Aug 26, 2016
Research pair create two-atom molecules that are more than a thousand times bigger than typical diatomic molecules
Posted by Karen Hurst in categories: computing, particle physics, quantum physics
Perfecting the macro-molecule.
(Phys.org)—A pair of physicists with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Switzerland has found a way to create very large diatomic molecules, and in so doing, have proved some of the theories about such molecules to be correct. In their paper published in Physical Review Letters, Johannes Deiglmayr and Heiner Saßmannshausen describe their experiments and results and why they believe such molecules may have a future in quantum computing.
Physicists have been interested in the properties of macromolecules for many years because they believe studying them will illuminate the fundamental properties of molecules in general. Prior research has shown that large, two-atom molecules should be possible if they were put into a Rydberg state—in which the outer electron exists in a high quantum state, allowing it to orbit farther than normal from the nucleus—and thus allowing for the creation of molecules thousands of times larger than conventional diatomic molecules such as H2.