Quantum Leap in Spintronics: ETH Zurich Expert Drives Single Spins with Electric Currents

Seoul, South Korea – December 24, 2025 – In a captivating year-end QNS Science Colloquium on December 12, Pietro Gambardella, Professor of Magnetism and Interface Physics at ETH Zurich, unveiled groundbreaking research bridging classical spintronic devices and quantum spin torques. Titled "From Spintronic Devices to Quantum Spin Torques," the talk highlighted how spin torques essential for current-induced magnetization switching and domain wall motion in nanoscale tech manifest fundamentally quantum behaviors at the single-spin level.

Gambardella's team employed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) via scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to achieve coherent control over individual spins in pentacene molecules. By injecting time-dependent spin-polarized currents from the STM tip, they observed tunable spin rotations and decoherence, controlled precisely by applied voltage and current. This approach bypasses traditional oscillating magnetic fields, exciting EPR even when thermal spin polarization is insufficient, and underscores spin torques' dissipative nature versus nondissipative fields.

The findings build on Gambardella's prior Science publication (June 2024), where spin torque-driven EPR in pentacene was first demonstrated, offering a fresh lens on electric currents' quantum influence. For quantum nanoscience and spintronics enthusiasts, this work promises ultra-precise manipulation for future devices like quantum sensors and low-power memory. The full lecture, hosted by the Center for Quantum Nanoscience (QNS), is now available online, drawing global attention to these atomic-scale advancements.

Sources:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_6_RW3eK3E

​QNS Science: https://qns.science/events/pietro-gambardella-colloquium/