RUI: Using Colloidal Nanoparticles to Host Photogenerated Spin Qubit Pairs

在化学系化学结构、动力学和机制-B计划的支持下，阿默斯特学院化学系的雅各布·奥尔尚斯基和物理与天文学系的乔纳森·弗里德曼将开发和分析一种新的基于纳米粒子的系统，该系统有可能成为一类可以用光启动的量子比特(Qubit)。近年来，量子计算机和其他量子信息科学(QIS)技术的发展受到了极大的关注，因为它有望给计算带来革命性的变化。然而，构成这些设备中的量子比特的特定分子系统仍然是一个挑战。在目前的工作中，Amherst团队专注于光产生(光引发的)自旋量子比特，这些比特被设计成在定义明确的量子态中产生，而不需要昂贵的毫秒级冷却设备。该团队将探索一种新的纳米粒子-分子共轭系统来托管这些光生自旋量子比特。他们将用时间分辨光学和自旋共振测量来表征这些共轭，以评估它们作为量子比特候选者的实用性。调查将包括本科生参与跨学科和高度协作的尖端研究。通过这项工作培训的学生将更好地在QIS蓬勃发展的领域追求职业生涯。光生自旋量子比特偶(SQP)是在定义良好的(非玻耳兹曼填充的)自旋态中产生的，为QIS技术的发展提供了一个很有前途的平台。拟议的工作旨在扩大可以容纳这些光生SDP的材料的范围。具体地说，纳米颗粒和有机分子的结合物比通常用于支持SQP的全有机系统提供了潜在的优势。这些共轭化合物有望是可合成的，纳米粒子提供的独特自旋环境可能允许量子比特对内的量子比特特定寻址能力。初步的工作表明，可以用电子顺磁共振(EPR)技术检测和表征由氧化锌纳米颗粒和有机染料分子的偶联物组成的SDP。研究小组的目标是通过迭代合成修饰和使用定制和商用EPR光谱仪进行自旋态表征，来更深入地了解这些共轭化合物中的自旋态。他们计划展示特定于自旋的寻址能力，并在由氧化锌纳米颗粒承载的多自旋系统上执行自旋-量子比特操作。最终，这项工作可以为研究人员提供新材料和潜在的新技术，用于在QIS应用的背景下探索光生SDP。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

WIth support from the Chemical Structure, Dynamics & Mechanisms-B Program of the Chemistry Division, Jacob Olshansky of the Department of Chemistry and Jonathan Friedman of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Amherst College will be developing and analyzing a new nanoparticle-based system that has potential to serve as a class of quantum bits (qubits) that can be initiated with light. The development of quantum computers and other quantum information science (QIS) technologies has received significant attention in recent years owing to its promise to revolutionize computing. However, the specific molecular systems that will comprise the qubits in these devices remain a challenge. In the current work, the Amherst team focuses on photogenerated (light-initiated) spin qubits that are designed to be generated in well-defined quantum states without requiring expensive millikelvin cooling devices. The team will explore a new nanoparticle-molecule conjugate system for hosting these photogenerated spin qubits. They will characterize these conjugates with both time-resolved optical and spin resonance measurements to evaluate their utility as qubit candidates. The investigations will involve undergraduate students in cutting-edge research that is both interdisciplinary and highly collaborative. The students trained through this work will be better positioned to pursue careers in the burgeoning field of QIS. Photogenerated spin qubit pairs (SQP) offer a promising platform for the development of QIS technologies since they are generated in well-defined (non-Boltzmann populated) spin states. The proposed work aims to expand the scope of the materials that can host these photogenerated SQPs. Specifically, conjugates of nanoparticles and organic molecules offer potential advantages over the all-organic systems typically used to support SQPs. These conjugates are expected to be synthetically tunable, and the unique spin environment provided by the nanoparticle may allow for qubit specific addressability within the qubit pair. The initial work suggests that SQPs hosted by conjugates of ZnO nanoparticles and organic dye molecules can be detected and characterized with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) techniques. The research team aims to build a deeper understanding of the spin states in these conjugates through iterative synthetic modifications and spin-state characterization using both custom-built and commercial EPR spectrometers. They plan to demonstrate spin-specific addressability and perform spin-qubit manipulations on multi-spin systems hosted by ZnO nanoparticles. Ultimately, the work could provide researchers with both new materials and potentially new techniques for exploring photogenerated SQPs in the context of QIS applications.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.