AFRL-Funded Scientists Use Spintronics to Power Quantum Computers Published Aug. 13, 2008 By Maria Callier, AFRL/AFOSR Air Force Office of Scientific Research ARLINGTON, Va. -- AFRL-funded scientists used a single-photon technique to observe the evolution of individual electron spins in semiconductor nanostructures. Dr. David Awschalom--a professor of physics, electrical, and computer engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara--is coordinating the research. He and his team are exploring the benefits of spintronics-based electronic devices for powering quantum computers consisting of diamond components. Spintronics refers to the spin of electrons that causes a behavior resembling that of tiny magnets. The scientists' work has already contributed to the new field of semiconductor spintronics. By subsequently using spintronics in quantum computing, they will be able to control electrons and create higher-speed technologies not possible in the present-day realm of electronic equipment. The researchers found that not only is diamond an electrical insulator but, when combined with other elements, it becomes a semiconductor with formidable properties for computers and solid-state microwave electronics. The newfound ability to grow nanometer- to micron-sized synthetic diamond is already beginning to enhance the field of semiconductor spintronics and quantum information processing. The research team is currently learning how to engineer new quantum spin circuits that will require precision placement of atoms within diamond at predetermined locations. The team is also investigating ways to "wire" the spins together and, in doing so, exploit the resulting quantum mechanical properties for novel information processing and secure communication. The greatest impact of a future quantum computer lies in the belief that the technology will be uniquely capable of simulating other quantum systems, something current computers are unable to do. Quantum simulations will be necessary for understanding and predicting the behavior of matter at the nanometer scale and could therefore bring huge advances in physics, chemistry, materials science, and biology.