Feature Channels: Quantum Mechanics

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Quantum computing holds the potential to be a game-changing future technology in fields ranging from chemistry to cryptography to finance to pharmaceuticals.

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Since the first successful fabrication of a two-dimensional structure of carbon atoms about 20 years ago, graphene has fascinated scientists.

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Two new advances from the lab of University of Oregon physicist Ben McMorran are refining the microscopes. Both come from taking advantage of a fundamental principle of quantum mechanics: that an electron can behave simultaneously like a wave and a particle. It’s one of many examples of weird, quantum-level quirks in which subatomic particles often behave in ways that seem to violate the laws of classical physics.

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A research team led by the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) was recently selected for second-phase funding of a $9.2 million project aimed at demonstrating a hybrid computing system that will combine the advantages of classical computing with those of quantum computing to tackle some of the world’s most difficult optimization problems.

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In a test of the photon entanglement that makes quantum communication possible, researchers built a quantum local area network (QLAN) that shared information among three systems in separate buildings. The team used a protocol called remote state preparation, where a successful measurement of one half of an entangled photon pair converts the other photon to the preferred state. The researchers performed this conversion across all the paired links in the QLAN—a feat not previously accomplished on a quantum network.

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Professor Din-Ping Tsai, the Chair Professor of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the City University of Hong Kong (CityU), gave an online talk as part of the Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study (HKIAS) Distinguished Lecture Series on Electronics and Photonics on 30 March 2022, titled "Meta-Devices: From Sensing and Imaging to Quantum Optical Chip". Professor Hon Yan, Wong Chun Hong Professor of Data Engineering was the moderator.

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Researchers discovered that light can trigger a form of magnetism in a normally nonmagnetic material. This magnetism centers on the behavior of electron “spin.” By controlling & aligning electron spin at this level of detail & accuracy, this platform could have applications in quantum computing & simulation.

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• A university-industry collaboration has successfully run a quantum algorithm on a type of quantum computer known as a cold atom quantum computer for the first time. The achievement by the team of scientists from the University of Wisconsin¬–Madison, ColdQuanta and Riverlane brings quantum computing one step closer to being used in real-world applications.

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Intel's quantum test bed will be installed at Argonne in partnership with the Q-NEXT quantum research center. Intel's Jeanette Roberts is leading the installation.

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In a paper in Nature Physics, researchers at Stony Brook University report the formation of matter-wave polaritons in an optical lattice, an experimental discovery that enables studies of a central quantum science and technology paradigm through direct quantum simulation using ultracold atoms.

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In a result published in PNAS, scientists derive an elegant equation that provides allows scientists to instantly calculate the quantum information lifetime for 12,000 different potential qubit materials.

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PPPL becomes first institutional affiliate of new center for quantum-based applications in computing, communication, and sensing to benefit national security, economic competitiveness, and leadership in scientific discovery.

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Science, education and economic development leaders across New Mexico have formed a coalition to bring future quantum computing jobs to the state. Sandia National Laboratories, The University of New Mexico and Los Alamos National Laboratory announced the new coalition today.

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Quantum computing can change almost everything about the world we live in, but despite the billions of dollars spent studying it, it’s still too unwieldy for regular use. NAU assistant professor Ryan Behunin is working to change that. He received an NSF CAREER grant to study how to reduce the noise produced in the process of quantum computing, which will make it better and more practical.

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Tiny silicon quantum processors have finally surpassed 99 percent fidelity, an important milestone toward future quantum computers. Three research groups demonstrated 99 percent fidelity for “if-then” logic gates between two silicon qubits. The researchers used a technique called gate set tomography to achieve this in two of the three experiments, an important methodological step.

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In recent years, artificial intelligence has become ubiquitous, with applications such as speech interpretation, image recognition, medical diagnosis, and many more. At the same time, quantum technology has been proven capable of computational power well beyond the reach of even the world’s largest supercomputer. Physicists at the University of Vienna have now demonstrated a new device, called quantum memristor, which may allow to combine these two worlds, thus unlocking unprecedented capabilities. The experiment, carried out in collaboration with the National Research Council (CNR) and the Politecnico di Milano in Italy, has been realized on an integrated quantum processor operating on single photons. The work is published in the current issue of the journal “Nature Photonics”.

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Unconventional superconductors carry electrical current with zero resistance in ways that defy our previous understanding of physics. A recent study led by Berkeley Lab could help researchers advance future applications in next-gen energy storage, supercomputing, and magnetic levitating trains.

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Shantanu Chakrabartty at the McKelvey School of Engineering proposes a new kind of encryption to protect data in the age of quantum computers.

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Argonne scientists have discovered a type of magnetic behavior that could help enable magnetically based quantum devices.

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.Postdoctoral researchers who are designated Truman and Hruby fellows experience Sandia National Laboratories differently from their peers.

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In AVS Quantum Science, scientists in Germany review research on gravitational wave detectors as a historical example of quantum technologies and examine the fundamental research on the connection between quantum physics and gravity. The team examined recent gravitational wave experiments, showing it is possible to shield large objects from strong influences from the thermal and seismic environment to allow them to evolve as one quantum object. This decoupling from the environment enables measurement sensitivities that would otherwise be impossible.

