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At least 487 records · Page 27

Coherent control of the electron quantum paths for the generation of single ultrashort atto second laser pulse

We report a mechanism and a realizable approach for the coherent control of the generation of an isolated and ultrashort atto second (as) laser pulse from atoms by optimizing the two-color laser fields with a proper time delay. Optimizing the laser pulse shape allows the control of the electron quantum paths and enables high-harmonic generation from the long- and short-trajectory electrons to be enhanced and split near the cutoff region. In addition, it delays the long-trajectory electron emission time and allows the production of extremely short atto second pulses in a relatively narrow time duration. As a case study, we show that an isolated 30 as pulse with a bandwidth of 127 eV can be generated directly from the contribution of long-trajectory electrons alone.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗

Controlling Nanoparticle Orientations in the Self-Assembly of ‘Patchy’ Quantum Dot-Gold Heterostructural Nanocrystals

Self-assembly of nanocrystals is a promising route for creating macroscale materials that derive function from the properties of their nanoscale building blocks. While much progress has been made assembling nanocrystals into different superlattices, controlling the relative orientations of nanocrystals in those lattices remains a challenge. Here, we combine experiments with computer simulations to study the self-assembly of patchy heterostructural nanocrystals (HNCs), consisting of near-spherical quantum dots decorated with regular arrangements of small gold satellites, into close-packed superlattices with pronounced orientational alignment of HNCs. Our simulations indicate that the orientational alignment is caused by van der Waals interactions between gold patches and is sensitive to the interparticle distance in the superlattice. We demonstrate experimentally that the degree and type of orientational alignment can be controlled by changing ligand populations on HNCs. This study provides guidance for the design and fabrication of nanocrystal superlattices with enhanced structural control.

ZHu, Hua↗

Generating entangled steady states in multistable open quantum systems via initial state control

Entanglement underpins the power of quantum technologies, yet it is fragile and typically destroyed by dissipation. Paradoxically, the same dissipation, when carefully engineered, can drive a system toward robust entangled steady states. However, this engineering task is nontrivial, as dissipative many-body systems are complex, particularly when they support multiple steady states. Here, we derive analytic expressions that predict how the steady state of a system evolving under a Lindblad equation depends on the initial state, without requiring integration of the dynamics. These results extend Refs. [V. V. Albert and L. Jiang, Phys. Rev. A 89, 022118 (2014); V. V. Albert et al., Phys. Rev. X 6, 041031 (2016)], showing that while the steady-state manifold is determined by the Liouvillian kernel, the weights within it depend on both the Liouvillian and the initial state. We identify a special class of Liouvillians for which the steady state depends only on the initial overlap with the kernel. Our framework provides analytical insight and a computationally efficient tool for predicting steady states in open quantum systems. As an application, we propose schemes to generate metrologically useful entangled steady states in spin ensembles via balanced collective decay.

Dissipative dynamics↗

Carboxylate-based molecular magnet: One path toward achieving stable quantum correlations at room temperature

The control of quantum correlations in solid-state systems by means of material engineering is a broad avenue to be explored, since it makes possible steps toward the limits of quantum mechanics and the design of novel materials with applications on emerging quantum technologies. This letter explores the potential of molecular magnets to be prototypes of materials for quantum information technology in this context. More precisely, we engineered a material and from its geometric quantum discord we found significant quantum correlations up to 9540 K (even without entanglement); and, a pure singlet state occupied up to around 80 K (above liquid nitrogen temperature), additionally. Our results could only be achieved due to the carboxylate group promoting a metal-to-metal huge magnetic interaction.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Controlling Carrier Dynamics using Quantum-Confined Semiconductor Nanocrystals

The articles included in this special issue of Chemical Physics explore the use of quantum-confined semiconductor nanocrystals to control the flow of energy and/or charge. Colloidal quantum-confined semiconductor nanostructures are an emerging class of functional materials being developed for novel opto-electronic applications. In the last few years numerous examples in the literature have emerged where novel nanostructures have been tailored such as to achieve a specific function thus moving the field from the stage of discovery of novel behaviors to that of control of nanostructure properties. In addition to the internal structure of the NCs their assemblies can be tailored to achieve emergent properties and add additional control parameters that determine the final opto-electronic properties. These principles are explored via variations in shape, size, surface ligands, heterostructuring, morphology, composition, and assemblies and are demonstrated through measurements of excited state processes, such as Auger recombination; photoluminescence; charge separation and charge transport.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Exploration of Optimizing FPGA-based Qubit Controller for Experiments on Superconducting Quantum Computing Hardware

