Physicists develop energy filter technology to stabilize single-electron qubits
The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) has developed a technology that controls the energy of single electrons in the desired form. This technology reduces the instability of electrons caused by external ...
The research was conducted in collaboration with Jeonbuk National University, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), and the results were published in Nano Letters.
Electrons are fundamental particles that make up atoms, and when their paths are divided, they exhibit the quantum superposition phenomenon, passing through both paths (0 and 1) simultaneously.
This characteristic can be utilized in information processing to create qubits. Single-electron qubits are highly regarded as a technology for scaling quantum computing due to their excellent integration, with the theoretical potential to implement dozens of qubits in a small area.
However, improving the performance of single-electron qubits has been challenging due to their extreme sensitivity to external environments.
The stability and accuracy of a qubit's quantum state directly determine its performance, yet electrons, being incredibly small and sensitive, make it difficult to achieve a stable quantum state. Additionally, their energy state is highly susceptible to interactions with the surrounding environment and other electrons, often leading to instability and a rapid loss of quantum properties.
(Top) Schematic of the energy filter used by KRISS researchers to control single electrons(Bottom) KRISS researchers confirming the energy form of single electrons using Wigner distribution. Credit: Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS)
KRISS researchers cooling the device to ultra-low temperatures using a cryogen-free dilution refrigerator. Credit: Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS)
KRISS researchers analyzing the time-energy distribution of single electrons that have passed through an energy filter. Credit: Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS)