Delft Researchers Control Magnetic Core of Single Atom, Opening Quantum Information Possibilities

Scientists at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have achieved a surprising breakthrough by directly controlling the magnetism in the nucleus of a single atom using radio waves. This challenges the long-held belief that such nuclear spin could not be manipulated directly. The research, published in Nature Communications, could open new avenues for storing and reading quantum information. The team’s success in controlling the atomic nucleus—the atom’s magnetic core—may lead to more robust quantum bits, or qubits, that are less sensitive to environmental noise. By demonstrating precise control over nuclear spin, the Delft researchers have provided a potential pathway to more stable and scalable quantum technologies. This matters because quantum computing and communication rely on manipulating quantum states with high fidelity, and nuclear spins are known for their long coherence times. The ability to control them directly, rather than indirectly through electrons, could simplify quantum device architectures and improve performance. The findings mark a significant step toward practical quantum information processing, though further work is needed to integrate this control into larger systems. The Delft team’s unexpected result reminds us that fundamental limits can be redefined by innovative experimentation.