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Category: computing

The first direct observation of laser-created isolated hopfions

Over the past few decades, some physicists worldwide have been investigating unusual particle-like magnetic structures known as topological solitons. These structures could potentially be leveraged to develop new cutting-edge technologies, such as new magnetic memory devices and computing systems.

A type of topological solitons that has proven to be difficult to realize experimentally is the hopfion. This is a three-dimensional (3D) structure comprised of closed loops of continuously swirling spin textures, which can resemble linked or knotted vortex strings.

Researchers at South China University of Technology, Nankai University, Forschungszentrum Jülich, South China Normal University, University of Luxembourg, and Uppsala University recently reported the first direct observation of isolated hopfions in a magnetic material, which were created using laser pulses.

New Linux ‘Dirty Frag’ zero-day gives root on all major distros

A new Linux zero-day exploit, named Dirty Frag, allows local attackers to gain root privileges on most major Linux distributions with a single command.

Security researcher Hyunwoo Kim, who disclosed it earlier today and published a proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit, says this local privilege escalation was introduced roughly nine years ago in the Linux kernel’s algif_aead cryptographic algorithm interface.

Dirty Frag works by chaining two separate kernel flaws, the xfrm-ESP Page-Cache Write vulnerability and the RxRPC Page-Cache Write vulnerability, to modify protected system files in memory without authorization and achieve privilege escalation.

Quantum Metallurgy Might Be A New Frontier For Superconducting Materials And Artificial Neurons

“The key emphasis here is that disorder is a really important parameter. It’s this tunable thing when we’re playing with quantum phases.”

Modifying the structure of electron crystals is extremely exciting. In superconductors, materials that transport electricity without resistance, the superconducting state can coincide with changes to charge-density waves.

“When we’re doing basic science in these really exotic materials and exotic phases, dramatically new innovations happen,” Hovden told IFLScience. “Technological revolutions like the semiconductor, transistor, and computer happened because we did basic science on atomic structures, on atoms, on matter.”

Quantum metallurgy: Electron crystals deform and melt

In a process analogous to how solids melt into liquids, the electrons in many different metals form crystal-like patterns that can deform and melt, opening new pathways for neuromorphic computing and superconductors, University of Michigan Engineering researchers have found.

“Our work shows that these quantum structures, which are often thought to have a highly ordered structure, actually span a continuum of disorder that could be leveraged to engineer and control these materials,” said Robert Hovden, associate professor of materials science and engineering and corresponding author of the study published in Matter.

“Metallurgists often control defects, or disorder, in metals to produce specific properties,” Hovden said. “A similar approach might help us harness the potential of quantum materials in future devices. Quantum metallurgy could be the future.”

Focused helium ions create ferroelectric regions in aluminum nitride for lower-power chips

Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have shown for the first time that ferroelectricity can be directly written into aluminum nitride using a tightly focused helium ion beam at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS), a DOE Office of Science user facility at ORNL. Ferroelectric devices don’t need constant power to store data, which allows for devices that are more reliable and less power consuming than what’s currently available.

The study, published in Advanced Materials, represents a new processing approach for wurtzite III-V nitrides, a class of semiconductors already widely used in microelectronics but whose ferroelectric potential has only been recognized since 2019.

“Today, both the material and the processing method are already employed in chip manufacturing: aluminum nitride is widely used in many 5G and Wi-Fi devices, and helium ion beams are common tools to make tiny changes to circuits,” said Bogdan Dryzhakov, an ORNL postdoctoral research associate at CNMS.

Researchers combine five metals to build a better nanocrystal

A nanocrystal is an extraordinarily tiny piece of material—composed of anywhere from a few to a few thousand atoms—in which atoms are arranged in a precise, ordered structure. Think of it like taking a piece of gold and shrinking it down to the size of a few hundred atoms. It’s still gold, still crystalline, just almost incomprehensibly small.

Nanocrystals are in the transistors inside computers and smartphones, in smartphone displays and TV screens, in the gold-nanoparticle sensors that power COVID and pregnancy tests, and in the pipes of your car exhaust system, among countless other innovations.

Their small size gives them a dramatically higher ratio of surface area to volume, making them especially useful as catalysts—materials that speed up chemical reactions without being consumed in the process.

Quantum Entangles the Heavens

As the United States, Europe, and China compete to shape the future of the Earth-Moon corridor, strategic advantage will depend not only on launch capacity or lunar infrastructure, but also on advances in quantum technologies. Just as secure systems are critical on Earth, satellites and space-based systems underpin high-value, high-impact operations from financial transactions and navigation to scientific discovery and classified military missions.

Quantum technologies, which enable new levels of speed, sensitivity, and security, are emerging as critical tools to improve existing extraterrestrial systems. Modern digital communications are secured by encryption built on math problems that are extremely difficult for regular computers to solve, but that sufficiently advanced quantum computers could eventually crack. Quantum communications technologies could add a new layer of protection by making it easier to detect when someone is trying to intercept sensitive information. Quantum sensors can measure position and time with an accuracy that GPS only approximates. Lastly, quantum computers could unlock new capabilities beyond current computational limits, from designing advanced materials to optimizing increasingly complex satellite networks.

Countries are racing to match their space and quantum ambitions with national strategies. The White House is reportedly drafting an executive order to strengthen US competitiveness in quantum technologies. The rumored draft directs multiple US government bodies, including NASA, to develop a five-year roadmap to expand quantum sensing and networking capabilities. The EU’s 2025 Quantum Europe Strategy highlights “Space and Dual-Use Quantum Technologies” as one of its five strategic focuses, and China’s 15th Five-Year Plan has called for expanding the country’s ground-to-space quantum communications network.

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