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Archive for the ‘quantum physics’ category: Page 401

Mar 11, 2020

Two-dimensional metals open pathways to new science

Posted by in categories: quantum physics, science

An atomically thin materials platform developed by Penn State researchers in conjunction with Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and Oak Ridge National Lab will open a wide range of new applications in biomolecular sensing, quantum phenomena, catalysis and nonlinear optics.

“We have leveraged our understanding of a special type of graphene, dubbed epitaxial graphene, to stabilize unique forms of atomically thin metals,” said Natalie Briggs, a doctoral candidate and co-lead author on a paper in the journal Nature Materials. “Interestingly, these atomically thin metals stabilize in structures that are completely different from their bulk versions, and thus have very interesting properties compared to what is expected in .”

Traditionally, when metals are exposed to air they rapidly begin to oxidize—rust. In as short as one second, can form a rust layer that would destroy the metallic properties. In the case of a 2-D , this would be the entire layer. If you were to combine a metal with other 2-D materials via traditional synthesis processes, the during synthesis would ruin the properties of both the metal and layered material. To avoid these reactions, the team exploited a method that automatically caps the 2-D metal with a single layer of graphene while creating the 2-D metal.

Mar 9, 2020

Superconductor transition switches single-molecule magnet

Posted by in categories: materials, quantum physics

Novel phenomenon occurs due to quantum tunnelling and might be exploited in future quantum information technologies.

Mar 9, 2020

Physicists take snapshots of quantum measurement

Posted by in category: quantum physics

Ideal process leaves some superposition states intact.

Mar 9, 2020

Supersymmetry is super-awesome. Here’s what it means for particle physics

Posted by in categories: particle physics, quantum physics

In the 1970s, physicists uncovered a potential symmetry that united all the kinds of particles in our universe. This connection, known as supersymmetry, relies on the strange quantum property of spin, and could help unlock a new understanding of physics.

Mar 8, 2020

Quantum Correlations Reverse Thermodynamic Arrow of Time

Posted by in category: quantum physics

Circa 2019


A recent experiment shows how quantum mechanics can make heat flow from a cold body to a hot one, an apparent (though not real) violation of the second law of thermodynamics.

Mar 7, 2020

Could quantum computing help beat the next coronavirus?

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, chemistry, computing, quantum physics

Quantum computing isn’t yet far enough along that it could have helped curb the spread of this coronavirus outbreak. But this emerging field of computing will almost certainly help scientists and researchers confront future crises.

“Can we compress the rate at which we discover, for example, a treatment or an approach to this?” asks Dario Gil, the director of IBM Research. “The goal is to do everything that we are doing today in terms of discovery of materials, chemistry, things like that, (in) factors of 10 times better, 100 times better,”

And that, he says, “could be game-changing.”

Mar 7, 2020

This Is the World’s First Image of Quantum Entanglement

Posted by in categories: particle physics, quantum physics, space

During the 1930s, venerable theoretical physicist Albert Einstein returned to the field of quantum mechanics, which his theories of relativity helped to create. Hoping to develop a more complete theory of how particles behave, Einstein was instead horrified by the prospect of quantum entanglement — something he described as “spooky action at a distance.”

Despite Einstein’s misgivings, quantum entanglement has gone on to become an accepted part of quantum mechanics. And now, for the first time ever, a team of physicists from the University of Glasgow took an image of a form of quantum entanglement (aka Bell entanglement) at work. In so doing, they managed to capture the first piece of visual evidence of a phenomenon that baffled even Einstein himself.

The paper that described their findings, titled “Imaging Bell-type nonlocal behavior,” recently appeared in the journal Science Advances. The study was led by Dr. Paul-Antoine Moreau, a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at the University of Glasgow, and included multiple researchers from Glasgow’s School of Physics & Astronomy.

Mar 7, 2020

Scientists Finally Observe Long-Predicted Form of Magnetism

Posted by in categories: materials, quantum physics

Scientists believe they’ve made a concrete example of an unusual, theoretical form of ferromagnetism first described by a researcher more than 50 years ago.

Nagaoka ferromagnetism, named for the scientist who discovered it, Yosuke Nagaoka, is a special case of the same magnetic forces that make regular, refrigerator-type magnets work—ferro meaning iron, plus a few other metals that are naturally receptive to magnetism. Identifying it in real life—in this case using a quantum system of electrons—can help scientists understand how spontaneous ferromagnetism works.

Mar 6, 2020

Scientists break Google’s quantum algorithm

Posted by in categories: information science, quantum physics

Google is racing to develop quantum-enhanced processors that use quantum mechanical effects to increase the speed at which data can be processed. In the near term, Google has devised new quantum-enhanced algorithms that operate in the presence of realistic noise. The so-called quantum approximate optimisation algorithm, or QAOA for short, is the cornerstone of a modern drive toward noise-tolerant quantum-enhanced algorithm development.

The celebrated approach taken by Google in QAOA has sparked vast commercial interest and ignited a global research community to explore novel applications. Yet, little is known about the ultimate performance limitations of Google’s QAOA .

A team of scientists from Skoltech’s Deep Quantum Laboratory took up this contemporary challenge. The all-Skoltech team led by Prof. Jacob Biamonte discovered and quantified what appears to be a fundamental limitation in the widely adopted approach initiated by Google.

Mar 5, 2020

Physicists link quantum memories across the longest distance ever

Posted by in categories: cybercrime/malcode, internet, particle physics, quantum physics

A team of scientists in China has linked quantum memories over more than 30 miles (50 kilometers) of fiber optic cable, beating the previous record by more than 40 times over. This feat is an important step toward a hack-proof internet, scientists said.

The internet we use today was truly a revolutionary invention. It connected the world with information and allowed us to share millions of photos of cute and cuddly cats. But the internet is also filled with hackers trying to intercept important or sensitive information. To fight back, physicists have come up with a solution, with a little help from Schrödinger’s cat, the famous, hypothetical dead-and-alive feline meant to expose the weird nature of subatomic particles.