About

Professor David Awschalom is a distinguished scientist in the fields of spintronics and quantum-information engineering. His research involves understanding and controlling the spins of individual electrons, ions, and nuclei for fundamental studies of quantum phenomena within semiconductors and nanostructures. He explores potential applications of quantum systems in computing, sensing, imaging, and encryption, and his group investigates optical and magnetic interactions in semiconductor quantum structures, spin dynamics and coherence in condensed matter systems, macroscopic quantum phenomena in nanometer-scale magnets, and implementations of quantum information processing in the solid state. He has developed various femtosecond-resolved spatiotemporal spectroscopies and micromagnetic sensing techniques, leading to discoveries such as robust electron spin coherence, transport of coherent states, and the spin Hall effect in semiconductors.

Research topics

• Physics
• Computer Science
• Quantum mechanics
• Materials science
• Nanotechnology
• Condensed matter physics
• Engineering physics
• Telecommunications
• Engineering
• Thermodynamics
• Optoelectronics
• Electrical engineering
• Optics
• Chemistry

Selected publications

• Emergent anisotropic three-phase order in critically doped superconducting diamond films

  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2026-05-11

  preprintOpen accessCorresponding

  Two decades since its discovery, superconducting heavily boron-doped diamond (HBDD) still poses fundamental questions that need to be answered to unlock its full potential for quantum applications. We use electrical magnetotransport measurements of critically doped homoepitaxial single crystal HBDD films to reveal signatures of intrinsically granular superconductivity. By studying the dependence of electrical resistivity on temperature and magnetic field vector, we infer that this granularity arises from doping induced disorder. We observe an unexpected three-phase anisotropy in the magnetoresistance, accompanied by a spontaneous transverse voltage (Hall anomaly). Our findings indicate the emergence of an anisotropic order in an otherwise isotropic single crystal HBDD film, offering insights into the mechanism of superconductivity in this quantum material.

  PublisherDOI

• Optimizing spin qubit coherence through materials codesign

  MRS Bulletin · 2026-03-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract The evolution of defect-based spin qubit systems is currently transitioning from fundamental studies and proof-of-concept demonstrations into applications in the burgeoning field of quantum technology. Within this context, new challenges emerge, in particular, the need to understand and engineer the fundamental materials that form the hardware building blocks critical for the scalability and wide-scale adoption of such technologies. While earlier discussions have often focused on qubits within idealized systems, major limitations on spin coherence and optical properties arise from effects imposed by the nonideality of the surrounding host matrix. Decoherence can stem from a variety of sources, including other qubits, nuclear spins, and parasitic point- and extended defects, which interact with the qubit via magnetic and electric fields, photons, phonons, and strain. In this article, we focus on the relevant sources and mechanisms through which decoherence occurs and provide potential mitigation strategies via the synergistic integration of first-principles simulations and materials synthesis and engineering. We aim to provide a tangible link between material properties and material functions thereby enabling materials-by-design. Graphical abstract

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Decoding Moiré Patterns of Small, Embedded SiC Nanoparticles in Si with Multislice Electron Ptychography

  Microscopy and Microanalysis · 2025-07-01 · 1 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Microstructural and preliminary optical and microwave characterization of erbium-doped CaMoO4 thin films

  APL Materials · 2025-10-01

  articleOpen access

  This work explores erbium-doped calcium molybdate (Er:CaMoO4) thin films grown on silicon and yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrates, as a potential solid state system for C-band (utilizing the ∼1.5 μm Er3+ 4f–4f transition) quantum emitters for quantum network applications. Through molecular beam epitaxial growth experiments and electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and reflection electron diffraction studies, we identify an incorporation limited deposition regime that enables a 1:1 Ca:Mo ratio in the growing film leading to single phase CaMoO4 formation that can be in situ doped with Er (typically 2–100 ppm). We further show that growth on silicon substrates is single phase but polycrystalline in morphology, while growth on YSZ substrates leads to high-quality epitaxial single crystalline CaMoO4 films. We perform preliminary optical and microwave characterization on the suspected Y1–Z1 transition of 2 ppm, 200 nm epitaxial Er:CaMoO4 annealed thin films and extract an optical inhomogeneous linewidth of 9.1(1) GHz, an optical excited state lifetime of 6.7(2) ms, a spectral diffusion-limited homogeneous linewidth of 6.7(4) MHz, and an EPR linewidth of 1.10(2) GHz.

