https://phys.org/physics-news/ en-us The latest news in physics, materials science, quantum physics, optics and photonics, superconductivity science and technology. Updated Daily. The inevitable leakage of energy and information from a quantum system into its surrounding environment is the enemy of quantum technology. Now, researchers have demonstrated that it can be exploited to generate entanglement—the "resource" that quantum technologies use to perform tasks inaccessible to standard classical technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-quantum-entanglement-leaky-qubits-route.html Quantum Physics Sun, 19 Jul 2026 14:20:01 EDT news703687891 Quantum computers, devices that process information by leveraging the laws of quantum mechanics, have been found to outperform classical computers in some advanced tasks. Instead of storing information in the form of classical binary bits (i.e., 0 or 1), quantum computers rely on quantum bits (i.e., qubits), which can also exist in combinations of 0 and 1 states. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-quantum-circuits-based-neutral-atoms.html General Physics Sat, 18 Jul 2026 09:20:01 EDT news703232840 A technology has been developed that allows artificial intelligence to inversely determine the process conditions for quantum-dot light-emitting diode (QLED) devices—conditions that previously required extensive trial and error to identify. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ai-qled-recipe-efficiency-boosts.html Optics & Photonics Sat, 18 Jul 2026 08:00:09 EDT news703512040 A new study by Queen Mary University of London mathematician Professor Ginestra Bianconi proposes a new perspective on one of the deepest questions in modern physics: How can the universe become increasingly structured and complex while still obeying the second law of thermodynamics? https://phys.org/news/2026-07-gravity-entropy-theory-law-thermodynamics.html General Physics Fri, 17 Jul 2026 15:00:01 EDT news703512912 Seoul National University College of Engineering announced that a joint research team led by Professor Namkyoo Park and Professor Sunkyu Yu of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at SNU, in collaboration with Professor Xianji Piao of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Seoul, has developed a photonic integrated circuit that can slow light on demand. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-optical-chip-real-simulations.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 17 Jul 2026 14:40:02 EDT news703506023 Quantum computers, systems that process information using the principles of quantum mechanics, could solve some problems that cannot be tackled by the classical computers currently used worldwide. Despite their potential, verifying that these computers are working correctly and can reliably perform computations remains challenging. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-scheme-gates-quantum-devices.html Quantum Physics Fri, 17 Jul 2026 09:20:11 EDT news703232854 In a single experiment, physicists have measured the "excess" emission of high-energy gamma rays from more than a dozen heavy, unstable atomic nuclei. Mapping the gamma-ray emissions of so many isotopes produced in nuclear fission marks an important step toward a better understanding of one of the key phenomena in modern nuclear physics: the fission process itself. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-fission-excess-gamma-rays-dozen.html General Physics Thu, 16 Jul 2026 17:40:01 EDT news703427417 For the first time, researchers have developed a way to create chilled molecules containing the radioactive element radium. The resulting laboratory concoctions, generated in part through steps similar to those used to make candy, are poised to help researchers solve one of the biggest mysteries of our universe: How did matter in the early universe come to dominate over its antimatter counterpart? https://phys.org/news/2026-07-cold-radioactive-molecules-prepped-readied.html General Physics Thu, 16 Jul 2026 14:00:14 EDT news703345902 Graphene has long been regarded as one of the most promising materials for future electronics, but its relatively weak electron interactions have limited its potential for applications such as high-temperature superconductivity. Now, researchers from Tohoku University have overcome a major obstacle by creating a stable version of the long-sought "boron graphene" on the surface of a three-dimensional crystal, revealing a new quantum state that could lead to more energy-efficient electronic devices. The findings were published in Science Advances on July 2, 2026. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-scientists-stable-boron-graphene-uncover.html Condensed Matter Thu, 16 Jul 2026 12:20:10 EDT news703407615 Researchers from the University of Basel have published details of how electrons within a cluster of molecules interact with one another and can be controlled. Their findings pave the way for new approaches to developing quantum components and electronic circuits on the nanometer scale. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-schrdingerlike-sixmolecule-clusters-quantum-components.html Quantum Physics Thu, 16 Jul 2026 11:40:13 EDT news703407232 Researchers have shown that it's possible to take clear, high-resolution X-ray images using very little radiation. With more development, the new approach could eventually make medical X-ray diagnostics less risky and more accessible. