Success Generating Two-Qutrit Entangling Gates With High Fidelity
Quantum information processors that operate with ternary logic (qutrits) offer significant potential advantages in quantum simulation and error correction, as well as the ability to improve specific quantum algorithms and applications. Building on previous R&D with qutrits at the Advanced Quantum Testbed (AQT), the paper's experimental team, led by a promising UC Berkeley graduate student, successfully entangled two transmon qutrits with gate fidelities significantly higher than in previously reported works.
Why the day is 24 hours long: Astrophysicists reveal why Earth's day was a constant 19.5 hours for over a billion years
A team of astrophysicists at the University of Toronto (U of T) has revealed how the slow and steady lengthening of Earth's day caused by the tidal pull of the moon was halted for over a billion years.
Ready, set, upgrade: Advanced Photon Source's overhaul is underway
The Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory is beginning the installation phase of an upgrade that will enable new breakthroughs in a variety of sciences.
A Large Earth-like Granitic System Exists on the Moon
A new research finding shows that a likely large Earth-like granite system is present on the Moon. The finding, details of which are published in a Nature paper, may help expand knowledge of geothermal lunar processes.
Speaking my language: Robert Winarski's background helps him coordinate beamline installation for the Advanced Photon Source Upgrade
With the year-long shutdown underway, the Advanced Photon Source Upgrade project is in the midst of building seven new beamlines, constructing the infrastructure for two more, and updating several more existing beamlines. Robert Winarski is coordinating all of this work, and his background as a scientist who has constructed beamlines is key to his success.
Large sub-surface granite formation signals ancient volcanic activity on Moon's dark side
A large formation of granite discovered below the lunar surface likely was formed from the cooling of molten lava that fed a volcano or volcanoes that erupted early in the Moon's history - as long as 3.5 billion years ago.
Webb Locates Dust Reservoirs in Two Supernovae
Supernovae, the explosive deaths of stars, are some of the universe's biggest bursts of energy and light. When they erupt, one supernova can shine even brighter than an entire galaxy. It's a fitting reason for NGC 6946, located 22 million light-years away from Earth, to be nicknamed the Fireworks Galaxy. In the past century, nearly a dozen supernovae have been observed flashing in the arms of this galaxy. This includes Supernova 2004et and Supernova 2017eaw, which researchers are now studying with the James Webb Space Telescope's MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument). Their findings have been surprising--MIRI detected large amounts of dust within the ejecta of each of these objects. The mass found by researchers supports the theory that supernovae played a key role in supplying dust to the early universe.
Illinois MRSEC renewed for six years, continuing vibrant materials research community
The Illinois Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, or MRSEC, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has been funded for an additional six years at $18M. The center's interdisciplinary research will continue with two new focuses at the cutting edge of materials science, and outreach and education activities will continue work to develop a STEM pipeline and foster community among researchers, students and the public.
New tool helps improve quantum computing circuit component
A team of scientists from Ames National Laboratory in partnership with the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center, used the terahertz SNOM microscope, originally developed at Ames Lab, to investigate the interface and connectivity of a nano Josephson Junction that was fabricated by Rigetti Computing. The images they obtained with the terahertz microscope revealed a defective boundary in the nano junction that causes a disruption in the conductivity.
Quantum physics secures digital payments
Have you ever been compelled to enter sensitive payment data on the website of an unknown merchant? Would you be willing to consign your credit card data or passwords to untrustworthy hands? Scientists from the University of Vienna have now designed an unconditionally secure system for shopping in such settings, combining modern cryptographic techniques with the fundamental properties of quantum light. The demonstration of such "quantum-digital payments" in a realistic environment has just been published in Nature Communications.
The chameleon effect
Is it possible to 3D print biodegradable sensors and displays? Researchers from Empa's Cellulose & Wood Materials laboratory have developed a cellulose-based material that allows just that. The mixture of hydroxpropyl cellulose with water, carbon nanotubes and cellulose nanofibrils changes color when heated or stretched - without the addition of any pigments.
