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Category: quantum physics – Page 29

Energy harvesters surpass Carnot efficiency using non-thermal electron states

Harnessing quantum states that avoid thermalization enables energy harvesters to surpass traditional thermodynamic limits such as Carnot efficiency, report researchers from Japan. The team developed a new approach using a non-thermal Tomonaga-Luttinger liquid to convert waste heat into electricity with higher efficiency than conventional approaches. These findings pave the way for more sustainable low-power electronics and quantum computing.

Energy harvesters, or devices that capture energy from environmental sources, have the potential to make electronics and industrial processes much more efficient. We are surrounded by waste heat, generated everywhere by computers, smartphones, , and factory equipment. Energy-harvesting technologies offer a way to recycle this lost energy into useful electricity, reducing our reliance on other power sources.

However, conventional energy-harvesting methods are constrained by the laws of thermodynamics. In systems that rely on , these laws impose fundamental caps on heat conversion efficiency, which describes the ratio of the generated electrical power and the extracted heat from the waste heat, for example, is known as the Carnot efficiency. Such thermodynamic limits, like the Curzon-Ahlborn efficiency, which is the heat conversion efficiency under the condition for obtaining the maximum electric power, have restricted the amount of useful power that can be extracted from waste heat.

Researchers demonstrate substrate design principles for scalable superconducting quantum materials

Silicides—alloys of silicon and metals long used in microelectronics—are now being explored again for quantum hardware. But their use faces a critical challenge: achieving phase purity, since some silicide phases are superconducting while others are not.

The study, published in Applied Physics Letters by NYU Tandon School of Engineering and Brookhaven National Laboratory, shows how substrate choice influences phase formation and interfacial stability in superconducting vanadium silicide films, providing design guidelines for improving material quality.

The team, led by NYU Tandon professor Davood Shahrjerdi, focused on vanadium silicide, a material that becomes superconducting (able to conduct electricity without resistance) when cooled below its transition temperature of 10 Kelvin, or about −263°C. Its relatively high superconducting makes it attractive for quantum devices that operate above conventional millikelvin temperatures.

“Something Extraordinary Was Happening” — Scientists Solve Quantum Metal Mystery

Japanese researchers have revealed how weak magnetic fields can instantly control the direction of electrical flow in quantum metals. Quantum metals are materials in which quantum effects, usually confined to the atomic scale, become strong enough to influence their large-scale electrical behavio

Signal adds new cryptographic defense against quantum attacks

Signal announced the introduction of Sparse Post-Quantum Ratchet (SPQR), a new cryptographic component designed to withstand quantum computing threats.

SPQR will serve as an advanced mechanism that continuously updates the encryption keys used in conversations and discarding the old ones.

Signal is a cross-platform, end-to-end encrypted messaging and calling app managed by the non-profit Signal Foundation, with an estimated monthly active user base of up to 100 million.

What if the Universe Remembers Everything? New Theory Rewrites the Rules of Physics

For over a hundred years, physics has rested on two foundational theories. Einstein’s general relativity describes gravity as the curvature of space and time, while quantum mechanics governs the behavior of particles and fields.

Each theory is highly successful within its own domain, yet combining them leads to contradictions, particularly in relation to black holes, dark matter, dark energy, and the origins of the universe.

My colleagues and I have been exploring a new way to bridge that divide. The idea is to treat information – not matter, not energy, not even spacetime itself – as the most fundamental ingredient of reality. We call this framework the quantum memory matrix (QMM).

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‘Spooky action at a distance’—a beginner’s guide to quantum entanglement and why it matters

Many governments and tech companies are investing heavily in quantum technologies. In New Zealand, the recently announced Institute for Advanced Technology is also envisioned to focus on this area of research.

Molecular qubits can communicate at telecom frequencies

A team of scientists from the University of Chicago, the University of California Berkeley, Argonne National Laboratory, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has developed molecular qubits that bridge the gap between light and magnetism—and operate at the same frequencies as telecommunications technology. The advance, published today in Science, establishes a promising new building block for scalable quantum technologies that can integrate seamlessly with existing fiber-optic networks.

Because the new molecular qubits can interact at telecom-band frequencies, the work points toward future quantum networks—sometimes called the “.” Such networks could enable ultra-secure communication channels, connect quantum computers across long distances, and distribute quantum sensors with unprecedented precision.

Molecular qubits could also serve as highly sensitive quantum sensors; their tiny size and chemical flexibility mean they could be embedded in unusual environments—such as —to measure magnetic fields, temperature, or pressure at the nanoscale. And because they are compatible with silicon photonics, these molecules could be integrated directly into chips, paving the way for compact quantum devices that could be used for computing, communication, or sensing.

Quantum key distribution method tested in urban infrastructure offers secure communications

In the era of instant data exchange and growing risks of cyberattacks, scientists are seeking secure methods of transmitting information. One promising solution is quantum cryptography—a quantum technology that uses single photons to establish encryption keys.

A team from the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw has developed and tested in a novel system for quantum key distribution (QKD). The system employs so-called high-dimensional encoding. The proposed setup is simpler to build and scale than existing solutions, while being based on a phenomenon known to physicists for nearly two centuries—the Talbot effect. The research results have been published in the journals Optica Quantum, Optica, and Physical Review Applied.

“Our research focuses on quantum key distribution (QKD)—a technology that uses single photons to establish a secure cryptographic key between two parties,” says Dr. Michał Karpiński, head of the Quantum Photonics Laboratory at the Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw.

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