掺杂对一维反铁磁海森堡自旋链性质的影响

应用三子格的自旋波理论和格林函数方法研究了由掺杂形成的准一维自旋1/2的反铁磁海森堡系统,得到系统存在3支自旋波激发谱,其中1支没有能隙,2支有能隙;在长波近似下,这3支自旋波激发谱与波矢k成平方关系,系统的低温比热为C∝T1/2关系,其基态具有磁性长程序,这都不同于未掺杂的一维自旋1/2的反铁磁海森堡链模型系统.对系统磁性序的研究表明,T=0是相变点,Mermin-Wagner定理对于该系统成立.     

子格对称破缺的准一维海森堡系统的DMRG研究

利用密度矩阵重整化群(DMRG)方法研究一种S=1/2子格对称破缺的准一维反铁磁海森堡自旋链,计算了该系统单个原胞的基态能、自旋关联函数以及交错磁化率.研究表明:尽管自旋相互作用是反铁磁的,但由于子格对称破缺的影响,而使系统基态呈现出不饱和的铁磁性(即亚铁磁特性),这与运用LIEB-MATTIS定理的预测结果和自旋波近似的计算定性一致.     

反铁磁链中的自旋奇偶效应

在大自旋和强各向异性极限下,研究了拓扑相因子对双轴各向异性量子反铁磁链中宏观量子相干的影响.结果表明:有限温度下,在有限长度的量子反铁磁自旋链中,由于拓扑相因子的存在,简并Neel真空态之间隧穿幅的性质将取决于自旋是整数还是半整数.     

晶格量子涨落对正方晶格反铁磁海森堡模型基态的影响

从正方晶格反铁磁海森堡模型出发,应用正则变换方法讨论了非绝热近似下晶格量子涨落对系统基态的影响．计算结果表明,自旋－声子耦合相互作用可以使系统建立一个新的稳定基态．在此基态中,系统的能量可以得到明显的降低,而且有小的交错磁序存在．     

子格对称破缺的准-维海森堡系统的DMRG研究

利用密度矩阵重整化群（DMRG）方法研究一种S=1／2子格对称破缺的准-维反铁磁海森堡自旋链，计算了该系统单个原胞的基态能、自旋关联函数以及交错磁化率．研究表明：尽管自旋相互作用是反铁磁的，但由于子格对称破缺的影响．而使系统基态呈现出不饱和的铁磁性（即亚铁磁特性）．这与运用LIEB—MATTIS定理的预测结果和自旋波近似的计算定性一致．     

石墨烯反铁磁关联的数值研究

从定义在Honeycomb晶格上的Hubbard模型出发,使用量子蒙特卡罗方法研究了石墨烯在低掺杂时的磁学关联.通过计算系统的自旋结构因子、自旋关联函数和自旋磁化率发现:系统在低掺杂时表现为反铁磁自旋关联,反铁磁自旋关联在低温时更为显著,并随着电子相互作用强度的增大而增强,但随着电子浓度的减小而减弱;次近邻跃迁元对反铁磁波矢点的自旋磁化率有较为显著的加强作用.     

海森堡自旋链中纠缠的双向传输

提出了一种利用开放海森堡铁磁自旋链为信道双向传输量子纠缠的方案．通过对量子信道施加静态磁场．可以实现自旋链两端纠缠的周期性交换．经过一个交换周期的时间演化后,原本属于孤立量子比特和自旋链某一末端粒子之间的纠缠会转换成该量子比特和自旋链另一末端粒子之间的纠缠．分析了交换行为和自旋链长度、磁场、耦合强度、各向异性常数之间的关系．并讨论了由4个粒子构成的简单系统中类似的纠缠交换行为。     

S＝1铁磁模型中阻挫和各向异性引起的量子相变

利用密度矩阵重整化群(density matrix renormalization group,DMRG)方法研究近邻作用为铁磁耦合、次近邻为反铁磁耦合的一维S=1的各向异性海森堡自旋模型.计算了该系统的基态能、z轴自旋关联函数和面内自旋关联函数.结果表明:各向异性值Δ和阻挫α的相互作用使得系统基态发生相变;在低阻挫区域,Δ>1时系统为铁磁相,0<Δ<1时基态处于自旋液体相;在阻挫较大的区域,自旋关联函数随距离的增大呈现指数函数形式衰减,且具有周期振荡特征,与自旋S=1/2的结果形成鲜明的对比.     

