Glossary of terms used on NANO Magazine

Q

Quantum Computer

A computer that takes advantage of quantum mechanical properties such as superposition and entanglement resulting from nanoscale, molecular, atomic and subatomic components.

Quantum Dot

Fluorescent nanoparticles that are invisible until ‘lit up’ by ultraviolet light. A nanoscale crystalline structure that can transform the colour of light. The quantum dot is considered to have greater flexibility than other fluorescent materials, which makes it suited to use in building nanoscale computing applications where light is used to process information. They are made from a variety of different compounds, such as cadmium selenide that produce different colours of light. Quantum dots have potential applications in telecommunications and optics.

Quantum wire

Another form of quantum dot, but unlike the single-dimension ‘dot’, a quantum wire is confined only in two dimensions - that is it has ‘length’, and allows the electrons to propagate in a ‘particle-like’ fashion. Constructed typically on a semiconductor base.