URL: Quantum Physics

Quantum Physics News

Tuesday, March 24, 2026

• Boron arsenide semiconductor sets record in quantum vibrations
  You may not be able to hear it, but all solid materials make a sound. In fact, atoms—bound in lattices of chemical bonds—are never silent nor still: Under the placid surface of each and every object in our surroundings, a low hum hovers or a high-energy squeak titters.
  

Monday, March 23, 2026

• First quantum oscillations observed in gallium nitride holes
  Gallium nitride, a semiconductor that can operate at high voltages, temperatures, and frequencies, has enabled technologies from LED lighting to high-power electronics. Now Cornell researchers have observed a quantum property of the material for the first time, an advance that could expand its technological reach.
  
• Quantum computers could have a fundamental limit after all
  The performance of quantum computers could cap out after around 1,000 qubits, according to a new analysis published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Through new calculations, Tim Palmer at the University of Oxford has reconsidered the mathematical foundations underlying the quantum principles behind the technology, concluding that restrictions on the information-carrying capacity of large quantum systems could make their computing power far more limited than many researchers predict.
  
• Superconducting quantum processor performs well with significantly less wiring
  Quantum computers, computing systems that process information using quantum mechanical effects, could outperform classical computers on some computational tasks. These computers rely on qubits, the basic units of quantum information, which can exist in multiple states (0, 1 or both simultaneously), due to quantum effects known as superposition and entanglement.
  

Saturday, March 21, 2026

• Physicists find electronic agents that govern flat band quantum materials
  Physicists have directly visualized the fundamental electronic building blocks of flat-band quantum materials, a class of systems in which electron motion is effectively quenched and strong interactions give rise to emergent phases of matter. In a study published in Nature Physics, Qimiao Si's group at Rice University, in collaboration with researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science, identified compact molecular orbitals that act as the key electronic agents governing the exotic behavior of these materials.
  

Friday, March 20, 2026

• New controls can stretch, blur and even reverse quantum time flow
  In new research published in Physical Review X, scientists have designed quantum control protocols that generate processes more consistent with time flowing backward than forward. The protocols—techniques to control quantum systems—modify a quantum system's "arrow of time," the concept of time as moving in one forward direction. The work opens up possibilities for energy extraction from quantum systems and for quantum state preparation.
  
• A new entanglement-enhanced quantum sensing scheme
  Over the past decades, quantum scientists have introduced various technologies that operate leveraging quantum mechanical effects, including quantum sensors, computers and memory devices. Most of these technologies leverage entanglement, a quantum phenomenon via which two or more particles become intrinsically linked and share a unified quantum state, irrespective of the distance between them.
  

Wednesday, March 18, 2026

• Building trust in the future of quantum computing
  Quantum computers could solve certain problems that would take traditional classical computers an impractically long time to solve. At the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), researchers are now working to make these systems reliable and trustworthy.
  
• A world‑first quantum battery charges faster when it gets bigger—but it's tiny and only lasts nanoseconds
  You're late for an important appointment. Just as you are leaving your house, you realize your phone is flat. Imagine you could charge it almost instantly by exploiting the strange rules of quantum physics. That's the promise of quantum batteries.
  
• Microwave quantum network shows resilience against heat-related disturbances
  Quantum communication systems are emerging solutions to transmit information between devices in a network leveraging quantum mechanical phenomena, such as entanglement. Entanglement is a quantum effect that entails a link between two or more particles that share a unified state even at a distance, so that measuring one instantly affects the other.
  

Tuesday, March 17, 2026

• Proof-of-concept quantum battery shows faster charging as it gets larger
  Australian scientists have made a significant leap forward in energy storage technology with the world's first proof-of-concept quantum battery. Similar to conventional batteries, this quantum version charges, stores and discharges energy—and is the first to do so.
  
• Quantum-inspired laser system delivers distance measurements with sub-millimeter accuracy
  A new laser range-finding technique, inspired by quantum physics, that can measure distances under strong solar background has been demonstrated by researchers at the University of Bristol. The team has proved their hypothesis by testing out their new method on some of the university's most iconic buildings.
  
• Experiment observes quantum radiation reaction as electrons hit an ultra-intense laser
  For the first time, a quantum radiation reaction in strong electromagnetic fields has been demonstrated experimentally by allowing electrons to collide with an extremely intense and powerful laser beam. The research findings provide insights needed for new quantum-mechanical computational models and clues to how the laws of physics operate near neutron stars or black holes.
  
• Mathematical foundations for noise-tolerant quantum catalysts in real-world environments
  Quantum catalysts are specialized resources that enable quantum state transformations previously thought impossible, holding promise for advancements in quantum computing and thermodynamics. A recent international study has identified the conditions under which these catalysts can operate reliably even amid environmental noise, marking a significant step toward practical quantum technologies.
  
• Perovskite crystals can host qubits, challenging long-held assumptions
  For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that the properties of the perovskite family of materials can be used to create so-called quantum bits. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, pave the way for more affordable materials in future quantum computers.
  
• Ultrafast laser pulses bring diamond-based quantum internet closer to reality
  The controlled generation of single photons is an essential element of numerous quantum technology applications, such as quantum networks and quantum computing. A research team has now demonstrated the successful application of the new SUPER (Swing-UP of the quantum EmitteR population) method. The approach facilitates the controlled generation of light particles (photons). Results of the study were recently published in the journal Nature Communications.
  
• Superconductor advancement could unlock ultra-energy-efficient electronics
  Superconducting materials could play a crucial role in the energy-efficient applications of the future. However, several technical challenges still stand in the way of their practical use. Now, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have developed a new material design that addresses a major obstacle in the field: enabling superconductivity to operate at higher temperatures while also withstanding strong magnetic fields. This breakthrough could pave the way for far more energy-efficient electronics and quantum technologies.
  
