https://phys.org/physics-news/quantum-physics/ en-us The latest news on quantum physics, wave particle duality, quantum theory, quantum mechanics, quantum entanglement, quantum teleportation, and quantum computing. Insulators are materials in which electrons cannot move freely. Past theoretical studies predicted the existence of an unusual insulating state dubbed obstructed atomic insulator (OAI), in which electrons are localized inside a crystal, while their centers of charge lie in empty spaces between atoms, rather than on the atoms themselves. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-atomic-bands-transition-metal-dichalcogenides.html Condensed Matter Wed, 13 May 2026 06:40:02 EDT news697807903 Quantum computers could someday solve pressing problems that are too convoluted for classical computers, such as modeling complex molecular interactions to streamline drug discovery and materials development. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-quantum-circuit-exposes-warping.html Superconductivity Tue, 12 May 2026 12:40:04 EDT news697799460 Scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China have successfully deployed a multi-mode quantum relay network, achieving matter–matter entanglement over 14.5 kilometers, according to media reports. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-quantum-protocol-distance-barriers-fiber.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 12 May 2026 11:00:04 EDT news697797345 The fundamentals of quantum mechanics are minuscule. Scientists constantly home in on finer resolutions to measure, quantify, and control these fundamentals, like photons that carry light and have no mass unless they are moving. The more precise the measurement, the more possibilities for better quantum technology or the ability to detect elusive dark-matter axions in deep space. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-method-energy-amounts-trillionth-billionth.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 12 May 2026 05:00:09 EDT news697739281 In new research published in Nature Materials, a team of researchers led by Columbia University chemist Xiaoyang Zhu, in collaboration with fellow Columbians Xavier Roy, Milan Delor, Dmitri Basov, and James McIver, has observed coherent ferrons for the first time. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-coherent-ferrons-polarization-potential-quantum.html Condensed Matter Mon, 11 May 2026 18:30:01 EDT news697738741 For more than 60 years, Bell's theorem has been the gold standard for demonstrating that quantum mechanics defies the rules of classical physics. Now, an international team of researchers, including Constructor University Professor Dr. Nicolas Gisin, has extended this principle to new limits, using an "elegant triangle" to reveal new forms of quantum nonlocality that specifically emerge in multi-node quantum networks. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-elegant-triangle-quantum-internet-closer.html Quantum Physics Mon, 11 May 2026 10:40:05 EDT news697713301 Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have demonstrated, for the first time, a single quantum of vibrational energy interacting with a single atomic spin, seeding a pathway to quantum technologies that use sound as an information carrier, instead of light or electricity. The results are published in Nature. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-good-vibrations-quantum-communications-couple.html Quantum Physics Sun, 10 May 2026 17:00:03 EDT news697300032 In a process analogous to how solids melt into liquids, the electrons in many different metals form crystal-like patterns that can deform and melt, opening new pathways for neuromorphic computing and superconductors, University of Michigan Engineering researchers have found. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-quantum-metallurgy-electron-crystals-deform.html Superconductivity Thu, 07 May 2026 16:20:02 EDT news697389121 For years, quantum computers have lived under a huge bubble of hype, promising to revolutionize numerous fields, from medicine and battery design to materials science and cybersecurity. But realizing their potential on any serious practical level will only be possible if large numbers of qubits (the basic units of information) can interact with each other with high precision and flexibility. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-mobile-qubits-chip-closer-everyday.html Quantum Physics Thu, 07 May 2026 12:00:01 EDT news697365738 Theories of quantum mechanics predict that some particles can exist in superpositions, which essentially means that they can be in more than one state at once. When a particle's state is measured, however, this superposition appears to "collapse" into a single outcome; a phenomenon often referred to as the "measurement problem." https://phys.org/news/2026-05-quantum-collapse-theory-xenonnt-dark.html General Physics Thu, 07 May 2026 08:00:06 EDT news697277569 Quantum geometry describes quantum states in systems with changing system parameters, such as an electron spinning in a magnetic field whose direction is slowly changing. The state of the electron evolves, and this change is quantified by what is known as the quantum geometric distance. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-quantum-geometry-based-toolkit-topological.