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Rare-earth ions could enable telecom-ready control of interacting qubits

Quantum technologies are devices and systems that exploit the laws of quantum mechanics and could perform tasks that are difficult or impossible to tackle using their classical counterparts. These technologies process and store information using qubits (i.e., quantum bits), which can exist in a superposition of multiple states simultaneously.

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Repeating distance patterns let optical systems tackle large optimization problems

From planning transportation networks to organizing massive datasets, many of society’s most important challenges boil down to an optimization problem: finding the best solution among an enormous number of possibilities. As these problems increase in size and scope, however, the computational resources required to solve them can increase dramatically.

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New twist on the Einstein problem reveals unexpected physics

A shape that captured worldwide attention for solving a decades-old mathematical puzzle has returned to the spotlight. While the shape’s properties allowed it to solve previous puzzles, little is known about its other associated properties, creating opportunities for further discovery. These unexplored properties may also help solve new physics mysteries, such as how to twist […]

Scientists demonstrate transition between strong and weak coupling regimes in a polariton microcavity

Researchers from Skoltech, together with colleagues from the N.D. Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry and Westlake University, have experimentally demonstrated how the operating regime of a polariton laser changes with a gradual increase in cavity thickness.

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Ultracold neutrons don’t disappear into the mirror world

For decades, a theory in physics has postulated the existence of a mirror world whose interaction with our own reality is extremely feeble. The particles in this mirror universe are also thought to be candidates for dark matter. Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have now examined some 25 billion neutrons—thereby ruling out, with […]

A way to read quantum bits faster and with less hardware

Quantum computers process information in a fundamentally different way from conventional computers, using quantum bits, or qubits, that can exist in multiple states at once. This could allow them to tackle problems beyond the reach of today’s machines, from simulating new materials to optimizing complex systems.

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New research shows how ‘hot electrons’ can reshape metals in billionths of a second

Researchers at The University of Manchester have revealed how intense electronic excitation can trigger rapid structural changes in metals—without heating the atomic lattice—offering new insight into ultrafast materials behavior.

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New sensing method measures laser-cutting depth by tracking vaporization recoil

Laser dicing, a technique that uses focused laser pulses to separate individual chips from a semiconductor wafer, is increasingly favored over mechanical blade cutting because it can process delicate, low-strength materials with minimal physical stress. However, achieving proper yield requires precise control over the process.

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New thermodynamic framework explains pressure and edge currents in spinning active particles

Physicists from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU), the Technical University of Darmstadt, Sapienza University in Rome and the University of Camerino (both in Italy) have calculated the fundamental laws of thermodynamics for a gas composed of spinning particles. In the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), they demonstrate that the pressure […]

New quantum chip architecture could use built-in vibrations to link distant qubits

A new concept from Warwick researchers could help solve one of the biggest challenges to building large-scale quantum computers: enabling communication between vast numbers of quantum bits (qubits) over long distances across a single chip.

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Simple semiconductor films break light’s front-back symmetry

Light typically interacts with a material the same way whether it enters through the front or the back—like polarized sunglasses that work the same from either side. Cornell researchers have demonstrated a simple route to breaking that symmetry, opening new possibilities for photonics and quantum information processing.

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Light reveals transient electronic step behind a hidden state in metal-organic framework

A fleeting photoinduced electronic state and the subsequent formation of a photoinduced hidden state in a metal–organic framework were captured in just 30 femtoseconds by researchers at Science Tokyo, Tohoku University and Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan. By combining ultrafast laser spectroscopy with theoretical analysis, the researchers found that a transient electronic state plays a […]

Highly tunable electro-optic isolator achieves one-way light flow on photonic chips

Integrated photonic devices—tiny circuits that use light instead of electrons—are becoming increasingly important for scalable photonics technologies and high-bandwidth communications. They are particularly valuable for managing low-power, light-based data transfer inside data centers, which are needed for artificial intelligence, cloud computing and high-performance signal processing.

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Quantum neural networks get their first hardware test

Neural networks have transformed how machines find patterns in data, from recognizing faces in photos to predicting the shapes of proteins. So far, all of this progress has been made on ordinary classical computers, but with quantum computers now edging into practical use, there is a real possibility that neural networks could tap into distinctly […]

Physicists capture first direct evidence of a Floquet topological state

A new study published in Nature Physics reports the first direct experimental evidence of a Floquet topological state, a novel light-induced phase of matter that, until now, has existed only on paper and in simulations. Topological insulators can conduct electricity along their surface while remaining insulating throughout their bulk. Physicists have spent years developing Floquet […]