No one is safe from the memory apocalypse.
Category: computing – Page 17
Shaping quantum light unlocks new possibilities for future technologies
Researchers from the School of Physics at Wits University, working with collaborators from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, have demonstrated how quantum light can be engineered in space and time to create high-dimensional and multidimensional quantum states. Their work highlights how structured photons—light whose spatial, temporal or spectral properties are deliberately shaped—offer new pathways for high-capacity quantum communication and advanced quantum technologies.
Published as a review article in Nature Photonics, the study surveys rapid progress in techniques capable of creating, manipulating and detecting quantum structured light. These include on-chip integrated photonics, nonlinear optics, and multiplane light conversion, which now form a modern and increasingly powerful toolkit. Together, these advances are bringing structured quantum states closer to real-world applications in imaging, sensing, and quantum networks.
New state of quantum matter could power future space tech
A UC Irvine team uncovered a never-before-seen quantum phase formed when electrons and holes pair up and spin in unison, creating a glowing, liquid-like state of matter. By blasting a custom-made material with enormous magnetic fields, the researchers triggered this exotic transformation—one that could enable radiation-proof, self-charging computers ideal for deep-space travel.
Comprehensive map reveals neuronal dendrites in the mouse brain in greater detail
Understanding the shape or morphology of neurons and mapping the tree-like branches via which they receive signals from other cells (i.e., dendrites) is a long-standing objective of neuroscience research. Ultimately, this can help to shed light on how information flows through the brain and pin-point differences associated with specific neurological or psychiatric disorders.
The X. William Yang Lab at the Jane and Terry Semel Institute and the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have devised new sophisticated methods to map neuronal dendrites in the mouse brain, which combine large-scale data collection with genetic labeling techniques and computational tools.
Their research approach, outlined in a paper published in Nature Neuroscience, allowed them to create a comprehensive map of two genetic types of neurons in the mouse brain, known as D1-and D2-type striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs).
Quantum technology moves from lab to life, but widespread use remains years away
Quantum technology is accelerating out of the lab and into the real world, and a new article argues that the field now stands at a turning point—one that is similar to the early computing age that preceded the rise of the transistor and modern computing.
The article, authored by scientists from University of Chicago, Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Innsbruck in Austria, and the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, offers an assessment of the rapidly advancing field of quantum information hardware, outlining the major challenges and opportunities shaping scalable quantum computers, networks, and sensors. The paper appears in Science.
“This transformative moment in quantum technology is reminiscent of the transistor’s earliest days,” said lead author David Awschalom, the Liew Family Professor of molecular engineering and physics at the University of Chicago, and director of the Chicago Quantum Exchange and the Chicago Quantum Institute.
A solid-state quantum processor based on nuclear spins
Quantum computers, systems that process information leveraging quantum mechanical effects, have the potential of outperforming classical systems on some tasks. Instead of storing information as bits, like classical computers, they rely on so-called qubits, units of information that can simultaneously exist in superpositions of 0 and 1.
Researchers at University Paris-Saclay, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and other institutes have developed a new quantum computing platform that utilizes the intrinsic angular momentum (i.e., spin) of nuclei in tungsten-183 (183 W) atoms as qubits.
Their proposed system, introduced in a paper published in Nature Physics, was found to achieve long coherence times and is compatible with existing superconductor-based quantum information processing platforms.
Frequent flares from TRAPPIST-1 could impact habitability of nearby planets
Like a toddler right before naptime, TRAPPIST-1 is a small yet moody star. This little star, which sits in the constellation Aquarius about 40 light-years from Earth, spits out bursts of energy known as “flares” about six times a day.
New research led by the University of Colorado Boulder takes the deepest look yet at the physics behind TRAPPIST-1’s celestial temper tantrums. The team’s findings could help scientists search for habitable planets beyond Earth’s solar system.
The researchers used observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and computer simulations (models) to understand how TRAPPIST-1 produces its flares—first building up magnetic energy, then releasing it to kick off a chain of events that launches radiation deep into space. The results could help scientists unravel how the star has shaped its nearby planets, potentially in drastic ways.
Magnetism switching in antiferromagnets: Two distinct mechanisms successfully visualized
A research team led by Ryo Shimano of the University of Tokyo has successfully visualized two distinct mechanisms through which up and down spins, inherent properties of electrons, switch in an antiferromagnet, a material in which spin alignments cancel each other out. One of the visualized mechanisms provides a working principle for developing ultrafast, non-volatile magnetic memory and logic devices, which could be much faster than today’s technologies.
The findings are published in the journal Nature Materials.
Paper slips with holes, small metal rods, vacuum tubes, and transistors: These are technologies that have been used to encode 0s and 1s, the basis of classical computation. However, the world’s ever-growing computational needs demand yet more powerful tools. Antiferromagnets are a class of materials whose magnetic properties, or lack thereof, could be leveraged to encode 0s and 1s in a novel way.
Hackers are exploiting ArrayOS AG VPN flaw to plant webshells
Threat actors have been exploiting a command injection vulnerability in Array AG Series VPN devices to plant webshells and create rogue users.
Array Networks fixed the vulnerability in a May security update, but has not assigned an identifier, complicating efforts to track the flaw and patch management.
An advisory from Japan’s Computer Emergency and Response Team (CERT) warns that hackers have been exploiting the vulnerability since at least August in attacks targeting organizations in the country.
New quantum device operates at room temperature for stable qubits
Stanford University researchers say they have developed a nanoscale optical device that could shift the direction of quantum communication.
Unlike today’s quantum computers that operate near absolute zero, this new approach works at room temperature.
The device entangles the spin of photons and electrons, which is essential for transmitting and processing quantum information.