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Title: Single-Atom Gating of Quantum State Superpositions

Abstract

The ultimate miniaturization of electronic devices will likely require local and coherent control of single electronic wavefunctions. Wavefunctions exist within both physical real space and an abstract state space with a simple geometric interpretation: this state space - or Hilbert space - is spanned by mutually orthogonal state vectors corresponding to the quantized degrees of freedom of the real-space system. Measurement of superpositions is akin to accessing the direction of a vector in Hilbert space, determining an angle of rotation equivalent to quantum phase. Here we show that an individual atom inside a designed quantum corral1 can control this angle, producing arbitrary coherent superpositions of spatial quantum states. Using scanning tunnelling microscopy and nanostructures assembled atom-by-atom we demonstrate how single spins and quantum mirages can be harnessed to image the superposition of two electronic states. We also present a straightforward method to determine the atom path enacting phase rotations between any desired state vectors. A single atom thus becomes a real-space handle for an abstract Hilbert space, providing a simple technique for coherent quantum state manipulation at the spatial limit of condensed matter.

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
979047
Report Number(s):
SLAC-PUB-13993
TRN: US201010%%363
DOE Contract Number:  
AC02-76SF00515
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Submitted to Nature Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Name: Submitted to Nature Physics
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; ATOMS; DEGREES OF FREEDOM; HILBERT SPACE; MICROSCOPY; MINIATURIZATION; NANOSTRUCTURES; ROTATION; VECTORS; MATSCI

Citation Formats

Moon, Christopher. Single-Atom Gating of Quantum State Superpositions. United States: N. p., 2010. Web.
Moon, Christopher. Single-Atom Gating of Quantum State Superpositions. United States.
Moon, Christopher. 2010. "Single-Atom Gating of Quantum State Superpositions". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/979047.
@article{osti_979047,
title = {Single-Atom Gating of Quantum State Superpositions},
author = {Moon, Christopher},
abstractNote = {The ultimate miniaturization of electronic devices will likely require local and coherent control of single electronic wavefunctions. Wavefunctions exist within both physical real space and an abstract state space with a simple geometric interpretation: this state space - or Hilbert space - is spanned by mutually orthogonal state vectors corresponding to the quantized degrees of freedom of the real-space system. Measurement of superpositions is akin to accessing the direction of a vector in Hilbert space, determining an angle of rotation equivalent to quantum phase. Here we show that an individual atom inside a designed quantum corral1 can control this angle, producing arbitrary coherent superpositions of spatial quantum states. Using scanning tunnelling microscopy and nanostructures assembled atom-by-atom we demonstrate how single spins and quantum mirages can be harnessed to image the superposition of two electronic states. We also present a straightforward method to determine the atom path enacting phase rotations between any desired state vectors. A single atom thus becomes a real-space handle for an abstract Hilbert space, providing a simple technique for coherent quantum state manipulation at the spatial limit of condensed matter.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/979047}, journal = {Submitted to Nature Physics},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2010},
month = {Wed Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2010}
}