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. A diamond-based quantum sensor inserted into a living cell can provide previously unseen levels of detail about how life works and how diseases form. "Think of it as an EKG for a single cell—a way to capture everything happening inside at once, in real time," said University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering professor Aaron Esser-Kahn. "We routinely monitor vital signs in people—heart rate, breathing, temperature—but until now, there simply hasn't been an equivalent way to take a cell's vitals." https://phys.org/news/2026-08-method-sharpen-diamond-quantum-sensors.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 04 Aug 2026 14:20:01 EDT news705065822 In mathematics and getting dressed, some processes are commutative, while others are noncommutative. Commutative means the order doesn't matter (3 + 2 is the same as 2 + 3, and it doesn't matter which sock goes on first). Noncommutative means the order does matter. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-explored-quantum-code-powerful-stable.html Quantum Physics Fri, 31 Jul 2026 10:00:04 EDT news704709901 Semiconductor spin qubits are one of the most promising building blocks for future quantum computers, but turning them into a working, large-scale quantum computer has so far proven difficult. For now, two big questions remain open: how to connect qubits that aren't sitting right next to each other, and how to control huge numbers of them without an unmanageable tangle of wiring. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-independent-semiconductor-qubits-scales.html Condensed Matter Fri, 31 Jul 2026 07:20:04 EDT news704643614 What if glowing molecules could synchronize, much like fireflies flashing in unison? Researchers have discovered that molecules confined within tiny gold nanostructures can behave collectively, coordinating their interactions even under conditions where this was previously thought impossible. The finding challenges long standing assumptions about how optical coherence forms and opens new possibilities for highly sensitive sensors, molecular photonics, and future quantum technologies capable of operating at room temperature. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-scientists-molecules-cooperate-room-temperature.html Nanophysics Thu, 30 Jul 2026 18:10:02 EDT news704649001 A new study in Nature Communications has established a link between the Riemann Hypothesis and dynamical phase transitions in engineered quantum systems, demonstrating the effect on a quantum processor. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-physicists-link-riemann-hypothesis-phase.html General Physics Thu, 30 Jul 2026 12:20:05 EDT news704628909 Electrons zipping through transistors, powering the screens on our smartphones. Light zooming from distant stars to Earth, moving faster than anything else in the universe. Protons enabling MRI machines to analyze people's injuries. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-quantum-palm-evolution-superconducting-qubits.html Superconductivity Wed, 29 Jul 2026 23:20:04 EDT news704540077 Quantum technologies are devices and systems that exploit the laws of quantum mechanics and could perform tasks that are difficult or impossible to tackle using their classical counterparts. These technologies process and store information using qubits (i.e., quantum bits), which can exist in a superposition of multiple states simultaneously. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-rare-earth-ions-enable-telecom.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 29 Jul 2026 08:20:03 EDT news704367590 A new concept from Warwick researchers could help solve one of the biggest challenges to building large-scale quantum computers: enabling communication between vast numbers of quantum bits (qubits) over long distances across a single chip. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-quantum-chip-architecture-built-vibrations.html Condensed Matter Mon, 27 Jul 2026 17:10:01 EDT news704387701 Researchers from the University of Amsterdam and the University of New South Wales have answered a question that has been around for decades: whether ions of the metal ytterbium can enter certain long-lived, nearly stable states and, if so, for how long. The measured long-lived states may find applications in quantum computers and atomic clocks. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ytterbium-states-sharpen-quantum-atomic.html General Physics Fri, 24 Jul 2026 17:20:02 EDT news704113673 A research team led by SKKU professor Hosung Seo of the Department of Quantum Information Engineering and the SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology, working with the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Washington, has identified—for the first time—an atomic defect structure in the zinc oxide (ZnO) semiconductor with outstanding properties for use as a "spin qubit," a core building block of future quantum computers, quantum communications and quantum sensors. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-world-zinc-oxide-qubit-advance.html Quantum Physics Fri, 24 Jul 2026 09:20:04 EDT news704102581 Sending quantum information through a chain of qubits, like energy through a Newton's cradle, could be the key to faster operations and take quantum computing to the next level. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-quantum-newton-cradle.html Quantum Physics Thu, 23 Jul 2026 14:20:03 EDT news704030016 Manchester's quantum researchers are building on the Ferranti Mark I legacy, using ultra-pure silicon and single atoms to move quantum computing closer to real-world impact. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-frontier-quantum-revolution.html Quantum Physics Thu, 23 Jul 2026 10:40:01 EDT news704013662 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 One of the deepest ambitions in modern physics is understanding how the fabric of space and time could emerge from fundamental quantum degrees of freedom to establish a quantum theory of gravity. