Samsung is advancing its semiconductor manufacturing capabilities with the upcoming installation of two High-NA EUV lithography systems from ASML, scheduled to be operational in the first half of 2026.
Category: computing – Page 37
How poisonous glands helped modern toads conquer the world
Modern toads (Bufonidae) are among the most successful amphibians on the planet, a diverse group of more than 600 species that are found on every continent except Antarctica. But just how did they conquer the world? An international team of researchers set out to find the answer and discovered the toads’ global success was due to their toxic glands and geological timing.
Modern toads are a type of frog with a stout, squat body, relatively short legs, toothless mouths and a thick, dry, warty skin. One of their most distinctive features is a large gland behind each eye that secretes a poison to deter predators. They originated in South America and are found in diverse habitats like deserts and rainforests.
To find out how they got from South America to almost every other continent, the scientists analyzed fresh DNA samples from 124 species from Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, North America and Oceania. They combined this with existing genetic data from hundreds of other species. Using powerful computer models to process the genetic information, they traced the geological spread of toads over millions of years, identifying when survival features like their poisonous glands evolved and when they branched out to form new species.
Old-school material could power quantum computing and cut data center energy use
A new twist on a classic material could advance quantum computing and make modern data centers more energy efficient, according to a team led by researchers at Penn State.
Barium titanate, first discovered in 1941, is known for its powerful electro-optic properties in bulk, or three-dimensional, crystals. Electro-optic materials like barium titanate act as bridges between electricity and light, converting signals carried by electrons into signals carried by photons, or particles of light.
However, despite its promise, barium titanate never became the industry standard for electro-optic devices, such as modulators, switches and sensors. Instead, lithium niobate—which is more stable and easier to fabricate, even if its properties don’t quite measure up with those of barium titanate—filled that role instead. But by reshaping barium titanate into ultrathin strained thin films, this could change, according to Venkat Gopalan, Penn State professor of materials science and engineering and co-author of the study published in Advanced Materials.
G7 and Australia sign deal on quantum tech benchmarks
Scientists from the G7 nations and Australia signed an “unprecedented agreement” regarding quantum technology on Wednesday, France’s national metrology lab told AFP.
The deal between laboratories involved in the science of measurement hopes to establish benchmarks regarding progress in areas such as quantum computers.
The field has seen leading tech giants claim breakthroughs in recent years that have later been questioned by researchers.
Streamlined method to directly generate photons in optical fiber could secure future quantum internet
With the rise of quantum computers, the security of our existing communication systems is at risk. Quantum computers will be able to break many of the encryption methods used in current communication systems. To counter this, scientists are developing quantum communication systems, which utilize quantum mechanics to offer stronger security. A crucial building block of these systems is a single-photon source: a device that generates only one light particle at a time.
These photons, carrying quantum information, are then sent through optical fibers. For quantum communication systems to work, it is essential that single photons are injected into optical fibers with extremely low loss.
In conventional systems, single-photon emitters, like quantum dots and rare-earth (RE) element ions, are placed outside the fiber. These photons then must be guided to enter the fiber. However, not all photons make it into the fibers, causing high transmission loss. For practical quantum communication systems, it is necessary to achieve a high-coupling and channeling efficiency between the optical fiber and the emitter.
Twice around to return home: A hidden reset button for spins and qubits
The world is filled with rotating objects—gyroscopes, magnetic spins, and more recently, qubits in quantum computers. For example, the atomic nuclei in our bodies precess at megahertz frequencies inside NMR machines. In practice, it is often desirable to return such a rotating system precisely to its starting point. At first glance, this seems impossible: after an elaborate sequence of twists and wobbles, how could one possibly retrace the path back to the origin?
The astonishing answer is that it is always possible. No matter how tangled the history of rotations, there exists a simple recipe: rescale the driving force and apply it twice. A single application is never sufficient, but applying this doubled, rescaled force guarantees an exact return. Under this operation, the spin—or the qubit, or any rotor—will unfailingly come home.
This discovery was made by Distinguished Professor Tsvi Tlusty from the Department of Physics at UNIST and Jean-Pierre Eckmann from the University of Geneva, Switzerland. Their study, published in Physical Review Letters on October 1, 2025, reveals that, despite their apparent complexity, rotations conceal a fundamental order.
Time crystals could power future quantum computers
A glittering hunk of crystal gets its iridescence from a highly regular atomic structure. Frank Wilczek, the 2012 Nobel Laureate in Physics, proposed quantum systems––like groups of particles––could construct themselves in the same way, but in time instead of space. He dubbed such systems time crystals, defining them by their lowest possible energy state, which perpetually repeats movements without external energy input. Time crystals were experimentally proved to exist in 2016.
Framework models light-matter interactions in nonlinear optical microscopy to determine atomic structure
Materials scientists can learn a lot about a sample material by shooting lasers at it. With nonlinear optical microscopy—a specialized imaging technique that looks for a change in the color of intense laser light—researchers can collect data on how the light interacts with the sample, and through time-consuming and sometimes expensive analyses, characterize the material’s structure and other properties.
Now, researchers at Pennsylvania State University have developed a computational framework that can interpret the nonlinear optical microscopy images to characterize the material in microscopic detail.
The team has published its approach in the journal Optica.