Coherent control of a single ²⁹Si nuclear spin qubit

Magnetic fluctuations caused by the nuclear spins of a host crystal are often the leading source of decoherence for many types of solid-state spin qubit. In group-IV semiconductor materials, the spin-bearing nuclei are sufficiently rare that it is possible to identify and control individual host nuclear spins. This Letter presents the first experimental detection and manipulation of a single ²⁹Si nuclear spin. The quantum nondemolition single-shot readout of the spin is demonstrated, and a Hahn echo measurement reveals a coherence time of T₂=6.3(7) ms—in excellent agreement with bulk experiments. Atomistic modeling combined with extracted experimental parameters provides possible lattice sites for the ²⁹Si atom under investigation. These results demonstrate that single ²⁹Si nuclear spins could serve as a valuable resource in a silicon spin-based quantum computer.