SPIN Newsletter April 2021
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Dear all
This is our brandnew SPIN Newsletter. Please find below our latest news and announcements linked to the SPIN community: Highlights in research, new faces in the network, all about our activities - announcements, programs and campaigns – in the areas of diversity & inclusion, education & training and knowledge & technology transfer. We'll keep you up to date on upcoming events and lectures – and we include something just for fun at the end.
The newsletter is public, everyone who is interested can subscribe via our website. Each newsletter contains a link at the bottom where you can change you e-mail preferences or unsubscribe – though we hope you stay on board!
Is something missing in the Newsletter? Let me know!
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Ultrafast hole spin qubit with gate-tunable spin–orbit switch functionality
To perform calculations, quantum computers need qubits to act as elementary building blocks that process and store information. Now, physicists have produced a new type of qubit that can be switched from a stable idle mode to a fast calculation mode. The concept would also allow a large number of qubits to be combined into a powerful quantum computer, as researchers from the University of Basel and TU Eindhoven have reported in the journal “Nature Nanotechnology”.
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A spin qubit in a fin field-effect transistor
An attractive benefit of silicon's advantageous scaling properties is that quantum hardware and its classical control circuitry can be integrated in the same package. This, however, requires qubit operation at temperatures greater than 1K where the cooling is sufficient to overcome the heat dissipation. Researchers of NCCR SPIN have demonstrated, that a silicon FinFET is an excellent host for spin qubits that operate even above 4K. They achieved fast electrical control of hole spins with driving frequencies up to 150MHz and single-qubit gate fidelities at the fault-tolerance threshold. The number of spin rotations before coherence is lost at these "hot" temperatures already matches or exceeds values on hole spin qubits at mK temperatures. While the devices feature both industry compatibility and quality, they are fabricated in a flexible and agile way to accelerate their development. This work paves the way towards large-scale integration of all-electrical and ultrafast spin qubits.
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Hole Spin Qubits in Si FinFETs With Fully Tunable Spin-Orbit Coupling and Sweet Spots for Charge Noise
The strong spin-orbit coupling in hole spin qubits enables fast and electrically tunable gates, but at the same time enhances the susceptibility of the qubit to charge noise. Suppressing this noise is a significant challenge in semiconductor quantum computing. Researchers showed theoretically that hole Si fin field-effect transistors (FinFETs) are not only very compatible with modern CMOS technology, but they present operational sweet spots where the charge noise is completely removed.
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Dominik Zumbühl new Director of NCCR SPIN
After unanimous election by the Executive Committee of NCCR SPIN, Dominik Zumbühl was proposed to the SNF and confirmed this week as the new director of NCCR SPIN. Richard Warburton decided to resign as director of NCCR SPIN in November 2020 and is continuing to contribute scientifically as a project leader. Many thanks go to Richard for his important contributions on setting up NCCR SPIN.
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Changes in the Structure Related Areas and the Executive Committee
As Director, Dominik Zumbühl is now Head of Communications. Therefore, Heike Riel takes over as Head of Knowledge and Technology Transfer. Gian von Salis has joined the Executive Committee ad interim for Richard Warburton. All three were elected unanumously by the Executive Committee. For an updated overview of the NCCR SPIN Organisation, check out the Organigram on the SPIN-Website.
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Goodbye Christoph Klöffel
This month, our coordinator Christoph Klöffel will leave the NCCR SPIN due to a new job opportunity. Christoph has played a vital role in the NCCR SPIN from the very beginning and has contributed to its success with his expertise. We will miss him and wish him all the best.
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New PI:
Dr. Pasquale Scarlino
We welcome Pasquale Scarlino as a new PI in the SPIN Network. He was named as Tenure Track Assistant Professor of Physics from the 1st of October 2020. Pasquale Scarlino's main focus is on quantum dots for spin qubits. At EPFL, Pasquale Scarlino will build on this foundation and press ahead in the field of hybrid quantum circuits.
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INSPIRE Potentials - SPIN Master’s Fellowship
NCCR SPIN offers a new fellowship for female master students: The INSPIRE Potentials – SPIN Master's Fellowships aim to attract and empower excellent female students to conduct their Master's thesis research in one of the laboratories belonging to the NCCR SPIN network.
A challenging master research project is an important steppingstone on which to develop an ambitious research career. The initiative seeks to increase the number of women researchers in the fields of the partaking laboratories of the SPIN network, all belonging to fields of science where women are still strongly underrepresented even at student level. The Program has been implemented in close collaboration with NCCR QSIT and NCCR MARVEL. The Announcement will be online on April 1, the first Deadline for Applications is May 1. Thank you for spreading the word!
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#NCCR women Video Campaign
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of women obtaining the right to vote in Switzerland, NCCR SPIN joined forces with all the other National Centres of Competence in Research to introduce you to some of the women working in Swiss research institutes.
From Women’s Day on March 8th, to October 31st – the 50th anniversary of the women's vote in Switzerland, our female colleagues will be showing you who they are, what they do and why they do it.
Each NCCR will present a series of videos portraying the work of some of its women scientists, illustrating the key roles that women play in all fields of research in Switzerland.
Follow us on YouTube and Instagram and the hashtag #NCCRWomen and meet women who work in research in Switzerland.
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SAVE THE DATE:
ANNUAL MEETING 30.8.-1.9.2021 in Pontresina
Due to the pandemic situation the directors have decided to postpone the meeting in the hope to be able to actually meet.
QUSTEC SUMMER SCHOOL ca. 15.-17.9.2021 in Engelberg
The QUSTEC cofund PhD program is organizing a summer school ca. Sept 15-17 in Engelberg, with a program addressing a broad spectrum from quantum science and technology, consisting of two days of school lectures followed by a day of transferable skills courses. If you would like to participate please let us know until Tuesday, April 13 for an approximate headcount.
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La indeterminación de Leo (Leo’s Uncertainty) - (2020)
A film by Paulina Hevia and Gabriel Kauer
Official Selection Quantum Shorts 2021
After a long day of study, the physicist Leo gets involved in a curious situation as he imagines himself experiencing life as an electron. Inspired by quantum physics, the film offers a dark cinematic take on quantum phenomena such as the uncertainty principle, evoking the intensity of researching something that refuses to be understood.
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