Empa succeeds in implementing a quantum model
The exact replication of the Heisenberg model by Empa researchers marks a significant advance in quantum research. Using innovative nanographenes, complex quantum interactions could be precisely investigated, opening up new possibilities for quantum technologies.
Quantum technologies are revolutionizing science and offer enormous potential for communication, computing power and measurement technology. In a major collaboration, Empa researchers and their partners have precisely recreated a theoretical quantum model in a synthetic material. This step brings us a significant step closer to the practical application of quantum technologies.
A new era from bits to qubits
In conventional computers, the bit, a binary state of 0 or 1, is at the center of information processing. Quantum computers, on the other hand, use qubits, which can be 0 and 1 at the same time thanks to quantum effects. This superposition, also known as “superposition”, enables a potentially infinite number of states and therefore revolutionary computing power. However, the interaction of qubits is extremely complex. By precisely aligning and connecting electron spins, the Empa researchers have now overcome an important hurdle in putting theory into practice.
The synthesis of the Heisenberg model
In the “nanotech@surfaces Laboratory”, the researchers succeeded in building a chain of spins that replicates the one-dimensional alternating Heisenberg model of Nobel Prize winner Werner Heisenberg. They used the nanographene molecule Clar’s Goblet, a special carbon nanomaterial with an hourglass shape that has the necessary spin configuration. Connected on a gold surface, a perfect realization of the Heisenberg chain was achieved, allowing the researchers to conduct detailed studies on this quantum system.
Quantum technologies of the future
The experimental implementation of this model confirms the predictions of quantum physics and opens up new horizons in research. Roman Fasel, head of the nanotech@surfaces Laboratory, sees the potential in this work for a wide range of quantum materials and systems that can be further developed for new applications. The collaboration with international teams of experts in Portugal and Germany shows that quantum technologies require a transdisciplinary effort to reconcile theory and practice.