Limiting loss in leaky fibers
Immense progress has been made in recent years to increase the efficiency of optical fibres through the design of cables that allow data to be transmitted both faster and at broader bandwidths.
Astrophysicists propose a new way of measuring cosmic expansion: lensed gravitational waves
The universe is expanding; we've had evidence of that for about a century. But just how quickly celestial objects are receding from each other is still up for debate.
First Direct Visualization of a Zero-Field Pair Density Wave
Scientists directly observed a pair-density wave (PDW) in an iron-based superconducting material with no magnetic field present. This state of matter, which is characterized by coupled pairs of electrons that are constantly in motion, had been thought to only arise when a superconductor is placed within a large magnetic field. This exciting result opens new potential avenues of research and discovery for superconductivity.
Quasar 'clocks' show Universe was five times slower soon after the Big Bang
Scientists have for the first time observed the early universe running in extreme slow motion, unlocking one of the mysteries of Einstein's expanding universe.
NUS physicists utilise hair fluorescence to repurpose human hair waste
Physicists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed an innovative method of converting human hair waste into a functional material that can be used to encrypt sensitive information or detect environmental pollutants.
Baseline 16--Fast Radio Bursts: Bursting with Mysteries
Fast radio bursts are powerful flashes of light that shine for only milliseconds. Join our host Summer Ash of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory as she talks about how astronomers study these mysterious bursts, and what might be causing them.
New Insights on the Prevalence of Drizzle in Marine Stratocumulus Clouds
Detecting drizzle in its early stages in marine stratocumulus clouds is important for studying how water in clouds becomes rainfall. However, detecting the initial stages of drizzle is challenging for ground-based remote-sensing observations.
Discovering features of band topology in amorphous thin films
In recent years, scientists have been studying special materials called topological materials, with special attention paid to the shape, i.e., topology, of their electronic structures (electronic bands). Although it is not visible in real space, their unusual shape in topological materials produces various unique properties that can be suitable for making next-generation devices.
Space debris: a quantitative analysis of the in-orbit collision risk and its effects on the earth
The amount of space debris has not stopped increasing since the first satellite was launched in 1957. The European Space Agency (ESA) estimates that there are more than 131,000,000 useless space waste objects, between 1 millimeter and 10 centimeters, currently orbiting around the Earth at an average speed of 36,000 kilometers per hour, which come from different sources such as last stages of rockets, satellites that are no longer operational, and even tools lost in space by astronauts.
Gullies on Mars could have been formed by recent periods of liquid meltwater, study suggests
A study led by Brown University researchers offers new insights into how water from melting ice could have played a recent role in the formation of ravine-like channels that cut down the sides of impact craters on Mars.
5 ways Argonne entangled with Ant-Man to get people to geek out about quantum science
Whether Ant-Man is shrinking between atoms or communicating through entangled particles, his true superpower is his ability to excite people about quantum science. Argonne assembled experts to spread the word about the real science of the quantum realm.
Using particle showers to scan the interior of structures
Earth is constantly being struck by cosmic particles. High-energy muons can easily penetrate several meters of steel or concrete. A team at the German independent research institute Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) seeks to harness the potential of this unavoidable background radiation to view the interior of industrial facilities or structures.
Faculty, students contribute to cosmic breakthrough uncovering evidence of low-frequency gravitational waves
More than two dozen researchers with ties to West Virginia University have helped unearth evidence of ripples in spacetime that have never been observed before now. This result emerged from 15 years of data acquired by the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves, or NANOGrav.
NeuWS camera answers 'holy grail problem' in optical imaging
Engineers from Rice University and the University of Maryland have created full-motion video technology that could potentially be used to make cameras that peer through fog, smoke, driving rain, murky water, skin, bone and other media that reflect scattered light and obscure objects from view.