https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Researchers in Australia have unveiled the largest quantum simulation platform built to date, opening a new route to exploring the complex behavior of quantum materials at unprecedented scales. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-quantum-twins-simulator-unveils-dots.html Condensed Matter Fri, 06 Feb 2026 14:00:06 EST news689595329 A stable "exceptional fermionic superfluid," a new quantum phase that intrinsically hosts singularities known as exceptional points, has been discovered by researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-superfluid-phase-hermitian-quantum.html General Physics Mon, 29 Dec 2025 07:18:03 EST news686215055 For the first time, scientists have observed the iconic Shapiro steps, a staircase-like quantum effect, in ultracold atoms. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-ultracold-atoms-climbing-quantum-staircase.html Condensed Matter Thu, 25 Dec 2025 14:40:01 EST news685722814 Optical lattice clocks are emerging timekeeping devices based on tens of thousands of ultracold atoms trapped in an optical lattice (i.e., a grid of laser light). By oscillating between two distinct quantum states at a particular frequency, these atoms could help to measure time with much higher precision than existing clocks, which would be highly advantageous for the study of various fundamental physical processes and systems. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-strontium-optical-lattice-clock-high.html General Physics Mon, 06 Oct 2025 11:20:05 EDT news678968109 The precise imaging of many-body systems, which are comprised of many interacting particles, can help to validate theoretical models and better understand how individual particles in these systems influence each other. Ultracold quantum gases, collections of atoms cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero, are among the most promising experimental platforms for studying many-body interactions. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-approach-magnify-functions-imaging-interacting.html Condensed Matter Thu, 25 Sep 2025 06:30:01 EDT news677245425 MIT physicists have performed an idealized version of one of the most famous experiments in quantum physics. Their findings demonstrate, with atomic-level precision, the dual yet evasive nature of light. They also happen to confirm that Albert Einstein was wrong about this particular quantum scenario. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-famous-quantum-essentials.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 28 Jul 2025 10:43:00 EDT news672918174 Scientists have used ultracold atoms to successfully demonstrate a novel method of particle acceleration that could unlock a new understanding of how cosmic rays behave, a new study reveals. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-particle-strategy-cold-atoms-cosmic.html General Physics Wed, 09 Jul 2025 16:00:01 EDT news671295492 Landauer's principle is a thermodynamics concept also relevant in information theory, which states that erasing one bit of information from an information system results in the dissipation of at least a specific amount (i.e., kBTln2) of energy. This principle has so far been primarily considered in the context of classical computers and information processing systems. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-approach-probing-landauer-principle-quantum.html Quantum Physics Wed, 25 Jun 2025 06:30:01 EDT news669978928 A team experimentally observed higher-order and fractional discrete time crystals (DTCs) in periodically driven Rydberg atomic dissipative systems. Their study was published in Nature Communications. The team was led by Prof. Ding Dongsheng from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. https://phys.org/news/2024-12-higher-fractional-discrete-crystals-floquet.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 02 Dec 2024 12:50:01 EST news652365663 A new study has uncovered the universal dynamics far from equilibrium in randomly interacting spin models, thereby complementing the well-established universality in low-energy equilibrium physics. The study, recently published in Nature Physics, was the result of a collaborative effort involving the research group led by Prof. Du Jiangfeng and Prof. Peng Xinhua at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), along with the theoretical groups of Prof. Zhai Hui from Tsinghua University and Dr. Zhang Pengfei from Fudan University. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-physicists-uncover-universal-equilibrium-quantum.html Quantum Physics Mon, 21 Oct 2024 11:50:03 EDT news648730201 Physicists from the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge have created the first two-dimensional version of the Bose glass, a novel phase of matter that challenges statistical mechanics. The details of the study have been published in Nature. