Electron spins confined in silicon quantum dots (i.e., tiny silicon-based structures) have shown particular promise as qubits, particularly due to their long coherence times, high gate fidelities and compatibility with existing semiconductor manufacturing methods.

Researchers at University of Rochester have recently introduced a new strategy to coherently manipulate either single or multiple electron spins in silicon quantum dots.

This method, introduced in a paper published in Nature Physics, could open new possibilities for the development of reliable and highly performing quantum computers.

"As with many experiments in science, we were initially investigating an unrelated topic, when we started noticing all sorts of coherent oscillations popping up in our data."

So far, the standard method to manipulate electron spins in silicon quantum dots entailed the use of time-varying magnetic fields.

The recent work by this team of researchers highlights the promise of utilizing spin-valley coupling to achieve the coherent control of qubits based on electron spins confined in silicon quantum dots.