Scientists in South Korea have shown the ability to detect magnetism in the nucleus of an atom. The Center for Quantum Nanoscience in South Korea, IBM, and other academic institutions, have used IBM’s scanning tunneling microscope to measure changes in the nuclear spin of an atom. When other atoms were placed near the atom being studied, the nuclear spin was affected in measurable amounts. Though extremely small, the changes observed will allow the teams to “measure properties of the electronic structure of atoms and molecules” yet unseen.
The quantum computing “so what?” Recent studies involving the Holmium atom were effective in reading, writing, and storing of digital information, effected by manipulation of the atom’s electron spin. The sub-atomic nature of the nuclear-spin quantum bits (qubits) allows for environmental stability due to the atomic shell surrounding the nucleus. Lack of stability at the quantum level, has posed a major challenge to further advancement to quantum computing. Though still a challenge, the increased stability is another step to overcoming this challenge. Reference report is found here at ibs…
