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A ‘seating chart’ for atoms helps locate their positions in materials

If you think of a single atom as a grain of sand, then a wavelength of visible light—which is a thousand times larger than the atom’s width—is comparable to an ocean wave. The light wave can dwarf an atom, missing it entirely as it passes by. This gulf in size has long made it impossible for scientists to see and resolve individual atoms using optical microscopes alone.

Only recently have scientists found ways to break this “diffraction limit,” to see features that are smaller than the wavelength of light. With new techniques known as , scientists can see down to the scale of a single molecule.

And yet, individual atoms have still been too small for —which are much simpler and less expensive than super-resolution techniques—to distinguish, until now.

Quantum theory faces ‘cultural gaps’ as computational limits reshape entanglement understanding

Quantum researchers in the twenty-first century are part of an international network that requires a great deal of interaction and communication. Around one hundred publications on the topic are produced every day, often by authors who work in close collaboration with one another. New developments and discoveries are quickly integrated into the field, usually within a matter of just a few weeks. Researchers immediately proceed to build on these findings with innovative ideas. That is what the day-to-day life in the field of quantum theory looks like as it celebrates the one-hundredth anniversary of the initial development of quantum mechanics.

In honor of this milestone, UNESCO has declared 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. One of the latest discoveries in this special year comes from an international research group led by quantum physicist Jens Eisert, professor at Freie Universität Berlin. The group’s surprising findings have made a significant contribution to scientists’ understanding of .

Their study, “Entanglement Theory with Limited Computational Resources,” was recently published in the journal Nature Physics. The article shows that, in practice, the established method used to measure correlations in quantum mechanics might not function exactly as was previously assumed.

US and Japan join forces to present some of the most precise neutrino measurements in the field

Very early on in our universe, when it was a seething hot cauldron of energy, particles made of matter and antimatter bubbled into existence in equal proportions. For example, negatively charged electrons were created in the same numbers as their antimatter siblings, positively charged positrons. When the two particles combined, they canceled each other out.

Billions of years later, our world is dominated by matter. Somehow, matter “won out” over antimatter, but scientists still do not know how. Now, two of the largest experiments attempting to find answers—projects that focus on subatomic particles called —have joined forces.

In a new Nature study, an international collaboration representing the experiments—NOvA in the United States and T2K in Japan—present some of the most precise neutrino measurements in the field. The two teams decided to combine their data to learn more than any one experiment alone could.

Multi-scale turbulence observations reveal new plasma confinement performance mechanism

Around the world, research is advancing to efficiently confine fusion plasma and harness its immense energy for power generation. However, it is known that turbulence occurring at various scales within the plasma causes the release of plasma energy and constituent particles, degrading the confinement performance.

Elucidating this physical phenomenon and suppressing performance degradation is critically important. Particularly in the high-temperature plasma experiments currently conducted worldwide, micro-scale (just a few centimeters) turbulent eddies forming at various locations within the plasma significantly impact this confinement performance degradation.

While it was known that suppressing this micro-scale could improve performance to a certain extent, the reason why further improvement could not be achieved remained unclear. In addition, theoretical simulation studies predict that in future fusion power reactors, turbulence smaller than micro-scale will interact and exert influence.

Scientists Propose Quantum Network to Finally Detect Universe’s Mysterious Missing Substance

Researchers at Tohoku University have shown that linking quantum sensors in optimized networks can dramatically boost their sensitivity. Uncovering dark matter, the invisible substance thought to bind galaxies together, remains one of the greatest mysteries in physics. While it cannot be directly

Physicists Find Hidden “Quantum Mirrors” That Trap Light in 2D Materials

Under certain conditions, two-dimensional (2D) materials can exhibit remarkable quantum states, including superconductivity and unusual types of magnetism. Scientists and engineers have long sought to understand why these phases appear and how they might be controlled.

A new study published in Nature Physics has identified a previously unnoticed characteristic that may shed light on the origins of these mysterious quantum behaviors.

Scientists Set New World Record for Fastest Human Whole Genome Sequencing

Boston researchers sequenced a full human genome in record time, under four hours. The advance could speed life-saving diagnoses for newborns in intensive care. Boston Children’s Hospital, in collaboration with Broad Clinical Labs and Roche Sequencing Solutions, has shown that whole genome sequen

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