We have realized a valley flip for confined electrons in graphene quantum dots. It works by shifting the quantum dot a few nm across the superstructure of a graphene/h-BN stack (Nature Nanotechnology (2018).).
Novel Types of Quantum Bits
The research team of Professor Markus Morgenstern, chair of experimental physics (solid state physics) at RWTH Aachen University, discovered new possibilities for quantum electronics, with the support of colleagues from the Technical University of Vienna and the University of Manchester. The physicists combined two ultrathin materials, namely graphene and Boron-Nitride, in a way which makes it possible to switch individual electrons between two states. For the first time, this allowed them to invert the so-called valley degree of freedom of the electron. The new discovery could be useful for advanced information processing. The research results have now been published in the scientific journal ‟Nature Nanotechnology”.