n Over the past half century, laser cooling has revolutionized atomic, molecular and optical physics. Laser cooling of atoms and ions has enabled dramatic leaps in the precision of atomic clocks, allowing new tests of fundamental physics and potential improvements in clock-based navigation via the Global Positioning System. Now it is also laying the foundations… Continue reading Radiant chills: the revolutionary science of laser cooling

How entangled is it? The researchers obtained temperature profiles of their system showing that particles that interact strongly are “hot” (red) and those that interact little are “cold” (blue). Entanglement is greatest when interactions are strong. (Courtesy: Helene Hainzer) n Physicists in Austria have found a quick and efficient way of extracting information on a… Continue reading Quantum simulator visualizes large-scale entanglement in materials

Atoms are the world’s most precise timekeepers – so much so that the second is defined as exactly 9 192 631 770 ticks of a caesium-based atomic clock. Commercially-available versions of these atomically precise clocks underpin GPS, navigation, data transfer and financial markets, and they run at microwave frequencies, or billions of tick-tocks per second.… Continue reading Portable optical atomic clock makes its commercial debut

A new protocol for cloud-computing-based information storage that could combine quantum-level security with better data-storage efficiency has been proposed and demonstrated by researchers in China. The researchers claim the work, which combines existing techniques known as quantum key distribution (QKD) and Shamir’s secret sharing, could protect sensitive data such as patients’ genetic information in the… Continue reading Researchers grapple with bringing quantum security to the cloud

Quantum computers show great promise because they could, at least in principle, solve certain problems that cannot be cracked even by the most powerful conventional supercomputers. But building quantum bits, or qubits – and linking them to create practical quantum computers – is a huge challenge. In particular, quantum computers are incredibly noisy, which quickly… Continue reading Toby Cubitt: why algorithms will speed up applications of quantum computers

n This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast features a lively discussion about our Top 10 Breakthroughs of 2023. Physics World editors discuss the merits of research on a broad range of topics including particle physics, quantum technology, medical physics and astronomy. n The top 10 serves as the shortlist for the Physics World… Continue reading Top 10 Breakthroughs of 2023: we explore this year’s best physics research

Physics World is delighted to announce its top 10 Breakthroughs of the Year for 2023, which ranges from research in astronomy and medical physics to quantum science, atomic physics and more. The overall Physics World Breakthrough of the Year will be revealed on Thursday 14 December. n The 10 Breakthroughs were selected by a panel… Continue reading Physics World reveals its top 10 Breakthroughs of the Year for 2023

Researchers at ETH Zürich in Switzerland have transformed a microchip laser that emits a single frequency (or colour) of light into one that emits light over a broad range of frequencies. The new optical comb device, which works thanks to a process known as a quantum walk, could be used to make miniaturized optical sensors… Continue reading Laser light goes for a quantum walk in a microchip

Researchers in the US have improved the coherence time of charge quantum bits (qubits) by a factor of 1000 thanks to advances in the materials used to construct them. Led by Dafei Jin of the Argonne Center for Nanoscale Materials and David Schuster of Stanford University and the University of Chicago, the multi-institutional team also… Continue reading Charge qubits get a thousand-fold boost

n This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast looks at two very different and very difficult challenges — how to build a quantum computer that can overcome the debilitating noise that plagues current processors; and how to ensure that the UK meets its target for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. nn Our first… Continue reading Why Alice & Bob are making cat qubits, IOP calls for action on net-zero target