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. Nuclear physicists used a little magic in their latest experiment conducted at the U.S. Department of Energy's Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, and the result has revealed surprising new information about the behavior of protons and neutrons inside the atom's nucleus. Specifically, the research revealed another requirement that determines how protons and neutrons pair up. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-quantum-shell-reveals-proton-neutron.html General Physics Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:20:09 EDT news699781262 Quantum materials, materials with properties that are governed by the laws of quantum mechanics describing many-body interactions, have proved promising for the development of various advanced technologies. Many of these materials undergo so-called phase transitions, switching between different physical states that alter how electrons flow through them. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-photoexcitation-flips-2d-moir-devices.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 04 Jun 2026 07:00:04 EDT news699701022 Quantum computing, once only a theoretical possibility, promises to deliver faster, more energy-efficient computers—but only if scientists can build and scale the hardware needed to run the machines. New research from Virginia Commonwealth University brings scientists one small step closer to quantum computing at a practical scale, which could help dramatically reduce energy usage and computing times in some industries. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-nanomagnets-diamond-qubits-scalable-quantum.html Condensed Matter Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:20:04 EDT news699717662 UNSW Sydney engineers have riffed on the famous Schrödinger's cat analogy to demonstrate a more efficient way to eliminate errors in quantum computing. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-dont-cat-smarter-quantum.html Quantum Physics Wed, 03 Jun 2026 14:40:07 EDT news699709561 For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. What goes up must come down. Physical laws like these govern all of the natural world—except for the tiny internal components of today's microprocessors, which operate according to the unique and complicated rules of quantum physics. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-chip-scale-acoustic-atom-imitate.html Condensed Matter Wed, 03 Jun 2026 13:00:04 EDT news699704401 By definition, elementary particles can't be broken into smaller pieces. But in a new theoretical study published in Physical Review Letters, Johannes Skaar and colleagues have revealed what would happen if you tried anyway for a single photon. The answer is deeply strange: attempting to cut a photon in two wouldn't produce two smaller photons, but instead conjure an infinite number of them out of thin air. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-photon-infinite-swarm-particles.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 02 Jun 2026 10:20:08 EDT news699613528 Quantum entanglement is a state in which particles are entwined with each other. In this entwined state, the properties of one particle influence the other, even when they aren't physically close to each other. This phenomenon has often been observed in small quantum systems with only a few particles in them, where researchers can use it to store and process quantum information. Rice University professor Qimiao Si is interested in understanding and applying quantum entanglement to macroscopic systems with vast numbers of particles. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-entangle-easily-quantum-critical.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:00:04 EDT news699547479 The planar Hall effect is a tabletop diagnostic tool for special quantum properties useful in basic research and technological applications. Or so it was thought, because careful calculation by Kobe University researchers clarifies the conditions under which this effect may also appear in classical materials. This makes the diagnostic more meaningful and enables more purposeful design. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-math-discriminates-exotic-classical-materials.html Condensed Matter Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:00:07 EDT news699263693 Nonlinear interactions between light and matter are at the heart of some of the most powerful tools in modern optics, but pushing these processes to their limits has long been hampered by a fundamental constraint: the stronger you make the laser, the more likely it is to destroy whatever it illuminates. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-quantum-boost-ultrafast-laser.html Optics & Photonics Sat, 30 May 2026 13:00:02 EDT news699017292 For nearly a century, there were two known kinds of magnets. Ferromagnets are the classic magnets that attract metal and keep pictures stuck to the refrigerator. Antiferromagnets hide their magnetism at the atomic scale but are increasingly prized for their technological potential. A third category discovered within the last decade may combine the best qualities of both. Dubbed altermagnets, they could someday help create faster, more energy-efficient electronics. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-diamond-quantum-sensor-reveal-elusive.html Condensed Matter Fri, 29 May 2026 15:20:02 EDT news699280720 Topological phases are unusual states of matter that give rise to properties protected by a material's overall structure (i.e., "topology"), as opposed to microscopic details. These phases are of great interest for the development of quantum technologies, as they can yield desirable electronic properties that are robust against defects and disturbances. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-topological-states-emerge-quantum-hall.html Superconductivity Fri, 29 May 2026 07:00:01 EDT news698933871 A research group led by Assistant Professor Takafumi Tomita and Professor Kenji Ohmori at the Institute for Molecular Science, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, has developed a new microscopy technique called the Atom Camera, which uses a single ultracold atom at near absolute zero temperature trapped in an optical tweezer as a camera to visualize the intensity and polarization distributions of light at the nanometer (one-millionth of a millimeter) scale. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-atom-camera-laser-nanoscale-ultracold.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 29 May 2026 05:00:02 EDT news699205861 Scientists at the University of California, Riverside are making breakthroughs in understanding how quantum wave functions move across ultra-thin materials—research that could eventually improve solar energy technologies and help lay the groundwork for new forms of quantum computing. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-quantum-vibronics-future-energy-technologies.html Condensed Matter Thu, 28 May 2026 15:00:02 EDT news699191461 In a grandfather clock, a pendulum swings back and forth and this periodic motion is maintained using the energy stored in its suspended weights. This is done with the help of the escapement mechanism, which converts the gravitational energy of the weights into impulses that drive the pendulum, which then moves the clock's gears, which move its hands. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-quantum-pendulum-clock-classical-accuracy.html General Physics Thu, 28 May 2026 12:35:27 EDT news699190352 Honeycombs are famous for their elegant design, but now they may have found a new application: quantum computing. To collect knowledge from subatomic particles, quantum computers require carefully designed materials capable of performing necessary, complex functions. However, the metals used, such as ruthenium and iridium, are often rare and expensive, limiting the potential to build new technology. