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Harnessing GeSn semiconductors for tomorrow’s quantum world

An international team of researchers from Forschungszentrum Jülich (Germany), Tohoku University (Japan), and École Polytechnique de Montréal (Canada) has made a significant discovery in semiconductor science by revealing the remarkable spin-related material properties of Germanium-Tin (GeSn) semiconductors.

Semiconductors control the flow of electricity that power everyday technology all around us (such as cars and computers). However, technology is progressing at such a breakneck speed that it is straining current technologies.

“Semiconductors are approaching their physical and energy-efficiency limits in terms of speed, performance, and ,” says Makoto Kohda from Tohoku University. “This is a huge issue because we need semiconductors that can keep up as we shift to more demanding needs such as 5G/6G networks and the increased use of artificial intelligence.”

Molecular coating cleans up noisy quantum light

Quantum technologies demand perfection: one photon at a time, every time, all with the same energy. Even tiny deviations in the number or energy of photons can derail devices, threatening the performance of quantum computers that someday could make up a quantum internet.

While this level of precision is difficult to achieve, Northwestern University engineers have developed a novel strategy that makes quantum light sources, which dispense single photons, more consistent, precise and reliable.

In a new study, the team coated an atomically thin semiconductor (tungsten diselenide) with a sheetlike organic molecule called PTCDA. The coating transformed the tungsten diselenide’s behavior—turning noisy signals into clean bursts of single photons. Not only did the coating increase the photons’ spectral purity by 87%, but it also shifted the color of photons in a controlled way and lowered the photon activation energy—all without altering the material’s underlying semiconducting properties.

Molecular qubits can communicate at telecom frequencies

A team of scientists from the University of Chicago, the University of California Berkeley, Argonne National Laboratory, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has developed molecular qubits that bridge the gap between light and magnetism—and operate at the same frequencies as telecommunications technology. The advance, published today in Science, establishes a promising new building block for scalable quantum technologies that can integrate seamlessly with existing fiber-optic networks.

Because the new molecular qubits can interact at telecom-band frequencies, the work points toward future quantum networks—sometimes called the “.” Such networks could enable ultra-secure communication channels, connect quantum computers across long distances, and distribute quantum sensors with unprecedented precision.

Molecular qubits could also serve as highly sensitive quantum sensors; their tiny size and chemical flexibility mean they could be embedded in unusual environments—such as —to measure magnetic fields, temperature, or pressure at the nanoscale. And because they are compatible with silicon photonics, these molecules could be integrated directly into chips, paving the way for compact quantum devices that could be used for computing, communication, or sensing.

Phantom Taurus: New China-Linked Hacker Group Hits Governments With Stealth Malware

“The group takes an interest in diplomatic communications, defense-related intelligence and the operations of critical governmental ministries,” the company said. “The timing and scope of the group’s operations frequently coincide with major global events and regional security affairs.”

This aspect is particularly revealing, not least because other Chinese hacking groups have also embraced a similar approach. For instance, a new adversary tracked by Recorded Future as RedNovember is assessed to have targeted entities in Taiwan and Panama in close proximity to “geopolitical and military events of key strategic interest to China.”

Phantom Taurus’ modus operandi also stands out due to the use of custom-developed tools and techniques rarely observed in the threat landscape. This includes a never-before-seen bespoke malware suite dubbed NET-STAR. Developed in. NET, the program is designed to target Internet Information Services (IIS) web servers.

Paper information

🌍 Exciting News! 🌍

Our research team is honored to have two papers accepted at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2025 in Sydney 🇦🇺. Both sessions are scheduled for October 2nd, 2025:

📄 Hybrid GEO–LEO Satellite Network for Multi-Service 5G/6G NTN Connectivity in Australia 🕙 10:15 AM | Room C4.

📄 Leveraging GEO Satellite Virtualization for Enhanced Real-Time Security in Hybrid Satellite Networks 🕜 1:30 PM | Interactive Poster B2.

Although I won’t be able to attend in person, my co-author @Muãwia Tirmizëy will be there to present on behalf of our team.

You can find more details in my LinkedIn announcement here: 👉 [ https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn: li: li:

We’re looking forward to contributing to the global conversation on multi-orbit networks, 5G/6G NTN, and secure satellite connectivity. 🚀

Continue reading “Paper information” | >

Microsoft Edge to block malicious sideloaded extensions

Microsoft is planning to introduce a new Edge security feature that will protect users against malicious extensions sideloaded into the web browser.

Edge enables developers to install extensions locally (also known as sideloading) for testing purposes before publishing them to the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store by toggling the “Developer Mode” option on the Extensions management page and clicking the “Load unpacked” button.

However, users can also sideload third-party extensions that aren’t distributed through official channels and aren’t scanned for malware.

Routing photonic entanglement toward a quantum internet

Imagine the benefits if the entire internet got a game-changing upgrade to speed and security. This is the promise of the quantum internet—an advanced system that uses single photons to operate. Researchers at Tohoku University have developed a new photonic router that can direct single and quantum entangled photons with unprecedented levels of efficiency. This advancement in quantum optics brings us closer to quantum networks and next-generation photonic quantum technologies becoming an everyday reality.

The findings were published in Advanced Quantum Technologies on September 2, 2025.

Photons are the backbone of many emerging quantum applications, from secure communication to powerful quantum computers. To make these technologies practical, photons must be routed quickly and reliably, without disturbing the delicate quantum states they carry.

Cloudflare mitigates new record-breaking 22.2 Tbps DDoS attack

Cloudflare has mitigated a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack that peaked at a record-breaking 22.2 terabits per second (Tbps) and 10.6 billion packets per second (Bpps).

DDoS attacks typically exhaust either system or network resources, aiming to make services slow or unavailable to legitimate users.

Record-breaking DDoS attacks are becoming more frequent, as just three weeks ago, Cloudflare disclosed that it mitigated a massive 11.5 Tbps and 5.1 Bpps attack, the largest publicly announced at the time.

Mozilla now lets Firefox add-on devs roll back bad updates

Mozilla has announced a new feature that enables Firefox extension developers to roll back to previously approved versions, allowing them to quickly address critical bugs and issues.

Once the latest extension version is reverted, users will no longer be able to install it. If automatic updates are enabled, the web browser will also automatically revert the extension to the previous version within 24 hours for users who have installed the buggy version.

“If developing a revised version and obtaining a review won’t address the issue quickly enough, you can roll back to an earlier version of your extension. Users then update to the rolled back version when their browser next checks for extension updates, which, by default, means within 24 hours,” Mozilla says.

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