#Cosmic rays may soon stymie quantum computing

“#Cosmic rays may soon stymie quantum computing” Natural radiation may interfere with both superconducting dark matter detectors (seen here) and superconducting qubits.  Credit: Timothy Holland, PNNL The practicality of quantum computing hangs on the integrity of the quantum bit, or qubit. Qubits, the logic elements of quantum computers, are coherent two-level systems that represent quantum…

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#Physicists pin down the pay off between speed and entropy

“#Physicists pin down the pay off between speed and entropy” Understanding the relation between the rates of processes and the entropy produced can give insights into some of the stochastic processes that sustain life. Credit: pxfuel “You have to work harder to get the job done faster,” explains Gianmaria Falasco, a researcher at the University…

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#Study enables predicting computational power of early quantum computers

“#Study enables predicting computational power of early quantum computers” Visual depiction of the algorithm used to increase the computational power of early quantum computers. Credit: Winfried Hensinger, University of Sussex Quantum physicists at the University of Sussex have created an algorithm that speeds up the rate of calculations in the early quantum computers which are…

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#Quantum computers do the (instantaneous) twist

“#Quantum computers do the (instantaneous) twist” Unlike other kinds of quantum computers, quantum computers built atop topological error correction smear a single qubit’s worth of information out among a network of many qubits. Credit: Gerd Altmann/Pixabay Regardless of what makes up the innards of a quantum computer, its speedy calculations all boil down to sequences…

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#A quantum thermometer to measure the coldest temperatures in the universe

“#A quantum thermometer to measure the coldest temperatures in the universe” Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Physicists from Trinity College Dublin have proposed a thermometer based on quantum entanglement that can accurately measure temperatures a billion times colder than those in outer space. These ultra-cold temperatures arise in clouds of atoms, known as Fermi gasses, which…

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#New approach takes quantum key distribution further

“#New approach takes quantum key distribution further” Credit: CC0 Public Domain In an important step toward practical implementation of secure quantum-based communication, researchers have demonstrated secure measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution (MDI-QKD) transmission over a record-breaking 170 kilometers. QKD can offer impenetrable encryption by using the quantum properties of light to generate secure random keys between…

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#Researchers work to ensure accurate decoding in fragile quantum states

“#Researchers work to ensure accurate decoding in fragile quantum states” University of Arizona team advances quantum error correction codes. Credit: University of Arizona When computers share information with one another, the information gets encoded into bits, then decoded back into its original form. In the process, pieces of the information sometimes get scrambled, or lost….

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#A stepping stone for measuring quantum gravity

“#A stepping stone for measuring quantum gravity” Space-time diagram of quantum states interference. By reversing the non-zero internal spin state at times tau_{1} and tau_{2} the particle can be made to follow the blue (spin /-1) and orange (spin 0) paths. In doing so they reach a maximum spatial superposition size Delta x before being…

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#New quantum paradox reveals contradiction between widely held beliefs

“#New quantum paradox reveals contradiction between widely held beliefs” Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Quantum physicists at Griffith University have unveiled a new paradox that says, when it comes to certain long-held beliefs about nature, “something’s gotta give.” Quantum theory is practically perfect at predicting the behavior we observe when we perform experiments on tiny objects…

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#Unexpectedly fast conduction electrons in Na3Bi

“#Unexpectedly fast conduction electrons in Na3Bi” Left: STM image showing topography of Na3Bi sample. Right: Density of states showing a minimum at the Dirac point ED. Credit: FLEET An Australian-led study uses a scanning-tunneling microscope “trick” to map electronic structure in Na3Bi, seeking an answer to that material’s extremely high electron mobility. In studying the…

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