Quantum physicists trace a century of controlling spin

A concept from the field of quantum mechanics, spin is a property of particles that has no direct counterpart in everyday experience. Since the early 20th century, researchers have learned to manipulate it deliberately by means of precisely shaped electromagnetic pulses. This has resulted in two technologies that are widespread today: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) […]

Gravity and quantum information linked through a derivation of Einstein’s equations

Recent research shows that gravity and quantum information are deeply connected and that the shape of spacetime can be traced back to the way information is stored in quantum fields.

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Magnetic sculpting transforms single-source fields into predetermined shapes with mathematical precision

Magnetic fields are invisible yet essential components in technologies ranging from MRI scanners and particle accelerators to atomic clocks and future quantum computers. Each of these applications requires magnetic fields with specific shapes and properties. Today, creating such tailored magnetic fields requires researchers and engineers to design specialized, carefully optimized magnets or large systems of […]

From nonmagnetic to magnetic: A 2D semiconductor with electrically tunable magnetism

Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS), in collaboration with scientists from institutions in Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Germany, have demonstrated a way to introduce magnetism into an otherwise nonmagnetic two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor and subsequently control its magnetic properties using an electrical voltage. The findings, published in Science Advances, establish a new platform […]

One step closer to quantum computers that can correct their own mistakes

Researchers from Rutgers, IBM and collaborating institutions have shown that a quantum computer can check what is happening inside it and respond while it is running, repeatedly resetting parts of the system to bring chaotic behavior under control.

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Hybrid quantum computers could finally get to grips with light and matter

Many of nature’s most important processes depend on how particles of matter interact with light and other force-carrying particles. So far, however, it has proven difficult for conventional computers to determine how individual particles behave in these interactions.

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Quantum ‘birthmarks’ hold lasting traces of a system’s past

Some classical physical systems can explore many configurations over time until their long-term behavior no longer reveals their starting conditions. The sampling of available configurations according to the appropriate statistical distribution is a property called ergodicity.

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Ultraviolet laser pulses engineer diamond defects selectively, leaving quantum qubits intact

When we think about a diamond, we often think about a material whose value comes from its perfection. In my research, however, I am interested in something almost opposite: the tiny imperfections inside diamonds. These atomic-scale defects can give diamonds new optical and electronic properties, and some of them can serve as quantum systems. The […]

New stability rules distinguish quantum phases of matter that an older method wrongly groups together

Most of us recognize basic phases of matter and their properties: solids maintain their shape, liquids flow freely with constant volume, and gases expand to fill their container. Quantum phases, on the other hand, are much harder to categorize, overturning traditional notions of what a phase even is and forcing physicists to rethink their definitions. […]

Hybrid quantum computer observes foundational quantum effect in a new setting

Physicists in the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford have used a hybrid quantum computer, made up of qubits and quantum oscillators, to observe the Aharonov–Bohm effect in a quantum simulation. The effect is a quantum phenomenon in which a particle can acquire a measurable phase by traveling around a magnetic flux, even […]

Three quantum-inspired cores leave opposite fingerprints on the ringing of black holes

Every black hole hides a question at its center. Einstein’s theory predicts that whatever falls in is crushed into a singularity, a point of infinite density where the theory itself breaks down. Most physicists expect quantum gravity to replace that point with something finite. But the center lies hidden behind the horizon. How could we […]

Quantum chip holds multiple photons at once, opening path to scalable memory

For highly fragile quantum information systems, the ability to store quantum information is vital—but also challenging. Quantum information is transported in particles of light called photons, which often must be temporarily paused (or “stored”) while other, slower quantum operations catch up. This storage must be performed on microchips as small as 1 centimeter (0.4 inches)—a […]

Light reads electron spins inside porous crystals, opening path to quantum chemical sensors

University of Glasgow researchers are part of an international collaboration that could lead to a new generation of quantum sensors. The team, which included researchers from the University of Tokyo, University of Glasgow, University of Sheffield and Kobe University, has for the first time used light to read out the magnetic spin of electrons trapped […]

Physics model reveals fundamental trade-off between prediction and energy efficiency in intelligent systems

Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming part of our everyday lives, from digital assistants to robots that respond to their surroundings. Each of these capabilities is based on physical computational processes that consume energy. An international research team led by Hans Briegel from the Department of Theoretical Physics at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, has investigated […]

Superconducting circuit links smaller photon groups into larger entangled states

Quantum computers, computer systems that leverage the laws of quantum mechanics, store and process information using qubits (i.e., quantum bits). In many quantum computers, qubits are linked via entanglement, a quantum mechanical effect that connects particles in such a way that their shared state cannot be described as separate, independent states.

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