Phys.org March 11, 2020
Nuclear spins are featured in early proposals for solid-state quantum computers and demonstrations of quantum search and factoring algorithms. Scaling up such concepts requires controlling individual nuclei which can be detected when coupled to an electron An international team of researchers (Australia, USA – Sandia National Laboratory, Japan) has demonstrated the coherent quantum control of a single 123Sb (spin-7/2) nucleus using localized electric fields produced within a silicon nanoelectronic device.
The method exploits an idea proposed in 1961 but not previously realized experimentally with a single nucleus. Their results are quantitatively supported by a microscopic theoretical model that reveals how the purely electrical modulation of the nuclear electric quadrupole interaction results in coherent nuclear spin transitions that are uniquely addressable owing to lattice strain…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
An artist’s impression of how a nanometer-scale electrode is used to locally control the quantum state of a single nucleus inside a silicon chip. Credit: UNSW/Tony Melov