Skyrmion Qubits: A New Class of Quantum Logic Elements Based on Nanoscale Magnetization

We introduce a new class of primitive building blocks for realizing quantum logic elements based on nanoscale magnetization textures called skyrmions. In a skyrmion qubit, information is stored in the quantum degree of helicity, and the logical states can be adjusted by electric and magnetic fields, offering a rich operation regime with high anharmonicity. By exploring a large parameter space, we propose two skyrmion qubit variants depending on their quantized state. We discuss appropriate microwave pulses required to generate single-qubit gates for quantum computing, and skyrmion multiqubit schemes for a scalable architecture with tailored couplings. Scalability, controllability by microwave fields, operation time scales, and readout by nonvolatile techniques converge to make the skyrmion qubit highly attractive as a logical element of a quantum processor.
5 Pages, 3 Figures. Published in Phys. Rev. Lett. Featured in Physics, Editors' Suggestion