Qubit transfer between distant sites in a triple quantum dot

Spin qubits based on interacting spins in double quantum dots have been demonstrated successfully. Readout of the qubit state involves a conversion of spin to charge information, which is universally achieved by taking advantage of a spin blockade phenomenon resulting from Pauli's exclusion principle. The archetypal spin blockade transport signature in double quantum dots takes the form of a rectified current. At present, more complex spin qubit circuits including triple quantum dots are being developed. Here we show, both experimentally and theoretically, that in a linear triple quantum dot circuit the spin blockade becomes bipolar with current strongly suppressed in both bias directions and also that a new quantum coherent mechanism becomes relevant. In this mechanism, charge is transferred non-intuitively via coherent states from one end of the linear triple dot circuit to the other, without involving the centre site. Our results have implications for future complex nanospintronic circuits [1].





[1] M. Busl, G. Granger, R. Sánchez, L. Gaudreau, A. Kam, M. Pioro-Ladrière, S. A. Studenikin, P. Zawadzki, A. S. Sachrajda and G. Platero, Nature Nanotech. 8, 261 (2013).