Quantum mechanics

The release of the film Oppenheimer, in July 2023, has renewed interest in the enigmatic scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer’s life. While Oppenheimer will always be recognized as the father of the atomic bomb, his early contributions to quantum mechanics form the bedrock of modern quantum chemistry. His work still informs how scientists think about the structure of molecules today.Early on in the film, preeminent scientific figures of the time, including Nobel laureates Werner Heisenberg and Ernest Lawrence, compliment the…

Electrons whizzing through the kagome metal Fe3Sn2 are influenced by the proximity of a flat band (shown by the reflection of the top ball on a flat surface). This causes the electronic charge to be fractionalized, or split (shown here by the appearance of the lower ball). Researchers have now observed this effect spectroscopically. Credit: Paul Scherrer Institute / Sandy Ekahana Quantum mechanics tells us that the fundamental unit of charge is unbreakable – but exceptions exist.A research team led by the Paul Scherrer…

Researchers have developed a method to measure gravity at a microscopic level, marking a significant advancement in understanding quantum gravity. Credit: SciTechDaily.comPhysicists successfully measure gravity in the quantum world, detecting weak gravitational pull on a tiny particle with a new technique that uses levitating magnets, putting scientists closer to solving mysteries of the universe.Scientists are a step closer to unraveling the mysterious forces of the universe after working out how to measure gravity on a…

Researchers have achieved quantum coherence at room temperature by embedding a light-absorbing chromophore within a metal-organic framework. This breakthrough, facilitating the maintenance of a quantum system’s state without external interference, marks a significant advancement for quantum computing and sensing technologies.Researchers observe the quantum coherence of a quintet state with four electron spins in molecular systems for the first time at room temperature.In a study published in Science Advances, a group of…

LIGO has confirmed 90 gravitational wave detections so far, but physicists want to detect more, which will require making the experiment even more sensitive. And that is a challenge.  “The struggle of these detectors is that every time you try to improve them, you actually can make things worse, because they are so sensitive,” says Lisa Barsotti, a physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Nevertheless, Barsotti and her colleagues recently pushed past this challenge, creating a device that will allow…

A research team from Kyoto University has significantly advanced infrared spectroscopy technology by integrating a quantum light source, overcoming previous limitations of FTIRs regarding sensitivity and size. This breakthrough enables the creation of compact, efficient scanners that can accurately identify a wide array of materials, setting a new standard for portable, high-performance devices in various fields, including environmental monitoring, medicine, and security. Credit: KyotoU/Shigeki TakeuchiKyoto University…

Despite keeping us grounded and warping light that travels through space, gravity is actually quite a weak force. The smaller the mass, the less gravity appears to have any pull, until at quantum scales it appears to have no force at all.Dave Bautista Opens Up About His Relationship With Denis VilleneuveNow, physicists in England and Europe have measured a tiny—but apparent—gravitational pull on a minuscule mass, making it the smallest mass to yet show the signs of gravity, a force that has perplexed physicists for…

The fractional quantum Hall effect has generally been seen under very high magnetic fields, but MIT physicists have now observed it in simple graphene. In a five-layer graphene/hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) moire superlattice, electrons (blue ball) interact with each other strongly and behave as if they are broken into fractional charges. Credit: Sampson Wilcox, RLEAn exotic electronic state observed by MIT physicists could enable more robust forms of quantum computing.The electron is the basic unit of electricity, as it…

Cryogenic microwave setup used for quantum device measurements. Credit: Qinu GmbH, qinu.deQuantum bits can be described more precisely with the help of newly discovered harmonics as a team of 30 researchers reports in Nature Physics.Physicists have uncovered that Josephson tunnel junctions – the fundamental building blocks of superconducting quantum computers – are more complex than previously thought. Just like overtones in a musical instrument, harmonics are superimposed on the fundamental mode. As a consequence,…

Conceptual art of the operating device, consisting of a nanopillar-loaded drum sandwiched by two periodically segmented mirrors, allowing the laser light to strongly interact with the drum quantum mechanically at room temperature. Credit: EPFL & Second Bay StudiosResearchers at EPFL have achieved a milestone in quantum mechanics by controlling quantum phenomena at room temperature, overcoming the longstanding barrier of needing extreme cold. This opens up new possibilities for quantum technology applications and the…