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Category: quantum physics – Page 17

Superconductivity is a quantum phenomenon, observed in some materials, that entails the ability to conduct electricity with no resistance below a critical temperature. Over the past few years, physicists and material scientists have been trying to identify materials exhibiting this property (i.e., superconductors), while also gathering new insights about its underlying physical processes.

Superconductors can be broadly divided into two categories: conventional and unconventional superconductors. In conventional superconductors, (i.e., Cooper pairs) form due to phonon-mediated interactions, resulting in a superconducting gap that follows an isotropic s-wave symmetry. On the other hand, in , this gap can present nodes (i.e., points at which the superconducting gap vanishes), producing a d-wave or multi-gap symmetry.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo recently carried out a study aimed at better understanding the previously observed in a rare-earth intermetallic compound, called PrTi2Al20, which is known to arise from a multipolar-ordered state. Their findings, published in Nature Communications, suggest that there is a connection between quadrupolar interactions and in this material.

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If one side of a conducting or semiconducting material is heated while the other remains cool, charge carriers move from the hot side to the cold side, generating an electrical voltage known as thermopower.

Past studies have shown that the produced in clean two-dimensional (2D) electron systems (i.e., materials with few impurities in which electrons can only move in 2D), is directly proportional to the entropy (i.e., the degree of randomness) per charge carrier.

The link between thermopower and entropy could be leveraged to probe exotic quantum phases of matter. One of these phases is the fractional quantum Hall (FQH) effect, which is known to arise when electrons in these materials are subject to a strong perpendicular magnetic field at very low temperatures.

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This Quantum Computer Simulates the Hidden Forces That Shape Our Universe

The study of elementary particles and forces is of central importance to our understanding of the universe. Now a team of physicists from the University of Innsbruck and the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) at the University of Waterloo show how an unconventional type of quantum computer opens a new door to the world of elementary particles.

Credit: Kindea Labs

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The quantum computing landscape has witnessed a revolutionary breakthrough from . Researchers at the University of Science and of China in Hefei have developed a quantum processor that claims to be 1 quadrillion times faster than the world’s most powerful supercomputers. This technological marvel, named Zuchongzhi 3.0, represents a significant leap in quantum computing capabilities and establishes China as a formidable player in the quantum race.

The Zuchongzhi 3.0 processor boasts an impressive 105 qubits, the fundamental units of quantum computing. This represents a substantial upgrade from its predecessor, which contained only 66 qubits. The new processor utilizes transmon qubits, which are specifically designed to minimize sensitivity to external disturbances, thereby enhancing computational stability.

In benchmark tests published in Physical Review Letters on March 3, 2025, the Chinese quantum processor demonstrated performance that was approximately 1 million times faster than Google’s Sycamore chip on specific sampling tasks. This extraordinary speed differential highlights the exponential advantage that quantum processors hold over conventional computing systems for certain operations.

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Superconductivity is a quantum physical state in which a metal is able to conduct electricity perfectly without any resistance. In its most familiar application, it enables powerful magnets in MRI machines to create the magnetic fields that allow doctors to see inside our bodies. Thus far, materials can only achieve superconductivity at extremely low temperatures, near absolute zero (a few tens of Kelvin or colder).

But physicists dream of superconductive materials that might one day operate at room temperature. Such materials could open entirely new possibilities in areas such as , the energy sector, and medical technologies.

“Understanding the mechanisms leading to the formation of superconductivity and discovering exotic new superconducting phases is not only one of the most stimulating pursuits in the fundamental study of quantum materials but is also driven by this ultimate dream of achieving room-temperature superconductivity,” says Stevan Nadj-Perge, professor of applied physics and materials science at Caltech.

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Photonic circuits, which manipulate light to perform various computational tasks, have become essential tools for a range of advanced technologies—from quantum simulations to artificial intelligence. These circuits offer a promising way to process information with minimal energy loss, especially in fields like quantum computing where complex systems are simulated to test theories of quantum mechanics.

However, the growth in circuit size and complexity has historically led to a rise in optical losses, making it challenging to scale these systems for large-scale applications, such as multiphoton quantum experiments or all-optical AI systems.

As reported in Advanced Photonics, researchers at the University of Naples Federico II have now developed a new approach to address this problem. Using a liquid-crystal (LC)-based platform, the team designed an optical processor capable of handling hundreds of optical modes in a compact, two-dimensional setup. This breakthrough offers a solution to a key limitation in traditional , where losses increase as the number of modes grows.

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Photovoltaic (PV) solutions, which are designed to convert sunlight into electrical energy, are becoming increasingly widespread worldwide. Over the past decades, engineers specialized in energy solutions have been trying to identify new solar cell designs and PV materials that could achieve even better power conversion efficiencies, while also retaining their stability and reliably operating for long periods of time.

The many emerging PV solutions that have proven to be particularly promising include tandem based on both perovskites (a class of materials with a characteristic crystal structure) and organic materials. Perovskite/organic tandem solar cells could be more affordable than existing silicon-based solar cells, while also yielding higher power conversion efficiencies.

These solar cells are manufactured using wide-bandgap perovskites, which have an electronic bandgap greater than 1.6 electronvolts (eV) and can thus absorb higher-energy photons. Despite their enhanced ability to absorb high-energy light particles, these materials have significant limitations, which typically adversely impact the stability of solar cells.

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Together with an international team of researchers from the Universities of Southern California, Central Florida, Pennsylvania State and Saint Louis, physicists from the University of Rostock have developed a novel mechanism to safeguard a key resource in quantum photonics: optical entanglement. Their discovery is published in Science.

Declared as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology by the United Nations, 2025 marks 100 years since the initial development of quantum mechanics. As this strange and beautiful description of nature on the smallest scales continues to fascinate and puzzle physicists, its quite tangible implications form the basis of modern technology as well as , and are currently in the process of revolutionizing information science and communications.

A key resource to quantum computation is so-called entanglement, which underpins the protocols and algorithms that make quantum computers exponentially more powerful than their classical predecessors. Moreover, entanglement allows for the secure distribution of encryption keys, and entangled photons provide increased sensitivity and noise resilience that dramatically exceed the classical limit.

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