McGill.CA / Science / Department of Physics

Physical Society Colloquium

Interview for Faculty Position

Can electron spins in semiconductors be used as quantum bits?

Guido Burkhard

IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

The possibility of implementing quantum computation and communication in solid-state devices is currently explored both experimentally and theoretically. The aim of this presentation is to report recent theoretical results on the use of the spin of conduction band electrons confined to semiconductor quantum dots as quantum bits. A theory of the relevant coupling mechanism between spins in tunnel-coupled quantum dots, the exchange interaction, and the status of the corresponding experiments will be discussed. The transmission of quantum information over distance, and the use of entangled pairs of quantum bits as a resource for quantum communication have motivated the study of the transport of spin-entangled electrons in mesoscopic conductors. Here, I will briefly discuss the detection of spin entanglement via a measurement of current fluctuations (noise).

Tuesday, February 11th 2003, 16:00
Ernest Rutherford Physics Building, R.E. Bell Conference Room (room 103)