Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 31, 2026

Compact Quantum Dots for Single-molecule Imaging
Published on: October 9, 2012
Two-electron quantum dot molecule: composite particles and the spin phase diagram
A Harju1, S Siljamäki, R M Nieminen
1Laboratory of Physics, Helsinki University of Technology, P.O. Box 1100, 02015 HUT, Finland.
Abstract:
We study a two-electron quantum dot molecule in a magnetic field by the direct diagonalization of the Hamiltonian matrix. The ground states of the molecule with the total spin S = 0 and S = 1 provide a possible realization for a qubit of a quantum computer. Switching between the states is best achieved by changing the magnetic field. Based on an analysis of the wave function, we show that the system consists of composite particles formed by an electron and flux quanta attached to it. This picture can also be used to explain the spin phase diagram.
Related Concept Videos
Quantum Numbers
The Pauli Exclusion Principle
Valence Bond Theory
Colors and Magnetism
When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human eye.
Electron Configurations
The relative energies of the subshells determine the order in which atomic orbitals are filled (1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s,...
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Overview

