Category Archives: Quantum Physics
Physicists develop a novel quantum theory of light-induced matter – Phys.org
This article has been reviewed according to ScienceX's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:
fact-checked
peer-reviewed publication
trusted source
proofread
A team led by a physicist from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) recently developed a new quantum theory that explains the "light-induced phase" of matter and predicts its novel functionalities. The new theory has the potential to revolutionize the field of quantum photonics and quantum control at room temperature. It also opens the door to a variety of next-generation light-based applications, such as optical communications, quantum computing and light-harvesting technologies.
Scientists have found exotic phases in matter, in addition to the usual ones, known as the solid, liquid and gas phases. And in different phases in which the atoms undergo certain arrangements in space, the matter may have different properties. As one category of the newly discovered phases, light-induced phases have drawn a lot of attention from scientists in the past decade, as they have been regarded as a promising platform for new photovoltaic panels and new chemical platforms, as well as a new avenue for modern quantum technology.
"The ultrafast processes of photoactive molecules, such as electron transfer and energy redistribution, which are typically at the femtosecond scale (10-15s), are of extensive importance for light-harvesting devices, energy conversion and quantum computing," explained Dr. Zhang Zhedong, Assistant Professor of Physics at CityU, who led the study. The findings were published in the journal Physical Review Letters under the title "Multidimensional coherent spectroscopy for molecular polaritons: Langevin approach."
"However, the research on these processes is full of obscurities. Most of the existing theories related to light-induced phases are bottlenecked by time and energy scales and therefore cannot explain the transient properties and ultrafast processes of molecules when short laser pulses come into play. These impose a fundamental limit for exploring the light-induced phases of matter," said Dr. Zhang.
To tackle these difficulties, Dr. Zhang and his collaborators developed a novel quantum theory for the optical signals of the light-induced phases of molecules, which is the first in the world. The new theory, through mathematical analysis in conjunction with numerical simulations, explains the excited state dynamics and optical properties of molecules in real time, overcoming the bottlenecks resulting from existing theories and techniques.
The new theory integrates advanced quantum electrodynamics into ultrafast spectroscopy. It uses modern algebra to explain the nonlinear dynamics of molecules, which lays the foundation for developing state-of-the-art technological applications for lasers and material characterization. It thus offers new principles for optical detection and quantum metrology.
"What is particularly fascinating about our new theory is that the cooperative motion of a cluster of molecules shows a wave-like behavior, which spreads over a distance. This was not achievable in conventional studies. And this collective motion can exist at room temperature, instead of only in an ultralow, cryogenic temperature previously. This means that precise control and sensing of particle motion may be feasible at room temperature. This may open new frontiers of research, such as collective-driven chemistry that could potentially revolutionize the study of photochemistry," said Dr. Zhang.
The new quantum theory facilitates the design of next-generation light-harvesting and emitting devices, as well as laser operation and detection. The coherence emerging from the light-induced molecular cooperativity may lead to bright emission of light. The spectroscopic probes of the light-induced phase of matter in the research can help to exploit next-generation optical sensing techniques and quantum metrology.
At a larger scale, the light-induced phases may enable a variety of novel light-based interdisciplinary applications, such as optical communications, biological imaging, control of chemical catalysis, and designating light-harvesting devices in an energy-efficient manner.
In the near future, the researchers plan to explore the light-induced phases and their effect on quantum materials, and develop new spectroscopic techniques and detection in the context of quantum entanglement.
More information: Zhedong Zhang et al, Multidimensional Coherent Spectroscopy of Molecular Polaritons: Langevin Approach, Physical Review Letters (2023). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.130.103001
Journal information: Physical Review Letters
Link:
Physicists develop a novel quantum theory of light-induced matter - Phys.org
NVision Imaging raises $30 million Series A to bring quantum … – CTech
NVision Imaging, a developer of MRI polarizers and hyperpolarized imaging agents, announced on Thursday that it has closed a $30 million Series A round, with an additional $19.5 million in funding from the German government. The round was led by Playground Global, with participation by return investors b-to-v and new participation from Pathena Investments, Entre Capital, Lauder Family, ES Kapital, and Ulm Kapital. The Series A brings NVision's total funding to $35 million, not including government funds.
NVision, co-founded by a partially Israeli team of quantum physicists, engineers, and chemists, is headquartered in Ulm, Germany.
