Physics Awards: February 2025

Friday, February 28, 2025

Physicists Discover a Magnetic Breakthrough That Could Supercharge Quantum Tech

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 properties.

Chromium sulfide bromide is particularly exciting for quantum research because it can encode information in multiple ways: through electric charge, light (photons), magnetism (electron spins), and vibrations (phonons).

“The long-term vision is, you could potentially build quantum machines or devices that use these three or even all four of these properties: photons to transfer information, electrons to process information through their interactions, magnetism to store information, and phonons to modulate and transduce information to new frequencies,” said Mackillo Kira, U-M professor of electrical and computer engineering.

Harnessing Excitons for Quantum Encoding

One of the ways chromium sulfide bromide could encode quantum information is in excitons. An exciton forms when an electron is moved out of its “ground” energy state in the semiconductor into a higher energy state, leaving behind a “hole.” The electron and hole are paired together, and that collective state is an exciton.

The excitons are trapped in single layers by chromium sulfide bromide’s unusual magnetic properties. The material is made up of layers just a few atoms thick, like molecular phyllo pastry. At low temperatures under 132 Kelvin (-222 Fahrenheit), the layers are magnetized the spins of the electrons align with one another. The direction of the magnetic field switches to the opposite direction from one layer to the next. This is an antiferromagnetic structure.

Above 132 Kelvin, the material isn’t magnetized the heat keeps the electron spins from staying aligned, so they point in random directions. In the unmagnetized state, the excitons aren’t trapped but extend over multiple atomic layers, making them three-dimensional. They can also move in any direction.

Quantum Confinement and Longevity of Information

When the antiferromagnetic structure confines excitons to a single atomic layer, the excitons are further restricted to a single line a single dimension because they can easily move along only one of the two axes of the plane. In a quantum device, this confinement helps quantum information last longer because the excitons are less likely to collide with one another and lose the information they carry.

“The magnetic order is a new tuning knob for shaping excitons and their interactions. This could be a game changer for future electronics and information technology,” said Rupert Huber, professor of physics at the University of Regensburg in Germany.

Excitons’ Fine Structure: A Surprising Discovery

The experimental team, led by Huber, produced excitons inside a sample of chromium sulfide bromide by hitting it with pulses of infrared light just 20 quadrillionths of a second long. Then, they used another infrared laser with less energetic pulses to nudge the excitons into slightly higher energy states. In this way, they discovered that there are two variations of the excitons with surprisingly different energies—when normally, they would have identical energies. This splitting of an energy state is known as fine structure.

The team also explored how the material varies in space by shooting those less energetic pulses along two different axes within the material to probe the inner structures of excitons. This approach revealed the highly direction-dependent excitons, which could either be confined to a line or expanded in three dimensions. These configurations can be adjusted based on the magnetic states, switchable through external magnetic fields or temperature changes.

A New Pathway for Quantum Information Processing

“Since the electronic, photonic, and spin degrees of freedom are strongly intertwined, switching between a magnetized and a nonmagnetized state could serve as an extremely fast way to convert photon and spin-based quantum information,” said Matthias Florian, U-M research investigator in electrical and computer engineering and co-first author with Marlene Liebich, a Ph.D. candidate in physics at the University of Regensburg.

The theory team, led by Kira, explained these results with quantum many-body calculations. The calculations used the structure of the material to systematically predict the exceptionally large fine-structure splitting in the magnetically ordered material and the transitions between the two exciton states when the material transitioned in and out of magnetic order. They also confirmed that the transition from one-dimensional to three-dimensional excitons accounted for the substantial changes observed in how long excitons could go without colliding, as the larger and more mobile excitons have more opportunities to collide.

Website: International Conference on High Energy Physics and Computational Science.

#HighEnergyPhysics#ParticlePhysics#QuantumPhysics#AstroparticlePhysics#ColliderPhysics#HiggsBoson#LHC#QuantumFieldTheory#NeutrinoPhysics#PhysicsResearch#ComputationalScience#DataScience#ScientificComputing#NumericalMethods#HighPerformanceComputing#MachineLearningInScience#BigData#AlgorithmDevelopment#SimulationScience#ParallelComputing

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Thursday, February 27, 2025

Physicists find unexpected crystals of electrons in new ultrathin material

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 results.

