  We demonstrate for the first time that a matter physical two level system, a
qubit, can be fully controlled using one ultrafast step. We show that the spin
state of an optically excited electron, an exciton, confined in a quantum dot,
can be rotated by any desired angle, about any desired axis, during such a
step. For this we use a single, resonantly tuned, picosecond long, polarized
optical pulse. The polarization of the pulse defines the rotation axis, while
the pulse detuning from a non-degenerate absorption resonance, defines the
magnitude of the rotation angle. We thereby achieve a high fidelity, universal
gate operation, applicable to other spin systems, using only one short optical
pulse. The operation duration equals the pulse temporal width, orders of
magnitude shorter than the qubit evolution life and coherence times.
