Spin-Echo Dynamics of a Heavy Hole in a Quantum Dot

We develop a theory for the spin-echo dynamics of a heavy hole in a quantum dot, accounting for both hyperfine- and electric-field-induced fluctuations. We show that a moderate applied magnetic field can drive this system to a motional-averaging regime, making the hyperfine interaction ineffective as a decoherence source. Furthermore, we show that decay of the spin-echo envelope is highly sensitive to the geometry. In particular, we find a specific choice of initialization and pi-pulse axes which can be used to study intrinsic hyperfine-induced hole-spin dynamics, even in systems with substantial electric-fieldinduced dephasing. These results point the way to designed hole-spin qubits as a robust and long-lived alternative to electron spins. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.237601