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-quantum-error-emergent-gravity-probing.html General Physics Tue, 21 Jul 2026 11:10:02 EDT news703850636 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 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 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 Imagine shining a flashlight across a dark room. You can predict exactly what the light will do: travel in a straight line from one point to another. That seems obvious because, in the world we see around us, light appears to follow a single, clear path. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-quantum-physicist-basics-einstein-spooky.html Quantum Physics Wed, 15 Jul 2026 17:00:01 EDT news703345934 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 Recent improvements in our understanding of how the principles of thermodynamics apply in the quantum realm could give a boost to quantum technology, and a clearer picture of quantum thermodynamics could in turn enhance our understanding of classical thermodynamics. Now, Aalto University researchers have demonstrated the first cyclic quantum heat engine inside a superconducting circuit. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-world-superconducting-quantum-path-larger.html Quantum Physics Mon, 13 Jul 2026 05:00:01 EDT news702907773 Proving that one quantum measurement is more powerful than another has long been difficult. Physicists from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Lund University and the University of Innsbruck have now developed and demonstrated a simple technique to certify that a certain class of measurements has properties that cannot be mimicked by simpler means. Their paper is published in the journal PRX Quantum. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-certifies-quantum-simpler-methods-mimic.html Quantum Physics Fri, 10 Jul 2026 13:00:01 EDT news702896090 Quantum computers, devices that store and process information leveraging the principles of quantum mechanics, have been found to be promising for tackling some problems that cannot be solved by classical computers. Quantum computers store data in the form of qubits (i.e., quantum bits), units of information that can exist in combinations of different states, instead of being limited to a binary value (i.e., 0 or 1), like classical bits. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-theorized-electron-helium-qubit-strong.html General Physics Wed, 08 Jul 2026 10:20:02 EDT news702711987 Researchers from the Quantum Hardware group at CIC nanoGUNE, in collaboration with the British company Quantum Motion, have demonstrated an advanced readout sensor for spin qubits that, while being more compact than previous designs, can reach the level of readout precision needed to implement quantum error correction protocols. The study has been published in the journal Nature Sensors. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-ultra-compact-sensor-paves-powerful.html Condensed Matter Tue, 07 Jul 2026 13:20:01 EDT news702639003 Fraunhofer ILT in Aachen has developed a highly complex laser-optical system for a quantum computer currently under construction at the 5th Institute of Physics at the University of Stuttgart. This system enables 2,000 Rydberg atoms to be positioned with submicrometer precision in the computer's highly compact vacuum chamber. To do this, the system projects an array of 2,000 individually controllable laser beams into the chamber. These beams act as optical tweezers and hold the trapped Rydberg atoms precisely at the distance required for them to interact with each other. The computer's quantum logic processes are based on these interactions. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-quantum-laser-optical-full-rydberg.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 06 Jul 2026 20:20:02 EDT news702562728 Sound waves, light waves and other types of waves, generally spread freely through space and over time. In 1958, physicist Philip W. Anderson first described a phenomenon via which irregularities or other sources of disorder in materials would prevent waves from propagating freely, which is now known as Anderson localization. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-quantum-reveal-sided-motion-elusive.html General Physics Thu, 25 Jun 2026 06:40:01 EDT news701429151 In a laboratory in Broomfield, Colorado, 98 atoms are suspended in midair, held in place by electric fields and cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-quantum-high-watermark-accuracy-verge.html Quantum Physics Wed, 24 Jun 2026 15:20:05 EDT news701523231 A public-private partnership in the Mountain West announced new results today that mark steady progress toward the Department of Energy's goal of fault-tolerant quantum computing, systems large and reliable enough to solve complex problems. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-helios-quantum-tops-fidelity-qubit.html Quantum Physics Wed, 17 Jun 2026 18:40:03 EDT news700920721 Cleveland Clinic researchers are unlocking quantum computing's full potential through the creation of a new computing paradigm inspired by the human brain. Fabio Cumbo, Ph.D., research associate in the lab of Daniel Blankenberg, Ph.D., associate staff, Computational Life Sciences, is developing the model, called quantum hyperdimensional computing (QHDC). https://phys.org/news/2026-06-quantum-hyperdimensional-faster-methods.html Quantum Physics Tue, 16 Jun 2026 19:00:03 EDT news700834148 Quantum computers—systems that process information and perform computations by leveraging the principles of quantum mechanics—could solve some tasks faster and more effectively than classical computers. While some studies have demonstrated the advantages of these computers for specific tasks, ensuring their reliable operation in real-world settings has proved challenging. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-majorana-modes-disorder-atomic-chains.html Condensed Matter Wed, 10 Jun 2026 07:00:03 EDT news700136437