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-imaging-method-ray-dose-high.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 16 Jul 2026 10:00:09 EDT news703318227 Quantum technologies promise revolutionary advances in computing, sensing and information processing. However, controlling individual quantum bits (qubits) at the atomic scale remains a major challenge because conventional approaches rely on magnetic fields, which are difficult to confine to a single molecule. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-scientists-electrical-molecule-quantum-states.html Quantum Physics Thu, 16 Jul 2026 09:30:03 EDT news703407599 Theoretical physicists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have developed a new method of ordering Feynman integrals. This critical step in making theoretical predictions for high-energy precision measurements has posed a major computational bottleneck until now. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-library-feynman.html General Physics Thu, 16 Jul 2026 09:20:05 EDT news703405367 A research team led by the University of Osaka, working with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), RIKEN and the Institute of Science Tokyo, has uncovered a fundamental mechanism behind superionic conduction, in which ions move rapidly through a solid while its crystalline framework remains intact. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ions-liquid-solid-crystal.html General Physics Thu, 16 Jul 2026 09:00:01 EDT news703405336 A truly useful quantum computer must be able to run any algorithm, with the same versatility an ordinary laptop offers. Physicists have now shown a new way to give a quantum computer exactly that flexibility, harnessing the capabilities of exotic quantum particles called non-Abelian anyons. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-braided-exotic-particles-reliable-universal.html Quantum Physics Thu, 16 Jul 2026 08:50:01 EDT news703406691 Quantum technologies, which leverage the principles of quantum mechanics, have been found to outperform their classical counterparts on specific tasks. Among other things, past studies have highlighted the potential of quantum systems that can enable long-distance communication, using photons (i.e., particles of light) to carry quantum information. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-quantum-teleportation-photon-loss-distance.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 16 Jul 2026 08:40:07 EDT news703332685 Fabrics are made by repeatedly intertwining yarns into characteristic patterns. Many of their properties, such as stretchiness, arise not only from the material itself but also from how the yarns are arranged and entangled. Such properties illustrate how topology—the underlying patterns of connectivity and entanglement within a structure—can shape a material's overall behavior. Understanding these relationships could help researchers design materials with tailored properties through the design of their topology. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-doughnutshaped-topology-reveals-crochet-textiles.html General Physics Wed, 15 Jul 2026 20:40:01 EDT news703340713 A new study reveals that two widely studied ultrathin superconducting materials are more sophisticated than they appear. Although they seem to behave like simple superconductors with a single energy gap, they actually contain two strongly interacting superconducting states that work together and disguise themselves as one. This finding resolves a long-standing mystery about how these materials behave, providing new insight into superconductivity that could help scientists design better superconducting materials for future technologies such as quantum computers, ultra-efficient electronics and advanced sensors. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-sensitive-uncover-dual-superconducting-states.html Superconductivity Wed, 15 Jul 2026 11:40:07 EDT news703326511 Quantum materials could transform technologies ranging from powerful computers and ultrasecure communications to advanced energy systems. But there has always been one major obstacle. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-physicists-room-temperature-quantum-material.html Quantum Physics Wed, 15 Jul 2026 11:00:35 EDT news703314539 Quantum computers promise to solve problems that would take even the fastest conventional supercomputers a vast amount of time, but the quantum information they store and process is extremely sensitive to even tiny disturbances from their surroundings. To keep these systems operating reliably, they need to be constantly recalibrated—interrupting their calculations in the process. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-faster-quantum.html Quantum Physics Wed, 15 Jul 2026 09:40:12 EDT news703325810 Researchers at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin have developed a new method for trapping and controlling atoms near an ultrathin glass fiber. This has significantly improved the atoms' ability to store quantum information—an important step forward for future quantum technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-atomic-boosts-quantum-surface.