The team also observed all of these phenomena using two slightly different "versions" of the new material, one composed of five layers of atomically thin carbon; the other composed of four layers. This indicates "that there's a family of materials where you can get this kind of behavior, which is exciting," says Long Ju, an assistant professor in the MIT Department of Physics who led the work. Ju is also affiliated with MIT's Materials Research Laboratory and Research Lab of Electronics.

Referring to the new material, known as rhombohedral pentalayer graphene, Ju says, "We found a gold mine, and every scoop is revealing something new."

New material

Rhombohedral pentalayer graphene is essentially a special form of pencil lead. Pencil lead, or graphite, is composed of graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in hexagons resembling a honeycomb structure. Rhombohedral pentalayer graphene is composed of five layers of graphene stacked in a specific overlapping order.

Since Ju and colleagues discovered the material, they have tinkered with it by adding layers of another material they thought might accentuate the graphene's properties, or even produce new phenomena. For example, in 2023 they created a sandwich of rhombohedral pentalayer graphene with "buns" made of hexagonal boron nitride. By applying different voltages, or amounts of electricity, to the sandwich, they discovered three important properties never before seen in natural graphite.

Last year, Ju and colleagues reported yet another important and even more surprising phenomenon: Electrons became fractions of themselves upon applying a current to a new device composed of rhombohedral pentalayer graphene and hexagonal boron nitride.

This is important because this "fractional quantum Hall effect" has only been seen in a few systems, usually under very high magnetic fields. The Ju work showed that the phenomenon could occur in a fairly simple material without a magnetic field. As a result, it is called the "fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect" (anomalous indicates that no magnetic field is necessary).

New results

In the current work, the Ju team reports yet more unexpected phenomena from the general rhombohedral graphene/boron nitride system when it is cooled to 30 millikelvins (1 millikelvin is equivalent to -459.668 degrees Fahrenheit). In last year's paper, Ju and colleagues reported six fractional states of electrons. In the current work, they report discovering two more of these fractional states.

They also found another unusual electronic phenomenon: the integer quantum anomalous Hall effect in a wide range of electron densities. The fractional quantum anomalous Hall effect was understood to emerge in an electron "liquid" phase, analogous to water. In contrast, the new state that the team has now observed can be interpreted as an electron "solid" phase resembling the formation of electronic "ice"—that can also coexist with the fractional quantum anomalous Hall states when the system's voltage is carefully tuned at ultra-low temperatures.

One way to think about the relation between the integer and fractional states is to imagine a map created by tuning electric voltages: By tuning the system with different voltages, you can create a "landscape" similar to a river (which represents the liquid-like fractional states) cutting through glaciers (which represent the solid-like integer effect), Ju explains.

Ju notes that his team observed all of these phenomena not only in pentalayer rhombohedral graphene, but also in rhombohedral graphene composed of four layers. This creates a family of materials, and indicates that other "relatives" may exist.

"This work shows how rich this material is in exhibiting exotic phenomena. We've just added more flavor to this already very interesting material," says Zhengguang Lu, a co-first author of the paper. Lu, who conducted the work as a postdoc at MIT, is now on the faculty at Florida State University.

Website: International Conference on High Energy Physics and Computational Science.

#HighEnergyPhysics#ParticlePhysics#QuantumPhysics#AstroparticlePhysics#ColliderPhysics#HiggsBoson#LHC#QuantumFieldTheory#NeutrinoPhysics#PhysicsResearch#ComputationalScience#DataScience#ScientificComputing#NumericalMethods#HighPerformanceComputing#MachineLearningInScience#BigData#AlgorithmDevelopment#SimulationScience#ParallelComputing

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Wednesday, February 26, 2025

Microsoft announces giant leap in quantum computing

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.

What sets ‘topoconductors’ apart

Scientists at Microsoft discovered a way to fuse superconductors with semiconductors in a design involving indium arsenide and aluminum. Their approach relies on extremely low temperatures to form stable wires.

These wires enable a new state of matter known as a topological superconductor. It gives the system extra resilience, which helps sustain quantum states for more reliable operations.

Majorana 1’s improves scalability

Engineers aim to move quantum computing beyond small demonstrations. Microsoft’s topological strategy addresses that by integrating error protection directly into hardware. Some existing qubits require fine-tuned signals that are hard to scale. By shifting to measurements for computation, developers reduce overhead and open the door to running many qubits at once.

One path to fewer errors

A common hurdle in quantum computing is noise that throws off sensitive qubit states. With topological qubits, the physical structure naturally guards them, so fewer corrections are needed in software.