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-discovery-phase-2d-defies-statistical.html General Physics Wed, 11 Sep 2024 11:00:01 EDT news645264781 A trio of physicists, two with Uniwersytet Jagielloński in Poland and one with Swinburne University of Technology in Australia, are proposing the use of temporal printed circuit boards made using time crystals as a way to solve error problems on quantum computers. Krzysztof Giergiel, Krzysztof Sacha and Peter Hannaford have written a paper describing their ideas, which is currently available on the arXiv preprint server. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-physicists-crystal-based-circuit-board.html Condensed Matter Fri, 21 Jun 2024 10:06:38 EDT news638183192 In daily life, when two objects are "indistinguishable," it's due to an imperfect state of knowledge. As a street magician scrambles the cups and balls, you could, in principle, keep track of which ball is which as they are passed between the cups. However, at the smallest scales in nature, even the magician cannot tell one ball from another. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-atoms-approach-boson-sampling.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 08 May 2024 13:00:01 EDT news634315202 Proximity is key for many quantum phenomena, as interactions between atoms are stronger when the particles are close. In many quantum simulators, scientists arrange atoms as close together as possible to explore exotic states of matter and build new quantum materials. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-physicists-atoms-proximity-paving-exploring.html Condensed Matter Thu, 02 May 2024 15:41:04 EDT news633883261 In most materials, heat prefers to scatter. If left alone, a hotspot will gradually fade as it warms its surroundings. But in rare states of matter, heat can behave as a wave, moving back and forth somewhat like a sound wave that bounces from one end of a room to the other. In fact, this wave-like heat is what physicists call "second sound." https://phys.org/news/2024-02-physicists-capture-sloshing-superfluid-revealing.html General Physics Thu, 08 Feb 2024 14:00:01 EST news626604202 Kaiserslautern physicists in the team of Professor Dr. Herwig Ott have succeeded for the first time in directly observing pure trilobite Rydberg molecules. Particularly interesting is that these molecules have a very peculiar shape, which is reminiscent of trilobite fossils. They also have the largest electric dipole moments of any molecule known so far. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-physicists-giant-trilobite-rydberg-molecules.html Condensed Matter Mon, 18 Dec 2023 10:22:03 EST news622117321 Almost a century ago, physicists Satyendra Nath Bose and Albert Einstein predicted a theoretical state of matter in which individual particles would, at extremely cold temperatures and low densities, condense into an indistinguishable whole. These so-called Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) would offer a macroscopic view into the microscopic world of quantum mechanics. https://phys.org/news/2023-09-microwave-shield-yields-ultracold-dipolar.html Quantum Physics Wed, 13 Sep 2023 13:15:04 EDT news613829702 A potentially game-changing theoretical approach to quantum computing hardware avoids much of the problematic complexity found in current quantum computers. The strategy implements an algorithm in natural quantum interactions to process a variety of real-world problems faster than classical computers or conventional gate-based quantum computers can. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-revolutionary-hardware-unveils-quantum.html General Physics Tue, 15 Aug 2023 11:38:50 EDT news611318327 On Tuesday, Aug. 1, a major hardware update for NASA's Cold Atom Lab lifted off aboard a Northrop Grumman Cygnus resupply spacecraft on its way to the International Space Station. About the size of a small refrigerator, the lab is sometimes called the coolest place in the known universe because of its ability to chill atoms to almost absolute zero. It enables dozens of scientists on Earth to do experiments in quantum science, the study of the fundamental behaviors of atoms and particles that make up the world around us. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-nasa-space-based-quantum-science-lab.html Quantum Physics Mon, 07 Aug 2023 10:12:50 EDT news610621966 Using novel materials that have been widely studied as potential new solar photovoltaics, researchers at MIT have shown that nanoparticles of these materials can emit a stream of single, identical photons. https://phys.org/news/2023-06-source-quantum.