CPM Seminar

Quantum information with semiconductor electron spins

Thomas Szkopek

Department of Electrical Engineering
McGill University

Quantum information science - the study of information at the quantum mechanical level - has received considerable attention for its potential application to computation and communication. The first half of this talk will focus on recent theoretical research into the design of quantum circuits that are tolerant to physical faults. Estimates of the physical accuracy required to obtain reliable quantum circuit operation will be given. The latter half of the talk will focus on recent experimental work towards the realization of an essential component for quantum coherent communication: the quantum coherent photodetector, in which a photon qubit is converted to a stationary electron spin qubit. In particular, it is shown how an semiconductor quantum dot can be used to trap, detect and store single photoelectrons using the mechanism of photoconductive gain.