This research holds promise for the creation of entirely new types of quantum information processing devices.
MIT researchers discovered “neutronic” molecules, in which neutrons can be made to cling to quantum dots, held just by the strong force.Neutrons—the uncharged particles that, along with protons, make up an atom’s nucleus—are a bit of a surprise. They’re not affected by thethat governs most of the interactions in our world. Instead, the incredibly short-range strong force keeps them glued to the atomic nucleus.
“The fact that can be trapped by the materials, nobody seems to know about that,” remarked Li. “We were surprised that this exists, and that nobody had talked about it before, among the experts we had checked with.” This new state, which the researchers dubbed an artificial “neutronic molecule,” offers a way to probe the mysterious inner workings of materials and unlock new frontiers in quantum information processing.The key lies in quantum dots, which are minuscule crystalline particles. Quantum dots possess peculiar properties owing to their small size and are governed by quantum mechanics rather than their chemical composition.
According to Cappellaro, conventional quantum dots work by using the electromagnetic potential generated by numerous atoms to trap an electron. This extends the electron’s wave function far beyond the size of a single atom. Similarly, a new type of structure called a “neutronic quantum dot” can trap a neutron using a nanocrystal. This confinement, despite exceeding the usual range of the nuclear force, also leads to quantized energy levels within the neutron.
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