Recent cooling and trapping techniques for atoms allows the fabrication of
genuinely microscopic quantum wires and dots for individual particles. We d
iscuss the physical features of a structure which can implement the control
led-not operation in quantum logic. This consists of a network of tube-like
microtraps and a laser that acts as a clock pulse. Our work discusses the
influence of potential geometry, particle-particle interactions and quantum
statistics. The physical features are illustrated by wave packet simulatio
ns. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.