IBM researchers create ‘high speed camera’
IBM researchers have developed a technique that allows them to measure how long one atom can hold information. In the approach, a scanning tunnel microscope is being used like a high speed camera in a move to better understand the fundamental properties of matter at the atomic scale.
"This breakthrough allows us – for the first time – to understand how long information can be stored in an individual atom. Beyond this, the technique has great potential because it is applicable to many types of physics happening on the nanoscale," said Sebastian Loth from IBM Research.
The approach is expected to allow more detailed research into the various nanoscale processes involved in solar energy, but could have an impact in areas such as quantum computing and data storage. For quantum computing research, scientists will have a new way to explore the feasibility of a novel approach to quantum computing through atomic spins on surfaces. Meanwhile, as magnetic storage reaches its limit, scientists will be able to determine whether information can be stored reliably on a single atom.