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Engineering colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals for quantum information processing

Nature Nanotechnology (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

Quantum information processing—which relies on spin defects or single-photon emission—has shown quantum advantage in proof-of-principle experiments including microscopic imaging of electromagnetic fields, strain and temperature in applications ranging from battery research to neuroscience. However, critical gaps remain on the path to wider applications, including a need for improved functionalization, deterministic placement, size homogeneity and greater programmability of multifunctional properties. Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals can close these gaps in numerous application areas, following years of rapid advances in synthesis and functionalization. In this Review, we specifically focus on three key topics: optical interfaces to long-lived spin states, deterministic placement and delivery for sensing beyond the standard quantum limit, and extensions to multifunctional colloidal quantum circuits.

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Fig. 1: Optical interfaces to long-lived spin states.
Fig. 2: Prospects for multicomponent quantum sensing systems.
Fig. 3: Multifunctional colloidal quantum circuits.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Jawaher Almutlaq & Dirk Englund

  2. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Yuan Liu, Randy P. Sabatini & Edward H. Sargent

  3. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Yuan Liu & Edward H. Sargent

  4. KAUST Catalysis Center, Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering (PSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    Wasim J. Mir & Osman M. Bakr

  5. Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Edward H. Sargent

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  1. Jawaher Almutlaq
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  2. Yuan Liu
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Correspondence to Randy P. Sabatini, Dirk Englund, Osman M. Bakr or Edward H. Sargent.

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Almutlaq, J., Liu, Y., Mir, W.J. et al. Engineering colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals for quantum information processing. Nat. Nanotechnol. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-024-01606-4

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