When the renowned physicist, Richard Feynman, was asked to picture future science and technology in 1959, he outlined a vision ‘that we could arrange atoms one by one, just as we want them”.
It was not until some 30 years later when nano-technology caught up on his vision. In 1990, two IBM scientists spell out its company name by moving 32 xenon atoms with a scanning tunneling microscope.
At the present time, our capability to control atoms promises novel opportunities far beyond Feynman’s dreams. Atoms are applied to synthesize molecules on demand, enable precision navigation, simulate complex systems, and even store and process quantum information.
We enjoy the most intriguing exploration in fundamental physics and, at the same time, take on the daunting challenges such as quantum computation and quantum simulation. This journey powered by quantum is reshaping our perspective of science and technology in the 21th century.
