Categories

Microscopic mirrors for future quantum networks: A new way to make high-performance optical resonators

Researchers in the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences have devised a new way to make some of the smallest, smoothest mirrors ever created for controlling single particles of light, known as photons. These mirrors could play key roles in future quantum computers, […]

Measuring chaos: Researchers quantify the quantum butterfly effect

For the first time, researchers in China have accurately quantified how chaos increases in a quantum many-body system as it evolves over time. Combining experiments and theory, a team led by Yu-Chen Li at the University of Science and Technology of China showed that the level of chaos grows exponentially when time reversal is applied […]

Ultra-stable lasers that rely on crystalline mirrors could advance next-generation clocks and navigation

Lasers, devices that emit intense beams of coherent light in specific directions, are widely used in research settings and are central components of various technologies, including optical clocks (i.e., systems that can keep time relying on light waves as opposed to the vibrations of quartz crystals) and gravitational wave detections.

Go to Source

[…]

Strong Field Spin-Boson model revises how intense lasers drive electrons in dense matter

A team of physicists from the University of Ottawa have developed a new theoretical model that shines new light on how scientists understand the way lasers interact with dense matter, such as solids and liquids. This could unlock advances in ultrafast physics and next-generation technology.

Go to Source

Off-the-shelf components enable deployment-ready quantum entanglement source

Efficient generation and reliable distribution of quantum entangled states is crucial for emerging quantum applications, including quantum key distribution (QKDs). However, conventional polarization-based entanglement states are not stable over long fiber networks. While time-bin entanglement offers a promising alternative, it requires complex infrastructure. In this study, researchers explore how stable time-bin entangled states can be […]

A smart fluid that can be reconfigured with temperature

Imagine a “smart fluid” whose internal structure can be rearranged just by changing temperature. In a new study published in Matter, researchers report a way to overcome a long-standing limitation in a class of “smart fluids” called nematic liquid crystal microcolloids, allowing for reconfigurable self-assembly of micrometer-sized particles dispersed in a nematic liquid crystal host. […]

Specially engineered crystal reveals magnetism with quantum potential

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, working with international partners, have uncovered surprising behavior in a specially engineered crystal. Composed of tantalum, tungsten and selenium—elements often studied for their potential in advanced electronics—the crystal demonstrates an unexpected atomic arrangement that hints at novel applications in spin-based electronics and quantum materials.

Go […]

Physicists observe polaron formation for the first time

When an electron travels through a polar crystalline solid, its negative charge attracts the positively charged atomic cores, causing the surrounding crystal lattice to deform. The electron and lattice distortion then move together through the material—like a single object. Physicists call these quasiparticles polarons. A team led by Professor Jochen Feldmann from LMU has succeeded […]

Plasma rotation simulations could help fusion reactors survive decades of use

Scientists have long seen a puzzling pattern in tokamaks, the doughnut-shaped machines that could one day reliably generate electricity from fusing atoms. When plasma particles escape the core of the magnetic fields that hold the plasma in its doughnut shape, they stream down toward the exhaust system, known as the divertor. There, plasma particles strike […]

New amplifier design promises less noise, more gain for quantum computers

The low-noise, high-gain properties needed for high-performance quantum computing can be realized in a microwave photonic circuit device called a Josephson traveling-wave parametric amplifier (JTWPA), RIKEN researchers have shown experimentally. This advance stands to speed up development of superconducting quantum computer systems at the 100-qubit scale. The work is published in the journal Physical Review […]

Proton’s width measured to unparalleled precision, narrowing the path to new physics

Physicists in Germany have carried out the most accurate measurement to date of the width of the proton. By examining a previously unexplored energy-level transition in the hydrogen atom, Lothar Maisenbacher and colleagues at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics have shown that the Standard Model continues to hold up under extraordinarily tight scrutiny, […]

Quantum sensor research advances the pursuit of dark matter

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are helping to pave a path for the eventual discovery of dark matter. With new approaches to measurement in the quantum realm, using quantum optical sensing techniques, ORNL scientists are developing the methods required to achieve sight beyond sight—and detect this mysterious, invisible, yet seemingly […]

Silicon quantum processor detects single-qubit errors while preserving entanglement

Quantum computers are alternative computing devices that process information, leveraging quantum mechanical effects, such as entanglement between different particles. Entanglement establishes a link between particles that allows them to share states in such a way that measuring one particle instantly affects the others, irrespective of the distance between them.

Go to Source

[…]

Optical switch protocol verifies entangled quantum states in real time without destroying them

The fragility and laws of quantum physics generally make the characterization of quantum systems time‑consuming. Furthermore, when a quantum system is measured, it is destroyed in the process. A breakthrough by researchers at the University of Vienna demonstrates a novel method for quantum state certification that efficiently verifies entangled quantum states in real time without […]

Physicists explain the exceptional energy-harvesting efficiency of perovskites

Despite being riddled with impurities and defects, solution-processed lead-halide perovskites are surprisingly efficient at converting solar energy into electricity. Their efficiency is approaching that of silicon-based solar cells, the industry standard. In a new study published in Nature Communications, physicists at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) present a comprehensive explanation of the […]