  PublisherDOI

• First-Principles Framework for the Prediction of Intersystem Crossing Rates in Spin Defects: The Role of Electron Correlation

  Physical Review Letters · 2025-06-16 · 9 citations

  articleOpen access

  Optically active spin defects in solids are promising platforms for quantum technologies. Here, we present a first-principles framework to investigate intersystem crossing processes, which represent crucial steps in the optical spin-polarization cycle used to address spin defects. Considering the nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond as a case study, we demonstrate that our framework effectively captures electron correlation effects in the calculation of many-body electronic states and their spin-orbit coupling and electron-phonon interactions, while systematically addressing finite-size effects. We validate our predictions by carrying out measurements of fluorescence lifetimes, finding excellent agreement between theory and experiments. The framework presented here provides a versatile and robust tool for exploring the optical cycle of varied spin defects entirely from first principles.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Computationally guided experimental validation of divacancy defect formation in 4H-SiC

  Applied Physics Letters · 2025-04-21 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  Recent research into solid-state qubits for quantum information science has focused on optically addressable spin defects such as the negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond and the neutrally charged divacancy (VV) in 4H-SiC as scalable quantum sensors and networking qubits. Within this context, direct investigations of the structural origin and defect formation dynamics of a sub-set of the VV center in 4H-SiC remain lacking. Here, we take a systematic experimental approach guided by predictions from first-principles simulations to gain a thorough mechanistic understanding of the VV defect formation and control in 4H-SiC. We study the effect of annealing time and temperature on VV formation in high-purity semi-insulating 4H-SiC samples following electron irradiation. Three different temperatures (1123, 1273, and 1473 K) and annealing duration (from 0.5 to 72 h) are chosen to explore VV formation in different regions. We find that samples annealed at 1273 K give the highest VV-related photoluminescence (PL) intensities, in agreement with the prediction from first-principles calculations. Furthermore, the logarithmic dependence of VV-related PL intensities on the annealing duration at 1273 K indicates that 1273 K provides sufficient thermal energy for silicon vacancy migration but not for VV migration. Together, these results suggest that efficient VV formation occurs above the VSi migration temperature and below the VV migration threshold.

  PublisherDOI

• A high-resolution molecular spin-photon interface at telecommunication wavelengths

  Science · 2025-10-02 · 7 citations

  articleSenior authorCorresponding

  Optically addressable electronic spins in polyatomic molecules are a promising platform for quantum information science, with the potential to enable scalable qubit design and integration through atomistic tunability and nanoscale localization. However, optical state- and site-selection are an open challenge. In this work, we introduce an organo-erbium spin qubit in which narrow (megahertz-scale) optical and spin transitions couple to provide high-resolution access to spin degrees of freedom with telecommunication-frequency light. This spin-photon interface enables demonstration of optical spin polarization and readout that distinguishes between spin states and magnetically inequivalent sites in a molecular crystal. Operation at frequencies compatible with mature photonic and microwave devices provides an opportunity for engineering scalable, integrated molecular spin-optical quantum technologies.

