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Magnetic ‘sweet spots’ enable optimal operation of hole spin qubits

Quantum computers, systems that process information leveraging quantum mechanical effects, could reliably tackle various computational problems that cannot be solved by classical computers. These systems process information in the form of qubits, units of information that can exist in two states at once (0 and 1).

Hole spins, the intrinsic angular momentum of holes (i.e., missing electrons in semiconductors that can be trapped in nanoscale regions called quantum dots), have been widely used as qubits. These spins can be controlled using electric fields, as they are strongly influenced by a quantum effect known as spin-orbit coupling, which links the motion of particles to their magnetism.

Unfortunately, due to this spin-orbit coupling, hole spin qubits are also known to be highly vulnerable to noise, including random electrical disturbances that can prompt decoherence. This in turn can result in the loss of valuable quantum information.

Experiment clarifies cosmic origin of rare proton-rich isotope selenium-74

Researchers have reported new experimental results addressing the origin of rare proton-rich isotopes heavier than iron, called p-nuclei. Led by Artemis Tsantiri, then-graduate student at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) and current postdoctoral fellow at the University of Regina in Canada, the study presents the first rare isotope beam measurement of proton capture on arsenic-73 to produce selenium-74, providing new constraints on how the lightest p-nucleus is formed and destroyed in the cosmos.

The team published the results in Physical Review Letters in a paper titled “Constraining the Synthesis of the Lightest Nucleus 74 Se”. The work involved more than 45 participants from 20 institutions in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

A central question in nuclear astrophysics concerns how and where chemical elements are formed. The slow and rapid neutron-capture processes account for many intermediate-mass and heavy nuclei beyond iron through repeated neutron captures followed by radioactive decays until stable isotopes are reached.

AI method advances customized enzyme design

Enzymes with specific functions are becoming increasingly important in industry, medicine and environmental protection. For example, they make it possible to synthesize chemicals in a more environmentally friendly way, produce active ingredients in a targeted manner or break down environmentally harmful substances.

Researchers from Gustav Oberdorfer’s working group at the Institute of Biochemistry at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), together with colleagues from the University of Graz, have now published a study in Nature describing a new method for the design of customized enzymes.

The technology called Riff-Diff (Rotamer Inverted Fragment Finder–Diffusion) makes it possible to accurately and efficiently build the protein structure specifically around the active center instead of searching for a suitable structure from existing databases. The resulting enzymes are not only significantly more active than previous artificial enzymes, but also more stable.

Entangled atomic clouds enable more precise quantum measurements

Researchers at the University of Basel and the Laboratoire Kastler Brossel have demonstrated how quantum mechanical entanglement can be used to measure several physical parameters simultaneously with greater precision.

Entanglement is probably the most puzzling phenomenon observed in quantum systems. It causes measurements on two quantum objects, even if they are at different locations, to exhibit statistical correlations that should not exist according to classical physics—it’s almost as if a measurement on one object influences the other one at a distance.

The experimental demonstration of this effect, also known as the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox, was awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in physics.

3D-printed surfaces help atoms play ball to improve quantum sensors

Scientists have created 3D printed surfaces featuring intricate textures that can be used to bounce unwanted gas particles away from quantum sensors, allowing useful particles like atoms to be delivered more efficiently, which could help improve measurement accuracy.

The researchers from the University of Nottingham’s School of Physics and Astronomy created intricate, fine-scale surface textures that preferentially bounce incident particles in particular directions. This can help to keep unwanted particles out of the way. The team demonstrated this by applying it to a surface-based vacuum pump and tripled the rate at which it removed nuisance gas particles.

The study, “Exploiting complex 3D-printed surface structures for portable quantum technologies,” is published in the journal Physical Review Applied.

Entangled Atoms Are Transforming How We Measure the World

Entangled atoms, separated in space, are giving scientists a powerful new way to measure the world with stunning precision.

Researchers from the University of Basel and the Laboratoire Kastler Brossel have shown that quantum entanglement can be used to measure multiple physical quantities at the same time with greater accuracy than previously possible.

What makes quantum entanglement so unusual.

Critical GNU InetUtils telnetd Flaw Lets Attackers Bypass Login and Gain Root Access

A critical security flaw has been disclosed in the GNU InetUtils telnet daemon (telnetd) that went unnoticed for nearly 11 years.

The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026–24061, is rated 9.8 out of 10.0 on the CVSS scoring system. It affects all versions of GNU InetUtils from version 1.9.3 up to and including version 2.7.

“Telnetd in GNU Inetutils through 2.7 allows remote authentication bypass via a ‘-f root’ value for the USER environment variable,” according to a description of the flaw in the NIST National Vulnerability Database (NVD).

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