Lifeboat Foundation

Controlled nuclear fusion has been a holy grail for physicists who seek an endless supply of clean energy. Scientists at Rice University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Chile offered a glimpse into a possible new path toward that goal.

Their report on quantum-controlled fusion puts forth the notion that rather than heating atoms to temperatures found inside the sun or smashing them in a collider, it might be possible to nudge them close enough to fuse by using shaped laser pulses: ultrashort, tuned bursts of coherent light.

Authors Peter Wolynes of Rice, Martin Gruebele of Illinois and Illinois alumnus Eduardo Berrios of Chile simulated reactions in two dimensions that, if extrapolated to three, might just produce energy efficiently from deuterium and tritium or other elements.

Lasers are everywhere nowadays: Doctors use them to correct eyesight, cashiers to scan your groceries, and quantum scientist to control qubits in the future quantum computer. For most applications, the current bulky, energy-inefficient lasers are fine, but quantum scientist work at extremely low temperatures and on very small scales. For over 40 years, they have been searching for efficient and precise microwave lasers that will not disturb the very cold environment in which quantum technology works.

A team of researchers led by Leo Kouwenhoven at TU Delft has demonstrated an on-chip microwave laser based on a fundamental property of superconductivity, the ac Josephson effect. They embedded a small section of an interrupted superconductor, a Josephson junction, in a carefully engineered on-chip cavity. Such a device opens the door to many applications in which microwave radiation with minimal dissipation is key, for example in controlling qubits in a scalable quantum computer.

The scientists have published their work in Science on the 3rd of March.

MIT physicists have created a new form of matter, a supersolid, which combines the properties of solids with those of superfluids.

By using lasers to manipulate a superfluid gas known as a Bose-Einstein condensate, the team was able to coax the condensate into a quantum phase of matter that has a rigid structure—like a solid—and can flow without viscosity—a key characteristic of a superfluid. Studies into this apparently contradictory phase of matter could yield deeper insights into superfluids and superconductors, which are important for improvements in technologies such as superconducting magnets and sensors, as well as efficient energy transport. The researchers report their results this week in the journal Nature.

“It is counterintuitive to have a material which combines superfluidity and solidity,” says team leader Wolfgang Ketterle, the John D. MacArthur Professor of Physics at MIT. “If your coffee was superfluid and you stirred it, it would continue to spin around forever.”

Continue reading “Researchers create new form of matter—supersolid is crystalline and superfluid at the same time” »

China announces that it’s already testing the EmDrive, a completely electric space engine, out in space, and has big plans for the tech.

The encryption codes that safeguard internet data today won’t be secure forever.

Future quantum computers may have the processing power and algorithms to crack them.

Nathan Hamlin, instructor and director of the WSU Math Learning Center, is helping to prepare for this eventuality.

If you aren’t already, you’re likely soon to find yourself looking forward to the day when quantum computers will replace regular computers for every day use. The computing power of quantum computers is immense compared to what regular desktops or laptops can do. The downside is, current quantum computing technology are limited by the bulky frameworks and extreme conditions they require in order to function.

Quantum computers need specialized setups in order to sustain and keep quantum bits — the heart of quantum computing — working. These “qubits” are particles in a quantum state of superposition, which allows them to encode and transmit information as 0s and 1s simultaneously. Most computers run on binary bit systems which use either 0s or 1s. Since quantum computers can use both at the same time, they can process more information faster. That being said, Sustaining the life of qubits is particularly difficult, but researchers are investigating quantum computing studies are trying to find ways to prolong the life of qubits using various techniques.

Something for the kid in all of us.

While I was at Toy Fair, I swung by the Quantum Mechanix booth to check out their newest Q-Fig offerings, as it’s one of my favorite vinyl statue lines these days. I was not disappointed, as I got to see new addition to the Marvel, DC, and Harry Potter collections, as well as one from ANIMANIACS!

Quantum Mechanics for Dummys.

Physicist: As much of a trope as “Other Quantum Worlds” has become in sci-fi, there are reasons to think that they may be a real thing; including “other yous”. Here’s the idea.

Superposition is a real thing (on small scales at least)

Continue reading “Q: Does quantum mechanics really say there are other ‘mes’? Where are they?” »

We can even use a vacuum to explain how Quantum is in all things while solving one of the remaining discrepancies in physics.

In the observable universe, number of particles are estimated to be 10⁸⁰ and if there were some discrepancy in Physics with the explanations of the observable universe or with its each particle then it should confine to factor 10⁸⁰. I submit that 10⁸⁰ is a huge figure that forms if one puts eighty zeros after 1. But if the discrepancy is of the factor 10¹²⁰ then either it is beyond the total number of particles constituting the universe or the physicists might have gravely erred in their calculations. It might be a freak happening that resulted in such a huge quantity. After all, freaks are also the creations of nature or probably the nature itself has erred here. This discrepancy of 10¹²⁰ is the largest and worst cosmological confusion which can be abbreviated CC and rightly so for cosmological constant as it is the cosmological constant based on Quantum mechanical model. Quantum mechanical model says, energy density of the vacuum is in the range of 10¹¹³ Joules per metre cube whereas General Relativity calculates it in the range of 10^−9 Joule per metre cube. An attempt is made to resolve this discrepancy using Spacetime transformation and gravitational gamma Г. Gravitational gamma Г is a term that appears in Schwarzschild solution of general relativity equations.

I submit that vacuum is not nothing but is everything and quantum mechanical model of the vacuum has very large energy density. In the words of John Archibald Wheeler, “Empty space is not empty… The density of field fluctuation energy in the vacuum argues that elementary particles represent percentage‐ wise almost completely negligible change in the locally violent conditions that characterise the vacuum.” That means there are violent conditions or fluctuations although vacuum on large scale appears smooth. Spacetime model has the capability of creating matter, forces, fields and particles. In fact, matter even the entire universe is assumed as spacetime as has been explained in my earlier article, “Matter Is No More Than Fluctuations In Vacuum*.”

Continue reading “Resolution Of Largest Numerical Discrepancy In All Of Physics” »