This work explores avenues and target areas for optimizing FPGA-based control hardware for experiments conducted on superconducting quantum computing systems and serves as an introduction to some of the current research at the intersection of classical and quantum computing hardware. With the promise of building larger-scale error-corrected quantum computers based on superconducting qubit architecture, innovations to room-temperature control electronics are needed to bring these quantum realizations to fruition. The QICK (Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit) is one leading experimental FPGA-based implementations. However, its integration into other experimental quantum computing architectures, especially those using superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavities, is largely unexplored. We identify some key target areas for optimizing control electronics for superconducting qubit architectures and provide some preliminary results to the resolution of a control pulse waveform. With optimizations targeted at 3D superconducting qubit setups, we hope to bring to light some of the requirements in classical computational methodologies to bring out the full potential of this quantum computing architecture, and to convey the excitement of progress in this research.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Analytical optimal pulse shapes obtained with the aid of genetic algorithms

We propose a methodology to design optimal pulses for achieving quantum optimal control on molecular systems. Our approach constrains pulse shapes to linear combinations of a fixed number of experimentally relevant pulse functions. Quantum optimal control is obtained by maximizing a multi-target fitness function using genetic algorithms. As a first application of the methodology, we generated an optimal pulse that successfully maximized the yield on a selected dissociation channel of a diatomic molecule. Our pulse is obtained as a linear combination of linearly chirped pulse functions. Data recorded along the evolution of the genetic algorithm contained important information regarding the interplay between radiative and diabatic processes. We performed a principal component analysis on these data to retrieve the most relevant processes along the optimal path. Our proposed methodology could be useful for performing quantum optimal control on more complex systems by employing a wider variety of pulse shape functions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Quantum Nanofabrication: Mechanisms and Fundamental Limits

Quantum-size-controlled photoelectrochemical (QSC-PEC) etching, which uses quantum confinement effects to control size, can potentially enable the fabrication of epitaxial quantum nanostructures with unprecedented accuracy and precision across a wide range of materials systems. However, many open questions remain about this new technique, including its limitations and broader applicability. In this project, using an integrated experimental and theoretical modeling approach, we pursue a greater understanding of the time-dependent QSC-PEC etch process and to uncover the underlying mechanisms that determine its ultimate accuracy and precision. We also seek to broaden our understanding of the scope of its ultimate applicability in emerging nanostructures and nanodevices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Quantum dot spontaneous emission control in a ridge waveguide

We investigate the spontaneous emission (SE) of self-assembled InAs quantum dots (QDs) embedded in GaAs ridge waveguides that lay on a low index substrate. In thin enough waveguides, the coupling to the fundamental guided mode is vanishingly small. A pronounced anisotropy in the coupling to non-guided modes is then directly evidenced by normal-incidence photoluminescence polarization measurements. In this regime, a measurement of the QD decay rate reveals a SE inhibition by a factor up to 4. In larger wires, which ensure an optimal transverse confinement of the fundamental guided mode, the decay rate approaches the bulk value. Building on the good agreement with theoretical predictions, we infer from calculations the fraction β of SE coupled to the fundamental guided mode for some important QD excitonic complexes. For a charged exciton (isotropic in plane optical dipole), β reaches 0.61 at maximum for an on-axis QD. In the case of a purely transverse linear optical dipole, β increases up to 0.91. This optimal configuration is achievable through the selective excitation of one of the bright neutral excitons.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Unraveling the Growth Mechanism of Strongly Confined CsPbBr 3 Perovskite Quantum Dots under Thermodynamic Equilibrium Control

Size-confined lead halide perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) are promising materials for optoelectronic devices. Large quantities of PQDs with high ensemble uniformity are often needed for device fabrication. The thermodynamic-equilibrium-controlled synthesis can produce PQDs with good size and shape uniformity. Unfortunately, scaling up this synthesis often produces unwanted perovskite nanoplatelets (NPLs). To date, the PQD and NPL growth mechanism under thermodynamic equilibrium control remains unexplored. We discovered that the growth of size-confined CsPbBr 3 PQDs is mediated by ultrasmall (~ 2.4 nm) metastable nanoclusters. These nanoclusters can eventually grow into PQDs when sufficient Cs-precursors are provided. Otherwise, the unreacted nanoclusters will self-assemble and fuse into NPLs during the synthesis and/or PQD purification. Furthermore, by controlling the homogeneous growth of nanoclusters, strongly confined (≤ 5 nm) PQDs with high size uniformity can be produced at the gram scale.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Tunable current circulation in triangular quantum-dot metastructures

Advances in fabrication and control of quantum dots allow the realization of metastructures that may exhibit novel electrical transport phenomena. In this work, we investigate the electrical current passing through one such metastructure, a system composed of quantum dots placed at the vertices of a triangle. The wave nature of quantum particles leads to internal current circulation within the metastructure in the absence of any external magnetic field. We uncover the relation between the metastructure steady-state total current and the internal circulation. By calculating the electronic correlations in quantum transport exactly, we present phase diagrams showing where different types of current circulation can be found as a function of the correlation strength and the coupling between the quantum dots. Finally, we show that the regimes of current circulation can be further enhanced or reduced depending on the local spatial distribution of the interactions, suggesting a single-particle scattering mechanism is at play even in the strongly correlated regime. We suggest experimental realizations of actual quantum-dot metastructures where our predictions can be directly tested.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Cryogenic Control Circuitry for Superconducting Qubits

