Physicists at the University of Basel have shown for the first time how a single electron looks in an artificial atom.
Controlling and switching [the spin of an electron] or coupling it with other spins is a challenge on which numerous research groups worldwide are working. The stability of a single spin and the entanglement of various spins depends, among other things, on the geometry of the electrons—which previously had been impossible to determine experimentally.
This is only possible in an artificial atom, so what, you may ask, is an 'artificial' atom?
A quantum dot is a potential trap which allows confining free electrons in an area which is about 1000 times larger than a natural atom. Because the trapped electrons behave similarly to electrons bound to an atom, quantum dots are also known as "artificial atoms."
This has potential application in quantum computing as electron spin is a candidate for use in storing quantum information.
More information: Leon C. Camenzind et al. Spectroscopy of Quantum Dot Orbitals with In-Plane Magnetic Fields, Physical Review Letters (2019). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.122.207701
Peter Stano et al. Orbital effects of a strong in-plane magnetic field on a gate-defined quantum dot, Physical Review B (2019). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.99.085308.
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