High Energy Physics and Computational Science

Scientists have found a new way to control quantum information using a special material, chromium sulfide bromide. It can store and process data in multiple forms, but its magnetic properties are the real game-changer. By adjusting its magnetization, researchers can confine excitons quantum particles that carry information allowing for longer-lasting quantum states and new ways to process data. Quantum “Miracle Material” Enables Magnetic Switching A newly identified quantum “miracle material” may enable magnetic switching, according to researchers from the University of Regensburg and the University of Michigan. This discovery could lead to advancements in quantum computing , sensing, and other technologies. Previous studies found that quantum particles called excitons can sometimes be restricted to a single line within the material, chromium sulfide bromide. The new research provides both theoretical and experimental evidence linking this confinement to the material’s magnetic propert...

MIT physicists report the unexpected discovery of electrons forming crystalline structures in a material only billionths of a meter thick. The work adds to a gold mine of discoveries originating from the material, which the same team discovered only about three years ago. In a paper published Jan. 22 in Nature, the team describes how electrons in devices made, in part, of the new material can become solid, or form crystals, by changing the voltage applied to the devices when they are kept at a temperature similar to that of outer space. Under the same conditions, they also showed the emergence of two new electronic states that add to work they reported last year showing that electrons can split into fractions of themselves. The physicists were able to make the discoveries thanks to new custom-made filters for better insulation of the equipment involved in the work. These allowed them to cool their devices to a temperature an order of magnitude colder than they achieved for the earlier...

Majorana 1 has emerged as a bold stride in quantum computing . It arrives at a time when many researchers are exploring faster, smaller, and more dependable ways to handle quantum information. Chetan Nayak, Microsoft technical fellow and Corporate Vice President of Quantum Hardware at Microsoft, has highlighted the significance of creating a stable quantum system that can adapt to large-scale needs. His team has worked on a new “topoconductor,” a special class of material that supports unique behaviors not seen in ordinary matter. Majorana 1 qubits reduce errors Majorana 1 is built around Majorana zero modes , which store data through electric charge parity. Developers say these modes offer a path to lower error rates, since the system can effectively hide and protect the information. Each qubit in this design operates with digital pulses instead of delicate analog control. This lets engineers run error correction more directly, which is critical for tasks that involve many qubits. Wha...

A rare lunar eclipse will cast a Blood Moon over the UK next month, painting the sky in eerie shades of red. But will you be in the right place at the right time to catch it? The first lunar eclipse of 2025 is set to paint the sky in eerie shades of red, giving stargazers across the UK and beyond a rare chance to witness a celestial phenomenon known as a Blood Moon . The event will take place on March 13-14, with different phases of the eclipse visible across Europe, North and South America, and parts of Asia. While the UK won’t experience the full eclipse, observers will still be able to witness a penumbral eclipse, where the Moon takes on a dusky, reddish hue before disappearing below the horizon. What Is A Blood Moon? A Blood Moon occurs during a total lunar eclipse , when the Earth moves directly between the Sun and the Moon, casting its shadow across the lunar surface. However, instead of going completely dark, the Moon takes on shades of red and orange due to sunlight filtering ...

Neutrinos can travel through space at a speed similar to that of light, carry non-zero mass, and lack any charge. Scientists have managed to detect an ultra-high-energy neutrin o, or 'ghost particle', that can change the way astrophysicists view the world. Using data from the Cubic Kilometre Neutrino Telescope, also known as the KM3NeT , located in the depth of the Mediterranean Sea, the researchers at the Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, identified the neutrino -- packing 30 times more energy than any other detected so far. The detection of the ultra-high-energy neutrino, one of only a few hundred identified, was revealed this month in the journal Nature . "This is the first time that we've measured the highest-energy neutrino and the energy we're talking about is in terms of 100 million billion times the energy of visible light," Dr Satyendra Thoudam, assistant professor at the Department of Physics at Khalifa, who was involved with the telescope project w...

Science never stops and now it has made a surprising leap: the proton engine that Albert Einstein predicted decades ago has finally materialized. Imagine an engine that runs without gasoline or batteries, but instead uses a virtually inexhaustible source of energy and does not pollute. It seems like something out of a comic book, but this breakthrough challenges some fundamental principles of physics and promises to revolutionize mobility and energy . A science fiction invention The proton engine is based on nuclear fusion (the same process that occurs in the Sun). Unlike traditional nuclear energy based on fission (which splits atoms), fusion consists of joining atomic nuclei to release immense, clean and sustainable energy. Now, a company has managed to develop the first functional prototype and the best of all is that we would be talking about clean energy! Einstein and his theory of the nuclear fusion engine Since 1929, Einstein theorized about the possibility of creating an eng...

By combining digital and analog quantum simulation into a new hybrid approach, scientists have already started to make fresh scientific discoveries using quantum computers. Scientists at Google have revealed a new method of " quantum simulation " that uses computing power to mimic the behavior of a powerful quantum system. This approach, they argue, could lead to quantum computers that can overtake supercomputers within five years and lead to breakthroughs in drug discovery and battery development. Quantum simulation is a process in which computers simulate physical processes and large quantum systems, such as complex molecules. Essentially, engineers simulate physical processes that are dominated by the effects of quantum physics . But this is difficult to do with classical computers because you have to model every particle's interaction with every other particle. Because subatomic particles have a probability of being in multiple states at once and can be entangled with...

