Physicists from Ohio University have succeeded in transmitting information through cables made of artificial diamond.
In the experiment the information was not transmitted in the usual way of propagating electrons along the wire. Instead, the material's electrons remained in place, transmitting their spin state to neighboring particles, much like the wave created by fans at a football game. Spin is one of the quantum properties of particles, and it can take the distinct values up and down in analogy to the 0s and 1s of digital circuits.
The new field of spintronics has the potential to lead to more powerful and faster computers, while reducing energy consumption. The researchers even found that diamond is a material that behaves better από τα περισσότερα μέταλλα που έχουν δοκιμαστεί μέχρι σήμερα: είναι σκληρό, διάφανο, μονωτής σε ηλεκτρισμό και θερμότητα και ανθεκτικό για κάθε είδους διάβρωση. Μοναδικό εμπόδιο στην εμπορική χρήση του διαμαντιού είναι το κόστος, καθώς για την παρtreatment of an artificial diamond wire just 4 µm long (1 micrometer is equal to 10-4 cm) cost about 75 euros.
For this experiment, scientists needed to saturate the crystal of the diamond with nitrogen atoms in order to create free electrons that could transmit their spin state in proportion to a nitrogen atom for every three million carbon atoms (the diamond is a union of atoms carbon in a crystal configuration).
The researchers then observed the state of spin on the electrons of the cable on the smallest scale ever achieved, which was made possible by concentrating the magnetic field of the microscope into pulses of 15 nm. One of the surprises of the survey was the fact that it was measured that the electrons at the end of the cable retained the spin state they transmitted for twice as much time as the particles in the middle.
"It's a really huge phenomenon, which we didn't expect," explained Chris Hamel, a researcher at Ohio State University. "This means that the traditional methods measurements spin at the macro level must be reviewed," he added.
For now, the experiment took place at a temperature of -269°C in order to eliminate thermal noise and allow the detectors to detect the spin of the electrons. Commercial exploitation of the discovery will require further research. The Results της συγκεκριμένης εργασίας δημοσιεύονται στο επιστημονικό περιοδικό Nature Nanotechnology.