While traditional MRIs detect slow-changing effects of a cancer therapy at the tissue level, which can take months to show up from the onset of treatment, metabolic MRIs are able to detect early changes of key metabolic pathways at the cellular level, which can show up within days from starting treatment. Metabolic MRIs rely on polarization, which is where NVision comes in. Based on a novel parahydrogen-induced polarization (PHIP) technique, the NVision team uses quantum physics, chemistry, and engineering in its polarizer.
The impact that this technology will have on medicine is monumental, said Dr. Sella Brosh, CEO of NVision. With more accessibility to this kind of technology and giving doctors more time to choose the right therapy for treatment, we can significantly improve a patients chance of recovery while not subjecting them to toxic treatments that hurt more than they help. Certainty will become the cornerstone of a new, life-altering era of adaptive cancer treatment that gives patients and their loved ones peace of mind.
NVision quantum metabolic polarizers are currently planned for preclinical use in 2023. The company has a partnership with Siemens Healthineers, a leading provider of MRI technology, with plans to deploy systems at over 50 of the worlds top cancer centers by 2025. It has also signed a collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering.
Continued here:
NVision Imaging raises $30 million Series A to bring quantum ... - CTech
A new mathematical blueprint is accelerating fusion device … – MIT News
Developing commercial fusion energy requires scientists to understand sustained processes that have never before existed on Earth. But with so many unknowns, how do we make sure were designing a device that can successfully harness fusion power?
We can fill gaps in our understanding using computational tools like algorithms and data simulations to knit together experimental data and theory, which allows us to optimize fusion device designs before theyre built, saving much time and resources.
Currently, classical supercomputers are used to run simulations of plasma physics and fusion energy scenarios, but to address the many design and operating challenges that still remain, more powerful computers are a necessity, and of great interest to plasma researchers and physicists.
Quantum computers exponentially faster computing speeds have offered plasma and fusion scientists the tantalizing possibility of vastly accelerated fusion device development. Quantum computers could reconcile a fusion devices many design parameters for example, vessel shape, magnet spacing, and component placement at a greater level of detail, while also completing the tasks faster. However, upgrading to a quantum computer is no simple task.
In a paper, Dyson maps and unitary evolution for Maxwell equations in tensor dielectric media, recently published in Physics Review A, Abhay K. Ram, a research scientist at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC), and his co-authors Efstratios Koukoutsis, Kyriakos Hizanidis, and George Vahala present a framework that would facilitate the use of quantum computers to study electromagnetic waves in plasma and its manipulation in magnetic confinement fusion devices.
Quantum computers excel at simulating quantum physics phenomena, but many topics in plasma physics are predicated on the classical physics model. A plasma (which is the dielectric media referenced in the papers title) consists of many particles electrons and ions the collective behaviors of which are effectively described using classic statistical physics. In contrast, quantum effects that influence atomic and subatomic scales are averaged out in classical plasma physics.
Furthermore, the descriptive limitations of quantum mechanics arent suited to plasma. In a fusion device, plasmas are heated and manipulated using electromagnetic waves, which are one of the most important and ubiquitous occurrences in the universe. The behaviors of electromagnetic waves, including how waves are formed and interact with their surroundings, are described by Maxwells equations a foundational component of classical plasma physics, and of general physics as well. The standard form of Maxwells equations is not expressed in quantum terms, however, so implementing the equations on a quantum computer is like fitting a square peg in a round hole: it doesnt work.
Consequently, for plasma physicists to take advantage of quantum computings power for solving problems, classical physics must be translated into the language of quantum mechanics. The researchers tackled this translational challenge, and in their paper, they reveal that a Dyson map can bridge the translational divide between classical physics and quantum mechanics. Maps are mathematical functions that demonstrate how to take an input from one kind of space and transform it to an output that is meaningful in a different kind of space. In the case of Maxwells equations, a Dyson map allows classical electromagnetic waves to be studied in the space utilized by quantum computers. In essence, it reconfigures the square peg so it will fit into the round hole without compromising any physics.
The work also gives a blueprint of a quantum circuit encoded with equations expressed in quantum bits (qubits) rather than classical bits so the equations may be used on quantum computers. Most importantly, these blueprints can be coded and tested on classical computers.
For years we have been studying wave phenomena in plasma physics and fusion energy science using classical techniques. Quantum computing and quantum information science is challenging us to step out of our comfort zone, thereby ensuring that I have not become comfortably numb, says Ram, quoting a Pink Floyd song.
The paper's Dyson map and circuits have put quantum computing power within reach, fast-tracking an improved understanding of plasmas and electromagnetic waves, and putting us that much closer to the ideal fusion device design.
