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This hybrid system allows precise manipulation of quantum states while naturally modeling real-world physics, enabling breakthroughs in fields like magnetism, superconductors, and even astrophysics.

Breakthrough in Quantum Simulation

Physicists working in Google’s laboratory have developed a new type of digital-analog quantum simulator, capable of studying complex physical processes with unprecedented precision and adaptability. Two researchers from PSI’s Center for Scientific Computing, Theory, and Data played a crucial role in this breakthrough.

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A theoretical particle that travels faster than light, the tachyon has long intrigued physicists and fueled decades of speculation. Initially conceived as a possible solution to quantum and relativity paradoxes, tachyons remain purely hypothetical. Despite the lack of experimental evidence, they continue to serve as a thought-provoking concept in modern physics.

A recent study by an international team of researchers has reignited interest in tachyons, suggesting they might be possible within the framework of Einstein’s special theory of relativity. This bold claim challenges conventional understandings of causality and time, raising fundamental questions about the structure of reality. If confirmed, it could lead to a radical shift in how scientists perceive the limits of physical laws.

Physicist Gerald Feinberg introduced the idea of tachyons in 1962, proposing that such particles could always travel faster than light without ever slowing down to subluminal speeds. His argument was based on the concept of imaginary mass, a theoretical construct involving the square root of a negative number. This allowed for the mathematical possibility of faster-than-light motion without explicitly violating relativity.

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A recent study published in Science investigates the underlying mechanisms of endothelial insulin resistance involved in obesity-associated diabetes.

What causes insulin resistance?

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the body cannot adequately produce or use insulin, a hormone that facilitates the transportation of glucose from the blood into cells for energy. The activation of insulin receptors, which are highly expressed on the luminal side of endothelial cells, induces endothelial nitric oxide (NO)-synthase (eNOS) activity. Subsequently, NO-mediated vasodilation allows insulin to reach metabolic target cells including adipocytes, skeletal muscle cells, and hepatocytes.

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Phones, appliances, and humans all generate heat that usually escapes into the environment as waste energy. Thermoelectric generators, which convert temperature differences into electricity, are a way to capture that wasted heat for power.

Researchers have now made a thermoelectric generator (TEG) that is soft and stretchy and that biodegrades completely when exposed to the environment. Unlike conventional rigid thermoelectric devices, this one, reported in the journal Science Advances, could be easily integrated into fabrics, allowing for body-heat-powered wearable sensors or temperature-detecting disposable face masks.

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Star formation begins in the molecular cloud where each dense core is initially in a balance between self-gravity, which tends to compress the object, and both gas pressure and magnetic pressure, which tend to inflate it.

Since the mass of the Milky Way galaxy is about 1011 M⊙ and its age is about 1010 years, we can calculate that at present, new stars are forming in the molecular cloud of the Milky Way at a rate of about three M⊙ per year.

Related: Astronomer Witnessed a Star System Being Born.

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The surface of the Earth’s inner core may be changing, as shown by a new study by USC scientists that detected structural changes near the planet’s center, published in Nature Geoscience.

The changes of the have long been a topic of debate for scientists. However, most research has been focused on assessing rotation. John Vidale, Dean’s Professor of Earth Sciences at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and principal investigator of the study, said the researchers “didn’t set out to define the physical nature of the inner core.”

“What we ended up discovering is evidence that the near surface of Earth’s inner core undergoes structural change,” Vidale said. The finding sheds light on the role topographical activity plays in rotational changes in the inner core that have minutely altered the length of a day and may relate to the ongoing slowing of the inner core.

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npj Quantum Inf ormation — Universal validity of the second law of information thermodynamics is indeed universal: it must hold for any quantum feedback control and erasure protocol, regardless of the measurement process involved, as long as the protocol is overall compatible with thermodynamics. Our comprehensive analysis not only encompasses new scenarios but also retrieves previous ones, doing so with fewer assumptions. This simplification contributes to a clearer understanding of the theory.

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In the realm of quantum information distribution, sending a signal from point A to point B is like a baseball pitcher relaying a secret pitch call to the catcher. The pitcher has to disguise the signal from the opposing team and coaches, base runners, and even onlookers in the stands so no one else cracks the code.

The catcher can’t just stay in one spot or rely on the same finger pattern every time, because savvy opponents are constantly working to decipher any predictable sequence. If the signs are intercepted or misread, the batter gains an advantage, and the entire inning can unravel for the pitcher.

But what if there was a way for pitchers to bolster their signals by adding extra layers of “dimensionality” to each call, effectively increasing the chances of delivering it correctly to the catcher no matter how many eyes are watching? What if by incorporating more nuanced gestures—a subtle shift in glove position, a specific tap on the mound—the pitcher could craftily conceal their intentions?

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Exotic superconducting states could exist in a wider range of materials than previously thought, according to a theoretical study by two RIKEN researchers published in Physical Review B.

Superconductors conduct electricity without any resistance when cooled below a that is specific to the . They are broadly classified into two types: conventional superconductors whose superconducting mechanism is well understood, and whose mechanism has yet to be fully determined.

Superconductors have intrigued scientists since their first experimental demonstration at the beginning of the 20th century. This is not just because they have numerous applications, including great promise for , but also because superconductors host a rich range of fundamental physics that has allowed physicists to gain a deeper understanding of material science.

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