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Quantum networks require quantum nodes with coherent optical interfaces and multiple stationary qubits. In terms of optical properties, semiconductor quantum dots are highly compelling, but their adoption as quantum nodes has been impaired by the lack of auxiliary qubits. Here, we demonstrate a functional quantum register in a semiconductor quantum dot leveraging the dense, always-present nuclear spin ensemble. We prepare 13,000 host nuclear spins into a single many-body dark state to operate as the register logic state $|0\rangle$. The logic state $|1\rangle$ is defined as a single nuclear magnon excitation, enabling controlled quantum-state transfer between the electron spin qubit and the nuclear magnonic register. Using 130-ns SWAP gates, we implement a full write-store-retrieve-readout protocol with 68.6(4)% raw overall fidelity and a storage time of 130(16) $\mu$s in the absence of dynamical decoupling. Our work establishes how many-body physics can add step-change functionality to quantum devices, in this case transforming quantum dots into multi-qubit quantum nodes with deterministic registers.

A central spin qubit interacting coherently with an ensemble of proximal spins can be used to engineer entangled collective states or a multi-qubit register. Making full use of this many-body platform requires tuning the interaction between the central spin and its spin register. GaAs quantum dots offer a model realization of the central spin system where an electron qubit interacts with multiple ensembles of $\sim 10^{4}$ nuclear spins. In this work, we demonstrate tuning of the interaction between the electron qubit and the nuclear many-body system in a GaAs quantum dot. The homogeneity of the GaAs system allows us to perform high-precision and isotopically selective nuclear sideband spectroscopy, which reveals the single-nucleus electronic Knight field. Together with time-resolved spectroscopy of the nuclear field, this fully characterizes the electron-nuclear interaction for a priori control. An algorithmic feedback sequence selects the nuclear polarization precisely, which adjusts the electron-nuclear exchange interaction in situ via the electronic g-factor anisotropy. This allows us to tune directly the activation rate of a collective nuclear excitation (magnon) and the coherence time of the electron qubit. Our method is applicable to similar central-spin systems and enables the programmable tuning of coherent interactions in the many-body regime., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, and Supplementary Materials

Deterministic photon sources allow long-term advancements in quantum optics. A single quantum emitter embedded in a photonic resonator or waveguide may be triggered to emit one photon at a time into a desired optical mode. By coherently controlling a single spin in the emitter, multi-photon entanglement can be realized. We demonstrate a deterministic source of three-qubit entanglement based on a single electron spin trapped in a quantum dot embedded in a planar nanophotonic waveguide. We implement nuclear spin narrowing to increase the spin dephasing time to $T_2^* \simeq 33$ ns, which enables high-fidelity coherent optical spin rotations, and realize a spin-echo pulse sequence for sequential generation of high-fidelity spin-photon and spin-photon-photon entanglement. The emitted photons are highly indistinguishable, which is a key requirement for subsequent photon fusions to realize larger entangled states. This work presents a scalable deterministic source of multi-photon entanglement with a clear pathway for further improvements, offering promising applications in photonic quantum computing or quantum networks.

Robust spin-photon interfaces in solids are essential components in quantum networking and sensing technologies. Ideally, these interfaces combine a long-lived spin memory, coherent optical transitions, fast and high-fidelity spin manipulation, and straightforward device integration and scaling. The tin-vacancy center (SnV) in diamond is a promising spin-photon interface with desirable optical and spin properties at 1.7 K. However, the SnV spin lacks efficient microwave control and its spin coherence degrades with higher temperature. In this work, we introduce a new platform that overcomes these challenges - SnV centers in uniformly strained thin diamond membranes. The controlled generation of crystal strain introduces orbital mixing that allows microwave control of the spin state with 99.36(9) % gate fidelity and spin coherence protection beyond a millisecond. Moreover, the presence of crystal strain suppresses temperature dependent dephasing processes, leading to a considerable improvement of the coherence time up to 223(10) ${\mu}$s at 4 K, a widely accessible temperature in common cryogenic systems. Critically, the coherence of optical transitions is unaffected by the elevated temperature, exhibiting nearly lifetime-limited optical linewidths. Combined with the compatibility of diamond membranes with device integration, the demonstrated platform is an ideal spin-photon interface for future quantum technologies.

A quantum register coupled to a spin-photon interface is a key component in quantum communication and information processing. Group-IV color centers in diamond (SiV, GeV, and SnV) are promising candidates for this application, comprising an electronic spin with optical transitions coupled to a nuclear spin as the quantum register. However, the creation of a quantum register for these color centers with deterministic and strong coupling to the spin-photon interface remains challenging. Here, we make first-principles predictions of the hyperfine parameters of the group-IV color centers, which we verify experimentally with a comprehensive comparison between the spectra of spin active and spin neutral intrinsic dopant nuclei in single GeV and SnV emitters. In line with the theoretical predictions, detailed spectroscopy on large sample sizes reveals that hyperfine coupling causes a splitting of the optical transition of SnV an order of magnitude larger than the optical linewidth and provides a magnetic-field insensitive transition. This strong coupling provides access to a new regime for quantum registers in diamond color centers, opening avenues for novel spin-photon entanglement and quantum sensing schemes for these well-studied emitters.