Superconducting qubits have reached the point where system designers are worried about the heat that control wiring brings into the cryostat. To continue scaling cryogenic quantum systems, control solutions that work inside the cold space must be explored. One possibility is to use control electronics that is native to superconductivity, so called single-flux-quantum (SFQ) circuitry, to form an interface between qubits and whatever other electronics is needed to control eventual quantum systems. To begin exploring the utility of SFQ as control circuitry, we performed modeling and experiments on qubit readout using ballistic fluxons which are SFQ in the limit of ballistic fluxon transport. Our modeling results show that a flavor of qubit, the fluxonium, can be read out using ballistic fluxons. We designed test samples to prove some of the key concepts needed for such a readout but were ultimately unable to getting a working demonstration. The lack of testing success was due to challenges in fabrication and running short of time to perform testing rather than a fundamental problem with our analysis.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Controlled exciton transfer between quantum dots with acoustic phonons taken into account

A system of excitons in two quantum dots coupled by the dipole–dipole interaction is investigated. The excitation transfer process controlled by the optical Stark effect at nonresonant frequencies is considered and the effect of the interaction between excitons and acoustic phonons in a medium on this process is taken into account. The system evolution is described using quantum Heisenberg equations. A truncated set of equations is obtained and the transfer dynamics is numerically simulated. High-efficiency picosecond switching of the excitation transfer by a laser pulse with a rectangular envelope is demonstrated. The dependence of picosecond switching on the quantum-dot parameters and optical-pulse length is presented.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Initial-State Dependent Optimization of Controlled Gate Operations with Quantum Computer

There is no unique way to encode a quantum algorithm into a quantum circuit. With limited qubit counts, connectivity, and coherence times, a quantum circuit optimization is essential to make the best use of near-term quantum devices. We introduce a new circuit optimizer called AQCEL, which aims to remove redundant controlled operations from controlled gates, depending on initial states of the circuit. Especially, the AQCEL can remove unnecessary qubit controls from multi-controlled gates in polynomial computational resources, even when all the relevant qubits are entangled, by identifying zero-amplitude computational basis states using a quantum computer. As a benchmark, the AQCEL is deployed on a quantum algorithm designed to model final state radiation in high energy physics. For this benchmark, we have demonstrated that the AQCEL-optimized circuit can produce equivalent final states with much smaller number of gates. Moreover, when deploying AQCEL with a noisy intermediate scale quantum computer, it efficiently produces a quantum circuit that approximates the original circuit with high fidelity by truncating low-amplitude computational basis states below certain thresholds. Our technique is useful for a wide variety of quantum algorithms, opening up new possibilities to further simplify quantum circuits to be more effective for real devices.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Systematic Crosstalk Mitigation for Superconducting Qubits via Frequency-Aware Compilation

One of the key challenges in current Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) computers is to control a quantum system with high-fidelity quantum gates. There are many reasons a quantum gate can go wrong - for superconducting transmon qubits in particular, one major source of gate error is the unwanted crosstalk between neighboring qubits due to a phenomenon called frequency crowding. We motivate a systematic approach for understanding and mitigating the crosstalk noise when executing near-term quantum programs on superconducting NISQ computers. Here, we present a general software solution to alleviate frequency crowding by systematically tuning qubit frequencies according to input programs, trading parallelism for higher gate fidelity when necessary. The net result is that our work dramatically improves the crosstalk resilience of tunable-qubit, fixed-coupler hardware, matching or surpassing other more complex architectural designs such as tunable-coupler systems. On NISQ benchmarks, we improve worst-case program success rate by 13.3x on average, compared to existing traditional serialization strategies.

Computer architecture↗

Height control of self-assembled quantum dots by strain engineering during capping

Strain engineering during the capping of III-V quantum dots has been explored as a means to control the height of strained self-assembled quantum dots. Results of Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations are confronted with cross-sectional Scanning Tunnel Microscopy (STM) measurements performed on InAs quantum dots grown by molecular beam epitaxy. We studied InAs quantum dots that are capped by In{sub x}Ga{sub (1−x)}As layers of different indium compositions. Both from our realistic 3D kinetic Monte Carlo simulations and the X-STM measurements on real samples, a trend in the height of the capped quantum dot is found as a function of the lattice mismatch between the quantum dot material and the capping layer. Results obtained on additional material combinations show a generic role of the elastic energy in the control of the quantum dot morphology by strain engineering during capping.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Two-dimensional quantum gas with real time control of complete Hamiltonian (Final Report)

We developed a novel quantum platform with the complete capability to control individual atoms and their mutual interactions in real time. Ultracold atoms are employed since they have the lowest temperature and decoherence. This system is the ultimate dream of quantum physicists where the Hamiltonian of every single atom, including its kinetic energy, potential energy, and interactions, can be independently programmed in real time. We also initiated a new theoretical collaboration to explore its full potential.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