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Meta-devices using meta-surfaces composed of artificial nanostructures can manipulate the electromagnetic phase, polarization, and amplitude at will. The fundamental principle, design, fabrication, and applications of the novel optical meta-devices are reported in this talk.

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Researchers have found direct evidence of the existence of anyons, a quasiparticle first predicted in the 1970s. These particles behave in two-dimensional systems in ways very different from their three-dimensional quasiparticle cousins, fermions, and bosons. The results could help to improve the duration of coherence in future quantum computer qubits.

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Argonne National Laboratory will be participating in three new research projects with small businesses. These projects are part of $35 million in new funding from the Department of Energy to tap into the many talents within America's small businesses.

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With the insertion of a little math, Sandia National Laboratories researchers have shown that neuromorphic computers, which synthetically replicate the brain’s logic, can solve more complex problems than those posed by artificial intelligence and may even earn a place in high-performance computing.

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Don't miss these articles in our Staff Picks channel

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New generation of postdocs make important contributions to research in science and technology while solving problems for society.

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Qubits, the building blocks of quantum computers, can be made from many different technologies. One way to make a qubit is to trap a single neutral atom in place using a focused laser, a technique that won the Nobel Prize in 2018.

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Controlling the spin of a single unpaired electron is no easy task. In this research, scientists show that visible light can be used to influence a relative orientation of an unpaired electron in a molecule in a magnetic field. This process can potentially be applied across a class of small molecules and is an important step toward novel technologies such as quantum computers and quantum sensors.

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MIT joins Q-NEXT, a DOE national quantum research center, becoming its 25th institutional partner.

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In a result published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, scientists demonstrate a wide range of tunability in a family of qubits, an important step in designing custom qubits for specific applications. The Q-NEXT National QIS Research Center partially supported this result.

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The field of machine learning on quantum computers got a boost from new research removing a potential roadblock to the practical implementation of quantum neural networks.

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A collaboration between Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Physics Division and Applied Mathematics and Computational Research Division has yielded a new approach to quantum error mitigation - "noise estimation circuits" - that could help make quantum computing’s theoretical potential a reality.

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Berkeley Lab joins in broad federal effort to develop pathways for Puerto Rico to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2050, microorganism discovered in spacecraft assembly facility named for Berkeley Lab microbiologist, discovering the "secret sauce" behind the exotic properties of a new quantum material

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Even the best laser has “quantum noise” that makes images from microscopy blurry and hides details. This results in measurements that are less precise than scientists need. Researchers have designed a new type of microscope that uses quantum squeezed light to reduce measurement uncertainty, enabling a 50 percent improvement in the sensitivity of a specific scientific measurement.

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Here are some of the latest articles we've posted in the Physical Science channel.

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Operating quantum technology in challenging environments, such as space, has moved a significant step forward after physicists working at the University of Sussex have developed a monitoring and control system blueprint for quantum devices and experiments.

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It is now exactly one hundred years ago that Albert Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the photoelectric effect.

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MITRE, MIT, and Sandia National Laboratories are collaborating on a moonshot effort to build a quantum computer and recently published experimental findings in Nature Photonics.

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A team of researchers at Argonne and the University of Chicago, including Q-NEXT collaborators, have maintained a qubit coherence time for a record five seconds. The qubits are made from silicon carbide, widely found in lightbulbs, electric vehicles and high voltage electronics.

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New research sheds light on the mechanism behind how a special quantum material, lanthanum strontium nickel oxide, transitions from an electrical insulator to a conductive metal. The mechanism is associated with atomic vibrations that trap electrons and thus impede electrical conduction. The results will help validate theoretical models of materials with strongly interacting electrons and contribute to the design of new materials.

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Scientists recently discovered novel quantum materials whose charge carriers exhibit ‘topological’ features that result in the charge’s transport not being affected by continuous transformations. Because of this “protection,” topological materials often show peculiar quantum states on their surfaces and edges. This study observed superconducting edge currents for what the researchers believe is the first time.

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Twelve years of intense work are now bearing fruit – researchers at Empa have developed unique carbon materials with quite astonishing, hitherto unattained electronic and magnetic properties, which one day could be used to build quantum computers with novel architectures. A million-dollar grant from the Werner Siemens Foundation for the next ten years now gives this visionary project an unusually long research horizon, greatly increasing the prospects for success.

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Scientists at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) have demonstrated the feasibility of a new approach that moves trapped ion pairs through a single laser beam, potentially reducing power requirements and simplifying the system for creating entangled qubits.

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Three scientists from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or AAAS, the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals.

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Quantum researchers at the University of Bristol have dramatically reduced the time to simulate an optical quantum computer, with a speedup of around one billion over previous approaches.

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Researchers in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands decided to explore two very different quantum problems: breaking the encryption of Bitcoin and simulating the molecule responsible for biological nitrogen fixation. In AVS Quantum Science, they describe a tool they created to determine how big a quantum computer needs to be to solve problems like these and how long it will take. "We explored how to best take advantage of [the] ability to connect distant qubits, with the aim of solving problems in less time with fewer qubits," said Mark Webber, of the University of Sussex.

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Phase transitions are everywhere, ranging from water boiling to snowflakes melting, and from magnetic transitions in solids to cosmological phase transitions in the early universe.