6533b7d3fe1ef96bd1261401

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Partitioning of on-demand electron pairs

Hans Werner SchumacherKlaus PierzTimo WagnerFrank HohlsLukas FrickeRolf J. HaugNiels UbbelohdeVyacheslavs KashcheyevsBernd Kästner

subject

PhysicsQuantum networkElectron pairCondensed Matter - Mesoscale and Nanoscale PhysicsBiomedical EngineeringFOS: Physical sciencesQuantum simulatorBioengineeringQuantum PhysicsElectronCondensed Matter PhysicsAtomic and Molecular Physics and OpticsOpen quantum systemQuantum dotQuantum mechanicsMesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)Computer Science::Programming LanguagesGeneral Materials ScienceQuantum algorithmElectrical and Electronic EngineeringQuantum informationComputer Science::Databases

description

The on-demand generation and separation of entangled photon pairs are key components of quantum information processing in quantum optics. In an electronic analogue, the decomposition of electron pairs represents an essential building block for using the quantum state of ballistic electrons in electron quantum optics. The scattering of electrons has been used to probe the particle statistics of stochastic sources in Hanbury Brown and Twiss experiments and the recent advent of on-demand sources further offers the possibility to achieve indistinguishability between multiple sources in Hong-Ou-Mandel experiments. Cooper pairs impinging stochastically at a mesoscopic beamsplitter have been successfully partitioned, as verified by measuring the coincidence of arrival. Here, we demonstrate the splitting of electron pairs generated on demand. Coincidence correlation measurements allow the reconstruction of the full counting statistics, revealing regimes of statistically independent, distinguishable or correlated partitioning, and have been envisioned as a source of information on the quantum state of the electron pair. The high pair-splitting fidelity opens a path to future on-demand generation of spin-entangled electron pairs from a suitably prepared two-electron quantum-dot ground state.

https://doi.org/10.1038/nnano.2014.275