LINES OF INTERACTING QUANTUM-DOT CELLS - A BINARY WIRE

The behavior of linear arrays of cells composed of quantum dots is exa mined. Each cell holds two electrons and interacts Coulombically with neighboring cells. The electrons in the cell tend to align along one o f two axes resulting in a cell ''polarization'' which can be used to e ncode binary information. The ground-state polarization of a cell is a highly nonlinear function of the polarization of its neighbors. The r esulting bistable saturation can be used to transmit binary informatio n along the line of cells, thus forming a binary wire.