Researchers say their design might handle trillions of operations on a million qubits without overwhelming control complexity. Simpler signals mean less hardware per qubit, which could shrink the size of future machines.

Acknowledgment from defense agencies

Microsoft’s approach drew attention from DARPA. That agency runs programs like the Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing, which looks for promising hardware that might solve tasks beyond the ability of regular machines.

Microsoft is now among a select group advancing in DARPA’s evaluation. This backing sends a strong sign of confidence in a system that merges academic theory with commercial viability.

Digital pulses for measurements

The Majorana 1 processor merges measurement-based methods with data readout using a quantum dot, a tiny component that tracks electron charges. This design has shown it can detect a difference of one extra electron with high reliability.

Microsoft suggests this technique allows qubits to switch on and off through voltage adjustments. It avoids the frequent recalibration that can slow systems relying on analog drives.

Glimpse into practical uses

When quantum systems can handle vast numbers of qubits, they might shed light on puzzling chemistry questions. This includes analyzing how different bonds form or how materials break down, which could speed up research into new forms of construction or pollution control.

Experts see potential applications in fields like medicine and agriculture, particularly when joined with artificial intelligence. Machine learning models could pair with quantum computers to explore better enzyme designs and faster drug discovery.

Beyond the lab

Although certain steps remain before consumers notice quantum advantages in daily life, the progress seems brisk. Engineers must finalize cooling methods and expand the software environment that coordinates qubit operations. All of this occurs at subzero temperatures. Still, the push to bring these solutions into mainstream data centers suggests that we may see real impacts sooner than many once predicted.

“We took a step back and said ‘OK, let’s invent the transistor for the quantum age’” said Chetan Nayak. His statement underscores how they looked for a long-term approach rather than a quick fix.

Majorana 1 and existing tools

The Majorana 1 chip functions as part of a larger toolkit that includes a dilution refrigerator and specialized control logic. Each piece plays a role in running quantum algorithms, which are programs that leverage quantum phenomena to tackle problems regular computers cannot handle efficiently.

Engineers must continue refining the material layers to minimize defects. Their success may pave the way for the next phase of computing, where topological hardware handles specialized tasks more efficiently.

Problem solving with Majorana 1

With eight topological qubits already placed on a single device, the vision of a large-scale quantum machine seems more tangible. One reason for optimism is the built-in error protection that underpins each step, which might reduce overhead in future expansions. Developers plan to create robust prototypes that solve real-world challenges without indefinite years of waiting.

They also highlight a focus on industrial-scale impact, hinting that this technology could address large, complex simulations. Researchers have long searched for stable platforms to run quantum operations. By anchoring the system in strong materials science, teams hope to turn topological qubits into practical tools. Those behind Majorana 1 emphasize that scalability is key for solving meaningful problems. The ability to coordinate many qubits is poised to unlock scenarios previously confined to theoretical speculation.

Website: International Conference on High Energy Physics and Computational Science.

Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Rare Lunar Eclipse To Cast A Blood Moon Over The UK Next Month

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 through the Earth’s atmosphere.

This effect, known as Rayleigh scattering, is the same phenomenon that gives sunsets and sunrises their warm hues. As the Earth’s shadow engulfs the Moon, only longer wavelengths of red light make it through, creating the dramatic effect of a blood-red Moon hanging in the night sky.

When And Where To See The Blood Moon

The eclipse will take place on the night of March 13 into the early hours of March 14. The total eclipse will last about six hours, with the full Blood Moon phase lasting just over an hour.

UK and Europe: The UK will not see the full eclipse but will catch the penumbral phase in the early morning hours.
North and South America: These regions will get a prime view of the entire eclipse from start to finish.
Asia: Some parts of Asia will see the final stages of the eclipse just before sunrise.

For observers in London, the best time to catch the eclipse will be around 6:19 AM on March 14, just as the Moon is setting. The peak of the eclipse will occur at 6:58 AM, but by then, the Moon will have dipped below the horizon.

How To Watch The Lunar Eclipse?

Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are completely safe to view with the naked eye. You won’t need special glasses, and if the sky is clear, you should be able to see the Moon take on its reddish tint without any equipment. For the best viewing experience: Find a location with minimal light pollution – City lights can make the sky too bright, so head to a dark, open area if possible.

Check the weather forecast Cloud cover could obscure the view, so make sure to monitor local weather conditions.

Use binoculars or a telescope While not necessary, they can enhance details of the Moon’s surface as it darkens.