  PublisherDOI

• High-throughput spin-bath characterization of spin defects in semiconductors

  Physical Review Applied · 2025-11-17

  articleOpen access

  Detailed knowledge of the local environments of spin defects in semiconductors, such as nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond or divacancies in silicon carbide, is crucial for optimizing control and entanglement protocols in quantum sensing and information applications. However, at present a direct experimental characterization of individual defect environments is not scalable, as conventional spin-bath measurements are time consuming and difficult to automate. Achieving high-throughput characterization requires short experiments to probe the spin bath. However, with fewer and noisier measurements, the inverse problem of recovering spin-bath properties from measured data becomes ill posed, with multiple spin baths having a high likelihood of yielding the same data. In this work, we present a set of computational tools to resolve the ill-posed inverse problem of recovering the atomic positions and hyperfine couplings of random nuclei surrounding spin defects from sparse, noisy experimental coherence data, which can be obtained in hours. We use a trans-dimensional Bayesian approach that incorporates ab initio data to yield full posterior distributions over nuclear spin environments, enabling robust recovery from limited data. We also provide practical tools and guidelines to determine the limits of detectability for hyperfine couplings under specific dynamical decoupling sequences and sampling conditions. In addition, we demonstrate how the tools developed here, in combination with ab initio simulations of spin baths, can guide the design of efficient experimental protocols for application-specific high-throughput screening. To showcase the utility of our approach, we apply it to design fast dynamical decoupling experiments to characterize the spin baths of ten individual NV centers in diamond. While the primary focus is on accelerating spin-bath characterization of spin defects, this Bayesian approach also lays the foundation for digital-twin studies of spin defects, where a virtual model of the spin-defect system evolves in real time with ongoing experimental measurements. Together, the set of tools we designed and applied paves the way for scalable deployment of spin defects in semiconductors for quantum sensing and information applications.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Challenges and opportunities for quantum information hardware

  Science · 2025-12-04 · 6 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Quantum technologies have made impressive progress over the past decade. In some areas, such as quantum sensing and key distribution, these technologies are moving from the laboratory to enable real-world applications. However, for areas such as quantum computing, entanglement-enhanced sensing, and a global quantum internet, we are in an equivalent of the early transistor age, and hardware breakthroughs are required in multiple arenas to reach the performance necessary for the envisioned applications. In this Review, we assess the current state of the art of quantum information hardware and identify key challenges and opportunities ahead. We draw inspiration from the history of scaling and development of classical electronics and photonics to anticipate progress in the field.

  PublisherDOI

• Minute-long quantum coherence enabled by electrical depletion of magnetic noise

  ArXiv.org · 2025-04-17 · 2 citations

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  Integrating solid-state spin defects into classical electronic devices can enable new opportunities for quantum information processing that benefit from existing semiconductor technology. We show, through bias control of an isotopically purified silicon carbide (SiC) p-i-n diode, the depletion of not only electrical noise sources but also magnetic noise sources, resulting in record coherences for SiC electron spin qubits. We also uncover complementary improvements to the relaxation times of nuclear spin registers controllable by the defect, and measure diode-enhanced coherences. These improvements lead to record-long nuclear spin Hahn-echo times on the scale of minutes. These results demonstrate the power of materials control and electronic device integration to create highly coherent solid-state quantum network nodes and processors.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Collaborative Research: Coherent Spin Control in Microfabricated Semiconductor Geometries

  NSF · $695k · 2008–2013

• Collaborative Research: Coherent Spin Dynamics of Electrons, Ions and Nuclei in Confined Geometries

  NSF · $650k · 2003–2008

• WORKSHOP: The Fourth International School and Conference on Spintronics and Quantum Information Technology

  NSF · $25k · 2007–2007

• Collaborative Research: Coherent Manipulation and Transfer of Quantum Information amongst Single Spin Systems

  NSF · $630k · 2013–2017

Frequent coauthors

• F. Joseph Heremans

  Argonne National Laboratory

  220 shared

• N. Samarth

  Pennsylvania State University

  133 shared

• Giulia Galli

  University of Chicago

  84 shared

• Gary Wolfowicz

  Argonne National Laboratory

  73 shared

• Nazar Delegan

  University of Chicago

  64 shared

• A. C. Gossard

  University of California, Santa Barbara

  61 shared

• Bob B. Buckley

  60 shared

• Roberto C. Myers

  51 shared

Labs

• David Awschalom LabPI

Education

• B.S., Physics

  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Ph.D., Experimental Physics

  Cornell University

Awards & honors

• American Physical Society Oliver E. Buckley Prize
• Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize
• European Physical Society Europhysics Prize
• Materials Research Society David Turnbull Award and Outstand…
• AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize