A new approach stores and retrieves quantum states with record reliability, paving the way for improved quantum information processing.
Category: quantum physics
Optical system achieves terabit-per-second capacity and integrates quantum cryptography for long-term security
The artificial intelligence (AI) boom has created unprecedented demand for data traffic. But the infrastructure needed to support it faces mounting challenges. AI data centers must deliver faster, more reliable communication than ever before, while also confronting their soaring electricity use and a looming quantum security threat, which could one day break today’s encryption methods.
To address these challenges, a recent study published in Advanced Photonics proposes a quantum-secured architecture that involves minimal digital signal processing (DSP) consumption and meets all the stringent requirements for AI-driven data center optical interconnect (AI–DCI) scenarios. This system enables data to move at terabit-per-second speeds with low power consumption while defending against future quantum threats.
“Our work paves the way for the next generation of secure, scalable, and cost-efficient optical interconnects, protecting AI-driven data centers against quantum security threats while meeting the high demands of modern data-driven applications,” the researchers state in their paper.
The quantum door mystery: Electrons that can’t find the exit
What happens when electrons leave a solid material? This seemingly simple phenomenon has, until now, eluded accurate theoretical description. In a new study, researchers have found the missing piece of the puzzle.
Imagine a frog sitting inside a box. The box has a large opening at a certain height. Can the frog escape? That depends on how much energy it has: if it can jump high enough, it could in principle make it out. But whether it actually succeeds is another question. The height of the jump alone isn’t enough—the frog also needs to jump through the opening.
A similar situation arises with electrons inside a solid. When given a bit of extra energy—for example, by bombarding the material with additional electrons—they may be able to escape from the material.
2D devices have hidden cavities that can modify electronic behavior
In the right combinations and conditions, two-dimensional materials can host intriguing and potentially valuable quantum phases, like superconductivity and unique forms of magnetism. Why they occur, and how they can be controlled, is of considerable interest among physicists and engineers. Research published in Nature Physics reveals a previously hidden feature that could explain how and why enigmatic quantum phases emerge.
Using a new terahertz (THz) spectroscopic technique, the researchers revealed that tiny stacks of 2D materials, found in research labs around the world, can naturally form what are known as cavities. These cavities confine light and electrons into even tinier spaces, potentially changing their behavior in drastic ways.
“We’ve uncovered a hidden layer of control in quantum materials and opened a path to shaping light–matter interactions in ways that could help us both understand exotic phases of matter and ultimately harness them for future quantum technologies,” said James McIver, assistant professor of physics at Columbia and lead author of the paper.
Unified Equation: A Berry-Curvature Theory of Quantum Gravity, Entanglement, and Mass Emergence
Many Thanks to Sabine Hossenfelder for giving me puzzles.
What if everything — gravity, light, particles, and even the flow of time — came from a single equation? In Chavis Srichan’s Unified Theory, the universe isn’t built from matter, but from the curvature of entanglement — the twists and turns of quantum information itself. Space, energy, and even consciousness are simply different ways this curvature vibrates.
The One Equation.
At the smallest scale, every motion and interaction follows one rule:
[D_μ, D_ν]Ψ = (i/ħ) [(8πG/c⁴)⟨T_μν(Ψ)⟩ − Λ_q g_μν + λ ∇_μ∇_ν S]Ψ
It means that the “shape” of space itself bends in response to energy and information — and that same bending is quantum mechanics, gravity, and thermodynamics combined.
Mass: When Curvature Loops Back.
Investigating the Individual Performances of Coupled Superconducting Transmon Qubits
The strong requirement for high-performing quantum computing led to intensive research on novel quantum platforms in the last decades. The circuital nature of Josephson-based quantum superconducting systems powerfully supports massive circuital freedom, which allowed for the implementation of a wide range of qubit designs, and an easy interface with the quantum processing unit. However, this unavoidably introduces a coupling with the environment, and thus to extra decoherence sources. Moreover, at the time of writing, control and readout protocols mainly use analogue microwave electronics, which limit the otherwise reasonable scalability in superconducting quantum circuits.
Simplified Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model simulated on trapped-ion quantum computer
The simulation of strongly interacting many-body systems is a key objective of quantum physics research, as it can help to test the predictions of physics theories and yield new valuable insight. Researchers at Quantinuum, a quantum computing company, recently simulated a simplified version of a well-known theoretical model, the so-called Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model, using a trapped-ion quantum computer and a previously introduced randomized quantum algorithm.
Their simulation, outlined in a paper published on the arXiv preprint server, improves the present understanding of chaotic quantum systems that cannot be simulated using classical computers. In the future, their work could contribute to the simulation of other complex quantum systems and theoretical models.
“We were interested in the SYK model for two reasons: on one hand it is a prototypical model of strongly interacting fermions in condensed matter physics, and on the other hand it is the simplest toy model for studying quantum gravity in the lab via the holographic duality,” said Enrico Rinaldi, Lead R&D Scientist at Quantinuum and senior author of the paper.
Quantum Companies Join Forces in Italy’s New Quantum Alliance
IonQ and D-Wave, two publicly traded U.S. quantum computing companies, are joining as founding members of Q-Alliance, a new initiative in Lombardy described by organizers as the foundation of “the world’s most powerful quantum hub.”
The alliance, formalized in Como with a memorandum of understanding, is designed to accelerate quantum research and industrial applications as part of Italy’s broader digital transformation agenda, according to a news release. It is backed by the Italian government’s Interministerial Committee for Digital Transition and supported by Undersecretary of State Senator Alessio Butti.
Q-Alliance will serve as an open platform connecting universities, research institutions, and private industry. The program aims to train young researchers through scholarships and internships, promote collaboration across scientific disciplines, and position Italy as a European center for quantum development.