Welcome to the world of spintronics
Continuing the scientific theme of this week’s NightHawk postings, let’s consider for a moment what might come after microelectronics which is reaching the physical limits of what can be achieved. The successor technology might be something called spintronics (spin-based electronics) which is also known as magnetoelectronics.
This is a science which exploits the spin factor of sub-atomic particles to enable the development of quantum computing. By harnessing the twist and turns of particles – detected as a weak magnetic force – scientists hope to unlock almost infinite computing power and storage without the heat of microelectronics.
Scientists are gathering in York this week to discuss the practicalities of this technology – more information here.