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 14 Jul 2026 15:00:07 EDT news703250168 Researchers at Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) have developed the world's first achromatic lens for neutron imaging. The lens overcomes a longstanding obstacle in the field: focusing neutrons of different wavelengths well enough to form a sharp, magnified image. With the lens, researchers can now image thick samples and follow processes inside bulky equipment such as furnaces, cryostats or pressure cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-world-neutron-lens-sharp-focus.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 14 Jul 2026 12:20:06 EDT news703241976 Researchers at RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau have achieved a key experimental breakthrough: For the first time, the spontaneous macroscopic coherence of magnons—the quantized excitations of magnetic materials—has been directly observed. These experiments confirm a central prediction of the theory of magnon Bose-Einstein condensates. Eventually, these findings could open new avenues for signal processing, sensing technologies and information processing. The study has been published in Nature Physics. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-spontaneous-magnon-coherence-room-temperature.html Quantum Physics Tue, 14 Jul 2026 11:40:11 EDT news703241755 Future quantum computing will require correlations between distant modules—a feature known as distributed entanglement. Traditionally, such entanglement has relied on active control and repeated measurements. Now, physicists at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) have realized a fully autonomous method for distributed entanglement using a "quantum bath" of correlated light particles. Published in Physical Review X, their work experimentally confirms a 20-year-old prediction and could provide a new platform for applied quantum technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-physicists-year-theory-boost-quantum.html Quantum Physics Tue, 14 Jul 2026 10:40:04 EDT news703233448 The properties of ultrathin magnets can be specifically altered by a slight twist between two atomic monolayers. This is the conclusion reached by an international research team led by TU Darmstadt in a study published in Nature Communications. The findings open new prospects for future memory devices. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ultrathin-magnet-retains-magnetization-field.html Condensed Matter Tue, 14 Jul 2026 09:20:01 EDT news703232989 Researchers at City College of New York physicist Vinod M. Menon's Laboratory for Nano and Micro Photonics (LaNMP) have outlined an emerging frontier in quantum materials: atomically thin systems in which light, magnetism and electric charge are strongly intertwined. This rapidly evolving field could enable next-generation optoelectronic and quantum technologies leveraging the coupled dynamics of light, charge and spin. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-frontier-quantum-materials.html Condensed Matter Tue, 14 Jul 2026 09:00:02 EDT news703232979 Each summer, lawns are marked by a familiar addition: "silly sprinklers," whose loops and spirals spew water in creative ways. While seemingly frivolous in their construction, a team of mathematicians has used their design to address a long-standing mystery surrounding the laws of physics. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-silly-sprinklers-reverse-unravel-decades.html Soft Matter Mon, 13 Jul 2026 15:00:03 EDT news702907799 Researchers have designed and built the first 3D device that can make objects invisible to heat, an advance that could transform how we protect sensitive electronics, manage heat in microchips and shield equipment from thermal detection. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-3d-thermal-cloak.html General Physics Mon, 13 Jul 2026 14:57:06 EDT news703173398 Researchers have captured how a molecule redistributes energy after absorbing light, differentiating the roles of individual atoms in the process. They used X-ray flashes from the European XFEL to show that different atoms in the same molecule can reveal different aspects of the process. The study provides evidence that excitation by light can enhance an atom's sensitivity to the motion of nearby atoms. The new method for following ultrafast chemical reactions at the atomic scale, in real time, can help researchers understand photostability in DNA, energy flow in light-harvesting materials and other fundamental processes driven by light. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-atoms-stories-molecule-trillionths.html General Physics Mon, 13 Jul 2026 12:00:03 EDT news703155128 A material made from yttrium, barium and copper oxide (better known as YBCO) has intrigued scientists since its discovery in 1987, largely because it retains its superconductive properties at a higher-than-normal temperature. However, it is extremely brittle, which makes it tricky to put to practical use. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-year-puzzle-mysterious-superconducting-material.html Superconductivity Mon, 13 Jul 2026 10:50:01 EDT news703155461