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Category: computing – Page 7

Atomic neighborhoods in semiconductors provide new avenue for designing microelectronics

Inside the microchips powering the device you’re reading this on, the atoms have a hidden order all their own. A team led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and George Washington University has confirmed that atoms in semiconductors will arrange themselves in distinctive localized patterns that change the material’s electronic behavior.

The research, published in Science, may provide a foundation for designing specialized semiconductors for quantum-computing and optoelectronic devices for defense technologies.

On the , semiconductors are crystals made of different elements arranged in repeating . Many semiconductors are made primarily of one element with a few others added to the mix in small quantities. There aren’t enough of these trace additives to cause a throughout the material, but how these atoms are arranged next to their immediate neighbors has long been a mystery.

Chip-scale cold atom experiments could unleash the power of quantum science in the field

Cold atom experiments are among the most powerful and precise ways of investigating and measuring the universe and exploring the quantum world. By trapping atoms and exploiting their quantum properties, scientists can discover new states of matter, sense even the faintest of signals, take ultra-precise measurements of time and gravity, and conduct quantum sensing and computing experiments.

Quantum random number generator combines small size and high speed

Researchers have developed a chip-based quantum random number generator that provides high-speed, high-quality operation on a miniaturized platform. This advance could help move quantum random number generators closer to being built directly into everyday devices, where they could strengthen security without sacrificing speed.

Preserving particle physics data ensures future discoveries from collider experiments

A lot of the science from our accelerators is published long after collisions end, so storing experimental data for future physicists is crucial.

About a billion pairs of particles collide every second within the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). With them, a petabyte of collision data floods the detectors and pours through highly selective filters, known as trigger systems. Less than 0.001% of the data survives the process and reaches the CERN Data Center, to be copied onto long-term tape.

This archive now represents the largest scientific data set ever assembled. Yet, there may be more science in it than we can extract today, which makes data preservation essential for future physicists.

Key Bottleneck Broken: Quantum Computer Chips Clear Major Manufacturing Hurdle

A startup has proven its silicon quantum chips can be manufactured at scale without losing precision. UNSW Sydney startup Diraq has demonstrated that its quantum chips are not only effective in controlled laboratory conditions but also maintain performance when manufactured in real-world production

The System That Could Replace Binary And Change Computers FOREVER

Ternary computing uses-1, 0, and 1 instead of just 0 and 1, and for a brief moment in the 1950s, it looked like it could redefine how we build computers. A Soviet team even built a working ternary machine called Setun. So why did the world choose binary? And could ternary still make a comeback?

Sources, transcript and more available on codeolences.com.

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A new look at how the brain works reveals that wiring isn’t everything

How a brain’s anatomical structure relates to its function is one of the most important questions in neuroscience. It explores how physical components, such as neurons and their connections, give rise to complex behaviors and thoughts. A recent study of the brain of the tiny worm C. elegans provides a surprising answer: Structure alone doesn’t explain how the brain works.

C. elegans is often used in because, unlike the incredibly complex human brain, which has billions of connections, the worm has a very simple nervous system with only 302 neurons. A complete, detailed map of every single one of its connections, or brain wiring diagram (connectome), was mapped several years ago, making it ideal for study.

In this research, scientists compared the worm’s physical wiring in the brain to its signaling network, how the signals travel from one neuron to another. First, they used an to get a of the physical connections between its nerve cells. Then, they activated individual neurons with light to create a signaling network and used a technique called calcium imaging to observe which other neurons responded to this stimulation. Finally, they used computer programs to compare the physical wiring map and the signal flow map, identifying any differences and areas of overlap.

Physicists set record with 6,100-qubit array

Quantum computers will need large numbers of qubits to tackle challenging problems in physics, chemistry, and beyond. Unlike classical bits, qubits can exist in two states at once—a phenomenon called superposition. This quirk of quantum physics gives quantum computers the potential to perform certain complex calculations better than their classical counterparts, but it also means the qubits are fragile. To compensate, researchers are building quantum computers with extra, redundant qubits to correct any errors. That is why robust quantum computers will require hundreds of thousands of qubits.

Now, in a step toward this vision, Caltech physicists have created the largest array ever assembled: 6,100 neutral-atom qubits trapped in a grid by lasers. Previous arrays of this kind contained only hundreds of qubits.

This milestone comes amid a rapidly growing race to scale up quantum computers. There are several approaches in development, including those based on superconducting circuits, trapped ions, and neutral atoms, as used in the new study.

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