See original here:
A new mathematical blueprint is accelerating fusion device ... - MIT News
Combining twistronics with spintronics could be the next giant leap … – Science Daily
Twistronics isn't a new dance move, exercise equipment, or new music fad. No, it's much cooler than any of that. It is an exciting new development in quantum physics and material science where van der Waals materials are stacked on top of each other in layers, like sheets of paper in a ream that can easily twist and rotate while remaining flat, and quantum physicists have used these stacks to discover intriguing quantum phenomena.
Adding the concept of quantum spin with twisted double bilayers of an antiferromagnet, it is possible to have tunable moir magnetism. This suggests a new class of material platform for the next step in twistronics: spintronics. This new science could lead to promising memory and spin-logic devices, opening the world of physics up to a whole new avenue with spintronic applications.
A team of quantum physics and materials researchers at Purdue University has introduced the twist to control the spin degree of freedom, using CrI3, an interlayer-antiferromagnetic-coupled van der Waals (vdW) material, as their medium. They have published their findings, "Electrically tunable moir magnetism in twisted double bilayers of chromium triiodide," in Nature Electronics.
"In this study, we fabricated twisted double bilayer CrI3, that is, bilayer plus bilayer with a twist angle between them," says Dr. Guanghui Cheng, co-lead author of the publication. "We report moir magnetism with rich magnetic phases and significant tunability by the electrical method."
The team, mostly from Purdue, has two equal-contributing lead authors: Dr. Guanghui Cheng and Mohammad Mushfiqur Rahman. Cheng was a postdoc in Dr. Yong P. Chen's group at Purdue University and is now an Assistant Professor in Advanced Institute for Material Research (AIMR, where Chen is also affiliated as a principal investigator) at Tohoku University. Mohammad Mushfiqur Rahman is a PhD student in Dr. Pramey Upadhyaya's group. Both Chen and Upadhyaya are corresponding authors of this publication and are professors at Purdue University. Chen is the Karl Lark-Horovitz Professor of Physics and Astronomy, a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and the Director of Purdue Quantum Science and Engineering Institute. Upadhyaya is an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Other Purdue-affiliated team members include Andres Llacsahuanga Allcca (PhD student), Dr. Lina Liu (postdoc), and Dr. Lei Fu (postdoc) from Chen's group, Dr. Avinash Rustagi (postdoc) from Upadhyaya's group and Dr. Xingtao Liu (former research assistant at Birck Nanotechnology Center).
"We stacked and twisted an antiferromagnet onto itself and voila got a ferromagnet," says Chen. "This is also a striking example of the recently emerged area of 'twisted' or moir magnetism in twisted 2D materials, where the twisting angle between the two layers gives a powerful tuning knob and changes the material property dramatically."
"To fabricate twisted double bilayer CrI3, we tear up one part of bilayer CrI3, rotate and stack onto the other part, using the so-called tear-and-stack technique," explains Cheng. "Through magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) measurement, which is a sensitive tool to probe magnetic behavior down to a few atomic layers, we observed the coexistence of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic orders, which is the hallmark of moir magnetism, and further demonstrated voltage-assisted magnetic switching. Such a moir magnetism is a novel form of magnetism featuring spatially varying ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic phases, alternating periodically according to the moir superlattice."
Twistronics up to this point have mainly focused on modulating electronic properties, such as twisted bilayer graphene. The Purdue team wanted to introduce the twist to spin degree of freedom and chose to use CrI3, an interlayer-antiferromagnetic-coupled vdW material. The result of stacked antiferromagnets twisting onto itself was made possible by having fabricated samples with different twisting angles. In other words, once fabricated, the twist angle of each device becomes fixed, and then MOKE measurements are performed.
Theoretical calculations for this experiment were performed by Upadhyaya and his team. This provided strong support for the observations arrived at by Chen's team.
"Our theoretical calculations have revealed a rich phase diagram with non-collinear phases of TA-1DW, TA-2DW, TS-2DW, TS-4DW, etc.," says Upadhyaya.
This research folds into an ongoing research avenue by Chen's team. This work follows several related recent publications by the team related to novel physics and properties of "2D magnets," such as "Emergence of electric-field-tunable interfacial ferromagnetism in 2D antiferromagnet heterostructures," which was recently published in Nature Communications. This research avenue has exciting possibilities in the field of twistronics and spintronics.
