Worlds first petahertz transistor at ambient conditions

Summary

What if ultrafast pulses of light could operate computers at speeds a million times faster than today's best processors? A team of scientists, including researchers from the University of Arizona, are working to make that possible. In a groundbreaking international effort, researchers from the Department of Physics in the College of Science and the James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences demonstrated a way to manipulate electrons in graphene using pulses of light that last less than a trillionth of a second. By leveraging a quantum effect known as tunneling, they recorded electrons bypassing a physical barrier almost instantaneously, a feat that redefines the potential limits of computer processing power.A study published in Nature Communications highlights how the technique could lead to processing speeds in the petahertz range – over 1,000 times faster than modern computer chips. Sending data at those speeds would revolutionize computing as we know it, said Mohammed Hassan, an associate professor of physics and optical sciences. Hassan has long pursued light-based computer technology and previously led efforts to develop the world's fastest electron microscope."We have experienced a huge leap forward in the development of technologies like artificial intelligence software, but the speed of hardware development does not move as quickly," Hassan said. "But, by leaning on the discovery of quantum computers, we can develop hardware that matches the current revolution in information technology software. Ultrafast computers will greatly assist discoveries in space research, chemistry, health care and more."Hassan worked alongside U of A colleagues Nikolay Golubev, an assistant professor of physics; Mohamed Sennary, a graduate student studying optics and physics; Jalil Shah, a postdoctoral scholar of physics; and Mingrui Yuan, an optics graduate student. They were joined by colleagues from the California Institute of Technology's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Ludw...