Rubidium atoms mimic the Eiffel Tower, a Möbius strip and other 3-D shapes

A new experiment gives rubidium atoms a certain je ne sais quoi.

Scientists arranged individual atoms of the element rubidium into a variety of 3-D shapes, including the Eiffel Tower. The team used a laser to trap atoms in the arrangements, performing a hologram-style technique to encode the complex positions.

And moveable, laser-based “tweezers” shifted atoms that were in the wrong position, researchers from the Institut d’Optique Graduate School in Palaiseau, France, report in the Sept. 6 Nature.

In addition to the Parisian landmark, the researchers sculpted a cone, a doughnut and a Möbius strip — a twisted ring with the unusual property of having only one side. The technique may be helpful for creating atomic quantum computers, which could make calculations by manipulating the interactions between individual atoms.

Synthetic three-dimensional atomic structures assembled atom by atom

D. Barredo et al.

Nature. Vol. 561, September 6, 2018, p. 79.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0450-2.

Contact information:

Daniel Barredo Universidad del Rosario & Institut d’Optique Graduate School daniel.barredo@urosario.edu.co Tel: 2970200 Ext.: 3827

Nature

#Nanostructures #QuantumComputing