Two-body Wigner molecularization in asymmetric quantum dot spin qubits

Abstract

Coulomb interactions strongly influence the spectrum and the wave functions of few electrons or holes confined in a quantum dot. In particular, when the confinement potential is not too strong, the Coulomb repulsion triggers the formation of a correlated state, the Wigner molecule, where the particles tend to split apart. We show that the anisotropy of the confinement potential strongly enhances the molecularization process and affects the performances of quantum-dot systems used as spin qubits. Relying on analytical and numerical solutions of the two-particle problem -- both in a simplified single-band approximation and in realistic setups -- we highlight the exponential suppression of the singlet-triplet gap with increasing anisotropy. We compare the molecularization effects in different semiconductor materials and discuss how they specifically hamper Pauli spin blockade readout and reduce the exchange interactions in two-qubit gates.