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Category: quantum physics – Page 5

Innsbruck physicists have presented a new architecture for improved quantum control of microwave resonators. In a study recently published in PRX Quantum, they show how a superconducting fluxonium qubit can be selectively coupled and decoupled with a microwave resonator and without additional components. This makes potentially longer storage times possible.

Microwave resonators are considered a promising building block for the development of robust quantum computers, as they store quantum information in more complex states. This simplifies and allows significantly longer storage times.

“The storage time of of these microwave resonators has so far been limited by undesirable interactions with the used to control them,” explains Gerhard Kirchmair from the Department of Experimental Physics at the University of Innsbruck and the Institute of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

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Interdisciplinary teams across the Quantum Systems Accelerator (QSA) are using innovative approaches to push the boundaries of superconducting qubit technology, bridging the gap between today’s NISQ (Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum) systems and future fault-tolerant systems capable of impactful science applications.

QSA is one of the five United States Department of Energy National Quantum Information Science (QIS) Research Centers, bringing together leading pioneers in (QIS) and engineering across 15 partner institutions.

A superconducting is made from such as aluminum or niobium, which exhibit quantum effects when cooled to very low temperatures (typically around 20 millikelvins, or −273.13° C). Numerous technology companies and research teams across universities and national laboratories are leveraging for prototype scientific computing in this rapidly growing field.

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In the context of quantum physics, the term “duality” refers to transformations that link apparently distinct physical theories, often unveiling hidden symmetries. Some recent studies have been aimed at understanding and implementing duality transformations, as this could aid the study of quantum states and symmetry-protected phenomena.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge, Ghent University, Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques and the University of Sydney recently demonstrated the implementation of dualities in symmetric 1-dimensional (1D) quantum lattice models, outlining a method to turn duality operators into unitary linear-depth quantum circuits.

Their paper, published in Physical Review Letters, is part of a larger research effort aimed at better understanding symmetries and dualities in quantum lattice models.

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The quantum black hole with (almost) no equations by Professor Gerard ‘t Hooft.

How to reconcile Einstein’s theory of General Relativity with Quantum Mechanics is a notorious problem. Special relativity, on the other hand, was united completely with quantum mechanics when the Standard Model, including Higgs mechanism, was formulated as a relativistic quantum field theory.

Since Stephen Hawking shed new light on quantum mechanical effects in black holes, it was hoped that black holes may be used to obtain a more complete picture of Nature’s laws in that domain, but he arrived at claims that are difficult to use in this respect. Was he right? What happens with information sent into a black hole?

The discussion is not over; in this lecture it is shown that a mild conical singularity at the black hole horizon may be inevitable, while it doubles the temperature of quantum radiation emitted by a black hole, we illustrate the situation with only few equations.

About the Higgs Lecture.

The Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences is delighted to present the Annual Higgs Lecture. The inaugural Annual Higgs Lecture was delivered in December 2012 by its name bearer, Professor Peter Higgs, who returned to King’s after graduating in 1950 with a first-class honours degree in Physics, and who famously predicted the Higgs Boson particle.

Continue reading “Higgs Lecture 2025: The quantum black hole with (almost) no equations” | >

In this talk, Klaus Mainzer explores the connections between the Leibniz’ Monadology, the structure and function of the brain, and recent developments in quantum computing. He reflects on the nature of complexity, intelligence, and the possibilities of quantum information technologies.

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Machine learning automates the control of a large and highly connected array of semiconductor quantum dots.

Even the most compelling experiment can become boring when repeated dozens of times. Therefore, rather than using artificial intelligence to automate the creative and insightful aspects of science and engineering, automation should focus instead on improving the productivity of researchers. In that vein, Justyna Zwolak of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Maryland and her colleagues have demonstrated software for automating standard parts of experiments on semiconductor quantum-dot qubits [1]. The feat is a step toward the fully automated calibration of quantum processors. Larger and more challenging spin and quantum computing experiments will likely also benefit from it [2].

Semiconductor technology enables the fabrication of quantum-mechanical devices with unparalleled control [3], performance [4], reproducibility [5], and large-scale integration [6]—exactly what is needed for a highly scalable quantum computer. Classical digital logic represents bits as localized volumes of high or low electric potential, and the semiconductor industry has developed efficient ways to control such potentials—exactly what is needed for the operation of qubits based on quantum dots. Silicon or germanium are nearly ideal semiconductors to host qubits encoded in the spin state of electrons or electron vacancies (holes) confined in an electric potential formed in a quantum dot by transistor-like gate electrodes.

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Researchers at Swansea University have discovered a way to use mirrors to dramatically reduce the quantum noise that disturbs tiny particles—a breakthrough that might seem magical but is rooted in quantum physics.

When scientists measure extremely small objects, such as nanoparticles, they face a difficult challenge: simply observing these particles disturbs them. This happens because photons, particles of light, used for measurement “kick” the they hit, an effect known as “backaction.”

In a new study published in Physical Review Research, a team from the university’s Physics Department has revealed a remarkable connection, that this relationship works both ways.

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Swinburne researchers have discovered unexpected and entirely new quantum behaviors that only occur in one-dimensional systems, such as electrical current. Their new paper, published in Physical Review Letters, explores a fundamental question in quantum physics: what happens when a single “impurity” particle, such as an atom or electron, is introduced into a tightly packed crowd of identical particles.

Nearly every material in the world contains small imperfections or extra particles; understanding how these “outsiders” interact with their environment is key to figuring out how materials conduct electricity, create light, or respond to external forces.

A team at the Center for Quantum Technology Theory at Swinburne studied this in the setting of a one-dimensional optical lattice (a kind of artificial crystal made with ) using a well-known theoretical framework called the Fermi-Hubbard model.

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Recently, a group of researchers discovered a novel way to achieve spin-valve effects using kagome quantum magnets.

“This approach uses a prototype device made from the kagome magnet TmMn₆Sn₆,” explained Associate Prof. XU Xitong, “This breakthrough eliminates the need for the complex fabrication techniques traditionally required by spin-valve structures.”

The findings were published in Nature Communications. The team was led by Prof. Qu Zhe from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with Prof. Chang Tay-Rong from National Cheng Kung University.

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A quantum computer can solve optimization problems faster than classical supercomputers, a process known as “quantum advantage” and demonstrated by a USC researcher in a paper recently published in Physical Review Letters.

The study shows how , a specialized form of quantum computing, outperforms the best current classical algorithms when searching for near-optimal solutions to complex problems.

“The way quantum annealing works is by finding low-energy states in , which correspond to optimal or near-optimal solutions to the problems being solved,” said Daniel Lidar, corresponding author of the study and professor of electrical and computer engineering, chemistry, and physics and astronomy at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering and the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

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