idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
For the first time, researchers at the University of Basel have coupled the nuclear spins of distant atoms using just a single electron. Three research groups from the Department of Physics took part in this complex experiment, the results of which have now been published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
In most materials, the nuclear spins of neighboring atoms have only a very weak effect on one another, as the tiny nuclei are located deep within the atoms. This is not the case in metals, however, where some of the electrons are able to move freely. The electron spins are able to couple nuclear spins at relatively large distances from one another. Named after four physicists, this RKKY interaction was discovered in the 1950s.
Nuclear spins linked by an individual electron spin
Now, an experiment by researchers from the Department of Physics at the University of Basel has for the first time succeeded in demonstrating this mechanism with a single electron, describing it using quantum theory. The team led by Prof. Richard Warburton trapped a single electron inside a quantum dot. With use of a method developed in Basel to measure nuclear spin resonance, they showed that the electron coupled the spins of nuclei up to five nanometers apart – a huge distance in the world of nuclear spins. The results are particularly relevant to the development of spin qubits: these seek to use electron spins to carry information, but the interaction with the nuclei limits the stability of the quantum information.
Concentrated blast of physics
“This is probably the most complicated experiment our team has ever carried out,” says Prof. Richard Warburton, leader of the nano-photonics research group at the Department of Physics in Basel. At the same time, he expressed his delight at the cooperation between the three research groups that made this experiment possible. “There were so many different aspects to take into account – a challenge we were able to master only thanks to the fantastic collaborations in our department.”
The research group led by Prof. Martino Poggio provided the expertise in the field of nuclear spin resonance, while the team led by Prof. Daniel Loss spent months computing the quantum theory for the experiment. A vital contribution also came from Ruhr University Bochum, which manufactured the semiconductor chips for the experiment.
The project received funding from the National Center of Competence in Research Quantum Science and Technology (NCCR QSIT), the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Swiss Nanoscience Institute.
Original article
Gunter Wüst, Mathieu Munsch, Franziska Maier, Andreas V. Kuhlmann, Arne Ludwig, Andreas D. Wieck, Daniel Loss, Martino Poggio and Richard J. Warburton
Role of the electron spin in the nuclear spin coherence in a quantum dot
Nature Nanotechnology (2016), doi: 10.1038/nnano.2016.114
Further information
Prof. Dr. Richard J. Warburton, University of Basel, Department of Physics, tel. +41 61 267 35 60, email: richard.warburton@unibas.ch
Merkmale dieser Pressemitteilung:
Journalisten, Studierende, Wissenschaftler, jedermann
Physik / Astronomie
überregional
Forschungsergebnisse, Wissenschaftliche Publikationen
Englisch
Sie können Suchbegriffe mit und, oder und / oder nicht verknüpfen, z. B. Philo nicht logie.
Verknüpfungen können Sie mit Klammern voneinander trennen, z. B. (Philo nicht logie) oder (Psycho und logie).
Zusammenhängende Worte werden als Wortgruppe gesucht, wenn Sie sie in Anführungsstriche setzen, z. B. „Bundesrepublik Deutschland“.
Die Erweiterte Suche können Sie auch nutzen, ohne Suchbegriffe einzugeben. Sie orientiert sich dann an den Kriterien, die Sie ausgewählt haben (z. B. nach dem Land oder dem Sachgebiet).
Haben Sie in einer Kategorie kein Kriterium ausgewählt, wird die gesamte Kategorie durchsucht (z.B. alle Sachgebiete oder alle Länder).
