The global race to make a practical quantum computer just took a big leap forward
In the global race to build bigger and better quantum computers, researchers have taken a step forward. A new machine called Helios is radically different from other quantum compu…
Physicists entangle quantum memories across a record-breaking 420 km
Optical fibers are already the backbone of global communication systems. Recently, however, physicists have started to explore how their functionality could be boosted further by …
End-to-end design creates two low-cost materials to capture methane
Developing new materials to tackle pressing global issues is a gap-filled process that can leave potential climate solutions lost in unread academic papers and forgotten dissertat…
Novel plastic turns into a gas when heated—then reforms once cooled
In a study published in Macromolecules, researchers introduce a novel polymer that could simplify how materials are applied, removed and recycled by eliminating several complex pr…
Dynamic surface reconstruction explains how copper sulfide catalysts tune CO₂ reduction
Copper sulfide (CuS) catalysts continuously reconstruct their surface during electrochemical CO2 reduction, reports a study from the Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan. By uncoveri…
Loud snoring—simulation reveals the physical mechanism that keeps so many of us awake at night
Anyone who has had to share a room—or worse, a bed—with a loud snorer knows the effect unchecked snoring can have on sleep, sanity and emotional stability. An entire industry of p…
Long-range magnetic interactions govern how a ferrimagnet approaches its phase transition
Close to a phase transition, very different materials can follow the same mathematical rules. The concept of universality, which groups seemingly distinct systems based on their c…
Unusual superconductivity could emerge in valley-imbalanced rhombohedral graphene
Superconductors are materials in which electrical current flows with a resistance of zero, typically below specific temperatures. In conventional superconductors, this state of ma…
A new approach to building noise-resistant quantum sensors
Quantum sensors, devices that collect measurements by exploiting quantum-mechanical phenomena, could potentially detect extremely weak magnetic, gravitational and electromagnetic …
Time-gating technique sees through deep tissue, dense fog, and other obstacles
From helping doctors detect cancer to guiding self-driving cars through traffic, many modern imaging systems rely on near-infrared light, producing a crisp picture when visible li…
Quantum light engine links atom-photon thermodynamics to classical physics
What is heat, and what is useful work if a machine consists only of an atom and light particles? In modern quantum technologies, this kind of question connects thermodynamics with…
Three photons at once beat the standard photon test
Physicists at the University of Twente have improved the standard test for the quality of individual particles of light. By letting three photons interfere at the same time instea…
Gluons may play a central role in baryon number conservation—and matter's stability
New results from the STAR detector at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) suggest that gluons, the glue-like particles that hold quarks together inside protons, play a cent…
Physicists predict a new form of quantum matter that holds itself together
Researchers at Monash University have predicted a new type of quantum matter that challenges decades of thinking about how ultracold particles behave. The paper, "Quantum droplets…
Graphene device measures fractional electric charges carried by some of quantum physics' strangest objects
An electron is supposed to be indivisible. It carries one fundamental unit of electric charge, and every electron is exactly the same. But under extreme conditions, large numbers …
New X-ray imaging technique could double scanning efficiency while revealing hidden detail
Researchers at Monash University have developed a new X-ray imaging technique that can image two overlapping samples at the same time, potentially doubling scanning efficiency whi…
AI agents coordinate behavior based on majority opinion—even when said opinions are meaningless
A new study published in Science Advances takes a closer look at how AI agents' choices are influenced by their peers. The team found that more advanced models tend to follow the …
Anomalous quantum oscillations reveal new physics in a topological insulator
A study has been published in Nature Communications that identifies an unusual regime of quantum oscillations in a three-dimensional topological insulator. The results show that, …
A small squeeze reveals new clues about an unusual kind of magnet
Researchers at Rice University have found that gently squeezing a crystal of iron sulfide can change two of its unusual properties at the same time: its tiny magnetic signal and t…
Strain flips Hall signal in altermagnetic manganese telluride, suggesting a path to practical spintronics
Time-reversal symmetry is an exotic behavior found in systems whose internal physics looks different when running forward versus backward in time. For some time, physicists have s…
Active particles could make stable glasses stronger without catastrophic brittle failure
The strongest glasses have an Achilles' heel that causes them to fail catastrophically when pushed past their limit. They do not bend or stretch, as all damage concentrates into a…
Centuries-old physics test could help detect millicharged particles
Theoretical physicists have long predicted the existence of millicharged particles (mCPs), hypothetical particles that carry a very small electric charge. These particles are expe…
Ultrafast core-level spectroscopy reveals elusive precursors of exciton condensation in quantum materials
Many fascinating phases in quantum materials emerge when electrons, atoms and other microscopic components begin to act collectively. But these phases do not necessarily appear ou…
Tungsten may suffer more radiation damage in fusion reactors than expected
Fusion reactors, devices that generate energy by fusing light atomic nuclei at extremely high temperatures, could contribute to ongoing efforts aimed at producing electricity more…