Diamond microstructures for quantum information technologies

目前，许多研究工作都投入到量子信息领域，其基础是信息可以使用物质的基本量子性质来存储，传输和操纵。量子密码系统，其中量子比特的信息-或量子比特，因为它们是已知的-被编码到单光子的光，现在是商业上可用的，提供100%安全的数据通信。量子计算，即利用量子力学进行计算，还没有在一个有用的规模上实现，但提供了能够解决如此复杂的问题的前景，以至于传统计算机永远无法完成它们。量子信息设备需要对“噪声”过程进行强有力的抑制，以便有效地工作，因为物质中的量子态非常脆弱，在它们完成任务之前很容易被破坏。这可以在实验室中通过在非常低的温度下操作或通过在光阱中隔离单个原子来实现，但这些技术对于日常设备来说并不实用。钻石是有吸引力的，因为它是一种本质上“安静”的材料，即使在室温下。几乎没有热振动，因为刚性结构意味着激发每个振动所需的能量很大，几乎没有自由电子（金刚石是一种良好的电绝缘体），并且碳核上几乎没有可以波动和干扰量子位的自旋。这些因素联合收割机使金刚石成为制造量子信息设备的优良材料。然而，有一个缺点/金刚石，作为一种如此坚硬的材料，很难加工成我们需要能够构建量子信息技术基本元素的设备结构。该提案寻求资助世界领先的钻石材料加工专家之一，澳大利亚墨尔本大学的Steven Prawer教授访问英国。Prawer教授最近开发出了制造金刚石微米级结构的方法，这些方法使创造新型量子器件成为可能。特别是，他的研究小组可以制造包含故意植入缺陷的结构来承载基于电子的量子位，并且能够存储光，以便控制电子和光子之间的相互作用，这是许多设计的关键因素量子信息设备和钻石中尚未实现的一个因素。我们建议利用这次访问在这个重要领域进行一些初步实验，并计划先进的实验来构建和测试量子计算和量子通信设备。此次访问还将为英国钻石和量子信息研究界的其他成员提供机会，与Prawer教授会面，并更多地了解他的新能力。

Much research effort is currently invested in the field of quantum information, based on the idea that information can be stored, transmitted, and manipulated using the fundamental quantum nature of matter. Quantum cryptography systems in which quantum bits of information - or qubits as they are known - are encoded onto single photons of light, are now commercially available, providing 100% secure data communication. Quantum computing, the execution of calculations using quantum mechanics, has yet to be realized on a useful scale, but offers the prospect of being able to solve problems so complex that a conventional computer would never be expected to finish them.Quantum information devices require strong suppression of 'noisy' processes in order to work effectively, since quantum states in matter are very fragile and can easily be destroyed before they have performed their tasks. This is can be achieved in the laboratory by operating at very low temperatures, or by isolating individual atoms in optical trap, but such techniques are not very practical for everyday devices. Diamond is attractive as it is a material that is intrinsically 'quiet', even at room temperature. There are few thermal vibrations, as the rigid structure means that energy needed to excite each vibration is large, there are few free electrons (diamond is a good electrical insulator), and there are few spins on the carbon nuclei that can fluctuate and interfere with the qubits. These factors combine to make diamond an excellent material from which to fashion quantum information devices. However there is a drawback / diamond, being such a hard material, is difficult to process into the device structures that we need to be able to construct the basic elements for our quantum information technology. This proposal seeks funding for a visit to the UK by one of the world's leading experts in diamond materials processing, Professor Steven Prawer of the University of Melbourne, Australia. Professor Prawer has recently developed methods for producing micrometer scale structures of diamond that make possible the creation of novel quantum devices. In particular, his research group can make structures that contain deliberately implanted defects to host electron-based qubits, and that are capable of storing light so as to provide control over the interaction between electrons and photons, a critical factor in many designs for quantum information devices and one that has yet to be achieved in diamond. We propose to use the visit to perform some of the first experiments in this important field, and to plan advanced experiments to build and test devices for quantum computing and quantum communications. The visit will also provide opportunities for other members of the UK diamond and quantum information research community to meet Professor Prawer and learn more about his new capabilities.