Experiments on Google’s 67-qubit Sycamore processor showed operations entering a new “weak noise phase” in which calculations were complex enough to outperform supercomputers, based on benchmark testing.
Physicists showed that photons can seem to exit a material before entering it, revealing observational evidence of negative time.
A black hole analog could tell us a thing or two about an elusive radiation theoretically emitted by the real thing.
Using a chain of atoms in single-file to simulate the event horizon of a black hole, a team of physicists in 2022 observed the equivalent of what we call Hawking radiation – particles born from disturbances in the quantum fluctuations caused by the black hole’s break in spacetime.
This, they say, could help resolve the tension between two currently irreconcilable frameworks for describing the Universe: the general theory of relativity, which describes the behavior of gravity as a continuous field known as spacetime; and quantum mechanics, which describes the behavior of discrete particles using the mathematics of probability.
Essentia Foundation’s Hans Busstra visited Vienna to attend a conference on the foundations of quantum mechanics, and interview physicists on the metaphysical implications of quantum mechanics. In this essay, he argues that what is called ‘experimental metaphysics’ might be at the heart of future progress in physics, and that philosophy and physics are moving closer together.
Physicist Pan Jianwei outlines timetable for quantum-based ultra-secure networks that will have coverage across the world.
It’s not your ordinary pocket watch: The researchers showed that, at least under a narrow range of conditions, their clock could beat a benchmark for precision called the “standard quantum limit”—what physicist Adam Kaufman refers to as the “Holy Grail” for optical atomic clocks.
“What we’re able to do is divide the same length of time into smaller and smaller units,” said Kaufman, senior author of the new study and a fellow at JILA, a joint research institute between CU Boulder and NIST. “That acceleration could allow us to track time more precisely.”
The team’s advancements could lead to new quantum technologies. They include sensors that can measure subtle changes in the environment, such as how Earth’s gravity shifts with elevation.
Scientists have devised a method to detect nuclear decay through the subtle movement of microparticles, enhancing our understanding of elusive particles like neutrinos.
This breakthrough paves the way for improved nuclear monitoring tools and could be enhanced by future quantum technologies.
Radioactivity is all around us, even in everyday items. For example, bananas contain trace amounts of radioactive potassium, with approximately 10 nuclei decaying every second in a typical banana. While these tiny amounts of radioactivity are not dangerous, there is growing scientific interest in enhancing the precision of tools for detecting such nuclear decays.
Quantum computers and quantum communication are groundbreaking technologies that enable faster and more secure data processing and transmission compared to traditional computers. In quantum computers, qubits serve as the fundamental units of information, functioning as the quantum mechanical equivalent of bits in classical computing.
Where, for example, laser pulses in a glass fiber transport information from A to B in classical digital communication, quantum mechanics uses individual photons. In principle, this makes it impossible to intercept the transmitted data. Qubits that are optically addressable (can be controlled or read out with light) are suitable for storing the photons’ information and processing it in quantum computers. The qubits can store and process quantum states, and absorb and emit them in the form of photons.
Initially investigating out of pure curiosity, researchers have made a discovery that bridges the gap between Aristotle’s observations two millennia ago and modern-day understanding, while opening the door to a whole host of “cool”—and “cooling”—implications.
While various studies have hinted at the existence of dark matter, its nature, composition and underlying physics remain poorly understood.
