Collaborative ITR: Optical Control in Semiconductors for Spintronics and Quantum Information Processing

This Information Technology Research (ITR) medium program will develop ultrafast optical methods for controlling electronic, magnetic, vibrational, and excitonic properties of semiconductors for fast information processing. Successful manipulation of quantum states and processes in solids will be a necessary breakthrough for implementing the emerging technologies of spintronics and quantum information science. Optical control, as opposed to electrical control, has the advantage of performing quantum control on femtosecond time scales, which will be explored in the following specific contexts: (1) Optical control of ferromagnetism in magnetic III-V semiconductors, (2) optical control of band structure via the dynamic Franz-Keldysh effect, (3) optical control of electric fields in GaN/InGaN strain superlattices, and (4) optical control of excitons in coupled quantum wells. The proposed research work will train student researchers for future employment in high technology fields such as nanoscience and quantum information science and to produce scientists and engineers with a strong background in spectroscopy, optics, photonics, solid state theory, many-body theory, and quantum information theory. New courses on nanotechnology and quantum information science will be developed in the Applied Physics curricula at Rice University, the University of Florida, and the University of California at San Diego.

This Information Technology Research (ITR) medium program is focused on fundamental studies of control of quantum electron dynamics. It will develop 'designer' electronic processes for applications in the emerging fields of spin-based electronics and quantum information processing. The passive paradigm of studying natural processes is replaced by the active one of designing controls of electron and crystal motion at the quantum level. Advanced lasers are used to control motion at the time scale between a trillionth and a quadrillionth of a second. Molecular beam fabrication of nanostructures is used to confine the electrons to a spatial dimension around a billionth of a meter. Such a space-time regime between that of the smallest macroscopic device extant and the microscopic regime of the elementary particles may be advantageous for quantum control and will be explored to utilize the electron spin as an extra dimension for information processing and to produce desirable magnetic, electrical and transport properties at will. The program contains a strong effort in providing interdisciplinary education and research experience in nanoscience and quantum optics. It prepares students for future employment in the increasingly quantum-oriented world of high technology.