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Mapping one atom’s interaction with light uncovers an unbounded network of quantum states

A new graph-theoretic framework provides a unified description of atom-light interactions across regimes ranging from weak to deep-strong coupling.

A research team comprising professors Sunkyu Yu and Namkyoo Park of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Seoul National University College of Engineering and professor Xianji Piao of the University of Seoul has discovered that even the interaction between a single atom and light—one of the simplest settings in quantum physics—contains an enormous, intricately connected network.

The study was published Sept. 25 in the journal Science Advances.

Experimental evidence of altermagnetism in a layered material opens a promising path toward future spintronics

To build the ultrafast computers of the future, scientists are looking beyond the electrical charge of electrons to another property: their spin. While conventional hardware relies on the movement of charge to process data, tapping into this intrinsic quantum property could enable researchers to reinvent how information travels through a circuit.

Now, a team led by UCF physics professor Madhab Neupane has identified a promising candidate. Neupane and his collaborators found evidence of altermagnetism, an emerging form of magnetism that combines useful characteristics of two more familiar types: ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism. Their paper is published in the journal Nature Communications.

Ferromagnetism produces the behavior most people associate with everyday magnets. In these materials, magnetic moments align in the same direction, creating a magnetic field. That property can be useful in electronics, but the resulting stray magnetic fields can interfere with nearby components.

Waves find order in the chaos of an oddly shaped cavity

When light or sound bounces around inside an oddly shaped room, its reflections can quickly become difficult to predict. But new research led by scientists at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC) shows that waves can behave very differently when they travel through a special class of materials.

The study, published in Nature Physics, demonstrates that waves inside an irregularly shaped cavity made from hyperbolic materials (named after the mathematical curve called a hyperbola because of the distinctive shape they force light waves to take) can organize into stable, repeating paths rather than scattering chaotically.

The researchers call these structures “hyperbolic wave attractors,” and their findings could eventually help scientists and engineers design new ways to control light, radio waves and sound in complex environments.

New model explains why glass becomes less transparent to terahertz light

Electromagnetic waves in the gigahertz (GHz) range, such as those used in mobile communications, can readily pass through many types of glass. However, transmission decreases significantly at terahertz frequencies above a characteristic threshold.

Although this phenomenon has been observed experimentally for some time, a quantitative model connecting it to the microscopic structure and dynamics of glass has been lacking.

To address this problem, the research team developed a continuum model that incorporates elastic heterogeneity in glass alongside microscopic charge fluctuations at atomic and molecular scales. The model describes how terahertz electromagnetic waves interact with vibrational dynamics in glass.

Rare quantum state reveals particles with quarter-electron charge

An electron’s charge is normally fixed, like a coin you can’t break into pieces. But if electrons are cooled close to absolute zero and trapped in a two-dimensional layer under a powerful magnetic field, they organize into a collective state of “quasiparticles” that seem to hold only a fraction of an electron’s charge.

This state is known as the “fractional quantum Hall effect.” A small number of these states, known as “even-denominator states,” have drawn attention because some theories predict they could contain unusual quasiparticles called “non-Abelian anyons.”

Why are these interesting? Because their quantum properties make them candidates for storing and processing information in fault-tolerant (error-resistant) topological quantum computers.

Random access quantum memory lets one processor select among seven storage cells

Classical computers can temporarily store the information required to perform specific tasks in a short-term memory component known as RAM (random access memory). This component allows computer processors to retrieve information from a chosen location without searching through all stored data.

Yet most current superconductor-based quantum computers do not have a separate RAM-like component. This is because while processors and memory components are separate in classical computers, most superconducting quantum computers rely on the same hardware for storing and processing information.

Researchers at Stanford University, University of Chicago, the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and other institutions have designed a new device that could serve as a random access quantum memory. Their device, presented in a paper published in Nature Physics, could pave the way for quantum computers with separate memory components and fewer signal-carrying connections.

Ultrathin materials could make quantum light circuits programmable

Quantum photonics could be a pivotal part of future quantum technology if the right materials can be created, a new review paper has found.

Photonics offers an approach to developing quantum technology using light. The authors believe a programmable photonic platform could enable technologies such as quantum neural networks and distributed quantum computing.

Many photonic components already exist and can be integrated onto a single silicon chip. The challenge is to put them together in a way that can be manipulated efficiently. Today’s technology is mostly fixed once manufactured.

Discovery confirms rare, switchable electrical property in widely used electronics material

A Husker research team’s latest research could open the door to broader use of a class of materials whose electrical properties may someday power next-generation electronics, high-density energy storage, improved computer memory and new strategies for cooling.

In a new paper published in Science, University of Nebraska–Lincoln researchers Xiaoshan Xu, Alexei Gruverman and Evgeny Tsymbal demonstrate that hafnium oxide—a tough, heat-resistant chemical compound used widely in modern electronics—is inherently antiferroelectric, a rare quality found in very few materials. Unlike hafnium oxide, also known as hafnia, many intrinsically antiferroelectric materials contain the toxin lead, which limits their widespread use.

The trio said the discovery will help settle a longstanding debate about hafnia’s properties. Though scientists have long observed the material’s antiferroelectric behavior, they have disagreed on whether it results from “true” antiferroelectricity or from an artificial effect stemming from the entrapment or redistribution of electrical charges.

How to balance quantum batteries’ high power with stable energy delivery

Quantum batteries are an emerging area of research, with progress coming from theoretical studies and proof-of-principle experiments in small quantum systems. Unlike conventional chemical batteries used in everyday life, they use quantum systems to store and transfer energy. Researchers are exploring them as potential future energy sources for quantum processors and other quantum technologies.

Previous research has focused mainly on how fast and powerfully quantum batteries can be charged. In new research, the researchers establish fundamental limits on fluctuations in both the energy delivered by a quantum battery and the rate at which it is delivered.

The work, “Fundamental Limitations on the Reliabilities of Power and Work in Quantum Batteries,” was published in PRX Quantum.

When microbial DNA is scarce, new profiling method helps separate genuine signals from contamination

In acute, life-threatening infections, rapidly characterizing the microorganisms in a patient sample can help guide diagnosis and treatment. Computational methods known as taxonomic profilers can analyze metagenome sequencing data generated from the microorganisms’ genomic information and compare it with reference genomes of individual microorganisms. However, taxonomic profilers are still under development and are not yet in common use. Current methods can produce false-positive results or inaccurate abundance estimates.

Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) have developed a new taxonomic profiler called Metax. By using information about how sequencing reads are distributed across microbial reference genomes, Metax can distinguish true microbial signals from artifacts more reliably and improve both taxonomic identification and abundance estimation. The study was published in the journal Cell.

“In clinical samples, for example, microbial profiling can provide important information about microorganisms that may be relevant for an infection,” explains Alice McHardy, a professor and head of the research group “Computational Biology for Infection Research” at HZI. “Such information can complement established diagnostic approaches and help researchers and clinicians investigate potential pathogens. But taxonomic profiling is equally important far beyond clinical applications, from human microbiome research to environmental monitoring.”

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