Researchers Put 'Spin' in Silicon

ccellist writes "Physorg.com is reporting on the University of Delaware and Cambridge NanoTech's experiments regarding 'spintronics,' or the ability to use information about electron spin in atoms of silicon to encode information, much like we use information about an electron's charge state in computers today. 'Spintronics' research hopes to usher in a new age of computer speed and performance by measuring and even controlling the angular momentum displayed by all electrons, and using this information to encode data. Researchers for the first time have successfully conducted the spin of electrons in a custom-made silicon chip, a process known as 'spin transport.'"

Comments

Angular momentum

[suv4x4]

Quoting from a movie I saw once. The editor tells the article author how he edited his work:

Editor: "I replaced atom with molecule here and there, atom repeats too much"
Author: "But... it's not the same thing at all!"
Editor: "Oh come on! Who'll know the difference. Molecule, atom.. same thing to me."

So, in the light of this, particle "spin" isn't about an electron actually spinning, and thus "angular momentum" as seen in the article text, so that's pretty hilarious replacement.

Another thing you may want to know for future articles: quark colors also aren't actual colors.

Re:Angular momentum

[digitalderbs]

nah, it's all appropriate. The angular momentum is on the magnetic moment produced at the electron from an applied magnetic field, due mainly to the Zeeman interaction. The spin itself is the magnetic moment of the electron. Changes in the magnetic field (non parallel) apply a torque on the moment and change its orientation. The motions are described by the quantum angular momentum equations .. i.e. commutation relations. These commutation relations are the quantum analog to the classical angular momentum equations.