AF Research on Nanoscale-Sized Atomic Structures May Lead to Smaller Computers

  • Published
  • By Maria Callier
  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
ARLINGTON, Va. --  A celebrated electrical and computer engineering professor at Johns Hopkins University is conducting AFOSR-supported research about the "miniaturization" of electronic chips, which would allow for lighter, smaller and faster computers for the Air Force.

Dr. Alexander Kaplan's work in quantum mechanics and electronics was recognized by the von Humboldt Research Award for Senior U.S. Scientists in Germany, and the Max Born Award of the Optical Society of America (OSA). Both of those honors brought him to the attention of the Washington Profile, which ranked him as one of America's most influential Russians.

Kaplan has found an exception to the Lorentz-Lorentz theory, which maintains that given the regular set of circumstances atomic electrons will move in a uniform way when exposed to laser light.

"I started my first inroads into the problems of Lorentz-Lorentz theory about 14 years ago and observed many strange effects playing with the problem on my computer, but then put those results aside being unable at the moment to make good sense out of them," said Kaplan. He then returned to the problem and advanced his research within the last two years. A year ago he was joined by Dr. Sergei N. Volkov, a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University, and together they were able to elaborate on Kaplan's initial theory; their pilot results have just been published in Physical Review Letters.

The researchers have found that relatively small groups of atomic atoms create strongly different conditions and break the uniformity of their motion. In particular they may violently separate from each other and then come back together. For atoms to behave in this fashion, there must be fewer than a few hundred of them in one- or two- dimensional structures; all of them have to be in close proximity of each other,with the laser frequency chosen close to their atomic frequency.

Kaplan and Volkov would like to expand their theory and apply it to more general and tougher cases. "We would expand on one-, two- and three-dimensional atomic ensembles, made by a combination of different atoms and molecules. We also plan to explore various atoms, configurations and lasers in strongly nonlinear mode and then design environments in which the atoms behave like a computer's memory and logic elements," said Kaplan.

Manufacturers who are using semiconductor parts to make the newest and smallest computers have a problem that Kaplan's theory, once confirmed, may alleviate. "The biggest challenge in the way of minimizing computer chips is the heat released by the active electronic components. Most of them are based on semiconductors, whereas the proposed effect is based on the collection of atoms with no free electrons, which releases substantially less heat," said Kaplan.

Kaplan and Volkov are currently preparing a few more academic papers with their detailed theory, in particular exploring a tiny group of just two atoms exhibiting memory and logic functions. "We plan for our research to go into even more complicated theoretical aspects of the problem and at the same time address application-oriented issues," Kaplan said.