"The identified moir magnet suggests a new class of material platform for spintronics and magnetoelectronics," says Chen. "The observed voltage-assisted magnetic switching and magnetoelectric effect may lead to promising memory and spin-logic devices. As a novel degree of freedom, the twist can be applicable to the vast range of homo/heterobilayers of vdW magnets, opening the opportunity to pursue new physics as well as spintronic applications."
This work is partially supported by US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science through the Quantum Science Center (QSC, a National Quantum Information Science Research Center) and Department of Defense (DOD) Multidisciplinary University Research Initiatives (MURI) program (FA9550-20-1-0322). Cheng and Chen also received partial support from WPI-AIMR, JSPS KAKENHI Basic Science A (18H03858), New Science (18H04473 and 20H04623), and Tohoku University FRiD program in early stages of the research. Upadhyaya also acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) (ECCS-1810494). Bulk CrI3 crystals are provided by the group of Zhiqiang Mao from Pennsylvania State University under the support of the US DOE (DE-SC0019068). Bulk hBN crystals are provided by Kenji Watanabe and Takashi Taniguchi from National Institute for Materials Science in Japan under support from the JSPS KAKENHI (Grant Numbers 20H00354, 21H05233 and 23H02052) and World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI), MEXT, Japan.
See the original post here:
Combining twistronics with spintronics could be the next giant leap ... - Science Daily
1.6-billion-year-old steroid fossils hint at a lost world of microbial life – Science News Magazine
Molecular fossils found in ancient sedimentary rocks have unveiled a lost world of primitive eukaryotes that dominated aquatic ecosystems from at least 1.6 billion to 800 million years ago.
The findings, published June 7 in Nature, come from laboratory analyses of rock samples from around the world that revealed remnants of primitive compounds called protosteroids. The majority of these molecules, which form in the process of creating steroids, were likely produced by primordial eukaryotes, relatively complex life-forms that today include animals, plants, algae and fungi, the researchers say.
Almost all eukaryotes produce molecules called steroids, like cholesterol, that are crucial components of cell membranes. Steroids dont degrade easily and their remnants can be detected in sedimentary rocks as molecular fossils.
The last common ancestor of all eukaryotes lived around 1.2 billion to more than 1.8 billion years ago. But scientists know almost nothing about the abundance, ecology and habitats of those early microorganisms. Molecular and physical fossils of eukaryotes dated to 800 million years ago have been found. But farther back in time, their physical fossils become scarce and molecular fossils of the steroids become undetectable. The existence of protosteroids had been predicted but it was unclear what they would look like or if they could even be detected until the researchers figured out a way to re-create those molecular footprints in the lab.
This study explains why we dont see footprints of these guys in the rocks, as researchers were looking for the wrong thing, says biologist Laura Katz, a biologist at Smith College in Northampton, Mass., who was not involved with the new work. It fills a void in the fossil records.
A dearth of obvious eukaryote fossils before 800 million years ago led scientists to speculate that the ecosystem at that time was dominated by bacteria. Alternatively, primordial eukaryotes may have simply lacked strength in numbers to leave behind detectable steroid remnants.
Some scientists had a different explanation: What if some intermediate molecule in the chemical pathway that produces modern steroids was actually the end product of the process in primordial eukaryotes? This theory had been proposed by the biochemist Konrad Bloch, who won the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine in 1964 for discovering the biosynthetic pathway of cholesterol.
To test this, geochemist Jochen Brocks of the Australian National University in Canberra and colleagues artificially matured molecules made in the first few steps of steroid biosynthesis, including lanosterol and cycloartenol. That revealed what the compounds molecular fossils would look like. Then the researchers looked for these fossils in tarlike bitumens and oils extracted from ancient rocks from all over the world.
The researchers discovered a deluge of the protosteroids in samples ranging from deep to relatively shallow water environments. The oldest sample, dating back to 1.6 billion years ago, came from the Barney Creek Formation in Australia.
One of the greatest puzzles of early evolution is, why didnt our highly capable eukaryotic ancestors come to dominate the worlds ancient waterways? Where were they hiding? says Benjamin Nettersheim, a geobiologist at University of Bremen in Germany. We show that the protosteroid-producing microorganisms were hiding in plain sight and were in fact abundant in the worlds ancient oceans and lakes all along.
While most bacteria produce a different molecule, called hopanoids, some bacteria also have the chemical tools to kick-start protosteroid production. But these bacteria exist in niche environments, such as methane seeps and hydrothermal vents. And their molecular footprints have not been found in sediments older than 800 million years, leading the researchers to conclude that eukaryotes dominated the ancient ecosystems.
