Single atoms delivered on demand.Scientists at NIST (National Institute of Standards & Technology, Washington, DC, www.nist.gov) The standards-defining agency of the U.S. government, formerly the National Bureau of Standards. It is one of three agencies that fall under the Technology Administration (www.technology. have demonstrated a novel source of atom flux that can provide one, and only one, atom essentially whenever it is needed--the first time such control over neutral atom delivery has been achieved. Reporting in the May 5, 2003 issue of Applied Physics Letters Applied Physics Letters is a weekly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the American Institute of Physics devoted to the publication of new experimental and theoretical papers about applications of physics to science, engineering, and modern technology. , researchers show that the population of chromium atoms in a magneto-optical trap A magneto-optical trap (abbreviated MOT) is a device that cools down non-charged atoms to temperatures near absolute zero and traps them at a certain place using magnetic fields and circularly polarised laser light. can be stabilized at the single-atom level with a probability of nearly 99 % by using fast feedback control over trap loading and dumping, together with very-high fluorescence detection efficiency. Further, research shows that the single atoms can be ejected from the trap at rates of up to 10 Hz, while still maintaining at least a 90% chance of ejecting exactly one atom. Such deterministic 1. (probability) deterministic - Describes a system whose time evolution can be predicted exactly. Contrast probabilistic. 2. (algorithm) deterministic - Describes an algorithm in which the correct next step depends only on the current state. control of single atoms has a wide range of potential applications, including quantum information In quantum mechanics, quantum information is physical information that is held in the "state" of a quantum system. The most popular unit of quantum information is the qubit, a two-state quantum system. processing, atom-by-atom nano-technology, and fundamental studies of atom-to-atom interactions. CONTACT: Jabez McClelland, (301) 975-3721; jabez. mcclelland@nist.gov. |
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