Feature Channels: Quantum Mechanics

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20-Jul-2020 3:00 PM EDT
Advanced Cryo-EM reveals viral RNA replication complex structure in stunning detail
Morgridge Institute for Research

For the first time, scientists at the Morgridge Institute for Research have generated near atomic resolution images of a major viral protein complex responsible for replicating the RNA genome of a member of the positive-strand RNA viruses.

   
Released: 17-Jul-2020 1:25 PM EDT
Atomtronic device could probe boundary between quantum, everyday worlds
Los Alamos National Laboratory

A new device that relies on flowing clouds of ultracold atoms promises potential tests of the intersection between the weirdness of the quantum world and the familiarity of the macroscopic world we experience every day.

Released: 16-Jul-2020 6:00 AM EDT
‘Blinking” Crystals May Convert CO2 into Fuels
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Imagine tiny crystals that “blink” like fireflies and can convert carbon dioxide, a key cause of climate change, into fuels. A Rutgers-led team has created ultra-small titanium dioxide crystals that exhibit unusual “blinking” behavior and may help to produce methane and other fuels, according to a study in the journal Angewandte Chemie. The crystals, also known as nanoparticles, stay charged for a long time and could benefit efforts to develop quantum computers.

Released: 14-Jul-2020 8:25 AM EDT
Freezing Out Chemical Reactions to Have a Closer Look in the Quantum Realm
Department of Energy, Office of Science

Chemical reactions transform reactants to products through intermediate states. These intermediates are often short-lived, making them hard to study. But by bringing a molecule to a temperature barely above absolute zero, scientists can “trap” the reaction in the intermediate stage for a much longer time. In this study, scientists used photoionization to directly observe a reaction’s reactants and products.

10-Jul-2020 2:50 PM EDT
Tiny Bubbles Make a Quantum Leap
Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science

Researchers at Columbia Engineering and Montana State University have found that placing sufficient strain in a 2D material creates localized states that can yield single-photon emitters. Using sophisticated optical microscopy techniques developed at Columbia over the past 3 years, the team was able to directly image these states for the first time, revealing that even at room temperature they are highly tunable and act as quantum dots, tightly confined pieces of semiconductors that emit light.

Released: 7-Jul-2020 5:25 PM EDT
Chicago Quantum Exchange welcomes seven new partners in tech, computing and finance, to advance research and training
Argonne National Laboratory

The Chicago-based research hub expands to include 13 total industry leaders in tech, computing, finance.

6-Jul-2020 9:00 AM EDT
2D Semiconductors Found to Be Close-To-Ideal Fractional Quantum Hall Platform
Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science

Columbia University researchers report that they have observed a quantum fluid known as the fractional quantum Hall states (FQHS), one of the most delicate phases of matter, for the first time in a monolayer 2D semiconductor. Their findings demonstrate the excellent intrinsic quality of 2D semiconductors and establish them as a unique test platform for future applications in quantum computing.

Released: 2-Jul-2020 10:25 AM EDT
Being Exceptional in Higher Dimensions
Department of Energy, Office of Science

By connecting electromagnetic waves and magnetism to create a system made of magnon polaritons, scientists demonstrated the existence of an “exceptional surface” for the first time. Exceptional surfaces were originally a purely mathematical concept, but recent research shows they have potential physical, real-world applications.

Released: 26-Jun-2020 9:45 AM EDT
Process for ‘two-faced’ nanomaterials may aid energy, information tech
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

A team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory implanted atoms precisely into the top layers of ultra-thin crystals, yielding two-sided Janus structures that may prove useful in developing energy and information technologies.

Released: 24-Jun-2020 6:05 PM EDT
CMS collaboration publishes 1,000th paper
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab)

On June 19, scientists at the CMS experiment at CERN's Large Hadron Collider published their 1,000th paper. The monumental achievement reflects an incomparable contribution to humanity's understanding of the universe — and it's just the beginning.

Released: 23-Jun-2020 2:35 PM EDT
Using chaos as a tool, scientists discover new method of making 3D-heterostructured materials
Ames National Laboratory

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory and their collaborators from Iowa State University have developed a new approach for generating layered, difficult-to-combine, heterostructured solids. Heterostructured materials, composed of layers of dissimilar building blocks display unique electronic transport and magnetic properties that are governed by quantum interactions between their structurally different building blocks, and open new avenues for electronic and energy applications.

Released: 19-Jun-2020 10:05 AM EDT
Measuring a Tiny Quasiparticle Is a Major Step Forward for Semiconductor Technology
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

A team of researchers led by Sufei Shi, an assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has uncovered new information about the mass of individual components that make up a promising quasiparticle, known as an exciton, that could play a critical role in future applications for quantum computing, improved memory storage, and more efficient energy conversion. The team's research was published today in Nature Communications.

