Descrizione del progetto
Un nuovo approccio all’archiviazione della memoria e al calcolo quantistico
I computer convenzionali memorizzano informazioni principalmente in due modi: a lungo termine con informazioni codificate nella direzione di magnetizzazione di piccole aree di supporti magnetici e a breve termine con informazioni memorizzate elettricamente. I dispositivi spintronici sfruttano lo spin dell’elettrone, anziché la sua carica, per elaborare informazioni. La spintronica convenzionale si basa su materiali magnetici inorganici e sulle sfide tecniche richieste. Con il supporto del programma di azioni Marie Skłodowska-Curie, il progetto SPINCS sta studiando l’uso di nano-gabbie supramolecolari chirali spin-selettive. Lo spin sarà trasferito dalla molecola a gabbia ospitante alla molecola ospitata più piccola in seguito a eccitazione con la luce, in base alla chiralità delle molecole, permettendo l’archiviazione o la commutazione degli spin con un controllo senza precedenti.
Obiettivo
Conventional electronics employs the electron’s charge to process information. An alternative route is to utilise its spin instead, promising for realising equivalent devices that operate far more energy-efficiently, but also paving the way for entirely new applications like non-volatile memory or quantum computing. Previous attempts to realise such spintronics platforms were based on inorganic magnetic materials, often requiring very low temperatures and highest material purities that involve energy-extensive fabrication processes. Within this highly interdisciplinary project, I will explore an entirely different avenue towards spin-control which is based on the concept of chirality in novel molecular self-assemblies. Together with experts in synthetic chemistry, I have designed supramolecular cages that are chiral and can also encapsulate smaller molecules inside. Upon excitation with light, an electron can be transferred from the host to the guest, and with it the desired spin based on the chosen handedness of the molecules. This enables spin storage or switching and thus to encode information. To this end, I will combine time-resolved optical and electron spectroscopy to unravel the mechanism of chirality-induced spin-selectivity in such supramolecular structures, and then employ it for spin-dependent charge transfer from host to guest, tunable through spin-orbit coupling of the chosen building blocks. As such, I will exploit the versatility of a chemical bottom-up approach combined with light-matter interactions for the first time in chiral supramolecular nanostructures for unprecedented optical spin control, dictated by molecular design. This research will open up the path to molecular spintronics applications like memory storage, sensors or logic devices for quantum computing.
Campo scientifico
- natural sciencesphysical scienceselectromagnetism and electronicsspintronicsmolecular spintronics
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringcomputer hardwarequantum computers
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensors
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticsspectroscopy
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinatore
69117 Heidelberg
Germania