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  • Open Access

Few-Electron Spin Qubits in Quantum Dots Probed Through Nuclear Spin Magnetism

Peter Millington-Hotze1, Petr Klenovsky2,3,*, Harry E. Dyte1, George Gillard1, Santanu Manna4,§, Saimon F. Covre da Silva4,∥, Armando Rastelli4,†, and Evgeny A. Chekhovich5,‡

  • *Contact author: klenovsky@physics.muni.cz
  • †Contact author: Armando.Rastelli@jku.at
  • ‡Contact author: E.Chekhovich@sussex.ac.uk
  • §Present address: Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India.
  • ∥Present address: Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil.
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PRX Quantum 7, 033028 – Published 14 August, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/j8xw-w72c

Abstract

The knowledge of the energy spectrum completely defines the dynamics of a quantum system for a given initial state. This makes spectroscopy a key characterization technique when studying or designing qubits and complex quantum systems. In semiconductor quantum dots, the electronic quantum states can be probed through charge transport or charge sensing, but the technique is practically limited to gate-defined quantum dots. Epitaxial quantum dots benefit from excellent optical properties, but are usually incompatible with charge transport, while alternative spectroscopy techniques provide only limited information. Here we demonstrate a spectroscopy technique which utilizes nuclear spins as a non-invasive probe. By using the cotunneling-assisted transfer of spin angular momentum instead of the charge currents we achieve near-equilibrium probing. Experiments are conducted on low-strain GaAs/AlGaAs epitaxial dots, revealing energy spectra for charge configurations with up to seven electrons and with resolution limited only by the thermal broadening. Beyond the few-electron energy spectroscopy, we apply non-invasive probing via nuclear spins to reveal the subtle many-body physics of the quantized electronic states. We map out the magnetic field dependence of the electron spin lifetimes, revealing an unusual inverse quadratic dependence. The rich variety of further observations includes the long-lived spin-qubit states in the p shell, electron ground-state phase transitions, strong spin-orbit coupling regimes, and an anomalously fast nuclear spin diffusion process. Experiments are backed up by good agreement with the first-principles configuration interaction numerical modeling. Our work uncovers few-electron states as a new operating regime for optically active quantum dots. Accurate control and probing of many-body states offers a test-bed system for fundamental physics studies, while prospective technological applications include electron spin qubits with extended coherence and scalable electrical control.

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Popular Summary

An ensemble of interacting electrons confined in three dimensions is a canonical system in quantum physics. However, predicting its quantum states is challenging even for a modest number of electrons owing to the complex interplay between electron-electron interactions and confinement. Existing experimental techniques rely on optical excitation or electric currents, but these act back on the electrons, disrupting their fragile states, and reveal only limited information. We implement a new experimental approach, where the tiny magnetic moments of the atomic cores are used to sense the quantized states of the electrons confined in semiconductor quantum dots. This method reveals the structure of few-electron states with an unprecedented level of detail and completeness, offering a tool for applications ranging from fundamental studies of many-body quantum physics to design of solid-state spin qubits for quantum information technologies.

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PRX Quantum 7, 033028– Published 14 August, 2026
  • Received 27 September 2025
  • Revised 25 May 2026
  • Accepted 1 July 2026
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