一维亚铁磁无序混合自旋链的磁特性的Monte Carlo模拟

基于一维自旋链模型,采用Monte Carlo方法模拟研究了具有反铁磁相互作用的自旋S-1和自旋S-3/2混合的亚铁磁系统的磁特性,重点研究了自旋的无序排列对此混合系统磁特性的影响.研究发现,基态时,当自旋S-1和自旋S-3/2交替混合(有序排列)时,系统存在M-H磁化曲线的阶梯效应;而当自旋S-1和自旋S-3/2无序混合时,系统的阶梯效应出现涨落,台阶甚至消失.最后,通过对系统自旋组态和能量的研究,解释了该混合系统中所产生的阶梯效应和相图.     

磁场作用下各向异性海森堡反铁磁模型的DMRG数值分析

对一维交换各向异性海森堡反铁磁自旋链XXZ模型系统进行了研究。在施加外磁场环境下,利用密度矩阵重整化群方法计算了零温系统的基态能、纠缠度,得到交换各向异性作用参数和外磁场对该系统由反铁磁态到顺磁态量子相变临界点的影响规律。     

准一维有机聚合物铁磁体中的电子-电子相互作用

考虑电子-电子相互作用，对具有链间耦合的准-维有机聚合物铁磁体的电子结构和自旋结构进行了研究。结果表明，对于维持系统的铁磁态的稳定性而言，系统内的在位电子-电子Hubbard排斥相互作用与最近邻格点间的电子-电子Coulomb排斥相互作用所起的作用相反，彼此间存在着竞争；最近邻格点间的电子-电子Coulomb排斥相互作用的加强将导致主链反铁磁性自旋密度波(SDW)之振幅的减小，使得主链反铁磁性SDW的耦合传递作用减弱，进而影响到侧自由基自旋间的铁磁耦合强度，这将削弱系统铁磁态的稳定性。     

Optical pumping of a single hole spin in a quantum dot

The spin of an electron is a natural two-level system for realizing a quantum bit in the solid state. For an electron trapped in a semiconductor quantum dot, strong quantum confinement highly suppresses the detrimental effect of phonon-related spin relaxation. However, this advantage is offset by the hyperfine interaction between the electron spin and the 10(4) to 10(6) spins of the host nuclei in the quantum dot. Random fluctuations in the nuclear spin ensemble lead to fast spin decoherence in about ten nanoseconds. Spin-echo techniques have been used to mitigate the hyperfine interaction, but completely cancelling the effect is more attractive. In principle, polarizing all the nuclear spins can achieve this but is very difficult to realize in practice. Exploring materials with zero-spin nuclei is another option, and carbon nanotubes, graphene quantum dots and silicon have been proposed. An alternative is to use a semiconductor hole. Unlike an electron, a valence hole in a quantum dot has an atomic p orbital which conveniently goes to zero at the location of all the nuclei, massively suppressing the interaction with the nuclear spins. Furthermore, in a quantum dot with strong strain and strong quantization, the heavy hole with spin-3/2 behaves as a spin-1/2 system and spin decoherence mechanisms are weak. We demonstrate here high fidelity (about 99 per cent) initialization of a single hole spin confined to a self-assembled quantum dot by optical pumping. Our scheme works even at zero magnetic field, demonstrating a negligible hole spin hyperfine interaction. We determine a hole spin relaxation time at low field of about one millisecond. These results suggest a route to the realization of solid-state quantum networks that can intra-convert the spin state with the polarization of a photon.     

