U.S. creates first ever coupled quantum dots

GAITHERSBURG, MARYLAND — Coupled quantum dots — which act like artificial atoms that share an electron — could potentially form a robust qubit to revolutionize computing.

According to a study in Physical Review B, scientists have created the first ever pair of this substance.

The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology says that classical computers are made of binary bits that store information as fix values of either one or zero.

Qubits can take on multiple values simultaneously, which enables quantum computers that utilize qubits to perform larger and more complex tasks.

To create the coupled quantum dots, NIST researchers hovered a scanning tunneling microscope above a sheet of graphene with an underlying layer of boron nitride.

The STM's electrical charge penetrates the graphene and releases electrons from the boron nitride, which the graphene then captured.

Afterward, the team applied a magnetic field on the microscope's tip and forced the electrons to take up residence in two concentric rings.

This process leads to the creation of the coupled system, but the research team states that they are unable to explain their success with the current state of quantum theory.