Electron manipulation represents further step toward quantum computing

New Scientist : Researchers at the University of Cambridge have succeeded in capturing single electrons and moving them back and forth between two electrical traps. Such quantum manipulation represents a milestone in the area of quantum computing. Quantum computers send information in the form of single particles, called quantum bits, or qubits. However, those qubits are notoriously fragile—just trying to measure them can destroy them. So the researchers had to develop a method to transfer the qubits from the area where they perform the calculations to a separate spot where the qubits can be measured in isolation. Using a surface acoustic wave, Crispin Barnes and colleagues were able to bounce a single electron between two quantum dots connected via a long channel. Their results appear today in Nature.