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RIKEN chemists have developed a molecule that enhances the performance of organic electronic devices and is also more stable than previous alternatives, raising the chances that it could be used in industrial manufacturing processes (Advanced Materials, “A novel n-type molecular dopant with a closed-shell electronic structure applicable to the vacuum-deposition process”).

RIKEN researchers were able to improve the flow of electrons into a layer of buckminsterfullerene (depicted) in an organic electronic device by using a new dopant called DP7. (© Laguna Design/Science Photo Library)

Conventional electronic devices are made from hard semiconductors such as silicon, but increasingly organic semiconductor molecules are appearing in devices such as televisions and cell-phone displays that use organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs).

Google’s Sycamore quantum computer was the first to demonstrate quantum supremacy – solving calculations that would be unfeasible on a classical computer – but now ordinary machines have pulled ahead again.

By Matthew Sparkes

Like the flutter of a butterfly’s wings, sometimes small and minute changes can lead to big and unexpected results and changes in our lives. Recently, a team of researchers at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) made a very small change to develop a material called “spin-orbit torque (SOT),” which is a hot topic in next-generation DRAM memory.

This research team, led by Professor Daesu Lee and Yongjoo Jo, a PhD candidate, from the Department of Physics and Professor Si-Young Choi from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at POSTECH, achieved highly efficient field-free (i.e. SOT magnetization switching that does not require the assistance of a magnetic field) SOT magnetization switching through atom-level control of composite oxides.

Their findings were recently published in Nano Letters (“Field-Free Spin–Orbit Torque Magnetization Switching in a Single-Phase Ferromagnetic and Spin Hall Oxide”).

Engineers at EPFL have developed a device capable of transforming heat into electrical voltage efficiently at temperatures even colder than those found in outer space. This breakthrough could significantly advance quantum computing technologies by addressing a major obstacle.

To perform quantum computations, quantum bits (qubits) need to be cooled to temperatures in the millikelvin range (close to-273 degrees Celsius) to reduce atomic motion and minimize noise. However, the electronics used to control these quantum circuits generate heat, which is challenging to dissipate at such low temperatures. Consequently, most current technologies must separate the quantum circuits from their electronic components, resulting in noise and inefficiencies that impede the development of larger quantum systems beyond the laboratory.

Researchers in EPFL’s Laboratory of Nanoscale Electronics and Structures (LANES), led by Andras Kis, in the School of Engineering have now fabricated a device that not only operates at extremely low temperatures, but does so with efficiency comparable to current technologies at room temperature.

While taking snapshots with the high-speed “electron camera” at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Acceleratory Laboratory, researchers discovered new behavior in an ultrathin material that offers a promising approach to manipulating light that will be useful for devices that detect, control or emit light, collectively known as optoelectronic devices, and investigating how light is polarized within a material. Optoelectronic devices are used in many technologies that touch our daily lives, including light-emitting diodes (LEDs), optical fibers and medical imaging.

As reported in Nano Letters (“Giant Terahertz Birefringence in an Ultrathin Anisotropic Semimetal”), the team, led by SLAC and Stanford professor Aaron Lindenberg, found that when oriented in a specific direction and subjected to linear terahertz radiation, an ultrathin film of tungsten ditelluride, which has desirable properties for polarizing light used in optical devices, circularly polarizes the incoming light.

Snapshot taken by SLAC’s high-speed electron camera, an instrument for ultrafast electron diffraction (MeV-UED), showing evidence of circular polarization of terahertz light by an ultrathin sample of tungsten ditelluride. (Sie et al., Nano Letters, 8 May 2024)

Implementing a fault-tolerant quantum processor requires coupling qubits to generate entanglement. Superconducting qubits are a promising platform for quantum information processing, but scaling up to a full-scale quantum computer necessitates interconnecting many qubits with low error rates. Traditional methods often limit coupling to nearest neighbors, require large physical footprints, and involve numerous couplers, complicating fabrication.

For instance, coupling 100 qubits pairwise demands a vast number of couplers. Moreover, controlling individual circuit elements and couplers with separate cables for even 1,000 qubits would require an impractically large volume of cables, making it infeasible to fit such a system in a large lab, let alone manage millions of qubits. This highlights the need for more efficient and scalable coupling methods.

A team of theoretical physicists led by Mohd Ansari at FZJ, in collaboration with the experimental team of Britton Plourde at Syracuse University, introduced a novel approach using a multimode coupler that enables tunable coupling strength between any pair of qubits.

A team of experimental physicists led by the University of Cologne have shown that it is possible to create superconducting effects in special materials known for their unique edge-only electrical properties. This discovery provides a new way to explore advanced quantum states that could be crucial for developing stable and efficient quantum computers.

Their study, titled “Induced superconducting correlations in a quantum anomalous Hall insulator,” has been published in Nature Physics.

Superconductivity is a phenomenon where electricity flows without resistance in certain materials. The quantum anomalous Hall effect is another phenomenon that also causes zero resistance, but with a twist: It is confined to the edges rather than spreading throughout.

While taking snapshots with the high-speed electron camera at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Acceleratory Laboratory, researchers discovered new behavior in an ultrathin material that offers a promising approach to manipulating light that will be useful for devices that detect, control or emit light, collectively known as optoelectronic devices, and investigating how light is polarized within a material. Optoelectronic devices are used in many technologies that touch our daily lives, including light-emitting diodes (LEDs), optical fibers and medical imaging.

As reported in Nano Letters, the team, led by SLAC and Stanford professor Aaron Lindenberg, found that when oriented in a specific direction and subjected to linear terahertz radiation, an ultrathin film of tungsten ditelluride, which has desirable properties for polarizing light used in optical devices, circularly polarizes the incoming light.

Terahertz radiation lies between the microwave and the infrared regions in the electromagnetic spectrum and enables novel ways of both characterizing and controlling the properties of materials. Scientists would like to figure out a way to harness that light for the development of future optoelectronic devices.

The Omega Point cosmo-teleology emerges from the intersection of quantum cosmology, teleology, and complex systems theory. Originally conceptualized by French philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, the Omega Point envisions the universe evolving towards a state of maximum complexity and consciousness (Teilhard de Chardin, 1955). Such a state represents the ultimate goal and culmination of cosmic evolution, wherein the convergence of mind and matter leads to a unified superintelligence.

The Omega Point theory postulates that the universe’s evolution is directed towards increasing complexity and consciousness, a teleological process with a purposeful end goal (Teilhard de Chardin, 1955). The concept was further refined by physicists and cosmologists, including John David Garcia (Garcia, 1996), Paolo Soleri (Soleri, 2001), Terence McKenna (McKenna, 1991), Frank Tipler (Tipler, 1994), and Andrew Strominger (Strominger, 2016).

A complementary perspective to the Omega Point theory is found in the Holographic Principle, which posits that all information within our universe is encoded on its boundary. Such an idea suggests our three-dimensional reality is a projection from this two-dimensional surface (Bekenstein, 2003). In the holographic universe, everything we perceive is a reflection of data encoded at the cosmic edge, which could imply that our entire universe resides within a black hole of a larger universe (Susskind, 1995). This perspective aligns with the concept of maximum informational density at the Omega Point and highlights the profound interconnectedness of all phenomena, blurring the boundaries between mind, matter, and the cosmos into a singular, computational entity.