Implementation of single-qubit quantum gates by adiabatic passage and static laser phases

We propose and analyse experimentally feasible implementations of single-qubit quantum gates based on stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) between magnetic sublevels in atoms coupled by elliptically polarized pulsed laser fields, in part based on a proposal by Kis and Renzoni [Z. Kis, F. Renzoni, Phys. Rev. A 65 (2002) 032318]. These techniques require only the control of the relative phase of the driving fields but do not involve any dynamical or geometric phases, which makes it independent of the other interaction details: detuning, pulse shapes, pulse areas and pulse durations. The suggested techniques are immune to spontaneous emission since the qubit manipulation proceeds through non-absorbing dark states. We also propose an alternative technique using compensation of dynamical Stark shifts by two consecutive non-resonant fractional-STIRAP processes. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.