Project description
A molecular approach to quantum technologies
Spin defects in solids provide promising qubits for quantum information processing and quantum networks. However, the lack of elementary system homogeneity in the material and qubit decoherence impede the fabrication of a real-scale quantum network. Funded by the European Research Council, the MSpin project will tackle these challenges by exploiting the potential of molecules. Project researchers will develop methods to control individual nuclear spins housed in a single molecule, and demonstrate molecule-based quantum registers. Supported by organic chemistry approaches, such molecular registers can be produced at a large scale. The ultimate goal is to demonstrate – for the first time – an efficient molecular quantum network node.
Objective
Defect spins in solids provide a promising platform to realize a range of quantum technologies. Recent advances demonstrated their basic functionalities as quantum network nodes. Yet, the realization of a real-scale quantum network requires solving outstanding challenges posed by the inhomogeneity of elementary systems and decoherence from environmental couplings.
MSpin aims to tackle these challenges employing a bottom-up route. A single molecule sets a compact, nanoscopic stage to house an array of nuclear spins in atomically defined configurations. Accessing and controlling these spins will uncover the tremendous potential of molecules for quantum technology. Moreover, the toolbox of organic chemistry allows producing identical molecules at large scales and fine-tuning their intrinsic and extrinsic environments.
With MSpin, I will push the frontiers of single-molecule spectroscopy, single-spin control, and cavity quantum electrodynamics to fully exploit the potential of molecules for quantum technology. The overarching goals are: i) Detect and control single nuclear spins in a molecule and demonstrate for the first time a molecular quantum register; ii) Achieve robust nuclear quantum memory hosted in a molecule through deterministic switching of hyperfine coupling, and by harnessing the decoherence-free subspace provided by nuclear spin pairs; iii) Realize an efficient molecule-photon interface through strong-coupling to a Fabry-Pérot microcavity and demonstrate the first molecule-photon entanglement.
The success of MSpin will open an exciting new field on controlling and exploiting spin-photon, spin-spin interactions at the sub-molecular scale. The experimental mastery of these interactions developed through this proposal, will not only shine new lights on spins in molecular physics and chemistry, but also foster an intriguing range of applications in quantum communication, computation, and sensors with unprecedented, sub-molecular resolution.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsHost institution
53113 Bonn
Germany