Wavefunction considerations for the central spin decoherence problem in a nuclear spin bath

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the shape of the electron's wavefunction influences spectral diffusion and decoherence in the central spin problem, providing formulas and models for different materials and decoupling schemes.

Contribution

It introduces wavefunction-dependent decoherence formulas and a continuum approximation for spectral diffusion, advancing understanding of electron spin decoherence in solid-state systems.

Findings

Wavefunction shape affects spectral diffusion times.

Derived formulas for decoherence in GaAs and InAs.

Continuum approximation simplifies spectral diffusion modeling.

Abstract

Decoherence of a localized electron spin in a solid state material (the ``central spin'' problem) at low temperature is believed to be dominated by interactions with nuclear spins in the lattice. This decoherence is partially suppressed through the application of a large magnetic field that splits the energy levels of the electron spin and prevents depolarization. However, dephasing decoherence resulting from a dynamical nuclear spin bath cannot be removed in this way. Fluctuations of the nuclear field lead to uncertainty of the electron's precessional frequency in a process known as spectral diffusion. This article considers the effect of the electron's wavefunction shape upon spectral diffusion and provides wavefunction dependent decoherence time formulas for free induction decay as well as spin echoes and concatenated dynamical decoupling schemes for enhancing coherence. We also discuss dephasing of a qubit encoded in singlet-triplet states of a double quantum dot. A central theoretical result of this work is the development of a continuum approximation for the spectral diffusion problem which we have applied to GaAs and InAs materials specifically.