Hyperfine coupling to nuclei can be detrimental to the coherence of electron spins, but properly harnessed it can provide a mechanism for manipulation and storage of quantum information. Spin-blockade measurements in 13C carbon nanotubes now show surprisingly strong effects of electron–nuclear interaction, with a hyperfine coupling two orders of magnitude larger than previously anticipated.
- H. O. H. Churchill
- A. J. Bestwick
- C. M. Marcus