Konrad Bloch would have been delighted, had he lived, to see this, says MIT geobiologist Roger Summons, who wasnt involved in the study. This paper has elegantly confirmed his prediction that biosynthetic precursors to cholesterol reflect ancient lifes quest for improvement. (Bloch died in 2000.)
Get great science journalism, from the most trusted source, delivered to your doorstep.
Making these steroid precursors requires less oxygen and energy, so that may have given the primordial eukaryotes an advantage in thriving in early Earths harsh low oxygen conditions, the researchers propose (SN: 10/30/15).
If true, [this study] suggests that we may be able to examine the stepwise evolution of eukaryotes at [an] unprecedented level of detail, says evolutionary biologist Yosuke Hoshino of the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, who was not involved in the study. This is such a great opportunity to understand the evolution of complex life, which biologists have always dreamed of.
Read this article:
1.6-billion-year-old steroid fossils hint at a lost world of microbial life - Science News Magazine
A star cluster in the Milky Way appears to be as old as the universe – Science News Magazine
One of the oldest known objects in the universe is wandering around the Milky Way.
Star cluster M92, a densely packed ball of stars roughly 27,000 light-years from Earth, is about 13.8 billion years old, researchers report in a paper submitted June 3 to arXiv.org. The newly refined age estimate makes this clump of stars nearly the same age as the universe.
Refining the ages of clusters like M92 can help put limits on the age of the universe itself. It can also help solve cosmic conundrums about how the universe evolved.
The age is on the edge of the age of the universe, as estimated by other groups, says astronomer Martin Ying of Dartmouth College. It helps us set the lower bound of the age of the universe. We dont expect M92 to be born before the universe, right?
Globular clusters like M92 are tight knots of stars that are thought to have all formed at the same time. That makes it easier for astronomers to measure the stars ages (SN: 7/23/21). Stars that are born at different masses have different fates: The big ones use up their fuel quickly and die young, and the small ones linger. Figuring out how many of the clusters stars have aged out of the main parts of their fuel-burning years gives a sense of when the whole cluster was born.
But those estimates rely on assumptions about how stellar evolution works. Ying and colleagues wanted to find an age measurement that would sidestep those assumptions.
Using a computer, the team created 20,000 synthetic stellar populations for M92, each for a different possible cluster age. They then compared the colors and brightnesses for each of these populations with Hubble Space Telescope observations of M92 and calculated the age that fit the collection best.
This isnt the first time astronomers have measured M92s age, but previous estimates relied on just one synthetic collection of stars. Comparing thousands of them reduced the uncertainty introduced by the assumptions baked into each one. The new technique reduced the uncertainty of the cluster age by about 50 percent, Ying says. The team found the cluster is 13.8 billion years old, give or take 750 million years. Thats strikingly close to the best estimate of the age of the universe: a smidge over 13.8 billion years, plus or minus 24 million years, according to the Planck satellites measurement of the first light emitted after the Big Bang (SN: 12/20/13).
The age of clusters like M92 is important partly because of a rising tension over how fast the universe is growing. Astronomers have known since the 1990s that the universe is expanding at an ever-increasing rate, thanks to a mysterious substance dubbed dark energy (SN: 8/25/22). But recent measurements of the rate of that expansion, a figure called the Hubble constant, disagree with each other (SN: 7/30/19).
One way around that tension is to accept a different age for the universe, says cosmologist and study coauthor Mike Boylan-Kolchin of the University of Texas at Austin.
We often think about it as, Moses came down from Mount Sinai with 13.8 billion years written on some tablets or something, but its not quite like that, he says. If one takes the Hubble tension seriously, then one also has to say we dont know the age of the universe that well.
Thats where M92 comes in. Before spacecraft measured the cosmos earliest light, globular cluster ages were the best way to place limits on the age of the universe. That practice had fallen out of fashion for a while, says cosmologist Wendy Freedman of the University of Chicago, who was not involved in the new work.
But improvements in computing, theory, and measurements of the distances to clusters like M92 make it worth trying again.
The Hubble tension itself is a really challenging nut to crack, Freedman says. This measurement alone isnt precise enough to settle the debate. But the more kinds of constraints we have, the better, she says. Its showing a way for the future.
