Injection of a single electron from static to moving quantum dots

TL;DR

This paper investigates how single electrons can be transferred from static to moving quantum dots using surface acoustic waves, identifying conditions for efficient and potentially adiabatic transfer relevant for quantum information processing.

Contribution

It demonstrates the activation law governing electron injection and identifies the regime for unitary, possibly adiabatic, transfer of electrons in moving quantum dots.

Findings

Injection characterized by an activation law with a threshold

Higher SAW amplitude enables unitary transfer

Potentially adiabatic transfer regime identified

Abstract

We study the injection mechanism of a single electron from a static quantum dot into a moving quantum dot created in a long depleted channel with surface acoustic waves (SAWs). We demonstrate that such a process is characterized by an activation law with a threshold that depends on the SAW amplitude and the dot-channel potential gradient. By increasing sufficiently the SAW modulation amplitude, we can reach a regime where the transfer is unitary and potentially adiabatic. This study points at the relevant regime to use moving dots in quantum information protocols.