An invention from Twente improves the quality of light particles (photons) to such an extent that building quantum computers based on light becomes cheaper and more practical. The researchers published their research in the journal Physical Review Applied.
Quantum computers are at a tipping point: tech giants and governments are investing billions, but there are two fundamental obstacles: the quantity of qubits and the quality of these qubits. UT researchers have invented a component for a photonic quantum computer that exchanges quantity for quality, and have shown that this exchange yields more computing power.
“Our discovery brings a future with powerful quantum computers a lot closer. That means improved medicines, new materials and safer communications. But also applications that we cannot yet imagine today,” says lead researcher Jelmer Renema. “This technology is an essential part of any future photonic quantum computer.”
Discovering and controlling exotic physical states is key in condensed matter physics and materials science. It has the potential to drive advancements in quantum computing and spintronics.
While studying a ferrimagnet model, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory uncovered a new phase of matter called “half-ice, half-fire.” This state is a twin to the “half-fire, half-ice” phase discovered in 2016.
People living in Bronze Age-era Denmark may have been able to travel to Norway directly over the open sea, according to a study published in PLOS One by Boel Bengtsson from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and colleagues. To complete this study, the research team developed a new computer modeling tool that could help other scientists better understand how ancient peoples traversed the sea.
The Bronze Age cultures of what are now northern Denmark and southwestern Norway are quite alike, with similar artifacts, burial systems, and architecture. Cultural exchange between the two regions was likely made possible by vessels traveling along the coastlines of Scandinavia, following a 700-kilometer route across Denmark, up the coast of Sweden and back down to southwestern Norway.
However, the researchers of this new paper suggest, the cultural similarities between these two regions invite speculation that ancient people may also have traveled directly between the two sites—over more than 100 kilometers of open ocean.
Spintronics, an emerging field of technology, exploits the spin of electrons rather than their charge to process and store information. Spintronics could lead to faster, more power-efficient computers and memory devices. However, most spintronic systems require magnetic fields to control spin, which is challenging in ultracompact device integration due to unwanted interference between components. This new research provides a way to overcome this limitation.
As published in Materials Horizons, a research team led by the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) has introduced a novel method to control electron spin using only an electric field. This could pave the way for the future development of ultra-compact, energy-efficient spintronic devices.
Their findings demonstrate how an emerging type of magnetic material, an altermagnetic bilayer, can host a novel mechanism called layer-spin locking, thus enabling all-electrical manipulation of spin currents at room temperature.
D-Wave Quantum Inc has deployed its hybrid approach to solve optimization problems and drug discovery hurdles in separate projects.
Qudit-based quantum computers simulate 2D quantum electrodynamics, revealing magnetic fields and particle interactions in new detail.