A big step towards quantum tech in space

Operating quantum technology in challenging environments, such as space, has moved a significant step forward after physicists working at the University of Sussex have developed a monitoring and control system blueprint for quantum devices and experiments. The system is presented in a peer reviewed paper published in Quantum Science and Technology. The paper details how...

Swiss strike gold with world’s smallest commemorative coin

A tiny Swiss gold coin bearing a picture of Albert Einstein sticking his tongue out has been crowned as the world's smallest commemorative coin, Switzerland's mint announced Tuesday. The miniature coin, with a face value of a quarter of a Swiss franc (27 US cents, 23 euro cents), measures just...

Two-dimensional material could store quantum information at room temperature

Researchers have identified a two-dimensional material that could be used to store quantum information at room temperature. Quantum memory is a major building block to be addressed in the building of a quantum internet, where quantum information is securely stored and sent via photons, or particles of light. Researchers from...

Using visible light to efficiently decompose carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from human activities have risen drastically over the last century and a half and are seen as the primary cause of global warming and abnormal weather patterns. So, there has been considerable research focus, in a number of fields, on lowering our CO2 emissions and its...

Compact quantum computer for server centers

Quantum computers developed to date have been one-of-a-kind devices that fill entire laboratories. Now, physicists at the University of Innsbruck have built a prototype of an ion trap quantum computer that can be used in industry. It fits into two 19-inch server racks like those found in data centers throughout...

PhD student obtains the Higgs mode via dimensional crossover in quantum magnets

In 2013, François Englert and Peter Higgs won the Nobel Prize in Physics for the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles, which was confirmed through the discovery of the predicted fundamental particle by the A Toroidal LHC Apparatus...

Scientists detect signatures of life remotely

It could be a milestone on the path to detecting life on other planets: Scientists under the leadership of the University of Bern and of the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS detect a key molecular property of all living organisms from a helicopter flying several kilometers above...

Using starch and baking soda to harvest mechanical energy

Scientists have used a compound made from a starch derivative and baking soda to help convert mechanical energy to electrical energy. The approach, developed by scientists at Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Technology (DGIST), with colleagues in Korea and India, is cost-effective and biocompatible, and can help charge low-energy electronics like...