The shortest distance between two points may be a straight line, but try telling that to electrons: when current flows down a wire, these particles zig and zag, moving indirectly from one end to the other. But now researchers have sped single electrons straight to their destinations using sound. The work is in the journal Nature. [Rob McNeil et al, On-demand single-electron transfer between distant quantum dots ]

An electron’s quantum state carries information, making it important for a viable quantum computer. As the particle staggers down a wire, however, its state loses coherence--the electron “forgets” the information it carried. [More]














Source: Sound Sends Electron To Specific Location