Feature Channels: Quantum Mechanics

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The Advanced Quantum Testbed (AQT) at Berkeley Lab celebrated the first five years of operations and its renewal with a two-day hybrid summit in May 2023, bringing together staff, alums, testbed users, and colleagues.

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Sandia National Laboratories has produced its first lot of a new world-class ion trap, a central component for certain quantum computers.

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The qubits that make up quantum computers have a lesser-known cousin called qudits. Qudits can carry more information and are more resistant to the noise that can cause qubits to lose information. However, qudits have historically been difficult for scientists to measure and modify.

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Timothy Gray led a study that may have revealed an unexpected change in the shape of an atomic nucleus. The finding could affect our understanding of what holds nuclei together, how protons and neutrons interact and how elements form.

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A potentially game-changing theoretical approach to quantum computing hardware avoids much of the problematic complexity found in current quantum computers. The strategy implements an algorithm in natural quantum interactions to process a variety of real-world problems faster than classical computers or conventional gate-based quantum computers can.

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Graphene nanoribbons have outstanding properties that can be precisely controlled. Researchers from Empa and ETH Zurich, in collaboration with partners from Peking University, the University of Warwick and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, have succeeded in attaching electrodes to individual atomically precise nanoribbons, paving the way for precise characterization of the fascinating ribbons and their possible use in quantum technology.

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Using scaffolds made of folded DNA, MIT engineers have come up with a new way to precisely assemble arrays of quantum rods.

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Over the past decade, scientists have made tremendous progress in generating quantum phenomena in mechanical systems. What seemed impossible only fifteen years ago has now become a reality, as researchers successfully create quantum states in macroscopic mechanical objects.

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Registration is now open for the third Quantum Information Science Career Fair hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science’s National Quantum Information Science (QIS) Research Centers. The virtual event takes place on Wednesday, Sept. 13. The event aims to make undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs and early-career professionals aware of the wide range of QIS careers they can pursue—including technical and scientific roles as well as positions that facilitate research and bring awareness to the field, such as communications and program management.

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AIP Publishing is thrilled to announce the appointment of Ortwin Hess as the founding editor-in-chief of APL Quantum, its newest open-access journal, which seeks to cultivate groundbreaking research in both fundamental and applied quantum science. Hess brings a lifetime of scientific experience and insight in nearly all aspects of quantum science and as editor-in-chief, he will lead the journal as it begins accepting submissions later in 2023 and prepares to publish in 2024.

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Argonne researchers received three DOE Early Career Awards, which will help early-career researchers establish themselves as experts in their fields.

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In 1956, theoretical physicist David Pines predicted that electrons in a solid could form a composite particle called a demon. It's eluded detection since its prediction....until now.

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Structuring light emission, particularly from non-classical sources, is crucial for realizing practical high-dimensional quantum information processing. However, traditional methods rely on bulky optical elements with limited functionalities. Scientists have developed an elegant solution for controlling and manipulating dim light sources – down to the single photon level. The nanopatterned structure, a multifunctional metalens, could unleash the full potential of solid-state quantum light sources for advanced quantum photonic applications.

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New research from Q-MEEN-C shows that electrical stimuli passed between neighboring electrodes can also affect non-neighboring electrodes. Known as non-locality, this discovery is a crucial milestone toward creating brain-like computers with minimal energy requirements.

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As quantum computing advances, scientists want to know how it may be better able to solve complex problems than today’s conventional computers. This research applied quantum computing to determine different energy levels for nuclei of lithium-6. This work shows how to solve a historic nuclear physics research problem on present-day commercially available quantum computer hardware.

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Technion researchers have developed a coherent and controllable spin-optical laser based on a single atomic layer. It paves the way to study coherent spin-dependent phenomena in both classical and quantum regimes, opening new horizons in fundamental research and optoelectronic devices exploiting both electron and photon spins.

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Electronic devices typically use the charge of electrons, but spin — their other degree of freedom — is starting to be exploited.

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Using the full capabilities of the Quantinuum H1-1 quantum computer, researchers from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory not only demonstrated best practices for scientific computing on current quantum systems but also produced an intriguing scientific result. By modeling singlet fission — in which absorption of a single photon of light by a molecule produces two excited states — the team confirmed that the linear H4 molecule’s energetic levels match the fission process’s requirements.

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Quantum resources and technologies promise to dramatically boost computation, communication and sensing tasks, contributing to reshaping our society.  In this context, scientists showed that quantum entanglement in optical beams can enhance imaging of completely transparent objects only measuring their ‘phase-induced’ effect on the free-propagating light after the interaction. 

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The field of quantum information science (QIS) is growing at an accelerated pace, garnering the interest of research, academia, industry, and several government organizations worldwide. Stretching over a wide range of disciplines and initiatives, the quantum workforce is beginning to emerge, and with it, the chance to ensure that opportunities in this space are available to all whom show interest and promise.

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The emerging field of quantum science is adding new dimensions to the age-old question: “What do you want to do when you grow up?” In the ever-expanding field of quantum science, Virginia Tech is working to ensure learning opportunities grow just as fast. One of only a handful of higher education institutions to offer experiential quantum training, Virginia Tech is now working with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to meet the growing demand for a quantum-trained workforce.

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Myoung-Hwan Kim’s research will look to resolve quantum computing challenges.

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Bruno Schuler and his young team are embarking on an ambitious research project: He will selectively generate defects in atomically-thin semiconductor layers and attempt to measure and control their quantum properties with simultaneous picosecond temporal resolu­tion and atomic precision. The resulting insights are expected to establish fundamental knowledge for future quantum computers.

