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Category: quantum physics – Page 158

Scientists discover method to restore vanishing electronic patterns in quantum materials

A new study published in Nature Communications April 7 could reshape the future of magnetic and electronic technology. Scientists at Rice University have discovered how a disappearing electronic pattern in a quantum material can be revived under specific thermal conditions. The finding opens new doors for customizable quantum materials and in-situ engineering, where devices are manufactured or manipulated directly at their point of use.

Led by Pengcheng Dai, the Sam and Helen Worden Professor of Physics and Astronomy, the researchers uncovered the cause behind a vanishing electronic phenomenon in a class of crystalline materials known as kagome lattice, a geometric arrangement of corner-sharing triangles named after a traditional Japanese basket pattern.

This discovery reveals how heating methods impact the presence of a charge density wave (CDW), a quantum pattern of electron arrangement, in the kagome metal iron germanide (FeGe). It also demonstrates how its reappearance enhances magnetic and electronic properties.

Controlling quantum particle states through structural phase transition of crystals

A research team has successfully fine-tuned the Rabi oscillation of polaritons, quantum composite particles, by leveraging changes in electrical properties induced by crystal structure transformation. Published in Advanced Science, this study demonstrates that the properties of quantum particles can be controlled without the need for complex external devices, which is expected to greatly enhance the feasibility of practical quantum technology. The team was led by Professor Chang-Hee Cho from the Department of Physics and Chemistry at DGIST.

Quantum technology enables much faster and more precise information processing than conventional electronic devices and is gaining attention as a key driver of future industries, including quantum computing, communications, and sensors. At the core of this technology lies the ability to accurately generate and control quantum states. In particular, recent research has been actively exploring light-based quantum devices, with polaritons at the center of this field.

Polaritons are composite quasiparticles formed through the hybridization of photons and excitons—bound states arising from the motion of electrons. These quasiparticles travel at the speed of light while retaining the ability to interact with other particles, much like electrons.

Study unveils contributions to superconductivity in the vortex lattice structure of 2H-NbSe₂

Superconductivity is a quantum property of materials entailing an electrical resistance of zero at very low temperatures. In some materials, multiple electronic bands are known to contribute to the emergence of superconductivity, leading to multiple superconducting energy gaps. This phenomenon is referred to as multiband superconductivity.

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden, Institut Laue Langevin in France and other institutes in Europe recently carried out a study aimed at better understanding the multiband superconductivity emerging in the transition metal dichalcogenide 2H-NbSe2, which exhibits a vortex lattice when exposed to a magnetic field.

Their findings, published in Physical Review Letters, unveil two key contributions to the observed in this material.

Researchers demonstrate the UK’s first long-distance ultra-secure communication over a quantum network

Researchers have successfully demonstrated the UK’s first long-distance ultra-secure transfer of data over a quantum communications network, including the UK’s first long-distance quantum-secured video call.

The team, from the Universities of Bristol and Cambridge, created the network, which uses standard fiber-optic infrastructure, but relies on a variety of quantum phenomena to enable ultra-secure data transfer.

The network uses two types of quantum key distribution (QKD) schemes: “unhackable” encryption keys hidden inside particles of light; and distributed entanglement: a phenomenon that causes quantum particles to be intrinsically linked.

Researcher proposes first-time model that replaces dark energy and dark matter in explaining nature of the universe

Dr. Richard Lieu, a physics professor at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System, has published a paper in the journal Classical and Quantum Gravity that proposes a universe built on steps of multiple singularities rather than the Big Bang alone to account for the expansion of the cosmos.

The new model forgoes the need for either or dark energy as explanations for the universe’s acceleration and how structures like galaxies are generated.

The researcher’s work builds on an earlier model hypothesizing that gravity can exist without mass.

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