If you’re unable to watch the eclipse in person, several observatories and space agencies will live-stream the event, allowing you to watch it from anywhere in the world.

When Is The Next Lunar Eclipse?

If you miss this one, there will be another total lunar eclipse on September 7-8, 2025. That eclipse will be best visible from Asia, but the UK should still get a partial view during moonrise. Lunar eclipses are less common than solar eclipses, but they offer a stunning, long-lasting spectacle that doesn’t require special equipment or safety precautions. Whether you’re an avid stargazer or just someone who enjoys celestial events, the upcoming Blood Moon is worth waking up early for.

So, set your alarms, grab a warm drink, and step outside to witness one of nature’s most mesmerizing light shows.

Website: International Conference on High Energy Physics and Computational Science.

Monday, February 24, 2025

Scientists Detect Ultra-High-Energy Neutrino That Could Reshape Cosmic Understanding

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 neutrino, 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 was quoted as saying by The National.

Neutrinos are born during extreme cosmic events such as supernova or black hole collisions. They have non-zero mass and lack any charge which explains the ghostly nickname.

Neutrinos can travel through space at a speed similar to that of light and because of their parameters, they hardly interact with anything they come across. In fact, even if you were a human-sized neutrino detector, it would take around a century for the particle to forge some sort of interaction with your body.

As per the researchers, neutrinos can be used to study the distant universes and the cosmic events that take place in astrophysical objects, albeit in a new way.

"This has actually opened a new window on the universe. At the same time, it's also opened a new window to study the energy of the ultra-high-energy rays and their propagation in the universe, which is one of the most fundamental problems in astrophysics," added Dr Thoudam.

Website: International Conference on High Energy Physics and Computational Science.

Saturday, February 22, 2025

Neither electric nor gasoline – this proton engine was predicted by Einstein and defies the laws of physics

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 engine powered by proton fusion, capable of generating such high power that it could take spaceships to speeds close to that of light. The key to this technology lies in taking advantage of the enormous temperature reached during fusion to expel a jet of protons and generate thrust.

Technological advances that have allowed its development

For many years there have been attempts to create this type of fusion engine, but it was very complicated because the appropriate technology was not available at the time, but these last decades have produced such significant advances that have allowed this idea to go from being just that, a simple idea, to a real construction. There have been three key advances that have allowed this:New metals and advanced ceramics can withstand extreme temperatures without degrading, because this way the plasma can be contained and the engine structure can be prevented from being destroyed.

Another key factor has been the mathematical understanding of the behaviour of the plasma inside the reactor, which has allowed simulations to be made that predicted and corrected possible errors.
Finally, they have been able to use advanced magnetic fields to prevent the plasma from touching the reactor walls, keeping it stable at temperatures above 100 million degrees!! In addition, superconducting magnets have significantly reduced the energy consumption of the system.

RocketStar: the startup that made it possible

In 2021, the RocketStar company began developing the first nuclear fusion engine applicable to propulsion, and they sought to design a rocket engine that would revolutionize the sector. And so they have done. Its design is based on a funnel-shaped magnetic field, where protons are accelerated and compressed until they reach temperatures high enough to initiate fusion.

This engine does not need chemical propellants, since hydrogen fusion generates a plasma jet that provides thrust. The main advantage is that the fuel (hydrogen) is practically inexhaustible, making this system a viable alternative for space travel, much faster, cheaper and more sustainable!

Could we use it on Earth?

This technology is designed for the propulsion of spacecraft, but technology is advancing so quickly that no one closes the door to it being applied in the future to airplanes or trains because it is a great alternative to fossil fuels.

It may not seem like it, but the technology of the future is so close to us that it is dizzying to think about it. Will they be able to commercialize this type of energy? We will have to wait and see!

Website: International Conference on High Energy Physics and Computational Science.

Thursday, February 20, 2025

Quantum simulation breakthrough will lead to 'discoveries impossible in today's fastest supercomputers,' Google scientists claim

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 each other, the complexity of these calculations skyrockets quickly as you scale the number of particles involved.

Instead, scientists are turning to quantum computers, whose behavior is already governed by the laws of quantum mechanics, to solve the problems. Because quantum physics is built into the way these systems work. If the qubits are entangled or linked together the right way, they can mimic bigger quantum systems without having to explicitly calculate every step in the evolution of the system.

