Xuedong Hu

SQUEEZED PHONON STATES : MODULATING QUANTUM FLUCTUATIONS OF ATOMIC DISPLACEMENTS

We study squeezed quantum states of phonons, which allow the possibility of modulating the quantum fluctuations of atomic displacements below the zero-point quantum noise level of coherent phonon states. We calculate the corresponding expectation values and fluctuations of both the atomic displacement and the lattice amplitude operators, and also investigate the possibility of generating squeezed phonon states using a three-phonon parametric amplification process based on phonon-phonon interactions. Furthermore, we also propose a detection scheme based on reflectivity measurements.

Low-decoherence flux qubit

A flux qubit can have a relatively long decoherence time at the degeneracy point, but away from this point the decoherence time is greatly reduced by dephasing. This limits the practical applications of flux qubits. Here we propose a qubit design modified from the commonly used flux qubit by introducing an additional capacitor shunted in parallel to the smaller Josephson junction (JJ) in the loop. Our results show that the effects of noise can be considerably suppressed, particularly away from the degeneracy point, by both reducing the coupling energy of the JJ and increasing the shunt capacitance. This shunt capacitance provides a novel way to improve the qubit.

Phonon squeezed states generated by second-order raman scattering

We study squeezed states of phonons, which allow a reduction in the quantum fluctuations of the atomic displacements to below the zero-point quantum noise level of coherent phonon states. We investigate the generation of squeezed phonon states using a second order Raman scattering process. We calculate the expectation values and fluctuations of both the atomic displacement and the lattice amplitude operators, as well as the effects of the phonon squeezed states on macroscopically measurable quantities, such as changes in the dielectric constant. These results are compared with recent experiments.

Spin quantum computation in silicon nanostructures

Abstract Proposed silicon-based quantum-computer architectures have attracted attention because of their promise for scalability and their potential for synergetically utilizing the available resources associated with the existing Si technology infrastructure. Electronic and nuclear spins of shallow donors (e.g. phosphorus) in Si are ideal candidates for qubits in such proposals because of their long spin coherence times due to their limited interactions with their environments. For these spin qubits, shallow donor exchange gates are frequently invoked to perform two-qubit operations. We discuss in this review a particularly important spin decoherence channel, and bandstructure effects on the exchange gate control. Specifically, we review our work on donor electron spin spectral diffusion due to background nuclear spin flip–flops, and how isotopic purification of silicon can significantly enhance the electron spin dephasing time. We then review our calculation of donor electron exchange coupling in the presence of degenerate silicon conduction band valleys. We show that valley interference leads to orders of magnitude variations in electron exchange coupling when donor configurations are changed on an atomic scale. These studies illustrate the substantial potential that donor electron/nuclear spins in silicon have as candidates for qubits and simultaneously the considerable challenges they pose. In particular, our work on spin decoherence through spectral diffusion points to the possible importance of isotopic purification in the fabrication of scalable solid state quantum computer architectures. We also provide a critical comparison between the two main proposed spin-based solid state quantum computer architectures, namely, shallow donor bound states in Si and localized quantum dot states in GaAs.

Charge decoherence in laterally coupled quantum dots due to electron-phonon interactions

We investigate electron charge decoherence in a laterally coupled single-electron semiconductor double quantum dot through electron-phonon interaction. We analytically and numerically evaluate the relaxation and dephasing rates due to electron coupling to both acoustic and optical phonons, and explore the system parameter space in terms of interdot distance, strength of single-dot confinement, and interdot coupling strength. Our numerical results show that the electron scattering rates are strongly dependent on the strength of the electron confinement and the size of the system. In addition, although the most dominant factor that determines the charge decoherence rate is the energy splitting between the charge qubit states, the details of the double dot configuration are also very important.

Phonon squeezed states: quantum noise reduction in solids

Abstract This article discusses quantum fluctuation properties of a crystal lattice, and in particular, phonon squeezed states. Squeezed states of phonons allow a reduction in the quantum fluctuations of the atomic displacements to below the zero-point quantum noise level of coherent phonon states. Here we discuss our studies of both continuous-wave and impulsive second-order Raman scattering mechanisms. The later approach was used to experimentally suppress (by one part in a million) fluctuations in phonons. We calculate the expectation values and fluctuations of both the atomic displacement and the lattice amplitude operators, as well as the effects of the phonon squeezed states on macroscopically measurable quantities, such as changes in the dielectric constant. These results are compared with recent experiments. Further information, including preprints and animations, are available in http://www-personal.engin.umich.edu/∼nori/squeezed.html.

Strong coupling of a spin qubit to a superconducting stripline cavity

We study electron-spin-photon coupling in a single-spin double quantum dot embedded in a superconducting stripline cavity. With an external magnetic field, we show that either a spin-orbit interaction (for InAs) or an inhomogeneous magnetic field (for Si and GaAs) could produce a strong spin-photon coupling, with a coupling strength of the order of 1 MHz. With an isotopically purified Si double dot, which has a very long spin coherence time for the electron, it is possible to reach the strong-coupling limit between the spin and the cavity photon, as in cavity quantum electrodynamics. The coupling strength and relaxation rates are calculated based on parameters of existing devices, making this proposal experimentally feasible.

Quantum phonon optics: Coherent and squeezed atomic displacements

In this paper we investigate coherent and squeezed quantum states of phonons. The latter allow the possibility of modulating the quantum fluctuations of atomic displacements below the zero-point quantum noise level of coherent states. The expectation values and quantum fluctuations of both the atomic displacement and the lattice amplitude operators are calculated in these states---in some cases analytically. We also study the possibility of squeezing quantum noise in the atomic displacement using a polariton-based approach.

Quantum emulation of a spin system with topologically protected ground states using superconducting quantum circuits

J. Q. You, 2 Xiao-Feng Shi, 2 and Franco Nori 3 Department of Physics and Surface Physics Laboratory (National Key Laboratory), Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China Advanced Study Institute, The Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN), Wako-shi 351-0198, Japan Center for Theoretical Physics, Physics Department, Center for the Study of Complex Systems, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1040, USA (Dated: August 30, 2008)

Valley-based noise-resistant quantum computation using Si quantum dots.

We devise a platform for noise-resistant quantum computing using the valley degree of freedom of Si quantum dots. The qubit is encoded in two polarized (1,1) spin-triplet states with different valley compositions in a double quantum dot, with a Zeeman field enabling unambiguous initialization. A top gate gives a difference in the valley splitting between the dots, allowing controllable interdot tunneling between opposite valley eigenstates, which enables one-qubit rotations. Two-qubit operations rely on a stripline resonator, and readout on charge sensing. Sensitivity to charge and spin fluctuations is determined by intervalley processes and is greatly reduced as compared to conventional spin and charge qubits. We describe a valley echo for further noise suppression.