Compounds called nickelates can conduct electricity without resistance well above absolute zero and at ambient pressure. A new family of superconductors is exciting physicists. Compounds containing nickel have been shown to carry electricity without resistance at the relatively high temperature of 45 kelvin (–228 °C) and without being squeezed under pressure. Physicists at the Southern University of Science and Technology (Sustech) in Shenzhen, China, observed the major hallmarks of superconductivity in a thin film of crystals of nickel oxide, which they grew in the laboratory. They published their work in Nature on 17 February. “There’s a huge hope that we could eventually raise the critical temperature and make [such materials] more useful for applications,” says Dafeng Li, a physicist at the City University of Hong Kong. Nickelates now join two groups of ceramics  copper-based cuprates and iron-based pnictides  as ‘unconventional superconductors’ that operate at r...

A new method finally reveals the full quantum identity of electrons, offering insights that could transform material science and quantum applications. For the first time, scientists have successfully measured the quantum state of electrons released from atoms after absorbing high-energy light pulses . This breakthrough was made possible by a new measurement technique developed by researchers at Lund University in Sweden. Their findings offer deeper insights into how light interacts with matter. Unlocking the Secrets of Electrons with High-Energy Light When high-energy light in the extreme ultraviolet or X-ray range interacts with an atom or molecule, it can knock an electron loose in a process known as the photoelectric effect. By measuring the ejected electron and its kinetic energy, scientists can gather valuable information about the atom that was exposed to the light. This principle forms the foundation of photoelectron spectroscopy . The emitted electron, called a photoelectron,...

Scientists recently shared news of a particle event that has sparked excitement in the physics community. One of the most energetic neutrinos ever recorded was observed in the Mediterranean Sea by the ARCA detector of the KM3NeT project. The astounding neutrino, named KM3-230213A, has caught global attention. Researchers estimate its energy at about 220 million billion. “KM3NeT has begun to probe a range of energy and sensitivity where detected neutrinos may originate from extreme astrophysical phenomena,“ said Paschal Coyle, a researcher at the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) . “This first ever detection of a neutrino of hundreds of PeV opens a new chapter in neutrino astronomy and a new observational window on the Universe.” Mysterious elementary particles Neutrinos travel across the universe, slipping through stars and planets without much disturbance. For decades, scientists have aimed to spot ultra-high-energy neutrinos to shed light on cosmic accelerators. The KM3...

Predictions of theories that combine quantum mechanics with gravity could be observed using highly sensitive photon detection in a tabletop experiment. Quantum-gravity theories attempt to unite gravity and quantum mechanics. A proposed tabletop experiment called Gravity from the Quantum Entanglement of Space Time (GQuEST) would search for a predicted effect of such theories using a new type of interferometer one that counts photons rather than measuring interference patterns. The GQuEST team has now calculated the sensitivity of their design and shown that it can recover the predicted signal 100 times faster than traditional interferometer setups. Quantizing gravity implies that spacetime is not continuous it becomes “pixelated” when you look at scales as small as 10−35 m, far too small to be probed in any experiment. However, certain quantum-gravity models predict that spacetime can fluctuate a kind of spontaneous stretching and squeezing in the spacetime fabric that might produce...

Scientists have discovered the most powerful ghost particle, 30 times more energetic than any detected on Earth, using a neutrino detector in Mediterranean sea. The KM3NeT Digital Optical Module (DOM) attached to Vertical Electro-Optical Cable (VEOC), which supplies power and enables data transmission via fiber connection, part of research to detect neutrinos, is seen during a recovery operation in the Mediterranean Sea in this undated handout image released on February 12, 2025.(REUTERS) In a remarkable discovery, one which takes humanity closer to understanding neutrinos, scientists have discovered the most powerful ghost particle yet on Wednesday through a neutrino detector, which is still under construction at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. The newly detected particle is said to be thirty times more active and energetic than any such particle detected on Earth yet, the Associated Press reported. While the scientists anticipate that the particle came from outside the Milky ...

A new underwater neutrino experiment for now, only partially installed has detected what appears to be the highest-energy cosmic neutrino observed to date. The KM3NeT experiment uses an array of optical-sensor modules fixed to the floor of the Mediterranean Sea. This photo shows the deployment of one set of modules. Sometimes what you’re looking for arrives when you least expect it. That appears to be the case for the Cubic Kilometer Neutrino Telescope (KM3NeT), an array of photodetectors on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea. Today the team behind KM3NeT reports the measurement of a signal coming from a neutrino with an energy of 220 peta-electron-volts (PeV), an energy 30 times more than the previous record for the highest measured neutrino energy [1]. This rare event was captured while the experiment had only 10% of its detectors in place. The measurement could have major implications for our understanding of particle acceleration in the Universe. “We’ve detected by far the most ...