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. Quantum information is notoriously fragile. Internet traffic is anything but. Yet Northwestern University scientists have demonstrated they can peacefully coexist inside the same fiber-optic cable. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-quantum-internet-lab-real-world.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 22 Jul 2026 18:40:01 EDT news703948921 Quantum networks, systems consisting of multiple connected nodes or devices that can transmit quantum information to one another, have the potential to advance future communications. These networks typically leverage entanglement, a quantum phenomenon that prompts two or more distant particles to become highly correlated, so that measuring one instantly affects the state of the other. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-multiplexing-scheme-distance-quantum-communication.html Quantum Physics Wed, 22 Jul 2026 06:20:01 EDT news703772263 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 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 Quantum memories, systems that store and retrieve information leveraging quantum mechanical effects, can outperform classical storage systems on some existing tasks. Yet these promising memories could also complete operations that are very difficult or impossible for classical systems, including the storage and retrieval of so-called isometry channels. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-quantum-memory-surpasses-classical-limits.html Quantum Physics Tue, 09 Jun 2026 07:40:02 EDT news700135120 A growing number of quantum engineers worldwide have been trying to realize large-scale quantum networks, which consist of several connected quantum computers or devices that share information with each other. The successful realization of these networks could potentially pave the way for the realization of new high-speed and secure communication systems, or even of a quantum version of the internet. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-quantum-teleportation-microwave-states-temperatures.html Superconductivity Wed, 27 May 2026 10:00:01 EDT news698939510 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 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 A new Bar-Ilan University study points to a major advance in quantum information processing, demonstrating a way to send, manipulate, and measure quantum information across many frequency channels simultaneously, rather than one at a time. The study was recently published in the journal Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-quantum-bottleneck-wide-channels.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 16 Apr 2026 18:30:01 EDT news695575381 The electrons that power our society flow left and right through the circuitry in our electronics, back and forth along the transmission lines that make up our power grid, and up and down to light up every floor of every building. But the electrons in newly discovered "moiré crystals" move in much stranger ways. They can move left and right, back and forth, or up and down in our three-dimensional world, but these electrons also act as if they can teleport in and out of a mysterious fourth dimension of space that is perpendicular to our perceivable reality. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-electrons-moir-crystals-explore-higher.html Condensed Matter Mon, 06 Apr 2026 10:00:03 EDT news694685941 A study by scientists at Hunan University introduces a new hydrogen isotope separation method that leverages proton quantum tunneling to produce heavy water, overcoming the key physical limitation faced by current methods that have made the production process difficult and expensive for decades. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-scientists-harness-quantum-tunneling-boost.html Analytical Chemistry Tue, 10 Mar 2026 10:40:09 EDT news692353650 To capture higher-definition and sharper images of cosmological objects, astronomers sometimes combine the data collected by several telescopes. This approach, known as long-baseline interferometry, entails comparing the light signals originating from distant objects and picked up by different telescopes that are at different locations, then reconstructing images using computational techniques. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-quantum-entanglement-link-distant-telescopes.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 20 Feb 2026 08:00:05 EST news690725074 Quantum technologies, devices and systems that process, store, detect, or transfer information leveraging quantum mechanical effects, have the potential to outperform classical technologies in a variety of tasks. An ongoing quest within quantum engineering is the realization of a so-called quantum internet: a network conceptually analogous to today's internet, in which distant nodes are linked through shared quantum resources, most notably quantum entanglement. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-ultra-thin-metasurface-generate-quantum.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 03 Feb 2026 07:50:05 EST news689252662 An international research team involving Paderborn University has achieved a crucial breakthrough on the road to a quantum internet. For the first time ever, the polarization state of a single photon emitted from a quantum dot was successfully teleported to another physically separated quantum dot. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-photon-teleportation-distant-quantum-dots.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 02 Dec 2025 09:54:36 EST news683891641 For decades, physicists have dreamed of a quantum internet: a planetary web of ultrasecure communications and super-powered computation built not from electrical signals, but from the ghostly connections between particles of light. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-bought-cable-power-quantum-networks.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 26 Nov 2025 11:30:03 EST news683378843 There are few technologies more fundamental to modern life than the ability to control light with precision. From fiber-optic communications to quantum sensors, the manipulation of photons underpins much of our digital infrastructure. Yet one capability has remained frustratingly out of reach: controlling light with light itself at the most fundamental level using single photons to switch or modulate powerful optical beams. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-photon-enable-photonic.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 21 Nov 2025 10:03:03 EST news682941747 Everyday life on the internet is insecure. Hackers can break into bank accounts or steal digital identities. Driven by AI, attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Quantum cryptography promises more effective protection. It makes communication secure against eavesdropping by relying on the laws of quantum physics. However, the path toward a quantum internet is still fraught with technical hurdles. