Tag

Quantum Physics

All articles tagged with #quantum physics

science1 day ago•2 min saved

First Operational Nuclear Clocks Match Atomic Precision in Nature Papers

Researchers in Vienna and Beijing have demonstrated the first operational nuclear clocks, achieving precision comparable to state-of-the-art atomic clocks. These devices use thorium-229 embedded in calcium fluoride crystals, offering a more robust and compact alternative to current optical standards. The breakthroughs, published in Nature, enable new constraints on dark matter and lay the groundwork for future improvements in global timekeeping infrastructure.

via Financial Times|

#dark-matter #nuclear-clocks #quantum-physics

science2 days ago•14 min saved

New Study Proposes 'Cosmic Lockdown' to Prevent Universe from Collapsing into False Vacuum

A new study suggests that quantum decoherence during the early universe’s rapid expansion may have 'locked' fields into their current states, preventing a catastrophic transition to a lower-energy 'true vacuum.' While this 'cosmic lockdown' mechanism offers a potential explanation for why the universe remains stable despite potentially existing in a metastable state, researchers caution that the model is simplified and does not yet confirm the long-term safety of the Higgs field.

via Gizmodo|

#cosmology #decoherence #false-vacuum

science7 days ago•4 min saved

Ytterbium Diarsenide Breaks Time Symmetry in Type I Superconductor

Physicists at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal have identified a type I superconductor, ytterbium diantimonide (YbSb2), that spontaneously breaks time-reversal symmetry. Published in Physical Review Letters, the study confirms that this material enters a superconducting state near -272 degrees Celsius and exhibits internal magnetic fields without external influence. This behavior, previously associated only with unconventional type II superconductors, arises from electrons pairing in an 'internally antisymmetric non-unitary triplet' state. The discovery suggests YbSb2 could host gapless Majorana surface modes, potentially offering enhanced protection for quantum information against environmental noise.

via ScienceAlert|

#majorana-modes #quantum-physics #science

science12 days ago•8 min saved

German Physicists Set New Record for Quantum Superposition Using Rydberg Atoms

A team led by Hendrik Hegels at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Germany has created the largest optical 'Schrödinger's cat' state to date. By utilizing Rydberg atoms, which have electrons loosely bound to their nuclei, the researchers achieved a superposition size of alpha squared 2.4, surpassing the previous record of 1.4. This experiment helps probe the boundary between quantum and classical physics.

via ScienceAlert|

#max-planck-institute #quantum-physics #rydberg-atoms

science15 days ago•53 min saved

Singapore team achieves 19-digit accuracy in lutetium atomic clock comparison

Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a pair of optical atomic clocks using lutetium ions that achieve a fractional frequency uncertainty of 1 × 10⁻¹⁹. By comparing two independent systems over 200 hours, the team verified agreement to the 19th decimal place, marking a fourfold improvement over previous records. This precision enables millimeter-scale gravity measurements and supports the potential redefinition of the SI second.

via Nature|

#atomic-clocks #lutetium #nus

science-and-technology16 days ago•3 min saved

Singapore Researchers Unveil Lutetium Clock with Record 10^-19 Accuracy

Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed the world’s most accurate atomic clock, utilizing the rare-earth element lutetium. Published in Nature on September 23, 2026, the device achieves an uncertainty of 1 x 10^-19, meaning it would take over 260 billion years to lose a second. This optical clock is four times more precise than the previous record-holder based on calcium ions. The team verified its accuracy by comparing two independent clocks, which agreed to the 19th decimal place. The breakthrough, resulting from over a decade of work, could lead to a redefinition of the second and enable ultra-precise gravity mapping.

via Nature|

#atomic-clocks #lutetium #national-university-of-singapore

science16 days ago•5 min saved

Stanford Team Captures First Real-Time Quantum Jumps of Sound

Stanford researchers have achieved the first direct observation of quantum jumps in sound, watching individual phonons abruptly transition between energy states in real time. Published in Science, this breakthrough confirms that mechanical vibrations behave quantum mechanically, opening new pathways for quantum computing, error correction, and ultra-precise biological sensing.

via ScienceDaily|

#mechanical-resonators #phonons #quantum-computing

science-and-technology17 days ago•5 min saved

Bruker’s GAIA Microscope Set to Ship for Ultra-Cold Quantum Imaging

Bruker is set to ship its first scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) capable of stable operation near absolute zero to three global labs by early 2027. Dubbed GAIA, the instrument uses liquid helium to cool samples to approximately 7 kelvin for over 30 hours, enabling atomic-resolution imaging of quantum materials. This breakthrough addresses decades-long challenges in cryogenic microscopy, where previous liquid helium attachments suffered from rapid evaporation and vibration-induced blurring. By integrating cooling directly into the microscope and adding aberration correction and a monochromator, GAIA allows researchers to observe material properties at ultra-low temperatures without the instability that previously limited data collection.

