Toggle light / dark theme

Get the latest international news and world events from around the world.

Log in for authorized contributors

Constructor Theory Explains Origin of Time

Go to https://ground.news/sabine to get 40% off the Vantage plan and see through sensationalized reporting. Stay fully informed on events around the world with Ground News.

Most physicists believe that time fundamentally doesn’t exist, because the concept of time is incompatible with a model of physics where quantum mechanics and general relativity coexist. David Deutsch and Chiara Marletto have now shown that “constructor theory” can be used to construct time. Let’s take a look.

Paper: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2505.

🤓 Check out my new quiz app ➜ http://quizwithit.com/
📚 Buy my book ➜ https://amzn.to/3HSAWJW
💌 Support me on Donorbox ➜ https://donorbox.org/swtg.
📝 Transcripts and written news on Substack ➜ https://sciencewtg.substack.com/
👉 Transcript with links to references on Patreon ➜ / sabine.
📩 Free weekly science newsletter ➜ https://sabinehossenfelder.com/newsle… Audio only podcast ➜ https://open.spotify.com/show/0MkNfXl… 🔗 Join this channel to get access to perks ➜ / @sabinehossenfelder #science #sciencenews #physics #time.
👂 Audio only podcast ➜ https://open.spotify.com/show/0MkNfXl
🔗 Join this channel to get access to perks ➜
/ @sabinehossenfelder.

#science #sciencenews #physics #time

Practical blueprint for low-depth photonic quantum computing with quantum dots

Abstract:

Fusion-based quantum computing is an attractive model for fault-tolerant computation based on photonics requiring only finite-sized entangled resource states followed by linear-optics operations and photon measurements. Large-scale implementations have so far been limited due to the access only to probabilistic photon sources, vulnerability to photon loss, and the need for massive multiplexing. Deterministic photon sources offer an alternative and resource-efficient route. By synergistically integrating deterministic photon emission, adaptive repeat-until-success fusions, and an optimised architectural design, we propose a complete blueprint for a photonic quantum computer using quantum dots and linear optics. It features time-bin qubit encoding, reconfigurable entangled-photon sources, and a fusion-based architecture with low optical connectivity, significantly reducing the required optical depth per photon and resource overheads. We present in detail the hardware required for resource-state generation and fusion networking, experimental pulse sequences, and exact resource estimates for preparing a logical qubit. We estimate that one logical clock cycle of error correction can be executed within microseconds, which scales linearly with the code distance. We also simulate error thresholds for fault-tolerance by accounting for a full catalogue of intrinsic error sources found in real-world quantum dot devices. Our work establishes a practical blueprint for a low-optical-depth, emitter-based fault-tolerant photonic quantum computer.


N2 — Fusion-based quantum computing is an attractive model for fault-tolerant computation based on photonics requiring only finite-sized entangled resource states followed by linear-optics operations and photon measurements. Large-scale implementations have so far been limited due to the access only to probabilistic photon sources, vulnerability to photon loss, and the need for massive multiplexing. Deterministic photon sources offer an alternative and resource-efficient route. By synergistically integrating deterministic photon emission, adaptive repeat-until-success fusions, and an optimised architectural design, we propose a complete blueprint for a photonic quantum computer using quantum dots and linear optics. It features time-bin qubit encoding, reconfigurable entangled-photon sources, and a fusion-based architecture with low optical connectivity, significantly reducing the required optical depth per photon and resource overheads. We present in detail the hardware required for resource-state generation and fusion networking, experimental pulse sequences, and exact resource estimates for preparing a logical qubit. We estimate that one logical clock cycle of error correction can be executed within microseconds, which scales linearly with the code distance. We also simulate error thresholds for fault-tolerance by accounting for a full catalogue of intrinsic error sources found in real-world quantum dot devices. Our work establishes a practical blueprint for a low-optical-depth, emitter-based fault-tolerant photonic quantum computer.

AB — Fusion-based quantum computing is an attractive model for fault-tolerant computation based on photonics requiring only finite-sized entangled resource states followed by linear-optics operations and photon measurements. Large-scale implementations have so far been limited due to the access only to probabilistic photon sources, vulnerability to photon loss, and the need for massive multiplexing. Deterministic photon sources offer an alternative and resource-efficient route. By synergistically integrating deterministic photon emission, adaptive repeat-until-success fusions, and an optimised architectural design, we propose a complete blueprint for a photonic quantum computer using quantum dots and linear optics. It features time-bin qubit encoding, reconfigurable entangled-photon sources, and a fusion-based architecture with low optical connectivity, significantly reducing the required optical depth per photon and resource overheads.

Aging Can Spread Through Your Body Via a Single Protein, Study Finds

Take note of the name: ReHMGB1. A new study pinpoints this protein as being able to spread the wear and tear that comes with time as it quietly travels through the bloodstream. This adds significantly to our understanding of aging.

Short for reduced high mobility group box 1, ReHMGB1 triggers senescence in cells, permanently disabling them. It doesn’t just do this locally; it can send damaging signals throughout the body, particularly in response to injuries or disease.

“An important question in aging research is why senescent cells increase with age,” write the study authors, led by researchers from the Korea University College of Medicine.

Missing messenger RNA fragments could be key to new immunotherapy for hard-to-treat brain tumors

A new study, led by researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), identified tiny pieces of messenger RNA that are missing in pediatric high-grade glioma tumors but not in normal brain tissues. Preclinical research indicates that these missing RNA fragments can make difficult-to-treat tumors more responsive to immunotherapy. The findings were recently published in the journal Cell Reports.

One of the biggest challenges facing is the need to find safe and effective therapies for the most aggressive types of brain tumors. Adoptive immunotherapies with CAR-T cells are promising; however, they often also target , which share most surface proteins with . While this might be tolerable in patients with certain types of blood cancer, in the brain, wiping out healthy neurons is unacceptable. This means that deep knowledge of gene expression patterns exclusive to is critical.

A potential means of discovering new therapeutic targets for brain tumors may lie in , a process whereby a single gene produces multiple proteins by rearranging exons, the building blocks of messenger RNA, in different combinations. Researchers suspected that splicing in glioma cells may differ from splicing in normal brain cells, which could help devise new therapeutic interventions.

Building a Synthetic Cell Together

Synthetic cells are artificial constructs designed to mimic cellular functions, offering insights into fundamental biology, as well as promising impact in the fields of medicine, biotechnology, and bioengineering. In this perspective, the authors highlight major scientific hurdles, such as the integration of functional modules by ensuring compatibility across diverse synthetic subsystems, and propose strategies to advance the field.

Integrated Photonics for Quantum Computing: Scalable Platforms for Photonic Qubits and Logic Gates

Superconducting quantum computers dominate current development, but integrated photonics offers an alternative that uses photons instead of electrons for quantum information processing. Photonic qubits operate at room temperature rather than near absolute zero, maintain quantum properties longer, and resist environmental interference better than superconducting approaches. The technology applies established semiconductor manufacturing to build quantum circuits on silicon chips, addressing key challenges in scaling to millions of qubits, integrating components on single devices, ensuring reliable operations, and creating commercially viable systems. This approach suits applications where operational consistency takes precedence over raw computational speed.


Integrated photonics enhances quantum computing with photonic qubits, offering improved stability and scalability through established semiconductor techniques.

/* */