This Quantum Computer Simulates the Hidden Forces That Shape Our Universe
The study of elementary particles and forces is of central importance to our understanding of the universe. Now a team of physicists from the University of Innsbruck and the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) at the University of Waterloo show how an unconventional type of quantum computer opens a new door to the world of elementary particles.
Credit: Kindea Labs
Majorana qubits could be error resistant. But after a contentious talk at the Global Physics Summit, scientists aren’t convinced Microsoft has them.
A standard commercial CMOS FET can exhibit synaptic-like long-term potentiation and depression or neuron-like leaky-integrate-and-fire and adaptive frequency-bursting behaviour when biased in a specific but unconventional way.
Superconductivity is a quantum physical state in which a metal is able to conduct electricity perfectly without any resistance. In its most familiar application, it enables powerful magnets in MRI machines to create the magnetic fields that allow doctors to see inside our bodies. Thus far, materials can only achieve superconductivity at extremely low temperatures, near absolute zero (a few tens of Kelvin or colder).
But physicists dream of superconductive materials that might one day operate at room temperature. Such materials could open entirely new possibilities in areas such as quantum computing, the energy sector, and medical technologies.
“Understanding the mechanisms leading to the formation of superconductivity and discovering exotic new superconducting phases is not only one of the most stimulating pursuits in the fundamental study of quantum materials but is also driven by this ultimate dream of achieving room-temperature superconductivity,” says Stevan Nadj-Perge, professor of applied physics and materials science at Caltech.
Accurate and robust 3D imaging of specular, or mirror-like, surfaces is crucial in fields such as industrial inspection, medical imaging, virtual reality, and cultural heritage preservation. Yet anyone who has visited a house of mirrors at an amusement park knows how difficult it is to judge the shape and distance of reflective objects.
This challenge also persists in science and engineering, where the accurate 3D imaging of specular surfaces has long been a focus in both optical metrology and computer vision research. While specialized techniques exist, their inherent limitations often confine them to narrow, domain-specific applications, preventing broader interdisciplinary use.
In a study published in the journal Optica, University of Arizona researchers from the Computational 3D Imaging and Measurement (3DIM) Lab at the Wyant College of Optica l Sciences present a novel approach that significantly advances the 3D imaging of specular surfaces.
Together with an international team of researchers from the Universities of Southern California, Central Florida, Pennsylvania State and Saint Louis, physicists from the University of Rostock have developed a novel mechanism to safeguard a key resource in quantum photonics: optical entanglement. Their discovery is published in Science.
Declared as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology by the United Nations, 2025 marks 100 years since the initial development of quantum mechanics. As this strange and beautiful description of nature on the smallest scales continues to fascinate and puzzle physicists, its quite tangible implications form the basis of modern technology as well as material science, and are currently in the process of revolutionizing information science and communications.
A key resource to quantum computation is so-called entanglement, which underpins the protocols and algorithms that make quantum computers exponentially more powerful than their classical predecessors. Moreover, entanglement allows for the secure distribution of encryption keys, and entangled photons provide increased sensitivity and noise resilience that dramatically exceed the classical limit.
Researchers at The University of Manchester’s National Graphene Institute have introduced a new class of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces capable of dynamically shaping terahertz (THz) and millimeter (mm) waves. Detailed in a paper published in Nature Communications, this breakthrough overcomes long-standing technological barriers and could pave the way for next-generation 6G wireless technologies and non-invasive imaging systems.
The breakthrough centers around an active spatial light modulator, a surface with more than 300,000 sub-wavelength pixels capable of manipulating THz light in both transmission and reflection.
Unlike previous modulators, which were limited to small-scale demonstrations, the Manchester team integrated graphene-based THz modulators with large-area thin-film transistor (TFT) arrays, enabling high-speed, programmable control over the amplitude and phase of THz light across expansive areas.
Pioneering new research could help unlock exciting new potential to create ultrafast, laser-driven storage devices. The study, led by experts from the University of Exeter, could revolutionize the field of data storage through the development of laser-driven magnetic domain memories.
The new research is based on creating a pivotal new method for using heat to manipulate magnetism with unprecedented precision in two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals materials. It is published in the journal Nature Communications.
Typically, heat is an unwanted byproduct of power consumption in electronic devices, especially in semiconductors. As devices become smaller and more compact, managing heat has become one of the major challenges in modern electronics.
US cities are vying to become the quantum computing capital, as analysts project the industry could add $1 trillion to the economy over 10 years.
Qubit-based simulations of gauge theories are challenging as gauge fields require high-dimensional encoding. Now a quantum electrodynamics model has been demonstrated using trapped-ion qudits, which encode information in multiple states of ions.