Quantum simulation of antiferromagnetic spin chains in an optical lattice

Understanding exotic forms of magnetism in quantum mechanical systems is a central goal of modern condensed matter physics, with implications for systems ranging from high-temperature superconductors to spintronic devices. Simulating magnetic materials in the vicinity of a quantum phase transition is computationally intractable on classical computers, owing to the extreme complexity arising from quantum entanglement between the constituent magnetic spins. Here we use a degenerate Bose gas of rubidium atoms confined in an optical lattice to simulate a chain of interacting quantum Ising spins as they undergo a phase transition. Strong spin interactions are achieved through a site-occupation to pseudo-spin mapping. As we vary a magnetic field, quantum fluctuations drive a phase transition from a paramagnetic phase into an antiferromagnetic phase. In the paramagnetic phase, the interaction between the spins is overwhelmed by the applied field, which aligns the spins. In the antiferromagnetic phase, the interaction dominates and produces staggered magnetic ordering. Magnetic domain formation is observed through both in situ site-resolved imaging and noise correlation measurements. By demonstrating a route to quantum magnetism in an optical lattice, this work should facilitate further investigations of magnetic models using ultracold atoms, thereby improving our understanding of real magnetic materials.     

Quantum oscillations in a molecular magnet

The term 'molecular magnet' generally refers to a molecular entity containing several magnetic ions whose coupled spins generate a collective spin, S (ref. 1). Such complex multi-spin systems provide attractive targets for the study of quantum effects at the mesoscopic scale. In these molecules, the large energy barriers between collective spin states can be crossed by thermal activation or quantum tunnelling, depending on the temperature or an applied magnetic field. There is the hope that these mesoscopic spin states can be harnessed for the realization of quantum bits--'qubits', the basic building blocks of a quantum computer--based on molecular magnets. But strong decoherence must be overcome if the envisaged applications are to become practical. Here we report the observation and analysis of Rabi oscillations (quantum oscillations resulting from the coherent absorption and emission of photons driven by an electromagnetic wave) of a molecular magnet in a hybrid system, in which discrete and well-separated magnetic clusters are embedded in a self-organized non-magnetic environment. Each cluster contains 15 antiferromagnetically coupled S = 1/2 spins, leading to an S = 1/2 collective ground state. When this system is placed into a resonant cavity, the microwave field induces oscillatory transitions between the ground and excited collective spin states, indicative of long-lived quantum coherence. The present observation of quantum oscillations suggests that low-dimension self-organized qubit networks having coherence times of the order of 100 micros (at liquid helium temperatures) are a realistic prospect.     

Kondo effect in an integer-spin quantum dot

The Kondo effect--a many-body phenomenon in condensed-matter physics involving the interaction between a localized spin and free electrons--was discovered in metals containing small amounts of magnetic impurities, although it is now recognized to be of fundamental importance in a wide class of correlated electron systems. In fabricated structures, the control of single, localized spins is of technological relevance for nanoscale electronics. Experiments have already demonstrated artificial realizations of isolated magnetic impurities at metallic surfaces, nanoscale magnets, controlled transitions between two-electron singlet and triplet states, and a tunable Kondo effect in semiconductor quantum dots. Here we report an unexpected Kondo effect in a few-electron quantum dot containing singlet and triplet spin states, whose energy difference can be tuned with a magnetic field. We observe the effect for an even number of electrons, when the singlet and triplet states are degenerate. The characteristic energy scale is much larger than in the ordinary spin-1/2 case.     