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 23 Jun 2023 09:57:03 EDT news606733021 A team of physicists has illuminated certain properties of quantum systems by observing how their fluctuations spread over time. The research offers an intricate understanding of a complex phenomenon that is foundational to quantum computing—a method that can perform certain calculations significantly more efficiently than conventional computing. https://phys.org/news/2023-04-scientists-reconstruct-full-state-quantum.html Quantum Physics Mon, 24 Apr 2023 11:00:02 EDT news601545102 A team of researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ) in Garching has for the first time observed evidence of a phenomenon that had previously only been suspected: a theory predicts that exotic bound states can arise when ultracold polar molecules collide. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-exotic-bound-states-ultracold-polar.html Condensed Matter Thu, 02 Feb 2023 09:54:04 EST news594554042 If she hits just the right pitch, a singer can shatter a wine glass. The reason is resonance. While the glass may vibrate slightly in response to most acoustic tones, a pitch that resonates with the material's own natural frequency can send its vibrations into overdrive, causing the glass to shatter. https://phys.org/news/2023-02-physicists-rare-resonance-molecules.html General Physics Wed, 01 Feb 2023 11:00:06 EST news594454219 One of the most exciting applications of quantum computers will be to direct their gaze inwards, at the very quantum rules that make them tick. Quantum computers can be used to simulate quantum physics itself, and perhaps even explore realms that don't exist anywhere in nature. https://phys.org/news/2023-01-atoms-space.html Quantum Physics Mon, 23 Jan 2023 16:52:52 EST news593715165 Using a quantum simulator, researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ) have observed pairs of charge carriers that may be responsible for the resistance-free transport of electric current in high-temperature superconductors. So far, the exact physical mechanisms in these complex materials are still largely unknown. https://phys.org/news/2023-01-quantum-simulator-enables-microscopic-carriers.html Superconductivity Thu, 19 Jan 2023 08:27:03 EST news593339221 Bosons, one of the two fundamental classes of particles, have been the focus of countless physics studies. When bosonic particles are transitioning into an already occupied final quantum state, the rate of this transition is enhanced by its so-called "occupation number," an effect known as bosonic stimulation. The appearance of bosonic stimulation in light scattering processes was first predicted over three decades ago, yet directly observing it in experimental settings has so far proved challenging. https://phys.org/news/2023-01-experimental-bosonic-atom-light-ultracold-gas.html Quantum Physics Mon, 16 Jan 2023 10:25:07 EST news593087104 Recently, a research team led by Prof. Pan Jianwei and Prof. Zhao Bo from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), used adiabatic magneto-association to create an ultracold gas of triatomic molecules with high phase-space density from a degenerate mixture of 23Na40K molecules and 40K atoms for the first time. This work was published in Science. https://phys.org/news/2022-12-ultracold-triatomic-gas-high-phase-space.html Condensed Matter Wed, 14 Dec 2022 13:42:38 EST news590247756 Research led by the University of Amsterdam has demonstrated that elusive radiation coming from black holes can be studied by mimicking it in the lab. https://phys.org/news/2022-11-synthetic-black-holes-real.html General Physics Fri, 11 Nov 2022 11:59:03 EST news587390341 A new method for shaping matter into complex shapes, with the use of 'twisted' light, has been demonstrated in research at the University of Strathclyde. https://phys.org/news/2022-08-simple-sculpting-complex.html General Physics Fri, 12 Aug 2022 14:28:36 EDT news579533312 Our modern understanding of the physical world is based on gauge theories: mathematical models from theoretical physics that describe the interactions between elementary particles (such as electrons or quarks) and explain quantum mechanically three of the fundamental forces of nature: the electromagnetic, weak, and strong forces. The fourth fundamental force, gravity, is described by Einstein's theory of general relativity, which, while not yet understood in the quantum regime, is also a gauge theory. Gauge theories can also be used to explain the exotic quantum behavior of electrons in certain materials or the error correction codes that future quantum computers will need to work reliably, and are the workhorse of modern physics. https://phys.org/news/2022-08-ultracold-atoms-simulate-gauge-theories.html General Physics Wed, 10 Aug 2022 11:27:04 EDT news579349622