A contemporary challenge for the scalability of quantum networks is developing quantum nodes with simultaneous high photonic efficiency and long-lived qubits. Here, we present a fibre-packaged nanophotonic diamond waveguide hosting a tin-vacancy centre with a spin-1/2 $^{117}$Sn nucleus. The interaction between the electronic and nuclear spins results in a signature 452(7) MHz hyperfine splitting. This exceeds the natural optical linewidth by a factor of 16, enabling direct optical nuclear-spin initialisation with 98.6(3)% fidelity and single-shot readout with 80(1)% fidelity. The waveguide-to-fibre extraction efficiency of our device of 57(6)% enables the practical detection of 5-photon events. Combining the photonic performance with the optically initialised nuclear spin, we demonstrate a spin-gated single-photon nonlinearity with 11(1)% contrast in the absence of an external magnetic field. These capabilities position our nanophotonic interface as a versatile quantum node in the pursuit of scalable quantum networks.

Controllable quantum many-body systems are platforms for fundamental investigations into the nature of entanglement and promise to deliver computational speed-up for a broad class of algorithms and simulations. In particular, engineering entanglement within a dense spin ensemble can turn it into a robust quantum memory or a computational platform. Recent experimental progress in dense central spin systems motivates the design of algorithms that use a central-spin qubit as a convenient proxy for the ensemble. Here we propose a protocol that uses a central spin to initialize two dense spin ensembles into a pure anti-polarized state and from there creates a many-body entangled state -- a singlet -- from the combined ensemble. We quantify the protocol performance for multiple material platforms and show that it can be implemented even in the presence of realistic levels of decoherence. Our protocol introduces an algorithmic approach to preparation of a known many-body state and to entanglement engineering in a dense spin ensemble, which can be extended towards a broad class of collective quantum states., Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, and supplementary materials

Tin-vacancy centers in diamond are promising spin-photon interfaces owing to their high quantum-efficiency, large Debye-Waller factor, and compatibility with photonic nanostructuring. Benchmarking their single-photon indistinguishability is a key challenge for future applications. Here, we report the generation of single photons with $99.7^{+0.3}_{-2.5}\%$ purity and $63(9)\%$ indistinguishability from a resonantly excited tin-vacancy center in a single-mode waveguide. We obtain quantum control of the optical transition with $1.71(1)$-ns-long $\pi$-pulses of $77.1(8)\%$ fidelity. A modest Purcell enhancement factor of 12 would enhance the indistinguishability to $95$\%. The greater than $100$ ms spectral stability shown would then enable strings of up to $10^6$ identical photons to be generated.

Combining highly coherent spin control with efficient light-matter coupling offers great opportunities for quantum communication and networks, as well as quantum computing. Optically active semiconductor quantum dots have unparalleled photonic properties, but also modest spin coherence limited by their resident nuclei. Here, we demonstrate that eliminating strain inhomogeneity using lattice-matched GaAs-AlGaAs quantum dot devices prolongs the electron spin coherence by nearly two orders of magnitude, beyond 0.113(3) ms. To do this, we leverage the 99.30(5)% fidelity of our optical pi-pulse gates to implement dynamical decoupling. We vary the number of decoupling pulses up to N = 81 and find a coherence time scaling of N^{0.75(2)}. This scaling manifests an ideal refocusing of strong interactions between the electron and the nuclear-spin ensemble, holding the promise of lifetime-limited spin coherence. Our findings demonstrate that the most punishing material science challenge for such quantum-dot devices has a remedy, and constitute the basis for highly coherent spin-photon interfaces.

The realization of on-chip quantum gates between photons and solid-state spins is a key building block for quantum-information processors, enabling, e.g., distributed quantum computing, where remote quantum registers are interconnected by flying photons. Self-assembled quantum dots integrated in nanostructures are one of the most promising systems for such an endeavor thanks to their near-unity photon-emitter coupling and fast spontaneous emission rate. Here we demonstrate an on-chip entangling gate between an incoming photon and a stationary quantum-dot spin qubit. The gate is based on sequential scattering of a time-bin encoded photon with a waveguide-embedded quantum dot and operates on sub-microsecond timescale; two orders of magnitude faster than other platforms. Heralding on detection of a reflected photon renders the gate fidelity fully immune to spectral wandering of the emitter. These results represent a major step in realizing a quantum node capable of both photonic entanglement generation and on-chip quantum logic, as demanded in quantum networks and quantum repeaters., Comment: Published version. Popular summary: https://physicscommunity.nature.com/posts/creating-light-matter-entanglement-on-a-chip

Single photons constitute a main platform in quantum science and technology: they carry quantum information over extended distances in the future quantum internet and can be manipulated in advanced photonic circuits enabling scalable photonic quantum computing. The main challenge in quantum photonics is how to generate advanced entangled resource states and efficient light-matter interfaces. Here we utilize the efficient and coherent coupling of a single quantum emitter to a nanophotonic waveguide for realizing quantum nonlinear interaction between single-photon wavepackets. This inherently multimode quantum system constitutes a new research frontier in quantum optics. We demonstrate control of a photon with another photon and experimentally unravel the dynamical response of two-photon interactions mediated by a quantum emitter, and show that the induced quantum correlations are controlled by the pulse duration. The work will open new avenues for tailoring complex photonic quantum resource states.

