Materials World Network: Control of the Electron Nuclear Interaction in NanoElectronic Devices

Last Modified Date: 06/15/09 Last Modified By: Daniele Finotello

Abstract

This award supports an international collaboration for research and education among Harvard University and University of Florida (UF) in the USA, University of Basel and ETH (Zurich) in Switzerland, and University of Regensburg in Germany. The main goal of the project is to understand, control, and utilize the hyperfine interaction of electron spins, confined in low-dimensional condensed matter systems, with the nuclear spins of the host lattice. Four emerging themes in condensed matter physics draw particular attention to this topic, making a Network-scale activity timely. Those themes are: i) advances in nanoscale control of matter, e.g. , quantum dots, where electrons interact with far fewer nuclear spins thereby greatly enhancing the effectiveness of hyperfine coupling; ii) emergence of spintronics devices employing the electron's spin rather than charge for future prospects of quantum repeaters, quantum computers, and quantum memory for secure communication and enhanced computation, iii) engineered interactions in novel materials, such as gating and tailoring of band structure, and iv) availability of high-quality fabrication facilities. There are three main thrusts in this Network: i) control of spin and electron-nuclear interaction in III-V semiconductor quantum dots [experiment: Harvard; theory: Harvard, Basel]; ii) coupling of nuclear spins via itinerant carriers (RKKY interaction) and nuclear magnetism in p-doped heterostructures [experiment: ETH, Regensburg; theory: UF, Basel, Harvard]; and iii) electron-nuclear interactions in 13C-enriched nanotubes [experiment: Harvard, theory: Harvard, Basel, UF]. By investigating the interface between fundamental and applied problems in an international environment, this Network contributes to the kind of cross-training of graduate students that is needed for the next generation of device engineers and scientists, perhaps working with quantum-coherent devices. Exchange of students between experimental groups at Harvard and ETH and between theoretical groups at Harvard, Basel, and UF will take place over the course of the project