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 06 May 2026 15:40:01 EDT news697291021 Scientists have discovered the cause of a persistent glitch that continues to disrupt superconducting quantum computers, even when they have built-in defenses. For all their advanced hardware, superconducting quantum computers are vulnerable to errors caused by ionizing radiation from space or the environment. Radiation particles interfere with the chip substrate (the silicon base the processor is built on), which leads to the creation of rogue particles (quasiparticles) that disrupt the qubits, the basic units of quantum computers. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-persistent-quantum-error.html Quantum Physics Wed, 06 May 2026 08:00:02 EDT news697208518 Symmetry is one of the most fundamental principles in nature. It describes the rules that make an object look unchanged after a rotation, reflection, or other transformations. In materials, symmetry governs how atoms and electrons are arranged, and how they move together. Crucially, symmetry can even prevent certain collective atomic motions (vibrations) from interacting at all: some are simply forbidden to talk to each other. But what if those symmetry restrictions are not as rigid as they seem? https://phys.org/news/2026-05-symmetry-crystal-vibrations-exotic-quantum.html Condensed Matter Mon, 04 May 2026 13:20:04 EDT news697114141 Magnons are tiny waves in magnetization that travel through solid magnetic materials, much like the ripples that spread across a pond when a stone is thrown into it. Unlike photons, which travel through empty space or optical fibers, magnons propagate within a magnetic solid. Their wavelengths can be reduced to the nanometer range, meaning that magnonic circuits could, in principle, fit onto a chip no larger than those found in today's smartphones. Furthermore, as an excitation of a solid, a magnon naturally couples to numerous other fundamental quasi-particles—phonons, photons and others—making it an ideal building block for hybrid quantum systems and quantum metrology. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-magnon-lifetime-100x-paves-mini.html Condensed Matter Mon, 04 May 2026 13:00:03 EDT news697113841 Quantum technology has promising potential to revolutionize how large and complex amounts of information are processed. While already in use primarily in laboratory and research settings globally, quantum technologies are in a transition phase for broader industry applications across many economic sectors. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-varying-magnetic-fields-exotic-quantum.html Condensed Matter Mon, 04 May 2026 12:20:09 EDT news697112761 Researchers at the University of Oxford have demonstrated a new type of quantum interaction using a single trapped ion. By creating and controlling increasingly complex forms of "squeezing" – including a fourth-order effect known as quadsqueezing – the team has, for the first time, made previously unreachable quantum effects experimentally accessible. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-physicists-quadsqueezing-quantum-interaction.html General Physics Fri, 01 May 2026 09:20:01 EDT news696844261 As Homer tells us, Odysseus made an epic journey, against the odds, from Troy to his home in Ithaca. He visited many lands, but mostly dwelt with the nymph Calypso on her island. We can imagine that his wife, Penelope, would have asked him about that particular time. Odysseus might have replied, "It was nothing. In fact, it was less than nothing. Negative five years I dwelt with Calypso. How else could I have arrived home after only ten years? If you don't believe me, ask her." https://phys.org/news/2026-05-physicists-negative-lab.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 01 May 2026 09:00:06 EDT news696844116 Researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute have broken a longstanding barrier by managing to send single photons—that can't be copied or split and thus are secure—in the network of optical fibers we already have. This opens up a broad range of applications relying on secure quantum information. The research is published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-longstanding-quantum-roadblock-fell-fiber.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 30 Apr 2026 18:00:01 EDT news696774421 In thermodynamics, an "adiabatic process" is a system change that transfers no heat in or out of the system. Any and all energy change in that system are therefore accomplished by doing work on the system, work being action that moves matter over a distance. (An example is a bicycle tire pump or lifting a box from the floor.) https://phys.org/news/2026-04-sudden-quantum-jolts-adiabatic-behavior.html General Physics Thu, 30 Apr 2026 15:20:03 EDT news696766452 Quantum bits (qubits) are the fundamental building blocks of quantum information processing. A novel qubit platform invented at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory exhibits noise levels thousands of times lower than those of most traditional qubits. "Noise" refers to disturbances in the environment that diminish a qubit's performance. The platform was built by trapping single electrons on the surface of frozen neon gas. The recent finding positions Argonne's platform as a strong contender in the field of high-performance quantum technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-quantum-dark-horse-emerges-frozen.html Quantum Physics Thu, 30 Apr 2026 13:40:04 EDT news696769142 With a carefully designed experiment and a handful of tin atoms, University of Tennessee, Knoxville's physicists have found a long-sought form of superconductivity, taking one more step toward creating custom quantum materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-pattern-exposes-chiral-superconductivity-sought.html Superconductivity Wed, 29 Apr 2026 18:00:03 EDT news696691381 A new study by University of Maryland chemical physicists demonstrates how to control the nuclear spin of molecular hydrogen (H2) by simply freezing it in dry ice. This new technique, published in the journal Physical Review Letters, could improve energy storage for hydrogen fuel, memory for quantum computing and the ability to measure comet temperatures in outer space. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-frozen-dry-ice-hydrogen-reveals.html Quantum Physics Wed, 29 Apr 2026 16:30:01 EDT news696696122 Theoretical physicists in the US have discovered a "speed limit" on the time taken for quantum information to spread through larger systems. Publishing their results in Physical Review Letters, Amit Vikram and colleagues at the University of Maryland have proved for the first time that this minimum time is closely linked with a system's entropy and temperature, perhaps paving the way for a deeper understanding of quantum information across a wide range of physical settings. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-physicists-reveal-universal-limit-quantum.html Quantum Physics Wed, 29 Apr 2026 10:20:01 EDT news695985211 Scientists at the University of East Anglia have uncovered a hidden property of light that allows it to twist, spin and behave differently—without mirrors, materials or special lenses. In a breakthrough that could transform medical testing, data transmission and future quantum technologies, researchers from the UK and South Africa have shown that light can be "programmed" simply by exploiting its natural geometry. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-space-boost-links.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 28 Apr 2026 17:50:01 EDT news696615301 Researchers at McGill University have developed a novel device that generates sound-like particles known as phonons at extremely cold temperatures. The technology could be used to create phonon lasers, with possible applications in communications and medical diagnostics. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ultracold-quantum-device-electricity-stranger.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 27 Apr 2026 19:00:04 EDT news696519901 A rainbow reveals with colors what otherwise remains hidden: light is "refracted" by transparent matter, in this case water droplets. This same physical effect underlies many everyday technologies, like LCD screens and broadband connections based on fiber-optic cables. Light refraction is caused by an interaction between light and the atoms of matter. This brings the light waves slightly out of sync, so to speak. "X-ray light" is "refracted," too. But the effect is difficult to measure here. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ray-photons-reveal-hidden-interactions.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:20:05 EDT news696508682 A novel approach for realizing the one-way quantum synchronization of phonons has been proposed by three theoretical physicists at RIKEN. Importantly, this method is remarkably resilient against practical challenges such as imperfections and environmental noise. Their paper, "Nonreciprocal quantum synchronization," is published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-phonon-synchronization-survive-noise-defects.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 24 Apr 2026 08:40:01 EDT news696238622 Semiconductor spin qubits are a promising candidate for the building blocks of next-generation quantum computers due to their high potential for integration and compatibility with existing semiconductor technologies. Qubits—like the 0s and 1s of a traditional computer—serve as a basic unit of information for quantum computers. However, the practical realization of these computers requires a massive number of qubits, making the development of more efficient adjustment methods a critical challenge for the field. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ai-automates-quantum-dot-voltage.html Condensed Matter Thu, 23 Apr 2026 18:00:01 EDT news696173161 Quantum computers, devices that process information leveraging quantum mechanical effects, could tackle some tasks that are difficult or impossible to solve using classical computers. These systems represent data as qubits, units of information that can exist in multiple states at once, unlike the bits used by classical computers that represent data using binary values ("0" or "1"). https://phys.org/news/2026-04-quantum-chips-scale-faster-qubit.html Condensed Matter Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:40:06 EDT news696162318 Researchers in the US and Germany have unveiled a theoretical blueprint for an atomic clock driven by a highly synchronized laser, where atoms work in concert rather than independently. Publishing their results in Physical Review Letters, Murray Holland at JILA, University of Colorado, including John Cooper and PhD student Jarrod Reilly, together with Simon Jäger at the University of Bonn revived an idea first proposed in the 1990s—possibly charting a course toward the narrowest-linewidth lasers ever achieved. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-physicists-revive-1990s-laser-concept.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 23 Apr 2026 10:10:01 EDT news696156265