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Advances in Quantum Phenomena pp 65–87Cite as

Transfer of Single Electrons and Single Cooper Pairs in Metallic Nanostructures

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Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((NSSB,volume 347))

Abstract

One individual atom, a purely theoretical entity a hundred years ago, can now be imaged and manipulated at the surface of bulk matter [1] or, free-standing, in vacuum [2]. Is the electron, the simplest and most thoroughly studied particle, amenable to such ultimate control? In vacuum, the detection of single electrons is now routine. A spectacular example of the control of individual electrons travelling in a vacuum chamber is the experiment in which Dehmelt et al. [3] were able to prove during three months a single electron kept in an electromagnetic trap, thereby measuring to unprecedented accuracy the anomalous part of its magnetic moment. In matter, the manipulation of individual electrons is a very different game, because the separation between electrons is of the same order as their quantum mechanical wavelength. Here we focus on the most basic type of such manipulation. We explain how it is possible to take, at a precise instant, exactly one electron from a first electrode and transfer it with certainty to a second electrode. By making these electrodes part of an electrical circuit and by continuously repeating this transfer process we can achieve a perfectly controlled current source. In particular, for a sequence of single-electron transfers clocked by a radiofrequency signal at frequency f, the current I will be given simply by I = ef where e is the quantum of charge, a fundamental constant. We will also explain how, when at least one of the electrodes is in the superconducting state, electron pairing favors charge transfer by units of 2e.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Service de Physique de l’Etat Condensé, CEA-Saclay, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette cedex, France

    Michel H. Devoret, Daniel Esteve & Cristian Urbina

Authors
  1. Michel H. Devoret
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  2. Daniel Esteve
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  3. Cristian Urbina
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Genova, Genova, Italy

    Enrico G. Beltrametti

  2. University of Nice, Nice, France

    Jean-Marc Lévy-Leblond

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Devoret, M.H., Esteve, D., Urbina, C. (1995). Transfer of Single Electrons and Single Cooper Pairs in Metallic Nanostructures. In: Beltrametti, E.G., Lévy-Leblond, JM. (eds) Advances in Quantum Phenomena. NATO ASI Series, vol 347. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1975-1_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1975-1_5

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-5813-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-1975-1

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