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Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated film “Oppenheimer,” shattered expectations on opening weekend, bringing in $80.5 million. The biopic about the so-called “father of the atomic bomb," J. Robert Oppenheimer, science director of the Manhattan Project during World War II, was Nolan’s biggest non-Batman debut. But how accurate is the science and the history behind Oppenheimer’s (portrayed in the film by Cillian Murphy) life portrayed? Virginia Tech’s Kevin Pitts, a physicist and high-energy experimentalist who previously was chief research officer at the Fermilab National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois, weighs in.

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Visible light is a mere fraction of the electromagnetic spectrum, and the manipulation of light waves at frequencies beyond human vision has enabled such technologies as cell phones and CT scans. Rice University researchers have a plan for leveraging a previously unused portion of the spectrum.

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Scientists have demonstrated experimentally a long-theorized relationship between electron and nuclear motion in molecules, which could lead to the design of materials for solar cells, electronic displays and other applications that can make use of this powerful quantum phenomenon.

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University of Washington professor Xiaodong Xu studies the properties of single atomic layer semiconductors, looking for new materials and new ways to control electrical conductivity.

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Researchers from FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, led by Professor Wei Guo, have achieved a groundbreaking milestone in studying how vortices move in superfluid helium.

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Routing signals and isolating them against noise and back-reflections are essential in many practical situations in classical communication as well as in quantum processing.

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Recent research sheds light on the mechanism behind how quantum materials change from an electrical conductor to an electric insulator. Below a critical temperature, strontium doped lanthanum strontium nickel oxide is an insulator due the separation of introduced holes from the magnetic regions, forming “stripes.” These stripes fluctuate and melt at 240K, at which temperature the material should become a conducting metal. Instead, it remains an insulator. This is because of certain atomic vibrations that trap electrons and impede electrical conduction.

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New research shows that a better understanding of the coupling between the quantum system and these vibrations can be used to mitigate loss.

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Cornell scientists have revealed a new phase of matter in candidate topological superconductors that could have significant consequences for condensed matter physics and for the field of quantum computing and spintronics.

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Using a combination of high-powered X-rays, phase-retrieval algorithms and machine learning, Cornell researchers revealed the intricate nanotextures in thin-film materials, offering scientists a new, streamlined approach to analyzing potential candidates for quantum computing and microelectronics, among other applications.

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Quantum information processors that operate with ternary logic (qutrits) offer significant potential advantages in quantum simulation and error correction, as well as the ability to improve specific quantum algorithms and applications. Building on previous R&D with qutrits at the Advanced Quantum Testbed (AQT), the paper's experimental team, led by a promising UC Berkeley graduate student, successfully entangled two transmon qutrits with gate fidelities significantly higher than in previously reported works.

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Quantum systems decohere due to unwanted interactions with their environment. Correcting for the effects of decoherence is a major challenge for quantum information systems. Previous error correction methods have not kept up with decoherence.

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New theoretical research proves that machine learning on quantum computers requires far simpler data than previously believed. The finding paves a path to maximizing the usability of today’s noisy, intermediate-scale quantum computers for simulating quantum systems and other tasks better than classical digital computers, while also offering promise for optimizing quantum sensors.

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A team of scientists from Ames National Laboratory in partnership with the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center, used the terahertz SNOM microscope, originally developed at Ames Lab, to investigate the interface and connectivity of a nano Josephson Junction that was fabricated by Rigetti Computing. The images they obtained with the terahertz microscope revealed a defective boundary in the nano junction that causes a disruption in the conductivity.

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Have you ever been compelled to enter sensitive payment data on the website of an unknown merchant? Would you be willing to consign your credit card data or passwords to untrustworthy hands? Scientists from the University of Vienna have now designed an unconditionally secure system for shopping in such settings, combining modern cryptographic techniques with the fundamental properties of quantum light. The demonstration of such "quantum-digital payments" in a realistic environment has just been published in Nature Communications.

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Whether Ant-Man is shrinking between atoms or communicating through entangled particles, his true superpower is his ability to excite people about quantum science. Argonne assembled experts to spread the word about the real science of the quantum realm.

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Today, it was announced that Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute will become the first university in the world to house an IBM Quantum System One. The IBM quantum computer, intended to be operational by January of 2024, will serve as the foundation of a new IBM Quantum Computational Center in partnership with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). By partnering, RPI’s vision is to greatly enhance the educational experiences and research capabilities of students and researchers at RPI and other institutions, propel the Capital Region into a top location for talent, and accelerate New York's growth as a technology epicenter.

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A team led by scientists and engineers at the University of Washington has announced a significant advancement in quantum computing. They have detected signatures of “fractional quantum anomalous Hall” (FQAH) states, promising step in constructing a type of fault-tolerant qubit.

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A groundbreaking theoretical proof shows that a technique called overparametrization enhances performance in quantum machine learning for applications that stymie classical computers.

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Twistronics isn’t a new dance move, exercise equipment, or new music fad.

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When some semiconductors absorb light, the process can create excitons, quasi-particles made of an electron bound to an electron hole. Two-dimensional crystals of tungsten disulfide have unique but short-lived exciton states. Scientists developed a new approach called time-resolved momentum microscopy to create separate images of these individual quantum states. The study found that the coupling mechanisms that lead to mixing of the states may not fully match current theories.

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An advance in a topological insulator material — whose interior behaves like an electrical insulator but whose surface behaves like a conductor — could revolutionize the fields of next-generation electronics and quantum computing, according to scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.