Molecular Spins for Quantum Technology

Introduction

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.

Project Goals

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.

Research Objectives

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:

1. Detect and control single nuclear spins in a molecule and demonstrate for the first time a molecular quantum register.
2. 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.
3. Realize an efficient molecule-photon interface through strong-coupling to a Fabry-Pérot microcavity and demonstrate the first molecule-photon entanglement.

Impact

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.