Researchers at JILA, a joint institute of NIST and the University of Colorado Boulder, have made a significant breakthrough in understanding the quantum structure of buckyballs – spherical molecules composed of 60 carbon atoms. Using advanced spectroscopy techniques, they were able to measure hundreds of individual quantum energy levels in these complex molecules for the first time.
The research team, led by NIST/JILA Fellow Jun Ye, used a combination of frequency comb spectroscopy and cryogenic buffer gas cooling to analyze the rotational and vibrational properties of cold, gaseous buckyballs. This allowed them to observe isolated energy transitions at the quantum level, revealing the molecule’s extreme complexity.
Buckyballs are of particular interest because their 60-atom structure makes them potentially useful for quantum computing applications. Each carbon atom in a buckyball has a nuclear spin that could act as a quantum bit or “qubit” in a quantum computer. The researchers confirmed that all 60 atoms in a buckyball are virtually identical, providing insights into the molecule’s quantum complexity.
The findings could have implications for both scientific research and practical applications. Understanding the quantum structure of buckyballs could lead to new scientific fields and technologies, while the potential for using buckyballs as quantum bits in a computer could revolutionize computing power.
The research was supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, NIST, and the National Science Foundation.
Source: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2019/01/jila-researchers-uncover-quantum-structure-buckyballs
Keywords: Quantum, Buckyballs, Energy, States, Atoms
