Relaxation, dephasing, and quantum control of electron spins in double quantum dots

Recent experiments have demonstrated quantum manipulation of two-electron spin states in double quantum dots using electrically controlled exchange interactions. Here we present a detailed theory for electron-spin dynamics in two-electron double-dot systems that was used to guide those experiments and analyze the results. Specifically, we analyze both spin- and charge-relaxation and dephasing mechanisms that are relevant to experiments and discuss practical approaches for quantum control of two-electron systems. We show that both charge and spin dephasing play important roles in the dynamics of the two-spin system, but neither represents a fundamental limit for electrical control of spin degrees of freedom in semiconductor quantum bits.