Released: 16-Jun-2020 11:20 AM EDT
The smallest motor in the world
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

A research team from Empa and EPFL has developed a molecular motor which consists of only 16 atoms and rotates reliably in one direction. It could allow energy harvesting at the atomic level. The special feature of the motor is that it moves exactly at the boundary between classical motion and quantum tunneling - and has revealed puzzling phenomena to researchers in the quantum realm.

Released: 4-Jun-2020 12:50 PM EDT
Fermilab scientists publish quantum computing course for high school students
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab)

Quantum computing will affect the future of every area of science, creating the need for a quantum-fluent workforce. In collaboration with two high school teachers, a group of Fermilab theorists has developed a quantum computing course for high school students. With this course, Fermilab scientists are breaking new ground in both quantum computing research and supporting the competitiveness of the STEM workforce in the quantum era.

Released: 3-Jun-2020 11:20 AM EDT
One-of-a-kind Microscope Enables Breakthrough in Quantum Science
American Technion Society

Technion-Israel Institute of Technology researchers recently made an extraordinary breakthrough in the field of quantum matter when they documened, for the first time, a new type of interaction between light and matter.

Released: 2-Jun-2020 8:10 AM EDT
Joined nano-triangles pave the way to magnetic carbon materials
Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Graphene triangles with an edge length of only a few atoms behave like peculiar quantum magnets. When two of these nano-triangles are joined, a "quantum entanglement" of their magnetic moments takes place: the structure becomes antiferromagnetic. This could be a breakthrough for future magnetic materials, and another step towards spintronics. An international group led by Empa researchers recently published the results in the journal "Angewandte Chemie".

Released: 29-May-2020 11:20 PM EDT
Theoretical breakthrough shows quantum fluids rotate by corkscrew mechanism
Argonne National Laboratory

Scientists performed simulations of merging rotating superfluids, revealing a peculiar corkscrew-shaped mechanism that drives the fluids into rotation without the need for viscosity.

Released: 21-May-2020 11:35 AM EDT
“One-Way” Electronic Devices Enter the Mainstream
Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science

Columbia engineers are the first to build a high-performance non-reciprocal device on a compact chip with a performance 25 times better than previous work. The new chip, which can handle several watts of power (enough for cellphone transmitters that put out a watt or so of power), was the leading performer in a DARPA SPAR program to miniaturize these devices and improve performance metrics.

Released: 20-May-2020 9:00 AM EDT
Quantum leap: Bristol’s photon discovery is a major step toward large-scale quantum technologies
University of Bristol

A team of physicists at the University of Bristol has developed the first integrated photon source with the potential to deliver large-scale quantum photonics.

Released: 18-May-2020 5:30 PM EDT
Efficient, “green” quantum-dot solar cells exploit defects
Los Alamos National Laboratory

Novel quantum dot solar cells developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory match the efficiency of existing quantum-dot based devices, but without lead or other toxic elements that most solar cells of this type rely on.

Released: 18-May-2020 4:35 PM EDT
Scientists use pressure to make liquid magnetism breakthrough
Argonne National Laboratory

Scientists have forced a magnetic crystal into a spin liquid state, which may lead to insights into superconductivity and quantum computing.

Released: 18-May-2020 7:55 AM EDT
NYU and IBM Research Takes Electrons for a Spin in Moving Toward More Efficient, Higher Density Data Storage
New York University

Researchers at New York University and IBM Research have demonstrated a new mechanism involving electron motion in magnetic materials that points to new ways to potentially enhance data storage.

Released: 15-May-2020 1:10 PM EDT
In a step forward for orbitronics, scientists break the link between a quantum material's spin and orbital states
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Until now, electron spins and orbitals were thought to go hand in hand in a class of materials that’s the cornerstone of modern information technology; you couldn’t quickly change one without changing the other. This study raises the possibility of controlling them separately.

Released: 14-May-2020 11:00 AM EDT
Making Quantum ‘Waves’ in Ultrathin Materials
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

A team of researchers co-led by Berkeley Lab has observed unusually long-lived wavelike electrons called "plasmons" in a new class of electronically conducting material. Plasmons are very important for determining the optical and electronic properties of metals.

Released: 12-May-2020 12:20 PM EDT
ORNL, LANL-developed quantum technologies go the distance
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

For the second year in a row, a team of scientists from DOE’s Oak Ridge and Los Alamos National Laboratories led a demonstration hosted by EPB, a utility and telecommunications company, to test quantum-based technologies that could improve the cybersecurity, longevity and efficiency of the nation’s power grid. Among other successes, the researchers drastically increased the range these resources can cover in collaboration with new industry partner Qubitekk.

