ACM TechNews

Memory in Artificial Atoms

University of Copenhagen (04/07/08)

Nano-physicists Jonas Hauptmann, Jens Paaske, and Poul Erik Lindelof with the Nano-Science Center and the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen have demonstrated that when using carbon nanotubes as transistors a single electron spin can be controlled. "One can picture this single electron spin caught on the nanotube as an artificial atom," Hauptmann says. For several years, researchers have considered direct electrical control over a single electron spin to be a theoretical possibility, but the Copenhagen team has demonstrated the mechanism in practice for the first time. Their new transistor concept makes use of a carbon nanotube or a single organic molecule, rather than the traditional semiconductor transistor. "Our discovery shows that the new transistor can function as a magnetic memory," Paaske says, which will allow much faster and more accurate computer data storage in the future.

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nano_computer.htm

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