See the original post here:
A star cluster in the Milky Way appears to be as old as the universe - Science News Magazine
Infleqtion Wins Funding to Develop and Manufacture the UK’s First … – PR Newswire
OXFORD, England, June 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Infleqtion, the world's quantum information company, today announced that it has been awarded funding from Innovate UK to expand its manufacturing capabilities for quantum-enabled systems. The funding will support the development of a new type of optical atomic clock that far exceeds the accuracy and reliability of current Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)-based systems.
The new clock will achieve a frequency stability that ismore than fifty times better than the best commercially available atomic clocks of comparable size. This level of accuracy will be essential for applications such as autonomous navigation, resilient power distribution, and national security.
"Infleqtion offers unrivaled expertise, with products and R&D efforts spanning the whole quantum ecosystem, including quantum computing, quantum sensing, and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT)," said Scott Faris, CEO of Infleqtion. "With a strong foundation, a highly skilled team, and the support of Innovate UK, Infleqtion UK is well-positioned to drive innovation and deliver groundbreaking solutions that will transform the field of PNT and quantum-enabled systems."
The quantum-enabled PNT systems market is poised for significant growth, fueled by the increasing need for highly accurate, reliable, and resilient PNT systems across various applications, including the deployment of 5G networks. Quantum-enabled PNT systems offer significant advantages over traditional GNSS-based systems, including improved accuracy, enhanced resilience, and reduced size and weight. They are also not reliant on external signals, making them less vulnerable to weather conditions, interference, and jamming. This makes them suitable for deployed applications.
The funding from Innovate UK will enable Infleqtion to bring its new optical atomic clock to market and make the UK a global leader in the development and manufacture of quantum-enabled PNT systems. The company has a team of world-leading experts in quantum physics and optical engineering, and has a proven track record of developing innovative quantum technologies. The winning Infleqtion project will also establish a sovereign UK capability to manufacture critical subsystems, such as microfabricated atomic vapor cells and photonic frequency combs.
"This project will deliver the UK's first commercially available optical atomic clock which will provide a crucial layer of resilience across many national security applications," said Dr. Timothy Ballance, General Manager of Infleqtion UK. "The funding will allow Infleqtion to advance its manufacturing capability in the UK for systems required to build a wide range of quantum-enabled products. Coupled with our engineering expertise, we are in an excellent position to lead the market in delivering next generation commercial atomic clocks at scale."
Minister of State at the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology George Freeman MP said, "We are on the cusp of a quantum technology revolution, set to deliver transformational increases in computer processing speed and power in a whole new field of capabilities in sensing, communications, encryption, cyber security and navigation. We are making sure the UK is ready to harness it for the benefit of all."
Will Drury, Executive Director, Digital and Technologies at Innovate UK said, "Our exceptional researchers, businesses and innovators are continuously pushing the boundaries of Quantum Technology development, placing the UK at the leading edge of this field. Together, through this support and investment, we will work in partnership to realise the potential of this technology for our UK economy and society."
About Infleqtion
Infleqtion delivers high-value quantum information precisely where it is needed. By operating at the Edge, our software-configured, quantum-enabled products deliver unmatched levels of precision and power, generating streams of high-value information for commercial organizations, the United States, and allied governments. With 16 years of ColdQuanta's pioneering quantum research as our foundation, our hardware products and AI-powered solutions address critical market needs in PNT, global communication security and efficiency, resilient energy distribution, and accelerated quantum computing. Headquartered in Austin, TX, with offices in Boulder, CO; Chicago, IL; Madison, WI; Melbourne, AU; and Oxford, UK. Learn how Infleqtion is revolutionizing how we communicate, navigate, and discover at http://www.Infleqtion.com.
Infleqtion UK is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the flagship commercial brand Infleqtion. Infleqtion UK has a fully equipped quantum research laboratory and established production facilities in Oxford for its UK-developed Photonically Integrated Cold Atom Source (PICAS) product. The company conducts advanced research and development in inertial sensing and advanced timing for navigation within GNSS-denied environments, radiofrequency sensors for communications and defense applications, memory modules for secure quantum networks, and quantum information platforms for computation and simulation.
SOURCE Infleqtion
Here is the original post:
Infleqtion Wins Funding to Develop and Manufacture the UK's First ... - PR Newswire
New $25 million initiative will fund theoretical quantum research in … – The Gateway Online
Quantum Horizons Alberta (QHA) is a $25 million initiative partnered with the University of Alberta, University of Calgary, and University of Lethbridge. It aims to expand the capacity of foundational quantum science research in Alberta.
