More tales from the magical world of the compact quaternionic three sphere
Category: quantum physics – Page 11
Ultrafast spin-exchange in quantum dots enhances solar energy and photochemical efficiency
Quantum dots are microscopic semiconductor crystals developed in the lab that share many properties with atoms, including the ability to absorb or emit light, a technology that Los Alamos researchers have spent nearly three decades evolving. Through carrier multiplication, in which a single absorbed photon generates two electron-hole pairs, called excitons, quantum dots have the unique ability to convert photons more efficiently to energy.
“Our work demonstrates how purely quantum mechanical spin-exchange interactions can be harnessed to enhance the efficiency of photoconversion devices or photochemical reactions,” says Victor Klimov, the team’s principal investigator at the Lab. “This not only deepens our fundamental understanding of quantum mechanical phenomena but also introduces a new paradigm for designing advanced materials for energy applications.”
In this latest research, published in the journal Nature Communications, Los Alamos researchers improved this ability by introducing magnetic manganese impurities into quantum dots. This novel approach to highly efficient carrier multiplication leverages ultrafast spin-exchange interactions mediated by manganese ions to capture the energy of energetic (hot) carriers generated by incident photons and convert it into additional excitons.
Quantum Binary
Billions of years in the future on a very different Earth, the zombie parasite mushroom spreads from victim to victim without resistance.
On the shores of the acid sea a Honey Fire Ant meets its fate at the relentless mandibles of its infected brethren in this animated short created by T. Mikey and animated by Kevin Fanning.
The conflict continues in the pages of the 12-issue limited series, Quantum Binary: A Deep Time Botanical Paradox.
Available now at: https://quantumbinary.me.
Created and written by: T. Mikey.
Animation by: Kevin Fanning.
Music by: Infraction — No Copyright Music.
Why Physics Can Mislead You About Physical Reality
If you want to learn about the nature of physical reality, naturally, you would turn to physics. It would seem a bit contradictory to say that physics itself can mislead you about the nature of physical reality. Yet, this can actually happen, and let me explain.
For any physical theory, it is possible to mathematically formulate it in various different mathematically equivalent ways. Yet, some formulations of the theory may be more difficult to carry out calculations in than others. Naturally, physicists will gravitate towards the formalism that is the simplest to perform calculations in.
Before quantum mechanics, there was matrix mechanics as developed by Heisenberg. Matrix mechanics is mathematically equivalent to quantum mechanics, and so it gives all of the same predictions. When Schrodinger developed the modern formulation of quantum mechanics, he referred to it as wave mechanics to distinguish it from Heisenberg’s formulation.
First quantum-mechanical model of quasicrystals reveals why they exist
A rare and bewildering intermediate between crystal and glass can be the most stable arrangement for some combinations of atoms, according to a study from the University of Michigan.
The findings come from the first quantum-mechanical simulations of quasicrystals—a type of solid that scientists once thought couldn’t exist. While the atoms in quasicrystals are arranged in a lattice, as in a crystal, the pattern of atoms doesn’t repeat like it does in conventional crystals. The new simulation method suggests quasicrystals—like crystals—are fundamentally stable materials, despite their similarity to disordered solids like glass that form as a consequence of rapid heating and cooling.
“We need to know how to arrange atoms into specific structures if we want to design materials with desired properties,” said Wenhao Sun, the Dow Early Career Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, and the corresponding author of the paper published today in Nature Physics. “Quasicrystals have forced us to rethink how and why certain materials can form. Until our study, it was unclear to scientists why they existed.”
Quantum spirals: Programmable platform offers new ways to explore electrons in chiral systems
A new platform for engineering chiral electron pathways offers potential fresh insights into a quantum phenomenon discovered by chemists—and exemplifies how the second quantum revolution is fostering transdisciplinary collaborations that bridge physics, chemistry, and biology to tackle fundamental questions.
“China’s Quantum Leap Unveiled”: New Quantum Processor Operates 1 Quadrillion Times Faster Than Top Supercomputers, Rivalling Google’s Willow Chip
IN A NUTSHELL 🚀 Chinese scientists have developed the Zuchongzhi 3.0 quantum processor, which is significantly faster than the world’s top supercomputers. 🔍 The processor features 105 superconducting qubits and demonstrates unprecedented speed, completing tasks in seconds that would take traditional supercomputers billions of years. 💡 With enhanced coherence time, gate fidelity, and error correction.
