Lifeboat Foundation

Scientists cannot observe dark matter directly, so to “see” it, they look for signals that it has interacted with other matter by creating a visible photon. However, signals from dark matter are incredibly weak. If scientists can make a particle detector more receptive to these signals, they can increase the likelihood of discovery and decrease the time to get there. One way to do this is to stimulate the emission of photons.

Quantum technology is quantifiable in qubits, which are the most basic unit of data in quantum computers. The operation of qubits is affected by the quantum coherence time required to maintain a quantum wave state.

Research on quantum internet technology highlights the challenge of producing stable photons at telecom wavelengths, with recent studies focusing on material improvements and advanced emission techniques to enhance quantum network efficiency.

Computers benefit greatly from being connected to the internet, so we might ask: What good is a quantum computer without a quantum internet?

The secret to our modern internet is the ability for data to remain intact while traveling over long distances, and the best way to achieve that is by using photons. Photons are single units (“quanta”) of light. Unlike other quantum particles, photons interact very weakly with their environment. That stability also makes them extremely appealing for carrying quantum information over long distances, a process that requires maintaining a delicate state of entanglement for an extended period of time. Such photons can be generated in a variety of ways. One possible method involves using atomic-scale imperfections (quantum defects) in crystals to generate single photons in a well-defined quantum state.

Mining cryptocurrencies like bitcoin could be done using quantum computers, cutting their electricity use by 90 per cent.

By Alex Wilkins

Calculations show that nerve fibres in the brain could emit pairs of entangled particles, and this quantum phenomenon might explain how different parts of the brain work together.

By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

Have you ever considered the possibility that our reality might be an intricately crafted computer simulation? There is a name for this theory — Simulation Hypothesis — and it is now being tested in quantum lab experiments.

Though it may initially resemble a plot from the latest sci-fi blockbuster, a dedicated group of researchers is rigorously exploring this intriguing concept.

They are investigating the philosophical implications and technological advancements that could render such a simulation plausible.

When two black holes collide, space and time shake and energy spreads out like ripples in a pond. These gravitational waves, predicted by Einstein in 1916, were observed for the first time by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) telescope in September 2015.

Dark energy remains among the greatest puzzles in our understanding of the cosmos. In the standard model of cosmology called the Lambda-CDM, it is accounted for by adding a cosmological constant term in Einstein’s field equation first introduced by Einstein himself. This constant is very small and positive and lacks a complete theoretical understanding of why it has such a tiny value. Moreover, dark energy has some peculiar features, such as negative pressure and does not dilute with cosmic expansion, which makes at least some of us uncomfortable.

Is nature really as strange as quantum theory says — or are there simpler explanations? Neutron measurements prove: It doesn’t work without the strange properties of quantum theory.

Quantum theory allows particles to exist in superposition states, defying classical realism. The Leggett-Garg inequality tests this by comparing quantum behavior against classical expectations. Recent neutron beam experiments at TU Wien confirmed that particles do violate this inequality, reinforcing the validity of quantum theory over classical explanations.