Physicists Control the Spin of a Single Electron

jeeb writes "Researchers of the Delft University of Technology and the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter have succeeded for the first time in controlling the spin of a single electron in a nanostructure. They are able to rotate the axis to every possible direction and to record it accordingly. This achievement makes it possible to use the electron's spin as a 'quantum bit,' the basis of a (still theoretical) future quantum computer. The researchers have published this scientific breakthrough in the August 17, 2006 edition of Nature."

Comments

Stop That

[ReidMaynard]

It makes the electrons dizzy.

Researchers

[Anonymous Coward]

The researchers working on this are doing so to obtain their PhDs. Presumably they will henceforth be known as "spin doctors".

Re:Researchers

[J.R. Random]

I have mod points but I couldn't use them because there was no option for "Groan".

Re:spin it up

[MrSquirrel]

I know they can measure the field easily... but after reading most of the full article, I wasn't sure how they would measure it while still controlling the rotation (since they were spinning the electron using magnetic fields). Then I finished reading the whole article (after posting of course) and got my answer: "Their approach was to lock up a second electron in another quantum dot alongside the first one and to use it to read out the spin direction of the first electron."

Re:Every possibly direction?

[Princeofcups]

Folks, electron spin is NOT like the spinning of a ball in "the real world." The electron is not "rotating" per se. From wiki:

"Such particles and the spin of quantum mechanical systems ("particle spin") possesses several unusual or non-classical features, and for such systems, spin angular momentum cannot be associated with rotation but instead refers only to the presence of angular momentum."

jfs