Qubit synthesis under extreme conditions*

Spins of electrons and nuclei and color centers are promising qubits for large scale integration. The reliable formation of such qubits has remained a significant challenge [1]. We recently showed that NV-centers can be formed locally by electronic excitation of the diamond matrix without thermal annealing [2]. We now report on studies of qubit formation using intense ion pulses. We used analytical modeling and simulations (HYDRA) of rapid local electronic excitation and heating of materials followed by rapid quenching to stabilize the phases that were induced during a pulse [3]. Ion pulses are generated by laser-plasma acceleration at the BELLA petawatt laser facility at LBNL [4] and can excite materials into extreme temperature-pressure regimes. The 1 Hz repetition rate of BELLA enables the exploration of quantum materials in new regimes. We discuss prospects for qubit synthesis and strategies for the discovery of novel color center qubit candidates.
[1] A. Bienfait et al., Nat. Nano. 11, 253 (2016)
[2] J. Schwartz et al., J. Appl. Phys. 116, 214107 (2014)
[3] J. J. Barnard, T. Schenkel, arXiv:1705.10278
[4] K. Nakamura et al., IEEE J. Quant. Electr. 53, 1200121 (2017)