A team from the University of Chicago has announced the first evidence for “quantum superchemistry” – a phenomenon where particles in the same quantum state undergo collective accelerated reactions. The effect had been predicted, but never observed in the laboratory.
The findings, published July 24 in Nature Physics, open the door to a new field. Scientists are intensely interested in what are known as “quantum-enhanced” chemical reactions, which could have applications in quantum chemistry, quantum computing, and other technologies, as well as in better understanding the laws of the universe.
Breakthrough could point way to fundamental insights, new technology.
A new study discusses how high-fidelity quantum information could be sent through fiber optic networks by a novel atomic device.
Did you know quantum transmissions can’t be amplified over a city or an ocean like conventional data signals? Instead, they have to be periodically repeated using specialized devices called quantum repeaters.
For the technology to be used in future communications networks, researchers have developed a novel method of connecting quantum devices over great distances.
We live in an analog world of continuous information flow that is both processed and stored by our brains at the same time, but our devices process information digitally in the form of discrete binary code, breaking the information into little bits (or bites).
Researchers at EPFL have revealed a pioneering technology that combines the potential of continuous analog processing with the precision of digital devices. By seamlessly integrating ultra-thin, two-dimensional semiconductors with ferroelectric materials, the research, published in Nature Electronics, unveils a novel way to improve energy efficiency and add new functionalities in computing. The new configuration merges traditional digital logic with brain-like analog operations.
The innovation from the Nanoelectronics Device Laboratory (Nanolab), in collaboration with Microsystems Laboratory, revolves around a unique combination of materials leading to brain-inspired functions and advanced electronic switches, including the standout negative capacitance Tunnel Field-Effect Transistor (TFET).
Michael Levin discusses his 2022 paper “Technological Approach to Mind Everywhere: An Experimentally-Grounded Framework for Understanding Diverse Bodies and Minds” and his 2023 paper with Joshua Bongard, “There’s Plenty of Room Right Here: Biological Systems as Evolved, Overloaded, Multi-scale Machines.” Links to papers flagged 🚩below.
Michael Levin is a scientist at Tufts University; his lab studies anatomical and behavioral decision-making at multiple scales of biological, artificial, and hybrid systems. He works at the intersection of developmental biology, artificial life, bioengineering, synthetic morphology, and cognitive science.
❶ Polycomputing (observer-dependent) 1:59 Outlining the discussion. 3:50 My favorite comment from round 1 interview. 5:00 What is polycomputing? 8:50 An ode to Richard Feynman’s “There’s plenty of room at the bottom“ 11:10 How/when was this discovered? Reductionism, causal power… 14:40 “It’s a view that steps away from prediction.“ 16:20 From abstract: Polycomputing is the ability of the same substrate to simultaneously compute different things *but emphasis on the observer(s)* 17:05 What’s an example of polycomputing? 19:40 They took a different approach and actually did experiments with gene regulatory networks (GRNs) 23:18 Different observers extract different utility from the exact same system. 26:35 Spatial causal emergence graphs (determinism, degeneracy) | Erik Hoel’s micro/macro & effective information. 29:25 Inventiveness of John Conway’s Game of Life.
❷ Technological Approach to Mind Everywhere. 34:20 Tell me 3 things to determine intelligence (ball vs mouse on a hill) 39:50 Jeff Hawkins’ Thousand Brains Theory. 41:05 Agency is not binary, continuum of persuadability. 44:50 Where’s the bottom of agency? Plants & insects far off from 0 46:55 What is the absolute minimum amount of agency? Some degree of goal directed behavior & indeterminacy… 51:05 Life is a system good at scaling. 51:41 “To me, our world doesn’t have 0 agency anywhere.“ 53:50 As an engineer, what can I take advantage of? 55:00 Surely you don’t think the weather has any intelligence to it…
❸ Attractor Landscapes. 58:35 Homeostatic loops, morphological spaces, attractor landscapes. 1:00:35 “Of course we’re living in a simulation!“ 1:06:45 Attractor landscapes, topography, anatomical morphous space (D’Arcy Thompson) 1:12:28 Planaria stochastic, probability of head shape proportional to evolutionary distance between species. 1:15:15 What is the secret of the universe? Attractor landscapes, quantum fields, black holes. 1:19:05 We need a new system of ethics for unconventional minds.
Future computers could be built smaller than ever before using the tiny biological skeletons that hold our cells together.
That’s according to one team of scientists, who have devised a way to make computer chips using cytoskeletons — protein scaffolds that give cells their shape.
They claim that the silicon chips that brought computers to the masses in the 1980s are soon to be a thing of the past.
Here it is, the bio computer. A new type of parallel computing method that could rival the infamous quantum computer at a much lower price while being more practical to boot.
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Quantum computers, devices that perform computations by exploiting quantum mechanical phenomena, have the potential to outperform classical computers on some tasks and optimization problems. In recent years, research teams at both academic institutions and IT companies have been trying to realize this predicted better performance for specific problems, which is broadly known as “quantum advantage.”
To reliably demonstrate that a quantum computer performs better than a classical computer, one should, among other things, collect precise measurements inside the computer and compare them to those collected in classical computers. Doing this, however, can sometimes be challenging, due to the distinct nature of these two types of devices.
Researchers at NIST/University of Maryland, UC Berkeley, Caltech and other institutes in the United States recently introduced and tested a new protocol that could help to reliably validate the advantage of quantum computers. This protocol, introduced in Nature Physics, relies on mid-circuit measurements and a cryptographic technique.
A new study exemplifies how the strides made in quantum computing are now being harnessed to unlock the secrets of fundamental science.
Scientists at Duke University have harnessed the power of quantum-based methods to unravel a puzzling phenomenon related to light-absorbing molecules, according to a new study published in Nature Chemistry.
This advancement sheds light on the enigmatic world of quantum interactions, potentially transforming our understanding of essential chemical processes like photosynthesis, vision, and photocatalysis.
In a bid to reduce data center power consumption, Intel has unveiled its new “Sierra Forest” chip with over double the power efficiency of other chips.
Intel has reported that its new chip, “Sierra Forest,” will have over double the efficiency for the same power consumption of other microchips. Designed as a new data center chip, Intel’s new double-efficiency chip is scheduled for release sometime in 2024, Reuters.
