Ann: Quantum technology project update, page-39

this is another way to measure the spin of the electron, which is the qubit in a 12CQ.

the single electron box device is in AXE's wheelhouse. The theory of squeezing down to 100 to 1 nm scales is well understood. But to actually get it done in practice and isolate a quantum dot down to 1 electron requires nano electronic precision. Requires nanomaterial knowledge. The carbon nano onions are an engineered material by AXE and the chemistry of the material can be further tweaked. It's actual shape at the particle level can be modified to allow for better electrical conductance as well.

the point of all this nano engineering and subsequent ongoing testing at QMUL, is to be able to work out 2 different voltages that correspond to the ground state and excited state of the electron. The various kinks we see in those voltage graphs would be the voltages that indicate discrete charge levels for these states. This is then assigned as spin up and spin down states. If they can engineer the control of one electron (our qubit), it adds massively to the progress of quantum information processing. If they then progress to a chain of controllable electrons, then we effectively have a quantum computing device.

btw, this work starts out at around 100nm scale and so needs to be done at sub zero temps. Electric current will not cause electron movement at higher temps. But as they go down towards 1 nm scale, room temperature looms as the working temp.

lots of implications here and nice synergies. The single electron box is also known as the single electron transistor an SET. The bio chip uses a different one called the field effect transistor FET. Both use graphene rather than silicon. This current 12CQ work involving coulomb blockade effect is actually controlled electron tunneling. Which is where it scores over the silicon semiconductor industry that is going towards 1nm nodes but will have to stop at 1.5 nm because electrons will start jumping across digital barriers that they should not jump across. The coulomb blockade when engineered to allow one electron at a time through in a highly controlled fashion is quite useful. And of course even more useful if said electron carries spin up/spin down information. We can have a new kind of quantum switch to replace our current digital on/off bits.