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-quantum-teleportation-photons-distant-sources.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 18 Nov 2025 12:59:04 EST news682693141 The dream of creating game-changing quantum computers—supermachines that encode information in single atoms rather than conventional bits—has been hampered by the formidable challenge known as quantum error correction. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-physicists-unveil-barrier-generation-supercomputers.html Quantum Physics Thu, 13 Nov 2025 09:17:04 EST news682247821 Researchers have demonstrated that the theoretically optimal scaling for magic state distillation—a critical bottleneck in fault-tolerant quantum computing—is achievable for qubits, improving on the previous best result by reaching a scaling exponent of exactly zero. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-optimal-scaling-magic-state-distillation.html Quantum Physics Wed, 12 Nov 2025 07:00:01 EST news682099964 The concept of quantum entanglement is emblematic of the gap between classical and quantum physics. Referring to a situation in which it is impossible to describe the physics of each photon separately, this key characteristic of quantum mechanics defies the classical expectation that each particle should have a reality of its own, which gravely concerned Einstein. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-quantum-state-trio-entangled-photons.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 12 Sep 2025 14:00:01 EDT news676802641 While quantum computers are already being used for research in chemistry, material science, and data security, most are still too small to be useful for large-scale applications. A study led by researchers at the University of California, Riverside, now shows how "scalable" quantum architectures—systems made up of many small chips working together as one powerful unit—can be made. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-larger-reliable-quantum-imperfect-links.html Quantum Physics Mon, 25 Aug 2025 16:40:04 EDT news675358802 Quantum teleportation is a fascinating process that involves transferring a particle's quantum state to another distant location, without moving or detecting the particle itself. This process could be central to the realization of a so-called "quantum internet," a version of the internet that enables the safe and instant transmission of quantum information between devices within the same network. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-quantum-internet-closer-teleport-based.html General Physics Mon, 21 Jul 2025 10:30:12 EDT news672310600 Quantum networking is being rapidly developed world-wide. It is a key quantum technology that will enable a global quantum internet: the ability to deploy secure communication at scale, and to connect quantum computers globally. The race to realize this vision is in full swing, both on Earth and in space. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-quantum-networks-clocks-door-probe.html Quantum Physics Mon, 14 Jul 2025 15:00:07 EDT news671699183 Just over 200 years after French engineer and physicist Sadi Carnot formulated the second law of thermodynamics, an international team of researchers has unveiled an analogous law for the quantum world. This second law of entanglement manipulation proves that, just like heat or energy in an idealized thermodynamics regime, entanglement can be reversibly manipulated, a statement which until now had been heavily contested. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-quantum-equivalent-thermodynamics-law-entanglement.html General Physics Thu, 03 Jul 2025 12:42:04 EDT news670765321 Quantum key distribution (QKD), a cryptographic technique rooted in quantum physics principles, has shown significant potential for enhancing the security of communications. This technique enables the transmission of encryption keys using quantum states of photons or other particles, which cannot be copied or measured without altering them, making it significantly harder for malicious parties to intercept conversations between two parties while avoiding detection. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-true-photon-source-boosts-key.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 20 Jun 2025 06:30:01 EDT news669547125 The operation of quantum technologies relies on the reliable realization and control of quantum states, particularly entanglement. In the context of quantum physics, entanglement entails a connection between particles, whereby measuring one determines the result of measuring the other even when they are distant from each other, and in a way that defies any intuitive explanation. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-scalable-approach-distill-quantum-features.html Quantum Physics Thu, 08 May 2025 06:30:01 EDT news665833308 To learn more about the nature of matter, energy, space, and time, physicists smash high-energy particles together in large accelerator machines, creating sprays of millions of particles per second of a variety of masses and speeds. The collisions may also produce entirely new particles not predicted by the standard model, the prevailing theory of fundamental particles and forces in our universe. Plans are underway to create more powerful particle accelerators, whose collisions will unleash even larger subatomic storms. How will researchers sift through the chaos? https://phys.org/news/2025-04-quantum-sensors-generation-particle-physics.html Quantum Physics Thu, 24 Apr 2025 13:09:25 EDT news664718957 Researchers have long recognized that quantum communication systems would transmit quantum information more faithfully and be impervious to certain forms of error if nonlinear optical processes were used. However, past efforts at incorporating such processes could not operate with the extremely low light levels required for quantum communication. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-nanophotonic-platform-boosts-efficiency-nonlinear.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 24 Apr 2025 08:13:04 EDT news664701181 A study from Technion unveils a newly discovered form of quantum entanglement in the total angular momentum of photons confined in nanoscale structures. This discovery could play a key role in the future miniaturization of quantum communication and computing components. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-quantum-entanglement.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 11 Apr 2025 08:43:04 EDT news663579781 Researchers have successfully demonstrated the UK's first long-distance ultra-secure transfer of data over a quantum communications network, including the UK's first long-distance quantum-secured video call. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-uk-distance-ultra-communication-quantum.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 08 Apr 2025 11:04:20 EDT news663329051