Category Physics

Quantum Researchers create an Error-Correcting Cat

Illustration by Michael S. Helfenbein

Yale physicists have developed an error-correcting cat – a new device that combines the Schrödinger’s cat concept of superposition (a physical system existing in two states at once) with the ability to fix some of the trickiest errors in a quantum computation.

It is Yale’s latest breakthrough in the effort to master and manipulate the physics necessary for a useful quantum computer: correcting the stream of errors that crop up among fragile bits of quantum information, qubits, while performing a task.

A new study reporting on the discovery appears in the journal Nature. The senior author is Michel Devoret, Yale’s F.W. Beinecke Professor of Applied Physics and Physics...

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Researchers shed light on the Building Blocks for next-generation LED displays

This illustration was featured on the back cover of Nanoscale Advances, an open-access journal published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Image Credit: College of Science

Three teams of researchers at Clemson University have joined forces to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding perovskite nanocrystals, which are semiconductors with numerous applications, including LEDs, lasers, solar cells and photodetectors.

A research article titled “The correlation between phase transition and photoluminescence properties of CsPbX3 (X=Cl, Br, I) perovskite nanocrystals” recently appeared in Nanoscale Advances, an open-access journal published by the Royal Society of Chemistry...

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Artificial Materials for more Efficient Electronics

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Scanning transmission electron micrscopy image of superlattice consisting of an alternating sequence of 5 atomic unit cells of neodymium nickelate (blue) and 5 atomic unit cells of samarium nickelate (yellow). © Bernard Mundet / EPFL

The discovery of an unprecedented physical effect in a new artificial material marks a significant milestone in the lengthy process of developing ‘made-to-order’ materials and more energy-efficient electronics.

We are surrounded by electronic devices. Transistors are used to power telephones, computers, televisions, hi-fi systems and game consoles as well as cars, airplanes and the like. Today’s silicon-based electronics, however, consume a substantial and ever-increasing share of the world’s energy.

A number of researchers are exploring the propert...

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This ‘Cold Tube’ can Beat the Summer Heat without relying on Air Conditioning

Exterior of Cold Tube demonstration pavilion. Credit: Lea Ruefenacht

Chilled panels use half the energy of conventional air conditioners and can be used outdoors or indoors. AC’s guzzle power and spew out millions of tons of carbon dioxide daily. They’re also not always good for your health – constant exposure to central A/C can increase risks of recirculating germs and causing breathing problems.

There’s a better alternative, say a team of researchers from the University of British Columbia, Princeton University, the University of California, Berkeley and the Singapore-ETH Centre.

They call it the Cold Tube, and they have shown it works.
“Air conditioners work by cooling down and dehumidifying the air around us – an expensive and not particularly environmentally friendly proposit...

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