Young researcher combines quantum effects with light

(CONNECT) Quantum physical effects such as the intrinsic angular momentum of electrons, known as spins, could play an important role in the information processing of the future. They can not only assume the switching states 0 and 1 like bits, but also an infinite number of other states as qubits. One question to be solved is how these qubits communicate with each other to transmit information? The nanotech@surface laboratory at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) in Dübendorf is working on this research topic.

According to a press release, physicist Eve Ammermann is researching the behavior of the spins of carbon atoms on a nano-graphene monolayer. In order to be able to measure the movements of the spins, she works with substances that act like a chromophore. These are inorganic or organic molecules that can absorb or reflect light. The idea behind Ammermann's research is that if the spin of an electron in the nano-graph changes, the light of the chromophore also changes. This light could be measured contactlessly without destroying the nano-graph monolayer. The scientist is trying to find a molecular duo that can be processed into functional quantum mechanical components.

"Although there is already a lot of research on both nano-graphenes and light-emitting molecules, we have very little data on what happens when you combine them," Eve Ammermann is quoted as saying in the press release. Her two-year research project is supported by an Empa Young Scientist Fellowship. The funding projects for talented young researchers are awarded in a competitive process. ce/ww