via Nature|

#bruker #cryogenics #electron-microscopy

science1 month ago•7 min saved

Quantum Breakthrough, Frog Sex Reversals, Invasive Pines, and a Puma-Cheetah Kin

Researchers demonstrate that the quantum version of the equivalence principle holds using a Quantum Galileo Interferometer, suggesting quantum mechanics and gravity can coherently coexist; studies on agile frogs show sex reversal does not stop mating but their offspring may be more vulnerable to viral diseases; pine trees planted in the Southern Hemisphere grow much faster and resist drought, yet threaten native ecosystems; genetic analysis reveals the extinct American ‘cheetah’ Miracinonyx trumani is actually a sister species to pumas, with surprising range and diet diversity including Arctic fish-eaters.

via 404 Media|

#equivalence-principle #frogs #invasive-pines

science1 month ago•144 min saved

Quantum Galileo interferometer confirms Einstein’s principle at quantum scales

Physicists used a Bose-Einstein condensate of about 20,000 rubidium atoms in a two-path atom interferometer to measure a gravity‑induced quantum phase. The observed phase grows with the cube of the fall time, matching theoretical predictions and showing Einstein’s equivalence principle holds at quantum scales. The experiment, dubbed the quantum Galileo interferometer, ran 633 cycles across several hours, supporting compatibility between quantum mechanics and general relativity while outlining future tests with rotating frames and heavier objects to probe gravity’s effect on quantum superpositions.

via Live Science|

#bose-einstein-condensate #equivalence-principle #gravity

physics-and-chemistry1 month ago•15 min saved

Physicists Propose Stable Bose-Fermi Droplets as a New Quantum State

Monash University researchers propose a new quantum state—stable Bose-Fermi droplets formed by a mixture of bosons and fermions balanced by attractive forces and fermionic pressure. The work provides a theoretical ansatz and an experimental roadmap to realize these droplets in ultracold systems, with potential implications for ultra-precise sensors and future quantum technologies.

via Gizmodo|

#bose-fermi-droplets #bosons #fermions

science3 months ago•4 min saved

Lab-created quantum mini-universe hints time can arise from entropy, not a clock

Physicists built a 24,000-atom isolated quantum system that behaves like a tiny universe, showing time can emerge from internal entropy changes rather than an external clock—the enigmatic "entropic time"—and maintain standard quantum dynamics, offering a controlled testbed for quantum cosmology and gravity research.

via ScienceDaily|

#entropy #laboratory-experiment #quantum-gravity

space-and-spaceflight3 months ago•16 min saved

NASA Extends Quantum Frontier: Bose-Einstein Condensates in Orbit

NASA has upgraded its Cold Atom Lab on the International Space Station to further study Bose-Einstein condensates in microgravity, enabling larger quantum states to be probed for longer times and advancing quantum technologies by leveraging ultracold atoms to measure time, gravity, and motion with unparalleled precision.

via Gizmodo|

#bose-einstein-condensate #cold-atom-lab #international-space-station

science3 months ago•6 min saved

Quantum Experiments Impose a Fundamental Ceiling on Electrical Resistance

Researchers using ultracold potassium atoms in an optical lattice demonstrated that resistivity caused by particle collisions increases but saturates at a finite ceiling, revealing a microscopic limit to resistivity that could extend to metals. The quantum enhancement of collision chances—atoms acting as larger effective particles—drives the initial rise, but as interactions strengthen the system reaches a plateau, offering experimental insight into resistivity in quantum materials and informing studies of strongly correlated systems. The work, led by Joseph H. Thywissen and collaborators across the University of Toronto, ENS Paris-Saclay, and Lehigh University, was published in Physical Review Letters.

via SciTechDaily|

#hubbard-model #optical-lattice #quantum-physics

physics-and-chemistry3 months ago•16 min saved

Physicists Unveil a New Family of Schrödinger's Cat States in a Single Ion

Physicists developed a method to create and control quantum superpositions in the motion of a trapped strontium ion, turning the ion's internal spin into a tool to sculpt cat-like quantum states with distinctive interference patterns, expanding the Schrödinger cat family and offering new capabilities for quantum computing, simulations, and sensing.

via Gizmodo|

#physics-and-chemistry #quantum-computing #quantum-physics