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Category: computing – Page 24

A new scalable approach to realize a quantum communication network based on ytterbium-171 atoms

Quantum networks, systems consisting of connected quantum computers, quantum sensors or other quantum devices, hold the potential of enabling faster and safer communications. The establishment of these networks relies on a quantum phenomenon known as entanglement, which entails a link between particles or systems, with the quantum state of one influencing the other even when they are far apart.

The atom-based qubits used to establish so far operate at visible or ultraviolet wavelength, which is not ideal for the transmission of signals over long distances via optical fibers. Converting these signals to telecom-band wavelengths, however, can reduce the efficiency of communication and introduce undesirable signals that can disrupt the link between qubits.

A research team at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, led by Prof. Jacob P. Covey recently realized telecom-band wavelength quantum networking using an array of ytterbium-171 atoms. Their paper, published in Nature Physics, introduces a promising approach to realize high-fidelity entanglement between atoms and optical photons generated directly in the telecommunication band.

Fundamental engineering principles can help identify disease biomarkers more quickly

People often compare the genome to a computer’s program, with the cell using its genetic code to process environmental inputs and produce appropriate responses.

But the machine metaphor can be extended even further to any , and applying established concepts of engineering to biology could revolutionize how scientists make their observations within biology, according to research from University of Michigan.

In a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Indika Rajapakse, Ph.D., Joshua Pickard, Ph.D. (now an Eric and Wendy Schmidt Postdoctoral Fellow at the Broad Institute), and their team propose that fundamental principles of and observability can be applied to study that change over time.

Scientists create nanofluidic chip with ‘brain-like’ memory pathways

Scientists at Monash University have created a tiny fluid-based chip that behaves like neural pathways of the brain, potentially opening the door to a new generation of computers.

Roughly the size of a coin, the chip was built from a specially designed metal-organic framework (MOF), and channels ions through tiny pathways, mimicking the on/off switching of electronic transistors in computers.

But unlike conventional computer chips, it can also “remember” previous signals, mimicking the plasticity of neurons in the brain.

Strain engineering enhances spin readout in quantum technologies, study shows

Quantum defects are tiny imperfections in solid crystal lattices that can trap individual electrons and their “spin” (i.e., the internal angular momentum of particles). These defects are central to the functioning of various quantum technologies, including quantum sensors, computers and communication systems.

Reliably predicting and controlling the behavior of quantum defects is thus very important, as it could pave the way for the development of better performing quantum systems tailored for specific applications. A property closely linked to the dependability of quantum technologies is the so-called spin readout contrast, which essentially determines how clear it is to distinguish between two different spin states in a system.

Researchers at the Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), the HUN-REN Wigner Research Center for Physics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and other institutes recently showed that strain engineering (i.e., stretching or compressing materials) could be used to control how quantum defects behave and enhance spin readout contrast in quantum systems.

Scientists create world’s first chip that combines 2D materials with conventional silicon circuitry

For the first time, scientists have created a fully functional memory chip only a few atoms thick and integrated it into conventional chips. This advance could pave the way for more powerful and energy-efficient electronic devices.

Decades of innovation have shrunk the circuits on a computer chip so that, nowadays, engineers can pack billions of tiny components onto a single thumbnail-sized silicon wafer. But are now reaching the physical limits of how small they can go while still performing reliably. The solution is two-dimensional (2D) materials, which are materials that are just a single layer of atoms thick that can be scaled down even further and have superior electronic properties.

However, the problem with 2D materials like graphene up until now has been that only simple chips could be constructed with them, and it wasn’t easy to connect them to traditional processors. Now, in research published in the journal Nature, Chunsen Liu at Fudan University in Shanghai and his colleagues have overcome these hurdles. They successfully combined atomically thin 2D memory cells directly onto a conventional silicon chip, creating the world’s first two-dimensional silicon-based hybrid architecture chip.

Individual electrons trapped and controlled above 1 K, easing cooling limits for quantum computing

Researchers from EeroQ, the quantum computing company pioneering electron-on-helium technology, have published a paper, titled “Sensing and Control of Single Trapped Electrons Above 1 Kelvin,” in Physical Review X that details a significant milestone: the first demonstration of controlling and detecting individual electrons trapped on superfluid helium at temperatures above 1 Kelvin. This work was achieved using on-chip superconducting microwave circuits, a method compatible with existing quantum hardware.

Quantum computers today typically require operation at ultra-low temperatures near 10 millikelvin, creating severe challenges in scaling due to heat dissipation. By showing that individual electrons can be trapped and controlled at temperatures more than 100 times higher (above 1 Kelvin), EeroQ’s results open a new pathway toward larger and more practical quantum processors.

The findings also validate long-standing theoretical predictions that electrons on helium can provide exceptionally pure and long-lived qubits, while reducing the extreme cooling demands that limit other approaches.

Superconductivity distorts crystal lattice of topological quantum materials

Superconductors (materials that conduct electricity without resistance) have fascinated physicists for more than a century. While conventional superconductors are well understood, a new class of materials known as topological superconductors has attracted intense interest in recent years.

These superconductors have been reported to be capable of hosting Majorana quasiparticles, exotic states that could change the field of fault-tolerant quantum computing. Yet many of the fundamental properties of these novel bulk topological superconductors remain relatively unknown, leaving open questions about how their unusual electronic states interact with the underlying .

In a new study conducted by Professor Guo-qing Zheng, along with Kazuaki Matano, S. Takayanagi, K. Ito of Okayama University and Professor H. Nakao of High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), published in Physical Review Letters on August 22, 2025, the researchers report that the doped topological insulator CuxBi2Se3 undergoes tiny but spontaneous distortions in its crystal lattice as it enters the superconducting state.

Caltech Shatters Record With 6,100-Qubit Quantum Array

The neutral-atom platform appears promising for scaling up quantum computers. To solve some of the toughest challenges in physics, chemistry, and other fields, quantum computers will eventually need extremely large numbers of qubits. Unlike classical bits that can only represent a 0 or a 1, qubits

Researchers Have Discovered a Way To Simulate the Universe — on a Laptop

Cosmologists can now explore data faster than ever before with a new emulator. As astronomers continue to uncover the mysteries of the universe, their work generates increasingly vast and intricate data sets. A recent innovation is making it possible for researchers to process these enormous collec

Scientists Accidentally Create a “Rainbow Laser” on a Tiny Chip

While developing LiDAR technology, scientists unexpectedly discovered how to generate multiple laser colors from a single chip.

Their innovation could transform data centers and communications by delivering faster, cleaner, and more efficient light sources.

Accidental Discovery in the Lab.

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