Quantum information

Researchers develop platform to control qubits in silicon defects for quantum communications

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The dream of a quantum internet, one capable of unprecedented levels of security and computational power, is tantalizingly close. Making this dream a reality would be significantly more feasible if we could harness existing telecommunications technologies and infrastructure. Recently, researchers have made significant strides in this direction by exploring defects in silicon—a ubiquitous semiconductor material—as … Read more

Physicists achieve breakthrough in quantum entanglement with top quarks

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A team of physicists led by University of Rochester professor Regina Demina has made a groundbreaking discovery in the realm of quantum entanglement, an enigmatic phenomenon famously referred to by Albert Einstein as “spooky action at a distance.” Quantum entanglement involves the interlinked behavior of tiny particles that, once having interacted, can influence each other … Read more

New technique enables on-demand creation of qubits in silicon with atomic precision

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Quantum computers have the potential to solve complex problems in human health, drug discovery, and artificial intelligence millions of times faster than some of the world’s fastest supercomputers. A network of quantum computers could advance these discoveries even faster. But before that can happen, the computer industry will need a reliable way to string together … Read more

New method for quieting the quantum world

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One of the biggest challenges in quantum technology and quantum sensing is “noise”–seemingly random environmental disturbances that can disrupt the delicate quantum states of qubits, the fundamental units of quantum information. Looking deeper at this issue, JILA Associate Fellow and University of Colorado Boulder Physics Assistant Professor Shuo Sun collaborated with Andrés Montoya-Castillo, Assistant Professor … Read more

Scientists simulate a hallmark of quantum gravity

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In a groundbreaking development at the intersection of quantum mechanics and general relativity, researchers have made significant strides toward unraveling the mysteries of quantum gravity. This work sheds new light on future experiments that hold promise for resolving one of the most fundamental enigmas in modern physics: the reconciliation of Einstein’s theory of gravity with … Read more

Grain structure of diamond nanoparticles found to affect silicon vacancy center performance

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They say that one can miss the forest for the trees. But it’s often worth taking a closer look at the trees to make sense of the dense, brambly whole. That’s what a Stanford University group did to tackle a thorny quantum-information problem in diamond. A star material for hosting quantum information, diamond nevertheless presents … Read more

Quantum system-on-chip architecture for large-scale quantum computing

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Quantum computers hold the promise of solving extremely complex problems rapidly—tasks that could take the world’s most powerful supercomputers decades to crack. However, achieving such performance requires building a system with millions of interconnected qubits. The creation and control of such vast numbers of qubits in a hardware architecture is a formidable challenge that scientists … Read more

Scientists develop data-driven method to speed up electron-phonon interaction calculations

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Materials scientists and engineers aim to understand electron interactions and movements in novel materials to predict the behavior of devices made from these materials. Key questions include whether electrical current will flow easily, if there is a temperature at which the material becomes superconducting, and how long the quantum state of an electron spin will … Read more

Scientists achieve chip-scale entangled photon source in silicon carbide

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Quantum information science is truly fascinating—pairs of tiny particles can be entangled such that an operation on either one will affect them both even if they are physically separated. A seemingly magical process called teleportation can share information between different far-flung quantum systems. These different systems can be coupled using quantum processes to form quantum … Read more

2D material with single atomic defect shows promising spin coherence at room temperature

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Scientists have discovered that a “single atomic defect” in a layered 2D material can hold onto quantum information for microseconds at room temperature, underscoring the potential of 2D materials in advancing quantum technologies. The defect, found by researchers from the Universities of Manchester and Cambridge using a thin material called hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), demonstrates … Read more

Harvard-led review examines progress in majorana research for quantum computing

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Named after an Italian theoretical physicist, Majoranas are complex quasiparticles that could be the key to building next-generation quantum computing systems. Most materials contain many electrons, each of which has a negative charge and a type of intrinsic quantum momentum known as spin. Interactions between electrons in some materials can produce emergent particles, or particles … Read more

Study reveals unexpected magnon transport in antiferromagnets for quantum information processing

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The spin of the electron is nature’s perfect quantum bit, capable of extending the range of information storage beyond “one” or “zero.” Exploiting the electron’s spin degree of freedom (possible spin states) is a central goal of quantum information science. Recent progress by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) researchers Joseph Orenstein, Yue Sun, Jie … Read more

Researchers develop tunable nonreciprocal device for quantum computers

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Scientists led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst have adapted a device called a microwave circulator for use in quantum computers, allowing them for the first time to precisely tune the exact degree of nonreciprocity between a qubit, the fundamental unit of quantum computing, and a microwave-resonant cavity. The ability to precisely tune the degree … Read more

Study proposes entanglement-free experiment to test quantum nature of gravity

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Gravity is a force that permeates our everyday lives, yet its true nature remains shrouded in mystery. Scientists grapple with the question of whether gravity’s essence aligns with Einstein’s geometric vision or adheres to the principles of quantum mechanics. This dilemma forms the backdrop of a new study published in Physical Review X, where researchers … Read more

Researchers discover new entropy rule for quantum entanglement transformations

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Bartosz Regula, from the RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing, and Ludovico Lami, from the University of Amsterdam, have unveiled a groundbreaking discovery regarding the elusive nature of quantum entanglement. Their findings, rooted in probabilistic calculations, shed light on a long-hypothesized rule of entropy governing quantum entanglement, a phenomenon central to the potential power of future … Read more

Scientists achieve frequency-domain photon number-path entanglement

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Scientists have introduced a form of quantum entanglement known as frequency-domain photon number-path entanglement. This advance in quantum physics involves an innovative tool called a frequency beam splitter, which has the unique ability to alter the frequency of individual photons with a 50% success rate. For years, the scientific community has delved into spatial-domain photon … Read more

Efficient generation and control of entanglement in superconducting qubit arrays demonstrated

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Entanglement is a fascinating phenomenon in the realm of quantum physics, where particles at the atomic level exhibit correlations that defy classical explanations. This unique aspect of quantum mechanics plays a pivotal role in understanding the behavior of quantum systems, particularly in the context of quantum computing. Quantum entanglement refers to the intricate correlation between … Read more

Scientists achieve universal control of electrons in bulk materials

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Electrons inside solid materials can only take certain values of energy. The allowed energy ranges are called “bands,” and the space between them, the forbidden energies, is known as “band gaps.” Both of them together constitute the “band structure” of the material, which is a unique characteristic of each specific material. When physicists plot the … Read more

First-principles calculations predict tunable quantum anomalous hall effect in heterostructures

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The quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) has unique advantages in topotronic applications, but realizing the QAHE with tunable magnetic and topological properties for building functional devices is still a key scientific challenge. Through first-principles calculations, researchers have predicted a candidate material that meets these requirements. The related work was recently published in the National Science Review under the title … Read more

Scientists achieve multi-photon interference with less hardware

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An international collaboration of researchers, led by Philip Walther at University of Vienna, have achieved a significant breakthrough in quantum technology, with the successful demonstration of quantum interference among several single photons using a novel resource-efficient platform. The work published in Science Advances represents a notable advancement in optical quantum computing that paves the way … Read more