Programmable Interaction between Quantum Magnets

Research findings to open way to new applications in quantum technology. A team led by Prof. Dr Matthias Weidemüller and Dr Gerhard Zürn at the Center for Quantum Dynamics of Heidelberg University has now succeeded in its aim to change not only the strength but also the nature of the interaction between microscopic quantum magnets, known as spins. Instead of falling into a state of complete disorder, the especially prepared magnets can maintain their original orientation for a long period. With these findings, the Heidelberg physicists have successfully demonstrated a programmable control of spin interactions in isolated quantum systems.

Magnetic systems can exhibit surprising behaviour when they are prepared in an unstable configuration...

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New study shows the Largest Comet ever observed was Active at Near-Record Distance

The comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein (BB), represented in this artist rendition as it might look in the outer Solar System, is estimated to be about 1000 times more massive than a typical comet. The largest comet discovered in modern times, it is among the most distant comets to be discovered with a coma, which means ice within the comet is vaporizing and forming an envelope of dust and vapor around the comet’s core. Credit: NOIRLab / NSF / AURA / J. da Silva / Spaceengine

A new study by University of Maryland astronomers shows that comet Bernardinelli-Bernstein (BB), the largest comet ever discovered, was active long before previously thought, meaning the ice within it is vaporizing and forming an envelope of dust and vapor known as a coma...

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Biologists reveal how Obesity Damages the Skeletal Muscle Metabolism

Roles of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in skeletal muscle metabolism. Credit: The University of Hong Kong

A decline in metabolism and endurance of skeletal muscle is commonly observed in obese patients, but the underlying mechanism is not well-understood. A research team led by Dr. Chi Bun Chan, Assistant Professor from School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, the University of Hong Kong (HKU), uncovers a new mechanism to explain how obesity jeopardizes the functions of skeletal muscle and provides a potential treatment against the disease. The research findings have recently been published in the journal Autophagy.

Obesity is a metabolic disorder with increasing prevalence in modern society...

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New Device Modulates light a Light Without Dimming it—with the Smallest Footprint and Lowest Power Consumption

A visible-spectrum phase modulator (the ring at the center of a radius of 10 microns) is tinier than a butterfly wing scale. Photo credit: Heqing Huang and Cheng-Chia Tsai/Columbia Engineering

Engineers have invented a breakthrough visible-spectrum, compact, power-efficient, low-loss phase modulator – a breakthrough in integrated photonics; the device will improve LIDAR for remote sensing, AR/VR goggles, quantum information processing chips, implantable optogenetic probes, and more.

Over the past several decades, researchers have moved from using electric currents to manipulating light waves in the near-infrared range for telecommunications applications such as high-speed 5G networks, biosensors on a chip, and driverless cars...

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