German researchers explore plasmons for next generation computing
1 min read
Looking to enable next generation computers, researchers from the University of Tübingen have illuminated the surface of micron sized gold wires with laser light such that surface plasmons are generated. It is these bound light fields which might enable the construction of devices for optical computing and for quantum information, says the team, adding circuits based on these devices would be faster and more efficient.
In order to build an optical computing device, the surface plasmons, which are useful for data transfer, must be coupled to data storage elements, such as atoms. This is what the research team lead by Dr Sebastian Slama is working on. He has developed techniques that allow cold atoms to be positioned very close to surfaces so they can interact with bound light waves.
At low temperatures, atoms form a Bose-Einstein condensate, in which all atoms are in the same quantum state. The condensate can then be regarded as a single huge super atom, which can be moved by external magnetic fields to the wire's surface, where it interacts with the plasmon. "We can generate plasmons which attract the atoms and others which repel them. By structuring the surface, we can tailor almost arbitrary potential landscapes for the atoms," says Dr Slama.
"Our goal is to build hybrid devices for optical computing and quantum information. We were able to set a milestone, but there is still a lot to do, Dr Slama concluded.