• Discrete time crystal acts as a usable sensor for weak magnetic oscillations
  The bizarre properties of discrete time crystals could be harnessed to detect extremely subtle oscillations of magnetic fields, physicists in the US and Germany have revealed. Publishing their results in Nature Physics, a team led by Ashok Ajoy at the University of California, Berkeley, show for the first time that these exotic materials could have practical uses far beyond their current status as an impractical curiosity.
  

Sunday, March 15, 2026

• New microscope offers sharper view into momentum space
  Electrons are tiny and constantly in motion. How they behave in a crystal lattice determines key material properties: electrical conductivity, magnetism, or novel quantum effects. Anyone aiming to develop the information technologies of tomorrow must understand what electrons do. At Forschungszentrum Jülich, a new tool is now available for this purpose: a momentum microscope that was fully developed and built on site. "Internationally, we are currently seeing rapidly growing interest in this method," explains Dr. Christian Tusche from Forschungszentrum Jülich.
  

Friday, March 13, 2026

• Inside the light: How invisible electric fields drive device luminescence
  Fleeting electron-hole pairs are giving scientists a new window into optimizing light-emitting devices (LEDs). Using quantum magnetic resonance, Osaka Metropolitan University researchers have discovered how shifting internal electric fields dictate whether these devices shine brightly or dimly. Their study is published in the journal Advanced Optical Materials.
  
• Quantum computers must overcome major technical hurdles before tackling quantum chemistry problems
  Although the potential applications of quantum computing are widespread, a new feasibility study suggests quantum computers still face major hurdles in solving quantum chemistry problems. The study, published in Physical Review B, evaluates what criteria are needed for a quantum advantage in searching for the ground state energy of molecules. The researchers attempt this feat using two different algorithms with differing strengths and weaknesses.
  
• Quantum dots generate entangled photon pairs on demand
  For the first time, researchers in China have demonstrated how quantum dots can be engineered to consistently generate pairs of entangled photons. By carefully tailoring the photonic environment surrounding a single quantum dot, the team showed that it is possible to produce highly correlated photon pairs with remarkable efficiency, potentially opening new opportunities for emerging quantum technologies. The work, led by Zhiliang Yuan at the Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences, is reported in Nature Materials.
  

Thursday, March 12, 2026

• Local droplet etching yields more symmetric quantum dots for integrated photonics
  Light-based quantum technologies, such as quantum communication and photonic quantum computing, require reliable sources of individual photons and, ideally, pairs of entangled photons. Semiconductor quantum dots are promising candidates for this purpose. These nanostructures have electrical conductivity between that of insulators and conductors and are capable of confining electrons and holes. This property causes them to emit light at well-defined frequencies when excited by a laser.
  

Wednesday, March 11, 2026

• Stacked quantum materials enable precise spin control without external magnetic fields
  Spintronics—a technology that harnesses the electron's magnetic quantum states to carry information—could pave the way for a new generation of ultra-energy-efficient electronics. Yet a major challenge has been the ability to control these delicate quantum properties with sufficient precision for practical applications. By combining different quantum materials, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have now taken a decisive step forward, achieving unprecedented control over spin phenomena. The advance opens the door to next-generation low-power data processing and memory technologies.
  
• Photonic 'ski jumps' efficiently beam light into free space
  Photonic chips use light to process data instead of electricity, enabling faster communication speeds and greater bandwidth. Most of that light typically stays on the chip, trapped in optical wires, and is difficult to transmit to the outside world in an efficient manner.
  
• Scalable quantum batteries can charge faster than their classical counterparts
  Over the past decades, energy engineers have developed increasingly advanced battery technologies that can store more energy, charge faster and maintain their performance for longer. In recent years, some researchers have also started exploring the potential of quantum batteries, devices that can store energy leveraging quantum mechanical effects.
  
• Watching quantum behavior in action: MagnetoARPES reveals time-reversal symmetry breaking in a kagome superconductor
  Electron movement and structures described in quantum physics allow researchers to better understand how and why materials like superconductors behave as they do. Rice University researchers Jianwei Huang and Ming Yi have developed a new capability, magnetoARPES, building on angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) that allows researchers to study quantum behaviors they have been unable to resolve using ARPES alone. The work has been published in Nature Physics.
  

Tuesday, March 10, 2026

• Ultrafast computing: Light-driven logic tops 10 terahertz in WS₂
  The future for our computers will literally be at the speed of light. Extremely short light pulses can perform ultrafast logical operations: these are the findings of a study recently published in the journal Nature Photonics. The study represents an important step toward developing a new generation of information processing technologies, potentially hundreds of times faster than what we have at present.
  
• Chemical shifts help track molecules breaking apart in real time
  When molecules fall apart, their electric charge doesn't stay put—it rearranges as bonds stretch and break. An international team of scientists has now tracked these ultrafast changes in the small molecule fluoromethane (CH₃F). It was the first time that the Small Quantum Systems (SQS) instrument at European XFEL could deliver detailed insights into transient states during chemical reactions. The research is published in the journal Physical Review X.
  
• Unexpected magnetic response in gold and silver atomic contacts contradicts previous theoretical predictions
  Researchers from the Department of Physics and the University Institute of Materials at the University of Alicante (UA) and the Low Temperature and High Magnetic Field Laboratory at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) have succeeded in measuring, for the first time, the electrical conductance of gold and silver atomic contacts subjected to extreme magnetic fields of up to 20 teslas, an intensity equivalent to 400,000 times Earth's magnetic field.