That is where "quantum simulation" comes into play. There are two types of quantum simulation. Digital simulation lets researchers selectively pivot between quantum states by entangling and disentangling different qubit pairings (two entangled qubits) in series. Analog simulation, meanwhile, is much faster. This involves entangling all the qubits across a system at once but since qubits can be error-prone, this raises the risk that the output of the simulation becomes meaningless noise.

Simulation theory

This "hybrid" approach begins with a digital simulation layer, where scientists use the flexibility of the system to prepare the initial quantum states of each qubit pair choosing the most pertinent position to start from. Next, the process switches to analog simulation, which can evolve toward the specific quantum states the scientists want to study.

Finally, the process switches back to a digital simulation to fine-tune and probe the quantum states to solve the most interesting problems in the physics being simulated.

The new research means that quantum computers will likely outperform conventional supercomputers in practical settings within the next five years, Hartmut Neven, the founder and lead of Google Quantum AI, said in an emailed statement. The time estimates vary greatly, with some suggesting this may be as far away as 20 years or achievable in the next couple.

Scientists have already demonstrated that Google's quantum computing chips, including Sycamore and the newly released Willow, can outperform the most powerful supercomputers but so far only in benchmarking. To achieve supremacy in a practical scenario, the scientists said they must make further improvements in calibration and control accuracy, as well as improving the hardware. They also need to identify problems that both can be solved by quantum simulation and are too complex to address using classical computers.

However, the new hybrid research enables today's quantum computers to boost the capabilities of the fastest supercomputers. And this hybrid approach is already being harnessed to make new scientific discoveries, which the Google scientists achieved in testing their new approach. For example, in the behavior of magnets, the Google scientists addressed questions on how a magnet behaves when it's cooled to extremely low temperatures, and how energy flows from a hot to a cold part.

The hybrid approach was also used to show that the Kibble-Zurek mechanism (KZM) a widely regarded model that predicts where defects form in a material did not always hold true. Instead, the new hybrid simulation revealed entirely new physics. This is an example of the kind of discoveries that the hybrid approach quantum simulation can address, the scientists said.

Website: International Conference on High Energy Physics and Computational Science.

Wednesday, February 19, 2025

‘Unconventional’ nickel superconductor excites physicists

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 room pressure and temperatures as high as 150K (–123 °C). This new data point could help physicists to finally explain how high-temperature superconductors work, and ultimately to design materials that operate under ambient conditions. This would make technologies, such as magnetic resonance imaging, radically cheaper and more efficient.

How unconventional superconductors operate at warmer temperatures remains largely a mystery, whereas the mechanism behind how some metals can carry electricity without resistance at colder temperatures, or extreme pressures, has been understood since 1957.

The ability of the Sustech researchers to precisely engineer the material’s properties is huge boon in trying to use nickelates to unravel the theory behind unconventional superconductivity, says Lilia Boeri, a physicist at the Sapienza University of Rome. “The idea that you have a system that you can sort of tune experimentally, is something quite exciting.”

Raising temperatures

Excitement in nickelates has been growing since 2019 when Li and his colleagues found hints that compounds containing nickel behaved as superconductors, albeit at cold temperatures. These materials’ structural similarity to cuprates raised hopes that nickelates could be coaxed to conduct at higher temperatures. A separate group demonstrated this in 2023, but the materials were under high pressure.

In December, researchers at Stanford University in California saw the first signs of nickelate superconductivity under ambient pressure. The researchers went further in latest study, showing that the nickelate crystals lost resistance at a critical temperature and expelled magnetic fields.

Nickelates have a way to go before their critical temperature at which superconductivity kicks in matches the cuprates. Raising this is “a priority”, says Zhuoyu Chen, a physicist at Sustech and study co-author. The team is trying various tricks to tweak the way the material is grown and its precise composition, he says.

Website: International Conference on High Energy Physics and Computational Science.

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Physicists Just Mapped the Hidden Quantum World of Electrons

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, is often treated as a simple particle. However, it is actually a quantum object that must be described using the principles of quantum mechanics. At such a small scale, electrons don’t behave like everyday objects they exhibit both particle and wave-like properties, requiring special quantum rules to fully describe their behavior.

Reconstructing the Quantum State of Electrons

“By measuring the quantum state of the photoelectron, our technique can precisely address the question of ‘how quantum is the electron’. It is the same idea used in CT scans used in medicine to image the brain: we reconstruct a complex 3D object by taking several 2D pictures of that object from many different angles,” says David Busto, associate senior lecturer in atomic physics and one of the authors of the study now published in Nature Photonics.

