Latest Quantum mechanics Stories

Physicists at the U.S.-based Fermilab have produced a new particle that is a heavier relative of the neutron. The Batavia, Illinois atom smasher found the neutral Xi-sub-b by smashing particles together around a 4-mile ring at near light speed.  Physicists knew the particle existed, but it is the first time researchers have observed it firsthand.  Measuring the properties of particles like the neutral Xi-sub-b allows physicists to understand how quarks interact to form matter. The...

UBC, California researchers find a way to quash decoherenceResearchers have made a major advance in predicting and quashing environmental decoherence, a phenomenon that has proven to be one of the most formidable obstacles standing in the way of quantum computing.The findings "“ based on theoretical work conducted at the University of British Columbia and confirmed by experiments at the University of California Santa Barbara "“ are published online in the July 20 issue of the journal...

Researchers develop quantum a computing system that resists 'quantum bug'Scientists have taken the next major step toward quantum computing, which will use quantum mechanics to revolutionize the way information is processed.Quantum computers will capitalize on the mind-bending properties of quantum particles to perform complex calculations that are impossible for today's traditional computers.Using high magnetic fields, Susumu Takahashi, assistant professor in the USC Dornsife College of...

Showcasing new tools for widespread development of quantum circuits made of mechanical parts, scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated a flexible, broadly usable technique for steadily calming the vibrations of an engineered mechanical object down to the quantum "ground state," the lowest possible energy level.Described in a Nature paper posted online July 6, the NIST experiments nearly stop the beating motion of a microscopic...

Lasers allow scientists to observe how electrons become entangledA Princeton researcher and his international collaborators have used lasers to peek into the complex relationship between a single electron and its environment, a breakthrough that could aid the development of quantum computers.The technique reveals how an isolated electron and its surroundings develop a relationship known as a Kondo state "“ a state of matter that is of great interest to physicists and engineers. The results...

Physicists working at the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of Konstanz in Germany have developed a breakthrough in the use of diamond in quantum physics, marking an important step toward quantum computing. The results are reported in this week's online edition of Nature Physics.The physicists were able to coax the fragile quantum information contained within a single electron in diamond to move into an adjacent single nitrogen nucleus, and then back again using...

Researchers in Singapore and Norway implement a perfect eavesdropper that illustrates an overlooked loophole in secure communications technologySingapore and Trondheim, Norway: Quantum key distribution (QKD) is an advanced tool for secure computer-based interactions, providing confidential communication between two remote parties by enabling them to construct a shared secret key during the course of their conversation.QKD is perfectly secure in principle, but researchers have long been aware...

Data that hinted at the possible discovery of a new sub-atomic particle has been rejected after cross-checks failed to find support for the initial observation, according to a recent BBC News report. Researchers working on the CDF experiment at the US Tevatron "atom smasher" announced in May that they had detected exciting hints of a possible unanticipated particle. But in a separate experiment --called DZero -- cross-checks of the data lacked any good evidence of the findings. The DZero...

New research just published in the journal Science by a team of chemists at the University of Georgia and colleagues in Germany shows for the first time that a mechanism called tunneling control may drive chemical reactions in directions unexpected from traditional theories.The finding has the potential to change how scientists understand and devise reactions in everything from materials science to biochemistry.The discovery was a complete surprise and came following the first successful...

A team of researchers from Columbia Engineering, the Italian National Research Council, Princeton University, University of Missouri, and University of Nijmegen (Netherlands) has developed an artificial semiconductor structure that has superimposed a pattern created by advanced fabrication methods that are precise at the nanometer scale. The pattern is similar to the honeycomb lattice that occurs in graphene. The device, called "artificial graphene" (AG), simulates quantum behavior...