Optically addressable molecular spins for quantum information processing

Bayliss, S. L. , Laorenza, D. W., Mintun, P. J., Kovos, B. D., Freedman, D. E. and Awschalom, D. D. (2020) Optically addressable molecular spins for quantum information processing. Science, 370(6522), pp. 1309-1312. (doi: 10.1126/science.abb9352) (PMID:33184235)

Abstract

Spin-bearing molecules are promising building blocks for quantum technologies as they can be chemically tuned, assembled into scalable arrays, and readily incorporated into diverse device architectures. In molecular systems, optically addressing ground-state spins would enable a wide range of applications in quantum information science, as has been demonstrated for solid-state defects. However, this important functionality has remained elusive for molecules. Here, we demonstrate such optical addressability in a series of synthesized organometallic, chromium(IV) molecules. These compounds display a ground-state spin that can be initialized and read out using light and coherently manipulated with microwaves. In addition, through atomistic modification of the molecular structure, we vary the spin and optical properties of these compounds, indicating promise for designer quantum systems synthesized from the bottom-up.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: Funding: We acknowledge funding from ONR N00014-17-1-3026 and the MRSEC Shared User Facilities at the University of Chicago (NSF DMR-1420709). This work made use of the Caltech EPR facility, which is supported by the NSF (NSF-1531940) and the Dow Next Generation Educator Fund.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Bayliss, Dr Sam
• Authors: Bayliss, S. L., Laorenza, D. W., Mintun, P. J., Kovos, B. D., Freedman, D. E., and Awschalom, D. D.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering
• Journal Name: Science
• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science
• ISSN: 0036-8075
• ISSN (Online): 1095-9203
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2020 American Association for the Advancement of Science
• First Published: First published in Science 370(6522):1309-1312
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher

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