Sound impelled an electron in an energy well to a second energy well and back. It's a step toward controlled single-electron transfer for use in quantum computer electronic circuits. Sophie Bushwick reports

聲波能將處于一個勢阱中的電子轉移到另一個勢阱。這項控制單電子的進步能應用到量子計算電子電路上。Sophie Bushwic報道。

The shortest distance between two points may be a straight line, but try telling that to electrons: when current flows down a wire, these particles zig and zag, moving indirectly from one end to the other. But now researchers have sped single electrons straight to their destinations using sound. The work is in the journal Nature. [Rob McNeil et al., "On-demand single-electron transfer between distant quantum dots"]

兩點間最短的距離可能是一條只想，不過這可不適用于電子：當電流在電線上流動時，電子會走一條多個Z型組成的路線，而不是從一點直接到達另一點。不過現在研究者使用聲波加速單個電子使之直接到達重點。這項研究發表在《自然》期刊上。【Rob McNeil et al.,“受控單電子在量子點間的移動”】

An electron's quantum state carries information, making it important for a viable quantum computer. As the particle staggers down a wire, however, its state loses coherence—the electron “forgets” the information it carried.

一個電子的量子態攜帶著信息，這對制造量子計算機十分重要。當電子在電線上移動時，會失去其連貫性——也就是，遺失了所攜帶的信息。

To make it travel more efficiently, researchers blasted a short burst of sound at an electron trapped in an energy well. The sound wave “lifted” the electron, speeding it directly towards an empty well. Once it reached its destination, a sound burst from the opposite direction sent the electron back to its original location.

為了使之移動得更有效率，研究者對困在勢阱中的電子加了一個短促的沖擊聲波。這個聲波推動著電子，使它沿著空勢阱直線加速。一旦到達重點，反方向的沖擊聲波優惠把電子送回出發點。

This discovery is a stop toward quantum computing, which requires the controlled transfer of single electrons. But it could also have another application: electron ping-pong. Researchers have bounced an electron back and forth up to 60 times. Nice nano-rally.

這項發現是量子計算旅程的驛站，需要控制單電子的移動。不過它也有另一項用途：電子乒乓球。研究者能使一個電子進行60次上下彈跳。
—Sophie Bushwick