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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Tuning the nuclei-induced spin relaxation of localized electrons by the quantum Zeno and anti-Zeno effects

V. Nedelea1,2, N. V. Leppenen3, E. Evers1, D. S. Smirnov3,*, M. Bayer1, and A. Greilich1,†

  • 1Experimentelle Physik 2, Technische Universität Dortmund, 44221 Dortmund, Germany
  • 2Istitute of Applied Physics, Moldova State University, MD2028, Moldova
  • 3Ioffe Institute, 194021 St. Petersburg, Russia

  • *smirnov@mail.ioffe.ru
  • †alex.greilich@tu-dortmund.de
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Phys. Rev. Research 5, L032032 – Published 7 September, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.5.L032032

Abstract

Quantum measurement back action is fundamentally unavoidable when manipulating electron spins. Here we demonstrate that this back action can be efficiently exploited to tune the spin relaxation of localized electrons induced by the hyperfine interaction. In optical pump-probe experiments, powerful probe pulses suppress the spin relaxation of electrons on Si donors in an InGaAs epilayer due to the quantum Zeno effect. By contrast, an increase of the probe power leads to a speed-up of the spin relaxation for electrons in InGaAs quantum dots due to the quantum anti-Zeno effect. The microscopic description shows that the transition between the two regimes occurs when the spin dephasing time is comparable to the probe pulse repetition period.

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Phys. Rev. Research 5, L032032– Published 7 September, 2023
  • Received 15 December 2022
  • Accepted 25 July 2023
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