Electron and nuclear spins in molecules possess discrete energy levels, and the associated quantum states can be tuned and coherently manipulated by means of external electromagnetic fields. Such systems therefore provide one of the simplest platforms to encode a quantum bit (qubit), the elementary unit of quantum computers. Performing any useful computation demands much more than realizing a robust qubit—one also needs a large number of qubits and a reliable manner with which to integrate them into devices that can store and process information and implement quantum algorithms. This ‘scalability’ is arguably one of the challenges for which a chemistry-based bottom-up approach is best-suited [1]. Molecules, being much more versatile than atoms, and yet microscopic, are the quantum objects with the highest capacity to form non-trivial ordered states at the nanoscale and to be replicated in large numbers using chemical tools. After a general introduction to the field, this talk will highlight work performed at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory with emphasis lanthanide containing molecules that have attracted considerable recent attention [2-5].
Stephen Hill received his BA and D. Phil. degrees in Physics from the University of Oxford in 1991 and 1995, respectively. From 1995 to 1997, he held postdoctoral positions at Boston University and the US National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) in Tallahassee, Florida. He then took up faculty positions at Montana State University and the University of Florida before moving to Florida State University (FSU) in 2008. Hill currently holds the titles of Professor of Physics at FSU and Director of the Electron Magnetic Resonance program at the NHMFL. Hill has >25 years of experience performing microwave and far-infrared magneto-optical spectroscopy in high magnetic fields, spanning the range from 0.3 to 200 cm-1 (9 GHz to 6 THz), using a wide array of measurement techniques [conductivity and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR), etc.]. Research interests include: fundamental studies of quantum phenomena in molecular magnets and correlated electron systems (quantum magnets and superconductors); structure property relationships in a wide variety of polynuclear transition metal complexes; and the development of high-field EPR and Dynamic Nuclear Polarization methods. Hill received the International EPR Society Silver Medal for Instrumentation and was elected Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2014. He has published over 225 articles in refereed journals, which have been cited >8300 times (h-index of 49).
View Recorded Presentation