One of the main challenges of quantum technologies is merging quantum physics and electronic systems within the same Si-based platform. In this respect, the long-sought realization of a quantum computer has shifted the quest for a suitable qubit platform from electrons, atoms and quantum dots to silicon impurities. Now, Ben Murdin and collaborators from universities in the UK, the Netherlands and Switzerland demonstrate full control of the creation and destruction of wave packets in silicon (Nature Commun. 6, 6549; 2015). In this case, phosphorus impurities trapped in the silicon layer (Si:P) were used as qubits, representing a model two-level system as they transition between the 1s and 2p orbital states.
Second, the researchers developed an all-optical echo scheme, which, compared with the electrical detection scheme, requires an additional third pulse, to not only confirm their results but also to extract useful time constants for the system. Importantly, the results from the two schemes were consistent, which allowed the researchers to measure the relaxation time T1 and the homogeneous and inhomogeneous decoherence times T2 and T2*, respectively, using a single set-up.
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