Released: 11-May-2020 2:10 PM EDT
Making a Material World Better, Faster Now: Q&A With Materials Project Director Kristin Persson
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Berkeley Lab’s Kristin Persson shares her thoughts on what inspired her to launch the Materials Project online database, the future of materials research and machine learning, and how she found her own way into a STEM career.

Released: 8-May-2020 3:45 PM EDT
Physicists Go Out on a Limb to Advance AI Computing
University of California San Diego

Research findings published in Nature Communications outline how a national team of researchers supported by the DOE's Office of Science opens up a new dimension of safe hardware for AI and neuromorphic computing.

Released: 7-May-2020 6:00 AM EDT
Rutgers’ Greg Moore Elected to National Academy of Sciences
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Rutgers Professor Gregory W. Moore, a renowned physicist who seeks a unified understanding of the basic forces and fundamental particles in the universe, has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. Moore, Board of Governors Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, joins 119 other new academy members and 26 international members this year who were recognized for their distinguished and ongoing achievements in original research.

30-Apr-2020 10:05 AM EDT
Identifying Light Sources Using Artificial Intelligence
American Institute of Physics (AIP)

Identifying sources of light plays an important role in the development of many photonic technologies, such as lidar, remote sensing, and microscopy. Traditionally, identifying light sources as diverse as sunlight, laser radiation, or molecule fluorescence has required millions of measurements, particularly in low-light environments, which limits the realistic implementation of quantum photonic technologies. In Applied Physics Reviews, researchers demonstrated a smart quantum technology that enables a dramatic reduction in the number of measurements required to identify light sources

Released: 5-May-2020 9:40 AM EDT
Researchers Explore Quantum Computing to Discover Possible COVID-19 treatments
Penn State College of Engineering

Quantum machine learning, an emerging field that combines machine learning and quantum physics, is the focus of research to discover possible treatments for COVID-19, according to Penn State researchers led by Swaroop Ghosh, the Joseph R. and Janice M. Monkowski Career Development Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Engineering. The researchers believe that this method could be faster and more economical than the current methods used for drug discovery.

Released: 30-Apr-2020 2:25 PM EDT
Unlocking Promising Properties to Create Future Technologies
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

At Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, researchers working at the intersection of materials science, chemical engineering, and physics are uncovering new and innovative ways to unlock those promising and useful abilities using light, temperature, pressure, or magnetic fields. The groundbreaking discovery of an optical version of quantum hall effect (QHE), published today in Physical Review X, demonstrates the leadership of Rensselaer in this vital research field.

Released: 21-Apr-2020 8:25 AM EDT
Fourth cohort of 6 innovators selected for Chain Reaction Innovations program
Argonne National Laboratory

Six new innovators will be joining Chain Reaction Innovations (CRI), the entrepreneurship program at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, as part of the elite program’s fourth cohort.

Released: 20-Apr-2020 12:25 PM EDT
New discovery helps close the gap towards optically-controlled quantum computation
Ames National Laboratory

Scientists have discovered a light-induced switching mechanism in a Dirac semimetal. The mechanism establishes a new way to control the topological material, driven by back-and-forth motion of atoms and electrons, which will enable topological transistor and quantum computation using light waves.

Released: 17-Apr-2020 12:35 PM EDT
Finding the beat: New discovery settles a long-standing debate about photovoltaic materials
Ames National Laboratory

Scientists have theorized that organometallic halide perovskites— a class of light harvesting “wonder” materials for applications in solar cells and quantum electronics— are so promising due to an unseen yet highly controversial mechanism called the Rashba effect. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory have now experimentally proven the existence of the effect.

Released: 15-Apr-2020 5:30 PM EDT
What is an individual? Information Theory may provide the answer
Santa Fe Institute

Despite the near-universal assumption of individuality in biology, there is little agreement about what individuals are and few rigorous quantitative methods for their identification. A new approach may solve the problem by defining individuals in terms of informational processes.

Released: 2-Apr-2020 2:30 PM EDT
A new way to fine-tune exotic materials: Thin, stretch and clamp
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

Turning a brittle oxide into a flexible membrane and stretching it on a tiny apparatus flipped it from a conducting to an insulating state and changed its magnetic properties. The technique can be used to study and design a broad range of materials for use in things like sensors and detectors.

Released: 2-Apr-2020 12:15 PM EDT
Story Tips: Molding matter atom by atom and seeing inside uranium particles
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Story Tips: Molding matter atom by atom and seeing inside uranium particles, from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Released: 31-Mar-2020 8:25 AM EDT
High Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory Tests Speed of Light
Los Alamos National Laboratory

New measurements confirm, to the highest energies yet explored, that the laws of physics hold no matter where you are or how fast you’re moving.

