In a new Nature Communications study, scientists have demonstrated the quantum version of the strong Mpemba effect (sME) in a single trapped ion system.
The Mpemba effect is a counterintuitive phenomenon in which—under certain conditions—hotter water cools faster than colder water.
It was first described by Tanzanian high school student Erasto Bartholomeo Mpemba in 1963. However, according to early scientific literature, it was observed much earlier, as far as Aristotelian times.
Xanadu developed Aurora, a universal photonic quantum computer with a modular architecture of interconnected server racks for scalability.
A team of researchers from the University of Ottawa has developed innovative methods to enhance frequency conversion of terahertz (THz) waves in graphene-based structures, unlocking new potential for faster, more efficient technologies in wireless communication and signal processing.
THz waves, located in the far-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, can be used to perform non-invasive imaging through opaque materials for security and quality control applications. Additionally, these waves hold great promise for wireless communication.
Advances in THz nonlinear optics, which can be used to change the frequency of electromagnetic waves, are essential for the development of high-speed wireless communication and signal processing systems for 6G technologies and beyond.
Quantum computing researchers at Northwestern University report a new take on quantum compilers helped improve the efficiency and reliability of “chiplet-based” modular quantum computers.
Although it sounds like something that might be in a bag next to the pretzels at your next party, chiplets are, in fact, an intriguing approach to building quantum computers. As we’ll discover later, they are small, modular pieces of a computer processor that are designed to function as a building block for creating larger, more complex chips.
In a recent study posted on arXiv, a team of Northwestern University researchers report their Stratify-Elaborate Quantum Compiler (SEQC) boosts circuit fidelity by up to 36% and speeds up compilation by 2 to 4 times compared to existing tools, addressing critical scalability challenges in this emerging era of chiplet-based quantum systems.
How do we bridge the gap between the objective world of physics and the subjective realm of experience? QM might hold the answer.
A team of researchers has developed a miniature, energy-efficient device capable of creating photon.
A photon is a particle of light. It is the basic unit of light and other electromagnetic radiation, and is responsible for the electromagnetic force, one of the four fundamental forces of nature. Photons have no mass, but they do have energy and momentum. They travel at the speed of light in a vacuum, and can have different wavelengths, which correspond to different colors of light. Photons can also have different energies, which correspond to different frequencies of light.
A bottom-up approach hints string scattering could be a real thing. Maybe it is time we look beyond electrons and quarks.
For decades, scientists have been looking for evidence of strings that connect everything in the universe. A new model offers a promising hint.
Three theoretical studies have uncovered novel types of topological order inherent in open quantum systems, enriching our understanding of quantum phases of matter.
Nature showcases an extraordinary diversity of phases of matter, including many that can be understood only through the principles of quantum mechanics. Such quantum phases can exhibit topological order, characterized by long-range quantum correlations and exotic quasiparticle excitations. Despite extensive theoretical and experimental exploration over the past few decades, our knowledge of topological order has been largely restricted to closed quantum systems. However, real-world quantum systems are inevitably influenced by dissipation and decoherence, underscoring the need for a deeper understanding of open quantum systems—those that exchange energy, particles, or information with their surroundings. Now three research teams have identified new forms of topological order intrinsic to open quantum systems, expanding the spectrum of possible quantum phases and paving the way for advances in quantum information science [1– 3].
Conventionally, different phases of matter are classified based on symmetry. For example, ferromagnets break rotational symmetry since their magnetic moments align in a specific direction, even though the underlying physical laws remain invariant under spatial rotation. While this concept of spontaneous symmetry breaking has proven valuable, the past few decades have seen a new paradigm: topological phases of matter. Representative examples of these phases, such as fractional quantum Hall fluids and quantum spin liquids, display topological order [4]. This property does not arise from spontaneous symmetry breaking but from an intricate pattern of entanglement—nonlocal correlations central to quantum physics.
Phonons, the quantum mechanical vibrations of atoms in solids, are often sources of noise in solid-state quantum systems, including quantum technologies, which can lead to decoherence and thus adversely impact their performance.
Strategies to reliably control phonons and their interactions with quantum systems could help to mitigate the adverse effects of these vibrations on the systems.
Researchers at Harvard University and other institutes have introduced a new approach to control the interactions between high-frequency phonons and single solid-state quantum systems. Their proposed method, outlined in a paper published in Nature Physics, relies on new diamond phononic crystals that they designed and fabricated, which can be used to engineer the local density of states in a host material.
