This paper discusses the time-dependent quantum description of logical oper
ations based on channelled atomic particles. We envisage particle traps in
the form of grooves which steer atoms or ions, make them switch potential c
hannels or interact with each other. Thus the presence of a particle can ac
t as a control bit steering a target particle from one course into another.
This phenomenon may be used to effect conditional logic operations. We dis
cuss the quantum dynamics of the system using a simple analytic model whose
proposed behaviour is verified by wave packet calculation.