At the center of quantum computing1 realization is the physical implementation of qubits - two-state quantum information units. The rise of graphene2 has opened a new door to the implementation. Because graphene electrons simulate two-dimensional relativistic particles with two degenerate and independent energy valleys,3 a novel degree of freedom (d.o.f.), namely, the valley state of an electron, emerges as a new information carrier.4 Here, we expand the Loss-DiVincenzo quantum dot (QD) approach in electron spin qubits,5,6 and investigate the feasibility of double QD (DQD) structures in gapful graphene as "valley qubits", with the logic 0 / 1 states represented by the "valley" singlet / triplet pair. This generalization is characterized by 1) valley relaxation time ~ O(ms), and 2) electric qubit manipulation on the time scale ~ ns, based on the 1st-order "relativistic effect" unique in graphene. A potential for valley-based quantum computing is present.
@article{arxiv.1104.0443,
title = {Graphene quantum dots for valley-based quantum computing: A feasibility study},
author = {G. Y. Wu and N. -Y. Lue and L. Chang},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1104.0443},
year = {2015}
}