For the first time, the geometry of an electron has been mapped

If you have already opened a scientific manual, you have probably already seen the image of an atom, with a group of protons and neutrons constituting its nucleus, around which swirls a swarm of electrons. But you probably also know that all these particles are not in the form of small, orderly spheres, as is usually represented.

As far as we know, electrons do not really have a "shape" – they are rather point particles, or they behave like a wave, which changes shape according to its energy. For the first time, physicists have revealed the mapping of a single electron into an artificial atom.

The technique involves the use of quantum dots, tiny semiconductor crystals at the nanoscale. You may have heard about quantum dot display technology, such as QLED TVs, but they are useful for more than just watching Avengers in high definition.

They are also called artificial atoms because they can in principle trap the electrons and confine their motion in three dimensions, keeping them in place with electric fields. These trapped electrons behave like electrons bonded to an atom and remain at specific locations.

With the help of a spectroscope, researchers were able to determine the energy levels in a quantum dot, observing their behavior in magnetic fields of varying strength and orientation.

This then allowed the team to calculate the shape of the electron wave function in the quantum dot, at scales even smaller than a nanometer.

"In simple terms, we can use this method to show what an electron looks like for the first time," said physicist Daniel Loss of the University of Basel.

But that's not all they've done. By tuning the electric field, they could change the shape of the movement of the electrons, controlling their spins in a very targeted and precise way.

This has huge implications for future research and technology. It could play a role in quantum entanglement research, because successful entanglement requires that two electron wave functions be oriented in the same plane. Being able to control the shape of the wave function of an electron could be extremely beneficial.

With regard to technology, the spin speed of an electron can be used as qubit, the smallest information unit of a quantum computer, but only if the spin can be mastered.

This spin being partially dependent on the geometry of an electron, it is a potential method to obtain this control.

The research was published in two articles in Letters of physical examination and Physical examination B.