This is done by producing the photoelectron quantum state, which is the equivalent of the 3D object to be measured, by ionizing atoms with ultrashort, high-energy light pulses, and then using a pair of laser pulses with different colors to take the 2D pictures and reconstructing the quantum state slice by slice.

“The technique allows us to measure for the first time the quantum state of electrons emitted from helium and argon atoms, demonstrating that the photoelectron quantum state depends on the type of material from which it is emitted,” says David Busto.

Why Are These Findings So Exciting?

“The photoelectric effect was explained over a century ago by Einstein, laying the foundations for the development of quantum mechanics. This same phenomenon was then exploited by Kai Siegbahn to study how electrons are arranged inside atoms, molecules and solids.”

Paradoxically, this technique relies solely on measuring the classical properties of the photoelectron, such as its speed. Now, more than 40 years after Kai Siegbahn was awarded the Nobel Prize for photoelectron spectroscopy in 1981, there is finally a method that allows full characterization of the quantum properties of the emitted photoelectrons, expanding the potential of photoelectron spectroscopy. In particular, the new measurement technique provides access to quantum information that would otherwise not be available.

How These Results Can Be Applied

“We applied our technique to simple atoms, helium, and argon, which are relatively well known. In the future, it could be used to study molecular gases, liquids, and solids, where the quantum properties of the photoelectrons can provide a lot of information about how the ionized target reacts after the sudden loss of an electron. Understanding this process at the fundamental level could have a long-term impact on various fields of research. Examples include atmospheric photochemistry or in the study of light-harvesting systems, which are systems that collect and utilize light energy, such as solar cells or photosynthesis in plants.”

Another interesting aspect of this work is that it bridges two different areas of science: attosecond science and spectroscopy (the kind of research that Nobel Prize laureate Anne L’Huillier is conducting) on the one hand, and quantum information and quantum technology on the other hand.

The Bigger Picture: How This Study Impacts the Public

“This work is connected to the ongoing second quantum revolution, which aims to manipulate individual quantum objects (in this case photoelectrons) to harness the full potential of their quantum properties for various applications. Our quantum state tomography technique will not lead to the construction of new quantum computers, but by providing access to knowledge about the quantum state of the photoelectrons, it will allow physicists to fully exploit their quantum properties for future applications.”

Pushing the Boundaries of Material Analysis

“By measuring the speed and emission direction of the photoelectron, we can learn a lot about the structure of the material. This is essential, for example, to study the properties of new materials. Our technique allows us to go beyond previous methods by measuring the complete quantum state of the photoelectron. This means that we can gather more information about the target than what is possible with traditional photoelectron spectroscopy. It is hoped that our technique can help unravel the processes that occur in the material after the electron has been ejected.”

Unexpected Discoveries Along the Way

“The most surprising aspect is that our technique worked so well! Physicists had already tried to measure the quantum state of photoelectrons using a different method, and those experiments showed that it is very difficult. Everything has to be very stable over a long period of time, but we finally managed to achieve these very stable conditions.”

Key Quantum Concepts at Play

At the microscopic scale, electrons, atoms and molecules are described quantum mechanically, while on a macroscopic scale, the objects we experience in everyday life follow the laws of classical physics. Atoms and other microsystems do not behave like everyday objects. With a deliberate exaggeration, it could be said that they do not exist in the usual sense with a well-defined point and with well-defined speed. The only thing that is known is the output of the laboratories’ instruments. Since all macroscopic objects are made up of atoms and molecules that obey the laws of quantum mechanics, we might ask why we do not see quantum effects at the macroscopic scale.

In short, the reason is that when we put many quantum objects close to each other, they start to affect each other in an uncontrolled way, effectively canceling out their individual quantum properties. This process is referred to as decoherence and is one of the key challenges that must be overcome to develop quantum technologies, such as quantum computers.

The electrons emitted during the photoelectric effect contain a lot of information about the irradiated material. By measuring the quantum state of the photoelectron, our technique can precisely address the question of “how quantum is the electron.” In the future, we hope that our technique will allow us to follow how the quantum properties of electrons evolve over time from quantum to classical.

Website: International Conference on High Energy Physics and Computational Science.

Monday, February 17, 2025

Record-breaking, ultra-high energy "ghost particle" found underwater

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 KM3NeT Collaboration unites more than 360 experts from 68 institutions in 21 countries.

