Hyperfine-phonon spin relaxation in a single-electron GaAs quantum dot

Understanding and control of the spin relaxation time $T_1$ is among the key challenges for spin based qubits. A larger $T_1$ is generally favored, setting the fundamental upper limit to the qubit coherence and spin readout fidelity. In GaAs quantum dots at low temperatures and high in-plane magnetic fields $B$, the spin relaxation relies on phonon emission and spin-orbit coupling. The characteristic dependence $T_1\propto B^{-5}$ and pronounced $B$-field anisotropy were already confirmed experimentally. However, it has also been predicted 15 years ago that at low enough fields, the spin-orbit interaction is replaced by the coupling to the nuclear spins, where the relaxation becomes isotropic, and the scaling changes to $T_1\propto B^{-3}$. We establish these predictions experimentally, by measuring $T_1$ over an unprecedented range of magnetic fields – made possible by lower temperature – and report a maximum $T_1=57\pm 15$ s at the lowest fields, setting a new record for the electron spin lifetime in a nanostructure.