Released: 26-Mar-2020 2:05 PM EDT
Quantum Effect Triggers Unusual Material Expansion
Brookhaven National Laboratory

New research conducted in part at Brookhaven Laboratory may bring a whole new class of chemical elements into a materials science balancing act for designing alloys for aviation and other applications.

Released: 18-Mar-2020 12:45 PM EDT
Model simulator helps researchers map complex physics phenomena
Cornell University

A Cornell-led collaboration has successfully created such a simulator using ultrathin monolayers that overlap to make a moiré pattern. The team then used this solid-state platform to map a longstanding conundrum in physics: the phase diagram of the triangular lattice Hubbard model.

Released: 16-Mar-2020 3:50 PM EDT
Quantum and accelerator science enable mysterious dark sector searches at Fermilab
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab)

Fermilab technology developed for particle accelerators offers a valuable opportunity to search for a hypothesized particle that would resemble a particle of light. These dark photons could help us understand the large part of our universe that we know is there but have yet to observe.

Released: 13-Mar-2020 2:35 PM EDT
ORNL neutrons add advanced polarization capability for measuring magnetic materials
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Neutron scattering instruments at ORNL’s HFIR and SNS are undergoing upgrades which will enable them to study magnetic phenomena previously not possible in the US. Incorporating a device for spherical neutron polarimetry enables the ability to characterize complex magnetic systems in new dimensions for materials that could be developed for enhanced data storage and quantum computing technologies.

Released: 4-Mar-2020 2:15 PM EST
How a Magnet Could Help Boost Understanding of Superconductivity
Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Physicists have unraveled a mystery behind the strange behavior of electrons in a ferromagnet, a finding that could eventually help develop high temperature superconductivity. A Rutgers co-authored study of the unusual ferromagnetic material appears in the journal Nature.

4-Mar-2020 8:05 AM EST
A Talented 2D Material Gets a New Gig
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Berkeley Lab scientists tap into graphene’s hidden talent as an electrically tunable superconductor, insulator, and magnetic device for the advancement of quantum information science

Released: 3-Mar-2020 12:05 PM EST
A joint venture at the nanoscale
Argonne National Laboratory

Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory report fabricating and testing a superconducting nanowire device applicable to high-speed photon counting. This pivotal invention will allow nuclear physics experiments that were previously thought impossible.

Released: 2-Mar-2020 12:50 PM EST
They are there and they are gone: ICARUS chases a fourth neutrino
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab)

Scientists have begun filling the ICARUS detector at Fermilab with liquid argon, moving one step closer toward neutrino oscillation measurements and the potential discovery of sterile neutrinos.

Released: 28-Feb-2020 12:50 PM EST
Particle accelerator technology could solve one of the most vexing problems in building quantum computers
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab)

One of the most difficult problems to overcome in developing a quantum computer is finding a way to maintain the lifespan of information held in quantum bits, called qubits. Researchers at Fermilab and Argonne National Laboratory are working to determine whether devices used in particle accelerators can help solve the problem. The team will run simulations on high-performance computers that will enable them to predict the lifespan of information held within these qubits using smaller versions of these devices, taking us one step closer to the age of quantum computing.

Released: 21-Feb-2020 10:55 AM EST
Creating the Heart of a Quantum Computer: Developing Qubits
Department of Energy, Office of Science

To use quantum computers on a large scale, we need to improve the technology at their heart – qubits. Qubits are the quantum version of conventional computers’ most basic form of information, bits. The DOE’s Office of Science is supporting research into developing the ingredients and recipes to build these challenging qubits.

Released: 19-Feb-2020 3:05 PM EST
Argonne and UChicago scientists take important step in developing national quantum internet
Argonne National Laboratory

Real-world experiment in Chicago suburbs achieves quantum entanglement across 52-mile fiber network

14-Feb-2020 4:55 PM EST
Argonne National Laboratory, University of Chicago announce successful tests on quantum loop — a precursor for the national quantum internet
Argonne National Laboratory

LEMONT, IL – On Wednesday, February 19, 2020 at noon CST, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Under Secretary for Science Paul M. Dabbar will announce scientists from Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago entangled photons across a 52-mile “quantum loop” in the Chicago suburbs. The quantum loop is a test bed designed to entangle quantum information at distance in real-world conditions. The successful experiment, funded by DOE, is seen as a foundational building block in the development of a quantum internet — potentially a highly secure and far-reaching network of quantum computers and other quantum devices.



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