“Neutrinos are one of the most mysterious of elementary particles. They have no electric charge, almost no mass and interact only weakly with matter. They are special cosmic messengers,” said Rosa Coniglione, a researcher at the INFN National Institute for Nuclear Physics.

How deep-sea sensors detect neutrinos

KM3NeT is a sprawling setup resting on the seabed, composed of two detectors called ARCA and ORCA. ARCA is located about 50 miles from Portopalo di Capo Passero, Sicily, at a depth of 11,319 feet. ORCA is positioned near Toulon, France, at a depth of 8,038 feet.

Each site serves a distinct goal, with ARCA tuned for high-energy neutrinos and ORCA for lower-energy neutrinos. The detectors depend on photomultipliers nestled within glass spheres. When a cosmic neutrino collides with water molecules, faint bluish light appears. The sensors collect that light, letting researchers map the neutrino’s journey.

Remarkable single muon

ARCA picked up a single muon, which signaled a neutrino interaction close by. Its path across the detector left a trail that triggered a large number of active sensors. This confirmed the neutrino was cosmic in origin rather than coming from local backgrounds.

“To determine the direction and energy of this neutrino required a precise calibration of the telescope and sophisticated track reconstruction algorithms,” said Aart Heijboer, KM3NeT Physics and Software Manager.

Origins of high-energy neutrinos

Scientists suggest that such high-energy neutrinos could come from cataclysmic sources like supernova remnants or supermassive black holes.

Interactions between cosmic rays and other matter or photons can also create these neutrinos. Some of the most energetic cosmic rays in the universe may bump into the cosmic microwave background, producing what researchers call “cosmogenic” neutrinos.

Studying these events may unmask fresh secrets of the universe, offering a direct clue about the places and processes that fling particles to unimaginable energies. As these neutrinos fly mostly unimpeded from their source, they can deliver information that light or charged particles cannot.

Advancing neutrino astronomy

The ARCA site will eventually include 230 detection units, while the ORCA site will have 115. Each unit features 18 high-tech optical modules, and altogether, KM3NeT will span over a cubic kilometer of water. Miles Lindsey Clark is the KM3NeT Technical Project Manager and research engineer at the CNRS – Astroparticle and Cosmology laboratory in France.

“The scale of KM3NeT, eventually encompassing a volume of about one cubic kilometer with a total of about 200,000 photomultipliers, along with its extreme location in the abyss of the Mediterranean Sea, demonstrates the extraordinary efforts required to advance neutrino astronomy and particle physics,” said Clark.

Capturing a rare event

Though the installation is incomplete, ARCA was able to catch one of the rarest events in nature. With advanced calibration and data analysis, teams extracted the trajectory and energy details of this neutrino. Since it most likely entered the water with more than 220 PeV of energy, that single neutrino opens the door to more surprises as KM3NeT continues to grow. Such an event supports the existence of even higher-energy cosmic neutrinos. Different from lower-energy detections, these ultra-high-energy signals hint that distinct astrophysical engines could drive them.

Future research directions

Teams worldwide aim to see if this was a “cosmogenic” neutrino or if it sprang from an active celestial powerhouse. Eventually, a bigger fleet of detection units will allow more frequent captures of such signals, improving the odds of pinpointing their origin and clarifying the forces that shape our universe.

“We stand at a frontier where new data will sharpen our understanding of the cosmos,” said a KM3NeT representative. Each new detection offers a chance to spot patterns and compare them with signals from gamma-ray telescopes and other observatories.

Website: International Conference on High Energy Physics and Computational Science.

Saturday, February 15, 2025

New Strategy in the Hunt for Quantum Gravity

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 observable effects. “You couldn't detect a single pixel, but you could detect the coherent fluctuations of many pixels,” says Caltech theorist Kathryn Zurek. She has formulated a “pixellon” model, which predicts that collective fluctuations inside an interferometer can cause a detectable frequency change, or modulation, in the interferometer’s output light.

This prediction is what Zurek and her colleagues plan to test using GQuEST, a preliminary version of which is currently being built at Caltech. The basic layout of the experiment is that of a classic Michelson interferometer, in which light is split into two paths and then recombined to produce an interference pattern. Experiments such as LIGO monitor such patterns, looking for variations caused by gravitational waves. However, this measurement strategy is not practical for detecting pixellon-induced modulations, says Lee McCuller of Caltech, the GQuEST team leader. “In LIGO, the power is constantly fluctuating up and down due to the shot noise, so it’s very difficult to resolve a little bit of extra fluctuations, as expected from the pixellon model,” he says.

