Forging Solid-State Qubit Design Principles in a Molecular Furnace

The realization of quantum information processing would disrupt the status quo in the realm of computation; the extraordinary power of a hypothetical quantum computer motivates significant research efforts toward creating such a device. One promising route to enable quantum information processing involves employing electronic spins as the elementary unit of information, known as a qubit. Within this paradigm, paramagnetic defect sites in solid-state materials demonstrate appreciable promise, and recent developments in paramagnetic molecular coordination complexes illustrate an encouraging trajectory. While solid-state systems exhibit long spin coherence lifetimes, rational control of their properties remains challenging. Effecting synthetic control over qubit design prompted the study of tunable molecular species to develop design principles for spin coherence lifetimes. The challenge now lies in extending those molecular design principles to target new solid-state architectures that could enable device-scale systems. In this perspective, we detail recent progress in the rational design of molecular qubit complexes and highlight the advances that will be necessary in order to apply that progress to solid-state systems. We further examine the impact that the lessons learned from the study of qubits can have in the related fields of magnetic resonance imaging and biological sensing.