Deterministic sources of multi-photon entanglement are highly attractive for quantum information processing but are challenging to realize experimentally. In this paper, we demonstrate a route towards a scaleable source of time-bin encoded Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger and linear cluster states from a solid-state quantum dot embedded in a nanophotonic crystal waveguide. By utilizing a self-stabilizing double-pass interferometer, we measure a spin-photon Bell state with $(67.8\pm0.4)\%$ fidelity and devise steps for significant further improvements. By employing strict resonant excitation, we demonstrate a photon indistinguishability of $(95.7\pm0.8)\%$, which is conducive to fusion of multiple cluster states for scaling up the technology and producing more general graph states., Comment: Manuscript: 7 pages, 3 figures. Supplementary information: 23 pages, 12 figures

We devise a mathematical framework for assessing the fidelity of multi-photon entangled states generated by a single solid-state quantum emitter, such as a quantum dot or a nitrogen-vacancy center. Within this formalism, we theoretically study the role of imperfections present in real systems on the generation of time-bin encoded Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger and one-dimensional cluster states. We consider both fundamental limitations, such as the effect of phonon-induced dephasing, interaction with the nuclear spin bath, and second-order emissions, as well as technological imperfections, such as branching effects, non-perfect filtering, and photon losses. In a companion paper, we consider a particular physical implementation based on a quantum dot emitter embedded in a photonic crystal waveguide and apply our theoretical formalism to assess the fidelities achievable with current technologies.

We propose a complete architecture for deterministic generation of entangled multiphoton states. Our approach utilizes periodic driving of a quantum-dot emitter and an efficient light-matter interface enabled by a photonic crystal waveguide. We assess the quality of the photonic states produced from a real system by including all intrinsic experimental imperfections. Importantly, the protocol is robust against the nuclear spin bath dynamics due to a naturally built-in refocussing method reminiscent to spin echo. We demonstrate the feasibility of producing Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger and one-dimensional cluster states with fidelities and generation rates exceeding those achieved with conventional 'fusion' methods in current state-of-the-art experiments. The proposed hardware constitutes a scalable and resource-efficient approach towards implementation of measurement-based quantum communication and computing.

Solid-state quantum dots are promising candidates for efficient light-matter interfaces connecting internal spin degrees of freedom to the states of emitted photons. However, selection rules prevent the combination of efficient spin control and optical cyclicity in this platform. By utilizing a photonic crystal waveguide we here experimentally demonstrate optical cyclicity up to $\approx15$ through photonic state engineering while achieving high fidelity spin initialization and coherent optical spin control. These capabilities pave the way towards scalable multi-photon entanglement generation and on-chip spin-photon gates., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

Waveguide-based spin-photon interfaces on the GaAs platform have emerged as a promising system for a variety of quantum information applications directly integrated into planar photonic circuits. The coherent control of spin states in a quantum dot can be achieved by applying circularly polarized laser pulses that may be coupled into the planar waveguide vertically through radiation modes. However, proper control of the laser polarization is challenging since the polarization is modified through the transformation from the far field to the exact position of the quantum dot in the nanostructure. Here we demonstrate polarization-controlled excitation of a quantum-dot electron spin and use that to perform coherent control in a Ramsey interferometry experiment. The Ramsey interference reveals a pure dephasing time of $ 2.2\pm0.1 $ ns, which is comparable to the values so far only obtained in bulk media. We analyze the experimental limitations in spin initialization fidelity and Ramsey contrast and identify the underlying mechanisms.

Access to the electron spin is at the heart of many protocols for integrated and distributed quantum-information processing [1-4]. For instance, interfacing the spin-state of an electron and a photon can be utilized to perform quantum gates between photons [2,5] or to entangle remote spin states [6-9]. Ultimately, a quantum network of entangled spins constitutes a new paradigm in quantum optics [1]. Towards this goal, an integrated spin-photon interface would be a major leap forward. Here we demonstrate an efficient and optically programmable interface between the spin of an electron in a quantum dot and photons in a nanophotonic waveguide. The spin can be deterministically prepared with a fidelity of 96\%. Subsequently the system is used to implement a "single-spin photonic switch", where the spin state of the electron directs the flow of photons through the waveguide. The spin-photon interface may enable on-chip photon-photon gates [2], single-photon transistors [10], and efficient photonic cluster state generation [11].