Quantum bits in two dimensions

Two novel materials, each composed of a single atomic layer and the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope, are the ingredients for a novel kind of quantum dot. These extremely small nanostructures allow delicate control of individual electrons by fine-tuning their energy levels directly. Such devices are key for modern quantum technologies.

The theoretical simulations for the new technology were performed in the team of Prof. Florian Libisch and Prof. Joachim Burgdörfer at TU Wien. The experiment involved the group of Prof. Markus Morgenstern at RWTH Aachen and the team around Nobel-prize laureates Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov from Manchester, who prepared the samples. The results have now been published in Nature Nanotechnology.