A proposed method could help scientists coax simple atomic systems into quantum states that have useful, tailored properties.
Category: quantum physics – Page 2
Magnifying Atomic Images
A new technique allows the imaging of an atomic system in which the interatomic spacing is smaller than the optical-resolution limit.
To gain in-depth understanding of quantum matter, researchers need to probe it at the microscopic level. Ultracold atoms—ensembles of atoms cooled to near absolute zero—offer an exceptionally clean and controllable platform for exploring collective quantum phenomena. Over the past two decades, researchers have sought to take in situ “snapshots” in which every single atom is individually resolved in position and, when needed, in spin. Recent advances have brought this vision to life and have significantly accelerated our understanding of collective quantum behaviors. Yet an important challenge remains: In a number of situations, the typical spacing between particles is smaller than the resolution limit of conventional optical imaging. Now Selim Jochim and his group at Heidelberg University in Germany have introduced a method to overcome this barrier by making the system “self-magnify” before imaging [1].
Explaining a quantum oddity with five atoms
Matter gets weird at the quantum scale, and among the oddities is the Efimov effect, a state in which the attractive forces between three or more atoms bind them together, even as they are excited to higher energy levels, while that same force is insufficient to bind two atoms.
At Purdue University, researchers have completed the immense quantum calculation required to represent the Efimov effect in five atoms, adding to our fragmented picture of the most fundamental nature of matter.
The calculation, which applies across a broad range of physical problems—from a group of atoms being studied in a laser trap to the gases in a neutron star—contributes to our foundational understanding of matter and may lead to more efficient methods for confining atoms for study.
Quantum researchers observe real-time switching of magnet in heart of single atom
Researchers from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have been able to see the magnetic nucleus of an atom switch back and forth in real time. They read out the nuclear “spin” via the electrons in the same atom through the needle of a scanning tunneling microscope.
To their surprise, the spin remained stable for several seconds, offering prospects for enhanced control of the magnetic nucleus. The research, published in Nature Communications, is a step forward for quantum sensing at the atomic scale.
A scanning tunneling microscope (STM) consists of an atomically-sharp needle that can “feel” single atoms on a surface and make images with atomic resolution. Or to be precise, STM can only feel the electrons that surround the atomic nucleus. Both the electrons and the nucleus in an atom are potentially small magnets.
Quantum ‘curvature’ warps electron flow, hinting at new electronics possibilities
How can data be processed at lightning speed, or electricity conducted without loss? To achieve this, scientists and industry alike are turning to quantum materials, governed by the laws of the infinitesimal. Designing such materials requires a detailed understanding of atomic phenomena, much of which remains unexplored.
A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), in collaboration with the University of Salerno and the CNR-SPIN Institute (Italy), has taken a major step forward by uncovering a hidden geometry—until now purely theoretical—that distorts the trajectories of electrons in much the same way gravity bends the path of light. The work, published in Science, opens new avenues for quantum electronics.
Future technologies depend on high-performance materials with unprecedented properties, rooted in quantum physics. At the heart of this revolution lies the study of matter at the microscopic scale—the very essence of quantum physics. In the past century, exploring atoms, electrons and photons within materials gave rise to transistors and, ultimately, to modern computing.
Hybrid quantum-classical-quantum convolutional neural networks
Long, C., Huang, M., Ye, X. et al. Hybrid quantum-classical-quantum convolutional neural networks. Sci Rep 15, 31,780 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-13417-1
Quantum entanglement lasts 600 times longer in elusive dark states, study finds
A research team affiliated with UNIST has successfully demonstrated the experimental creation of collective quantum entanglement rooted in dark states—previously confined to theoretical models. The findings are published online in Nature Communications.
Unlike bright states, dark states are highly resistant to external disturbances and exhibit remarkably extended lifetimes, making them promising candidates for next-generation quantum technologies such as quantum memory and ultra-sensitive sensors.
Led by Professor Je-Hyung Kim in the Department of Physics at UNIST, in collaboration with Dr. Changhyoup Lee from the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) and Dr. Jin Dong Song from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), the team has achieved the controlled induction of dark state-based collective entanglement. Remarkably, this entanglement exhibits a lifetime approximately 600 times longer than that of conventional bright states.
Something from nothing: Physicists model vacuum tunneling in a 2D superfluid
In 1951, physicist Julian Schwinger theorized that by applying a uniform electrical field to a vacuum, electron-positron pairs would be spontaneously created out of nothing, through a phenomenon called quantum tunneling.
The problem with turning the matter-out-of-nowhere theory into Star Trek replicators or transporters? Enormously high electric fields would be required—far beyond the limits of any direct physical experiments.
As a result, the aptly-named Schwinger effect has never been seen.