New theoretical work indicates that an array of helium-3 atoms could enable more complex quantum simulations.
Category: quantum physics – Page 19
Long-theorized electron-on-helium qubit achieves strong coupling to a single microwave photon
Quantum computers, devices that store and process information leveraging the principles of quantum mechanics, have been found to be promising for tackling some problems that cannot be solved by classical computers. Quantum computers store data in the form of qubits (i.e., quantum bits), units of information that can exist in combinations of different states, instead of being limited to a binary value (i.e., 0 or 1), like classical bits.
For decades, various theoretical physicists have been exploring the possibility of building a quantum computing system using electrons trapped above the surface of superfluid helium, a form of liquid helium cooled to extremely low temperatures. These trapped electrons could ultimately be more isolated from sources of noise (i.e., environmental disturbances) that can disrupt quantum states and lead to computational errors.
Researchers at EeroQ Corporation, a quantum computing company based in Chicago, recently introduced a strategy to enable strong interactions between a single electron floating above superfluid helium and a microwave photon.
Fractional Fermi Sea: Physicists Discover a New Phase of Matter Beyond Established Theory
Scientists have engineered a never-before-seen quantum state, uncovering a new phase of matter with hidden order beyond conventional theory.
Researchers have shown that an unusual quantum state known as a “fractional Fermi sea” can be deliberately created, opening the door to a previously unknown phase of matter. The work, published in Physical Review Letters, was carried out by the Nägerl group together with theoretical collaborator Alvise Bastianello of the CNRS and Université Paris-Dauphine. The study provides the theoretical foundation for recent experimental work led by Hans-Christoph Nägerl’s group in the Department of Experimental Physics.
Creating a New Quantum State.
We FINALLY Know What Happened Before the Big Bang
Have you ever wondered what existed before the Big Bang? For decades, scientists believed that this question had no answer. But new ideas in cosmology and theoretical physics are challenging that assumption.
In this video, we explore some of the most fascinating scientific theories about what may have happened before the birth of our universe. From quantum gravity and cosmic bounces to eternal inflation, multiverse models, and the possibility that our universe emerged from a previous cosmic cycle, these concepts push the boundaries of modern science.
Could time itself have existed before the Big Bang? Was our universe born from the collapse of another? Or is the Big Bang not the true beginning after all?
Join us as we dive into the latest research, thought-provoking hypotheses, and the biggest unanswered questions about the origin of reality.
If you enjoy videos about space, black holes, the universe, and the greatest mysteries of physics, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications for more cosmic explorations.
#BigBang #Universe #Cosmology #Space #Astronomy #Physics #Science #BlackHoles #Multiverse #JWST
Evidence of elusive high-energy gravitons in quantum Hall systems
Electrons, negatively charged particles, sometimes coordinate their movements in ways that produce certain collective excitations referred to as quasiparticles. One case in which this occurs is the quantum Hall effect, a phenomenon that emerges when electrons are confined to a very thin layer, cooled to temperatures around 0 kelvin and exposed to a very strong magnetic field.
A framework called parton theory hypothesized the existence of emergent partons (i.e., quark-like quasiparticles in condensed matter physics that should not be confused with quarks and gluons in particle physics) to explain the collective excitations of quantum Hall states.
Recent geometric theoretical frameworks also suggest that small fluctuations in a system’s quantum metric (i.e., a quantity describing the ‘shape’ of a quantum state) produce collective spin-2 excitations referred to as chiral gravitons.
Quantum computers model nine fusion fuel material configurations for first time
A team of scientists from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Cleveland Clinic and IBM has calculated nine molecular configurations of a promising material to produce fuel for fusion energy—the first known instance of such computations on quantum computers.
Such calculations, demonstrated in a new paper published on the arXiv preprint server, are computationally challenging for classical computers to scale when working alone. They are a fundamental step toward optimizing the production and extraction of tritium—an extremely rare material in nature that is necessary to produce fusion energy with most of the proposed machines. Ensuring adequate supplies of tritium has long been a barrier to realizing the promise of clean, abundant energy from fusion power plants, and solving this issue is a key objective of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission.
Quantum computers are well-suited to computing the atomic-level chemistry of a liquid salt that contains fluorine, lithium and beryllium (FLiBe), one of the leading candidate materials for extracting tritium fuel in fusion reactors. To compute different configurations of clusters of FLiBe, the team used the same quantum-centric supercomputing techniques now being applied to 12,635-atom protein simulations with Cleveland Clinic. These methods can calculate the quantum behavior of electrons in complex materials, complementing and enhancing the capabilities of classical supercomputers and algorithms.
Pressure unlocks 3D superconductivity in tantalum disulfide at triple the temperature
Superconductors have long been considered a promising technology for the energy systems of the future. They can conduct electricity without resistance, thus eliminating both conduction losses and waste heat. Up to now, however, superconductors have only been applied in special cases, as in the immensely powerful magnet coils of particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. This is because superconductors must be well cooled, down to extremely low temperatures for some materials.
In the future, novel materials with special quantum properties are expected to make superconductivity possible at less frosty and more easily achievable subzero temperatures. A research team led by Zurab Guguchia at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI has now provided the first comprehensive characterization of such a quantum material. This should contribute to a detailed understanding of these processes and facilitate the search for technologically usable superconductors. The results are published in the journal Nature Communications.
“Currently, research is being conducted worldwide on novel, unconventional superconductors that exhibit robust superconductivity even at higher temperatures or in strong external magnetic fields,” Guguchia says. The physicist is a research group leader in the PSI Center for Neutron and Muon Sciences and works with his team on the materials of the future.
Quantum vacuum could help break molecular bonds with less energy, simulations suggest
A team of researchers led by Felipe Herrera, a professor at the University of Santiago and a researcher at the Millennium Institute for Research in Optics (MIRO), has identified a quantum phenomenon that enables chemical bonds to be broken using significantly less energy than is normally required.
The findings, published in Physical Review Letters under the title “Enhancing Infrared-Laser Dissociation of Molecules with the Electromagnetic Vacuum,” demonstrate that by using infrared light, the natural fluctuations present in the electromagnetic vacuum can promote molecular dissociation when molecules are confined within specially designed nanometer-scale structures known as nanocavities.
Although we often think of a vacuum as completely empty space, quantum physics shows that it is filled with tiny energy fluctuations. The researchers discovered that these fluctuations can be amplified inside a nanocavity, altering molecular vibrations and making it easier for an infrared laser to break chemical bonds.
