Ultrafast spectroscopy of semiconductor materials for the advancement of quantum technologies

半导体引发了第一次量子革命，代表着利用量子受限电子特性的技术的出现。这些包括集成电路、激光、光学显示器等，这些技术已经对我们的生活和工作方式产生了戏剧性的影响。第二次量子革命承诺了一系列新技术，如传感器(用于医学、清洁技术、地面测量)、低噪声成像、安全通信，以及用于材料发现、数据管理、金融分析等的量子计算。第二次量子革命中的技术将利用控制额外量子属性的能力，如自旋极化和量子纠缠。这些技术的实现需要我们控制量子态的能力的进步，以及发现具有可工程量子性质的新材料。达尔豪西的超快量子控制组使用先进的光谱技术来探测在量子科学和技术中应用感兴趣的半导体材料。我们研究的半导体材料包括自组装量子点(QDs)、过渡金属二卤化物(TMDs)和有机-无机钙钛矿杂化材料(HOIPs)。固体发射体在发展量子网络和量子密码学的光子源方面具有广阔的应用前景。我们小组将在我们小组近年来开发的利用光脉冲整形的量子控制技术的基础上，针对量子点中的单个和集合量子发射体以及TMD中的应变局域激子提出控制策略。我们将最优控制扩展到量子点的退相干抑制，将消除量子技术部署的一个关键障碍，我们将展示TMD中局域激子量子比特的第一个相干光学旋转。HOIP表现出极强的自旋-轨道耦合，并提供了前所未有的能力来设计低功率自旋电子或固态自旋量子比特之间的门可控通信的自旋性质。我们的团队将在我们最近对这些材料中的相干动力学和自旋弛豫的研究的基础上，开展第一批关于HOIP中自旋输运的研究。我们在超快光谱学和量子控制方面的研究计划为高素质的人员提供了一个极好的培训基础。我们的项目包括在光学尖端的定制设置，传授异常高水平的技术技能。这为我们的实习生在400多家加拿大公司的光电子和半导体行业的职业生涯做好了准备。我们的研究计划还将为新兴的量子行业提供必要的培训人员，对人才的迫切需求已被确定为保持加拿大领先地位的主要障碍之一。

Semiconductors enabled the first quantum revolution, representing the advent of technologies that exploit the properties of quantum-confined electrons. These include integrated circuits, lasers, optical displays, and more, technologies that have had a dramatic impact on the way we live and work. The second quantum revolution promises a whole host of new technologies such as sensors (for medicine, clean-tech, ground surveying), low-noise imaging, secure communications, as well as quantum computing for materials discovery, data management, financial analysis, etc. Technologies in the second quantum revolution would leverage the ability to control additional quantum properties such as spin polarization and quantum entanglement. The realization of such technologies requires advances in our ability to control quantum states and the discovery of new materials with engineerable quantum properties. The Ultrafast Quantum Control Group at Dalhousie uses advanced spectroscopy techniques to probe semiconductor materials of interest for applications in quantum science and technology. The semiconductor materials of interest for our research are self-assembled quantum dots (QDs), transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), and hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites (HOIPs). Solid-state emitters are promising for the development of quantum networks and photon sources for quantum cryptography. Our group will advance control strategies for individual and collections of quantum emitters in QDs and strain-localized excitons in TMDs, building upon quantum control techniques utilizing optical pulse shaping developed in our group in recent years. Our extension of optimal control to decoherence suppression for QDs will remove a key barrier to deployment of quantum technologies and we will demonstrate the first coherent optical rotations of localized exciton qubits in TMDs. The HOIPs exhibit extremely strong spin-orbit coupling and offer an unprecedented ability to engineer the spin properties for low-power spintronics or gate-controllable communication between solid-state spin qubits. Our group will carry out the first studies of spin transport in HOIPs, building upon our recent studies of coherent dynamics and spin relaxation in these materials. Our research program in ultrafast spectroscopy and quantum control provides an excellent training ground for highly qualified personnel. Our projects involve custom-built setups at the cutting-edge of optics, imparting an exceptionally high level of technical skills. This prepares our trainees for careers in the photonics and semiconductor industries, with over 400 Canadian companies. Our research program will also provide essential trainees for the emerging quantum sector, for which the urgent need for talent has been identified as one of the primary obstacles to maintaining Canada's leadership position.