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-cobalt-honeycombs-path-quantum.html Condensed Matter Thu, 28 May 2026 11:20:05 EDT news699179222 Quantum mechanics is a physics framework that describes how matter and energy behave at an extremely small scale, specifically at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. An effect predicted by the laws of quantum mechanics is superposition, which entails that particles can exist in multiple states or positions simultaneously, which remain indefinite until they are measured or observed. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-generation-massive-schrdinger-cat-states.html Condensed Matter Thu, 28 May 2026 07:10:01 EDT news698933812 Quantum computers have the potential to transform science, accelerating breakthroughs in drug development, cosmology, materials science, nuclear physics, and more. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-qa-gen-quantum.html Quantum Physics Wed, 27 May 2026 15:20:03 EDT news699113823 Creating perfect randomness is surprisingly difficult. Even modern random number generators never generate completely ideal random numbers: small systematic errors can result in some numbers appearing slightly more frequently than others. For many applications, this does not matter. In cryptography, however, even the tiniest deviations can be problematic. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-randomness.html Quantum Physics Wed, 27 May 2026 14:20:06 EDT news699105902 Ultra-fast data transfer and superconductivity: Quantum materials offer significant technological prospects—if we can understand them at the atomic scale. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), in collaboration with the University of Salerno, the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona, and the National Research Council of Italy, has succeeded in observing the "quantum metric" in a topological insulator—a unique geometric property of these materials, which conduct electricity only on their surface. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-strange-quantum-property-tomorrow-insulator.html Condensed Matter Wed, 27 May 2026 12:20:44 EDT news699096241 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 A new Physical Review Letters study places constraints on the ER = EPR conjecture, showing that under the authors' assumptions, the conjecture would imply possible alterations to the hyperfine structure and effective charge of the hydrogen atom—effects that have never been observed. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-hydrogen-quantum-wormhole-conjecture.html General Physics Mon, 25 May 2026 16:00:01 EDT news698933854 New research led by a graduating Ph.D. student in The University of New Mexico Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering has shown that randomization can improve quantum computer performance in the presence of noise. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-randomization-quantum-presence-noise.html Quantum Physics Mon, 25 May 2026 15:20:01 EDT news698939823 For two decades, physicists have predicted the existence of a remarkable family of exotic molecules: giant atoms bound to ordinary atoms, with an electron so distant from its nucleus that it sculpts the pair into bizarre and diverse shapes. Reported in Physical Review Letters, the final member of this "quantum zoo" has been spotted. Led by Herwig Ott at RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau in Germany, a team of physicists has created and detected the "butterfly" molecule, completing a 20-year hunt for the elusive structure. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-butterfly-molecule-year-quantum-zoo.html Quantum Physics Mon, 25 May 2026 14:20:02 EDT news698927129 Solar panels have become more efficient over the years, but even the best designs still lose a large fraction of the energy they absorb. Scientists around the world have been searching for ways to capture more energy from every ray of sunlight and unlock the true potential of solar technology. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-supercharging-solar-cells-quantum-dot.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 25 May 2026 14:00:02 EDT news698932861 When a singer belts out a tune while a guitar player strums along, sound waves travel through the air, driving collective oscillations of the molecules within. Meanwhile, at the quantum level, something similar is going on. Atoms inside materials, everything from our bodies to metals and more, naturally jiggle around, creating tiny vibrational waves that ripple across the material. These vibrations are known as phonons: the quantum version of sound waves. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-tuning-quantum-acoustic-devices-sensors.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 25 May 2026 11:40:02 EDT news698925147 Being able to see light and detect radiation is of utmost importance at any frequency. While this challenge has been solved in the visible range, radiation detectors in the far-infrared and terahertz regimes are either not sensitive, slow, or require bulky and expensive, often cryogenically cooled devices, which hinders practical applications. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-quantum-metasurface-boosts-terahertz-sensitivity.html Optics & Photonics Sat, 23 May 2026 11:00:02 EDT news698679842 Diamond is extremely valuable to science and technology not for its sparkle but for its extreme hardness, high thermal conductivity, transparency to a large fraction of the light spectrum, and a host of other exceptional properties. Two decades ago, scientists discovered another advantage: under the right conditions, diamond can become a superconductor—allowing electricity to flow through it with zero resistance. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-superconducting-diamond-uncover-path-multi.html Superconductivity Fri, 22 May 2026 14:46:44 EDT news698679858 Vortices in superconductors have so far been considered a disruption, as they can impair the superconducting properties. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have proved in experiments that magnetic vortices can be used as controllable quantum systems in certain materials. This means that a previously unwanted phenomenon is becoming a potential resource in quantum technologies, opening up new avenues for the development of quantum computers, highly sensitive sensor systems, and innovative approaches in materials research. These results are published in Nature. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-superconducting-vortices-moonlight-qubits-disruption.html Superconductivity Fri, 22 May 2026 09:20:01 EDT news698658817 Dark matter is an elusive form of matter that almost never emits, absorbs or reflects light, while only weakly interacting with regular matter. These properties make it very difficult to detect using conventional experimental techniques and instruments. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-intrinsic-quantum-effects-axion-dark.html General Physics Fri, 22 May 2026 08:10:02 EDT news698581195 Using a conventional computer and cutting-edge mathematical tools and code, physicists at the Center for Computational Quantum Physics (CCQ) at the Simons Foundation's Flatiron Institute and collaborators at Boston University have cracked a daunting quantum physics problem previously claimed to be solvable only by quantum computers. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-quantum-supremacy-ran-unexpected-rival.html Quantum Physics Thu, 21 May 2026 14:00:11 EDT news698571361