Electrical detection of spin coherence in silicon

Area of Science:

• Quantum computing
• Semiconductor physics
• Electron spin dynamics

Background:

• Localized electrons in silicon are promising quantum bits.
• Coherent spin states are crucial for quantum information processing.
• Sensitive readout mechanisms are needed for semiconductor quantum computers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate photocurrents as a sensitive readout probe for electron spin states in silicon.
• To investigate the use of pulsed electron spin resonance for manipulating spin states.
• To explore spin echo phenomena for accessing quantum information.

Main Methods:

• Subjecting conduction electrons to pulsed electron spin resonance to induce Rabi oscillations.
• Measuring spin-dependent recombination rates and sample conductivity.
• Utilizing microwave-induced rephasing to generate spin echoes.

Main Results:

• Photocurrents effectively probe coherent spin states of localized electrons.
• Rabi oscillations demonstrate collective spin motion.
• Spin echo intensity correlates with spin state and coherence decay.

Conclusions:

• Photocurrent readout is a viable technique for semiconductor quantum computing.
• Electron spin coherence and manipulation can be studied using spin echoes.
• This method provides a sensitive pathway for reading quantum information from electron spins.