Minimal state-preparation times for silicon spin qubits

Abstract Efficient preparation of quantum states on noisy intermediate-scale quantum processors remains a significant challenge to achieve quantum advantage. While gate-based methods have been the traditional approach, pulse-based algorithms offer promising alternatives with finer control and potent...

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Main Authors: Christopher K. Long, Nicholas J. Mayhall, Sophia E. Economou, Edwin Barnes, Crispin H. W. Barnes, Frederico Martins, David R. M. Arvidsson-Shukur, Normann Mertig
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-07-01
Series:npj Quantum Information
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41534-025-01027-8
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author Christopher K. Long
Nicholas J. Mayhall
Sophia E. Economou
Edwin Barnes
Crispin H. W. Barnes
Frederico Martins
David R. M. Arvidsson-Shukur
Normann Mertig
author_facet Christopher K. Long
Nicholas J. Mayhall
Sophia E. Economou
Edwin Barnes
Crispin H. W. Barnes
Frederico Martins
David R. M. Arvidsson-Shukur
Normann Mertig
author_sort Christopher K. Long
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Efficient preparation of quantum states on noisy intermediate-scale quantum processors remains a significant challenge to achieve quantum advantage. While gate-based methods have been the traditional approach, pulse-based algorithms offer promising alternatives with finer control and potentially reduced overheads. Here, we leverage the concept of minimum evolution time (MET) as a fundamental metric for evaluating and benchmarking quantum-state-preparation efficiency. Using numerical modeling, we investigate METs achievable through optimized microwave and exchange pulse sequences on silicon quantum hardware. We focus our investigations on molecular ground states and arbitrary state transitions. Our results demonstrate remarkably low METs: 2.3 ns for H2, 4.6 ns for HeH+, and 27 ns for LiH. METs consistently remain below 50 ns for arbitrary four-qubit state transitions, outperforming gate-based methods. We perform further analyses, revealing the impact of silicon device parameters on MET performance. Notably, increasing the maximal exchange amplitude from 10 MHz to 1 GHz significantly reduces METs, while higher maximal microwave drive amplitudes lead to faster state transitions. These findings surpass results reported for other quantum architectures. Our numerical analysis also demonstrates reasonable robustness of pulse-based state preparation to device imperfections and leakage. Our study contributes to developing efficient quantum-simulation techniques and provides insights into the strengths of silicon quantum hardware.
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spelling doaj-art-4fbf0f9604df44938ea5300f66dc802b2025-08-20T04:01:40ZengNature Portfolionpj Quantum Information2056-63872025-07-0111111210.1038/s41534-025-01027-8Minimal state-preparation times for silicon spin qubitsChristopher K. Long0Nicholas J. Mayhall1Sophia E. Economou2Edwin Barnes3Crispin H. W. Barnes4Frederico Martins5David R. M. Arvidsson-Shukur6Normann Mertig7Hitachi Cambridge Laboratory, J. J. Thomson Ave.Department of Chemistry, Virginia TechDepartment of Physics, Virginia TechDepartment of Physics, Virginia TechCavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of CambridgeHitachi Cambridge Laboratory, J. J. Thomson Ave.Hitachi Cambridge Laboratory, J. J. Thomson Ave.Hitachi Cambridge Laboratory, J. J. Thomson Ave.Abstract Efficient preparation of quantum states on noisy intermediate-scale quantum processors remains a significant challenge to achieve quantum advantage. While gate-based methods have been the traditional approach, pulse-based algorithms offer promising alternatives with finer control and potentially reduced overheads. Here, we leverage the concept of minimum evolution time (MET) as a fundamental metric for evaluating and benchmarking quantum-state-preparation efficiency. Using numerical modeling, we investigate METs achievable through optimized microwave and exchange pulse sequences on silicon quantum hardware. We focus our investigations on molecular ground states and arbitrary state transitions. Our results demonstrate remarkably low METs: 2.3 ns for H2, 4.6 ns for HeH+, and 27 ns for LiH. METs consistently remain below 50 ns for arbitrary four-qubit state transitions, outperforming gate-based methods. We perform further analyses, revealing the impact of silicon device parameters on MET performance. Notably, increasing the maximal exchange amplitude from 10 MHz to 1 GHz significantly reduces METs, while higher maximal microwave drive amplitudes lead to faster state transitions. These findings surpass results reported for other quantum architectures. Our numerical analysis also demonstrates reasonable robustness of pulse-based state preparation to device imperfections and leakage. Our study contributes to developing efficient quantum-simulation techniques and provides insights into the strengths of silicon quantum hardware.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41534-025-01027-8
spellingShingle Christopher K. Long
Nicholas J. Mayhall
Sophia E. Economou
Edwin Barnes
Crispin H. W. Barnes
Frederico Martins
David R. M. Arvidsson-Shukur
Normann Mertig
Minimal state-preparation times for silicon spin qubits
npj Quantum Information
title Minimal state-preparation times for silicon spin qubits
title_full Minimal state-preparation times for silicon spin qubits
title_fullStr Minimal state-preparation times for silicon spin qubits
title_full_unstemmed Minimal state-preparation times for silicon spin qubits
title_short Minimal state-preparation times for silicon spin qubits
title_sort minimal state preparation times for silicon spin qubits
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41534-025-01027-8
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