Peptides as Versatile Platforms for Quantum Computing

The pursuit of novel functional building blocks for the emerging field of quantum computing is one of the most appealing topics in the context of quantum technologies. Herein we showcase the urgency of introducing peptides as versatile platforms for quantum computing. In particular, we focus on lanthanide-binding tags, originally developed for the study of protein structure. We use pulsed electronic paramagnetic resonance to demonstrate quantum coherent oscillations in both neodymium and gadolinium peptidic qubits. Calculations based on density functional theory followed by a ligand field analysis indicate the possibility of influencing the nature of the spin qubit states by means of controlled changes in the peptidic sequence. We conclude with an overview of the challenges and opportunities opened by this interdisciplinary field.