used as an in situ probe of the noise characteristics.

Collinear phase matching for second harmonic generation using conoscopic interferometry

The problem of finding phase-matching directions in noncentrosymmetric biaxial crystals is simplified here by the use of Conoscopic interferometry. Based on vector relations for wave propagation in birefringent media and solutions to phase-matching equations, we show that phase matching directions can be located on the conoscopic interferograms and that fringe numbers for dark-isochromes can be used as a guide to find phase-matching directions for a biaxial crystal. This technique can be generalized and extended to any anisotropic crystal. We have demonstrated this method for the particular case of a biaxial KTiOPO4 crystal, where it is found to be particularly suitable for finding the optimum-phase-matching directions.

High figure of merit magneto-optics from interfacial skyrmions on topological insulators

In the Kerr rotation geometry, magneto-optic memory devices typically suffer from low figure-of-merit (FOM) and long write times. We show that skyrmions formed at the interface of a thin-film multiferroic and a topological insulator can give rise to high FOM magneto-optic Kerr effects (MOKEs). Huge differential MOKE can arise in parts of the phase diagram. Resonancelike features in the MOKE spectra arising from the induced low energy TI band gap, the multiferroic-film thickness, and the high energy Drude-like behavior are resolved and explained. The Fermi level dependence of the MOKE signatures is distinct for the different magnetic textures. This has broad implications for magnetic texture characterization, electro-optic modulators and isolators, and high density magnetic optic memory.