Four donors are funding the initiative: Richard Bird, Joanne Cuthbertson, Patrick Daniel, and Guy Turcotte. QHA aims to establish Alberta as a key source of research and discoveries in a field which promises to be transformational to the human condition, Bird said in a press release sent out on June 15.
Quantum science is the study of very small properties and behaviours. According to Roger Moore, professor and chair of the department of physics at the U of A, applied research on quantum science typically receives more funding than fundamental research.
Applied research is when were taking fundamental physics and applying it to a system to build a useful device. Or, to have a useful, practical outcome, Moore said. However, practical applications require fundamental research beforehand.
This is a unique opportunity because its funding fundamental physics research. Its curiosity-based research on the fundamental way that our universe and the matter in it works. That leads, down the line, to future applications.
According to Moore, the initiative will fund new faculty positions and postdoctoral researchers across the three universities. He added that QHA will enable the recruitment of researchers from all over the world and bring them to Alberta.
Researchers will come in order to come up with the discoveries that will drive the next wave of scientific inventions, but [for now] it is going to be fundamental. Its going to take a while for those innovations and discoveries to trickle down and lead to new devices and approaches that benefit us all.
QHA will provide more opportunities for researchers across the three universities to collaborate. Additionally, it will build upon areas of fundamental quantum research already established at the U of A.
It will bring together quantum chemists, quantum condensed matter theorists, and subatomic theorists all in one node here at the U of A. Theyre going to have the ability to collaborate more with their colleagues in Calgary and Lethbridge, Moore said.
Joseph Maciejko, an associate professor in the department of physics at the U of A, decided to pursue a career in fundamental quantum science research after learning about quantum mechanics as a student.
When we try to understand quantum mechanics, were really trying to understand the basic physics of how the universe works, Maciejko said.
Maciejko studies quantum materials and how different materials such as metals, insulators, and conductors a material that lets electricity flow through it work. He added that trying to discover new materials is particularly exciting.
For a long time it was thought that we only had either metals or insulators. Eventually, people discovered through fundamental science that theres something called a semiconductor or a superconductor, Maciejko said.
You can use these new kinds of materials that have very different properties to make very different devices. For example, if you didnt have a superconductor, it would be really hard to make a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine.
He added that QHA will enable more discoveries of new types of materials that will eventually lead to new technologies.
Anffany Chen, a postdoctoral learner at the U of A, is a condensed matter theorist studying quantum materials. Her current interest is hyperbolic lattices, a two-dimensional form of synthetic quantum matter.
They are negatively curved, which gives them very unique properties that we havent seen before in conventional lattices or crystals, Chen said.
Right now, she is focused on the lattices strong connection to the holographic principle. According to Chen, the holographic principle is one of the most promising paths towards the unification of quantum mechanics and gravity.
This holographic principle is a mathematical translator between the quantum theory and the gravity theory. The lattices that were studying are a toy model of this holographic principle. The end goal is to have a unified theory that could both describe gravity, like black holes, and quantum mechanics, like subatomic particles.
Chen added that when it comes to fundamental research, it is necessary to have an active exchange of ideas.
Im really excited that theres this initiative. The influx of new researchers, postdocs, and professors will enable us to join a global momentum towards advancing our understanding of quantum mechanics.
See the article here:
New $25 million initiative will fund theoretical quantum research in ... - The Gateway Online
APS Supports International Year of Quantum Proposal Passed by … – American Physical Society
COLLEGE PARK, MD, June 20, 2023 The executive board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recently endorsed by acclamation the proposal to declare 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ2025) and to include the item in the UNESCO General Conferences agenda.
The executive board further recommended that a resolution for IYQ2025 be adopted by the UNESCO General Conference and invited UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay to support efforts leading to its proclamation by the United Nations General Assembly. The American Physical Society (APS) appreciates the efforts of the Mexican Physical Society and Mexicos delegates on the UNESCO executive board for leading the proposals presentation.
This is a remarkable achievement, with 57 countries officially co-sponsoring the resolution, and with broad geographical representation spanning continents across the globe, said APS CEO Jonathan Bagger.
The proposal will be considered at the UNESCO General Conference in November 2023, followed by the United Nations General Assembly for the official declaration. The purpose of IYQ2025 is to raise awareness and highlight how quantum science and technology play a central role in various human activities, ranging from the development of devices such as lasers and transistors to the engineering of quantum systems.
Additionally, IYQ2025 will highlight the potential of quantum science and technology to address pressing societal issues such as climate change, clean water, and medical imaging topics that are important in meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Those goals cover 17 areas, including poverty, hunger, and climate change, that world leaders agreed to address by 2030.
