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Nature 458, 841-843 (16 April 2009) | doi:10.1038/458841a; Published online 15 April 2009

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Solid-state physics: Bouncing spins

Lieven M. K. Vandersypen1

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The conventional approach to flipping electron spins in a semiconductor requires an external alternating field. It seems that the same job can be accomplished without external excitation of any kind.

A mother pushing her son on a swing knows that she must push the swing in synchrony with the swinging motion. Similarly, to flip the spin of an electron in a static magnetic field, we must apply an alternating magnetic field whose frequency matches the wobbling motion of the electron's spin orientation about the static field.

  1. Lieven M. K. Vandersypen is at the Kavli Institute of NanoScience, TU Delft, Lorentzweg 1 CJ Delft 2628, the Netherlands.
    Email: l.m.k.vandersypen@tudelft.nl

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