Zhongqing Ji

Real-time detection of electron tunnelling in a quantum dot

Nanostructures in which strong (Coulomb) interactions exist between electrons are predicted to exhibit temporal electronic correlations. Although there is ample experimental evidence that such correlations exist, electron dynamics in engineered nanostructures have been observed directly only on long timescales. The faster dynamics associated with electrical currents or charge fluctuations are usually inferred from direct (or quasi-direct) current measurements. Recently, interest in electron dynamics has risen, in part owing to the realization that additional information about electronic interactions can be found in the shot noise or higher statistical moments of a direct current. Furthermore, interest in quantum computation has stimulated investigation of quantum bit (qubit) readout techniques, which for many condensed-matter systems ultimately reduces to single-shot measurements of individual electronic charges. Here we report real-time observation of individual electron tunnelling events in a quantum dot using an integrated radio-frequency single-electron transistor. We use electron counting to measure directly the quantum dots tunnelling rate and the occupational probabilities of its charge state. Our results provide evidence in favour of long (10 µs or more) inelastic scattering times in nearly isolated dots.

Strong and Tunable Spin−Orbit Coupling of One-Dimensional Holes in Ge/Si Core/Shell Nanowires

We investigate the low-temperature magneto-transport properties of individual Ge/Si core/shell nanowires. Negative magneto-conductance was observed, which is a signature of one-dimensional weak antilocalization of holes in the presence of strong spin--orbit coupling. The temperature and back gate dependences of phase coherence length, spin--orbit relaxation time, and background conductance were studied. Specifically, we show that the spin--orbit coupling strength can be modulated by more than five folds with an external electric field. These results suggest the Ge/Si nanowire system possesses strong and tunable spin--orbit interactions and may serve as a candidate for spintronics applications.

Sensitivity and Linearity of Superconducting Radio-Frequency Single-Electron Transistors: Effects of Quantum Charge Fluctuations

We have investigated the effects of quantum fluctuations of quasiparticles on the operation of superconducting radio-frequency single-electron transistors (rf-SETs) for large values of the quasiparticle cotunneling parameter alpha = 8EJ/Ec, where EJ and Ec are the Josephson and charging energies. We find that, for alpha > 1, subgap rf-SET operation is still feasible despite quantum fluctuations that wash out quasiparticle tunneling thresholds. Surprisingly, such rf-SETs show linearity and signal-to-noise ratio superior to those obtained when quantum fluctuations are weak, while still demonstrating excellent charge sensitivity.

The quantum limit for electrical amplifiers: Can we reach it?

Any scientific instrument, including an electrical amplifier, necessarily adds noise in the process of performing a measurement. As might be expected from knowledge of Heisenbergs uncertainty principle, quantum mechanics sets strict limits on how little noise a measurement can add. There is a great deal of current interest in performing measurements at the quantum limit on such systems as qubits and nanomechanical resonators. Here we introduce the notion of quantum limited electrical measurement, and discuss recent progress made toward this goal.

Real-time electron counting in semiconductor nanostructures

By coupling a radio-frequency single-electron transistor (RF-SET) to a quantum dot (QD) in a GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure, we have succeeded in detecting the tunneling of individual electrons on and off the QD on time scales as short as one microsecond. Using charge detection to probe the state of the QD allows us to nearly isolate the dot from its leads, thereby minimizing decoherence-inducing effects of the environment. We have extended these charge detection techniques to double quantum dots (DQDs) that can simultaneously be used to characterize the backaction of the RF-SET. The combined RF-SET/DQD system is well-suited to the development of charge- or spin-based quantum bits, and to investigation of the quantum measurement problem.