To prepare for IYQ2025, APS is supporting an international executive committee chaired by Joseph Niemela of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics. The committee also includes leaders from the Mexican Physical Society and the European Physical Society.
This is an amazing collaborative effort that signals a strong commitment toward the role that quantum science and technologies play in finding solutions to our most challenging issues around the world, said Claudia Fracchiolla, APS Head of Public Engagement, who supports the executive committee.
We are so excited for IYQ2025 and look forward to celebrating with people around the world, she said.
Continued here:
APS Supports International Year of Quantum Proposal Passed by ... - American Physical Society
Anomalous Phenomenon Observed in Quantum Bunching Effect … – The Debrief
A Belgian research team says they have observed an anomalous bunching effect that appears to contradict our accepted understanding of the properties of photons, according to a new paper.
In physics, the notion that objects maintain pairs of complementary properties, not all of which can be observed or easily measured at the same time, is known as the complimentary principle. Proposed by physicist Niels Bohr, this principle can be summarized with the observation that objects in nature generally behave in one of two ways: like waves, or like particles.
Now, researchers with the Center for Quantum Information and Communication at the Ecole polytechnique de Bruxelles of Universit libre de Bruxelles in Belgium say they have made observations of photonic behavior that seemingly contradicts this long-held understanding.
The teams findings were published in the journal Nature Photonics.
Since light can be described as both a wave and as composed of particles containing no massi.e. photonswhich move at the speed of light, there is essentially no way to tell the difference between which paths photons follow in quantum interference experiments, which results in their clinging together or bunching.
This bunching behavior of photons, otherwise known as Boson bunching, is described by the team in their new paper as being among the most remarkable features of quantum physics.
One example involves what is known as the HongOuMandel effect, which describes a phenomenon in quantum optics involving two-photon interference first observed in the late 1980s by physicists at the University of Rochester. It occurs whenever a pair of identical single photons enter the separate input ports on a 1:1 beam splitter, and either cross the splitter or are reflected, resulting from quantum interference between their paths.
This effect takes its roots in the indistinguishability of identical photons, write authors Benoit Seron, Leonardo Novo, and Nicolas J. Cerf in their recent paper. Because of this, it is accepted based on past experimental verification that Boson bunching essentially vanishes as soon as photons can be distinguished, under conditions that include instances where they are present within distinct time bins or are observed to possess different polarizations.
Fundamentally, the bunching together of photons doesnt sit well within the framework of our classical view of physics, in terms of photons moving as particles following well-defined paths. Once their properties can be discerned by being traced back to their points of origin, or distinguished by factors like color or polarization, photons no longer engage in bunching; in short, bunching occurs to the greatest extent when photons remain indistinguishable and lessens the more discernable the particles become.
In the teams new research, led by Dr. Leonardo Novo, a theoretical scenario was imagined involving the bunching behaviors of seven photons with relation to the output paths of an interferometer. Given our current understanding of bunching, it should occur to the greatest extent when the same polarization occurs between all seven of the photons, since under these conditions they would be indistinguishable, and there would thus be no way to discern their paths as they pass through the interferometer.
However, the researchers found that in some cases the photon bunching phenomenon does not appear to behave as expected in every case: under conditions where photons attain a more clearly discernable polarization pattern and become partly distinguishable, there exist instances where photon bunching seems to show marked increases, rather than lessening.
The unexpected photonic behavior, Novo and the team writes, questions our understanding of multiparticle interference in the grey zone between indistinguishable bosons and classical particles.
According to the teams paper, they were able to upend this common understanding of the phenomenon with help from recent findings involving what is known as the theory of matrix permanents, noting that the presence of the odd boosting effect they came across in their theoretical study has real-world corollaries and is within reach of current photonic technology.
Although the observation is intriguing unto itself, the anomalous phenomenon of increased photon bunching potentially has applications within the quickly growing industry involving technologies that leverage quantum photonic principles. One of the most obvious examples is the construction of optical quantum computers, where a better understanding of photon bunching may prove very useful in the years ahead.
Novo and the teams paper, Boson bunching is not maximized by indistinguishable particles, appeared in the journal Nature Photonics on June 15, 2023.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. He can be reached by email atmicah@thedebrief.org. Follow his work atmicahhanks.comand on Twitter:@MicahHanks.
See the rest here:
Anomalous Phenomenon Observed in Quantum Bunching Effect ... - The Debrief