Spin Based Information Processing

686. WE-Heraeus-Seminar

07 Jan - 09 Jan 2019

Where:

Physikzentrum Bad Honnef

Scientific organizers:

Dr. Ulrike Ritzmann, U Uppsala/SWE • PD Dr. Hans Hübl, WMI Garching/GER • Prof. Evangelos Papaioannou, TU Kaiserlautern/GER

Modern information technology relies on the computing power provided by information processors which are dominated by silicon technology. Since the 1970ies Moore’s law guaranteed every second year a doubling of the number of transistors or fundamental processing units per unit area, resulting in an exponential growth of computing power. Presently, we are entering an age, where physical dimensions of the transistors approach the few nano-meter scale and therefore finite size effects like tunnelling or quantum effects will obstruct their key operation feature: being a programmable on / off switch. 

The development and innovation of information technology therefore is expected to explore new directions beyond the pure drive for scaling. Questions in this respect are related to (i) energy consumption and (ii) enhanced, or highly efficient computing concepts. In particular, the fact that the information and communication technologies (without television) consumed 920 TWh or about 5% of the annual electricity produced in 2012 underlines the importance for innovation in this sector. 

Complementary approaches are therefore intensely discussed. Spinelectronics or in a broader sense logic circuits based on magnetic systems can contribute to these global challenges. In particular, we plan to bring together the areas of information processing with magnetic textures, neuromorphic computing, logic based on magnetic order, ultrafast magnetization control as well as spin based quantum information processing, to discuss the opportunities and challenges of the individual subfields as well as potential overlap between these fields in this workshop.


The conference language will be English.

The Wilhelm and Else Heraeus-Foundation bears the cost of full-board accommodation for all participants.