Scientists from Europe and the Baltics have discovered a way to precisely control the movement of individual electrons in microchips in accordance with the laws of microcosm physics. The device they created works on the principle of a collider: one fast-moving particle hits another with a precise shot. The development expands the use of sensors, miniature transistors, and quantum devices.
Quantum electronics promises significant progress in super-sensitive measurements and quantum information processing. In nanoelectrical circuits, one electron can be used to precisely control the trajectory of another electron through Coulomb interactions. A new fundamental circuit element has been demonstrated by three independent research groups, EurekAlert writes.
Electric current is a flow of charged elementary particles. In semiconductor devices, electrons move too fast to be affected individually. However, the controlled collision of individual electrons can provide the necessary time for one particle to interact with another. The main difficulty here is to synchronize the two electrons precisely.
For this purpose, scientists have developed a nanoscale collider on a microchip. It consists of two independent electron sources that can be triggered with a picosecond accuracy. And detectors that record the result of each collision. The sources generate an electron pair. If they are synchronized accurately enough, the interaction of the pair’s electrons determines which signaling pathway each particle will take.
Testing of the prototype showed that the device can be used as an ultra-fast sensor or switch. In addition, it can become a key component of a quantum computer, as it allows for the generation of quantum entanglement.
Data centers use a huge amount of energy – in the United States alone, they account for about 2% of the country’s total energy consumption. American scientists have developed a new method for compensating for temperature fluctuations, while scientists from Europe and the Baltics have discovered a way to precisely control the movement of individual electrons in microchips in accordance with the laws of microcosm physics. The device they created works on the principle of a collider: one fast-moving particle hits another with a precise shot. The development expands the use of sensors, miniature transistors, and quantum devices.