Electronic read-out of a single nuclear spin using a molecular spin transistor

Quantum control of individual spins in condensed-matter devices is an emerging field with a wide range of applications, from nanospintronics to quantum computing. The electron, possessing spin and orbital degrees of freedom, is conventionally used as the carrier of quantum information in proposed devices. However, electrons couple strongly to the environment, and so have very short relaxation and coherence times. It is therefore extremely difficult to achieve quantum coherence and stable entanglement of electron spins. Alternative concepts propose nuclear spins as the building blocks for quantum computing, because such spins are extremely well isolated from the environment and less prone to decoherence. However, weak coupling comes at a price: it remains challenging to address and manipulate individual nuclear spins. Here we show that the nuclear spin of an individual metal atom embedded in a single-molecule magnet can be read out electronically. The observed long lifetimes (tens of seconds) and relaxation characteristics of nuclear spin at the single-atom scale open the way to a completely new world of devices in which quantum logic may be implemented.     

在分子自旋量子系统中的可控多体纠缠态

在由N＋1个相互作用的反铁磁分子环构成的量子自旋系统中,可以调控1种多体纠缠态。N个周边分子环的电子自旋和1个中心分子环的电子存在相互交换,从而在分子间形成可调的相互作用。通过整个系统的有效自旋哈密顿量解析得出系统的量子动力学行为。研究发现在量子涨落的条件下,1种高精度的形纠缠态可以被制备出来。通过控制分子间的相互作用,这种多体纠缠态也可以从一些分子环传输到其他分子环上。     

温度梯度铁电薄膜的极化偏移特性研究

采用平均场近似下的横场伊辛模型理论,同时考虑了遂穿频率与温度的相互关系,重点研究了BaTiO3温度梯度铁电薄膜的极化偏移特性.研究表明:量子起伏效应对于温度梯度铁电薄膜的性质有重要的影响,在低温区量子起伏效应尤其显著；温度梯度的存在导致了薄膜内部的极化强度的梯度分布；对于下温度梯度铁电薄膜来说,当量子起伏效应达到足够强时,可以改变极化梯度和极化偏移的方向.     

Quantum annealing with manufactured spins

Many interesting but practically intractable problems can be reduced to that of finding the ground state of a system of interacting spins; however, finding such a ground state remains computationally difficult. It is believed that the ground state of some naturally occurring spin systems can be effectively attained through a process called quantum annealing. If it could be harnessed, quantum annealing might improve on known methods for solving certain types of problem. However, physical investigation of quantum annealing has been largely confined to microscopic spins in condensed-matter systems. Here we use quantum annealing to find the ground state of an artificial Ising spin system comprising an array of eight superconducting flux quantum bits with programmable spin-spin couplings. We observe a clear signature of quantum annealing, distinguishable from classical thermal annealing through the temperature dependence of the time at which the system dynamics freezes. Our implementation can be configured in situ to realize a wide variety of different spin networks, each of which can be monitored as it moves towards a low-energy configuration. This programmable artificial spin network bridges the gap between the theoretical study of ideal isolated spin networks and the experimental investigation of bulk magnetic samples. Moreover, with an increased number of spins, such a system may provide a practical physical means to implement a quantum algorithm, possibly allowing more-effective approaches to solving certain classes of hard combinatorial optimization problems.     

Single-shot read-out of an individual electron spin in a quantum dot

Spin is a fundamental property of all elementary particles. Classically it can be viewed as a tiny magnetic moment, but a measurement of an electron spin along the direction of an external magnetic field can have only two outcomes: parallel or anti-parallel to the field. This discreteness reflects the quantum mechanical nature of spin. Ensembles of many spins have found diverse applications ranging from magnetic resonance imaging to magneto-electronic devices, while individual spins are considered as carriers for quantum information. Read-out of single spin states has been achieved using optical techniques, and is within reach of magnetic resonance force microscopy. However, electrical read-out of single spins has so far remained elusive. Here we demonstrate electrical single-shot measurement of the state of an individual electron spin in a semiconductor quantum dot. We use spin-to-charge conversion of a single electron confined in the dot, and detect the single-electron charge using a quantum point contact; the spin measurement visibility is approximately 65%. Furthermore, we observe very long single-spin energy relaxation times (up to approximately 0.85 ms at a magnetic field of 8 T), which are encouraging for the use of electron spins as carriers of quantum information.