To search for a quantum-gravity signal, McCuller and his colleagues are developing a photon-counting interferometer. The idea is to measure the output of the interferometer at a “sideband” frequency—one offset from the 200-THz laser frequency by 17 MHz. Sideband frequencies are familiar from AM radio signals, as they correspond to modulations in the carrier wave amplitude. Interferometers respond similarly to noise and other environmental effects, but the amount of sideband light generated is typically negligible at an offset as large as 17 MHz. However, a laser photon could have its frequency changed significantly by an interaction with a pixellon fluctuation. “Rather than getting zero light leaking out, you get a little bit,” McCuller says.

The team chose this particular sideband frequency to align with an expected peak in the pixellon fluctuations, explains Caltech’s Sander Vermeulen. To be sure that any detected light is from pixellon effects, the researchers will use optical cavities to filter out all nearby frequencies. If successful, the amount of light leakage should be extremely small the team estimates about one modulated photon every 12 minutes, or a rate of 10−3 Hz. To detect such a weak signal, the researchers will install a superconducting-nanowire sensor, which can detect single photons with a very small dark-count (false-signal) rate.

There are other effects that might cause photons to leak out of the system, such as thermal noise in the mirrors. The researchers have computed the expected level of noise for their experimental design. They found that their photon-counting interferometer design can detect whether a signal is present 100 times faster than a traditional interferometer setup that detects shifts in the interference signal.

The researchers are currently building a 1-m-scale demonstration experiment. If it goes well, they plan to construct the full-scale experiment, which would be 7 m on a side. They also project building two interferometers next to each other, which could provide a further check against background noise.

“The conversion from an interferometric readout to a single-photon detector is really an ingenious idea,” says Stefan Ballmer, a gravitational-wave specialist from Syracuse University, New York. He says the design avoids some quantum uncertainty limits that affect traditional measurement approaches, but the GQuEST researchers will face challenges in filtering their output sufficiently.

The GQuEST strategy “will result in significant improvements in sensitivity to small signals,” says quantum-metrology expert Aaron Chou from the University of Chicago. The photon-counting method benefits from the improved dark-count rates of 10−5 Hz in the best superconducting-nanowire detectors. “This low measurement noise allows the experimenters to focus on reducing other sources of noise in their apparatus,” Chou says. Both he and Ballmer imagine this photon-counting design being applied to the search for other signals, such as gravitational waves from the early Universe.

Website: International Conference on High Energy Physics and Computational Science.

Friday, February 14, 2025

Scientists discover ‘ghost particle’ with highest energy yet in Mediterranean Sea

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 Way galaxy, its exact source still remains to be detected, the report added.

The discovery was made using Cubic Kilometre Neutrino Telescope, also called KM3NeT, comprising two large neutrino detectors, Reuters reported.

Physicist Paschal Coyle of France’s Marseille Particle Physics Centre (CPPM) said in the research published in Nature journal that "it's in a completely unexplored region of energy," while another scientist, Aart Heijboer of Netherlands’ Nikhef National Institute for Subatomic Physics called the energy of this neutrino “exceptional."

The discovery points to many possibilities, including the presence of more such powerful ghost particles on Earth.

“It's a sign that we're on the right track, and it's also a hint that maybe there might be a surprise,” said Syracuse University’s physicist Denver Whittington, who was not involved with the new research, said the AP report.

What are ghost particles

Neutrinos are emitted through stars and are known as ‘ghost particles’ because of their negligible mass and ability to go undetected. According to an AFP report, they are the second most abundant particle in the universe. They also don’t carry any electric charge and can pass through in huge quantities, sometimes even trillions, through our body.

Italian researcher Rosa Coniglione said in a statement that neutrinos serve as "special cosmic messengers" when they arrive at Earth. They offer a glimpse into the far reaches of the universe, she added.

Website: International Conference on High Energy Physics and Computational Science.

Thursday, February 13, 2025

An Ultrahigh Neutrino Detection Makes Waves

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 energetic neutrino ever recorded up until now,” said KM3NeT spokesperson Paschal Coyle from the Center of Particle Physics of Marseille, France. “This neutrino is very likely of cosmic origin.” He and other members of the KM3NeT Collaboration presented their results in an online press briefing.

The neutrino detection will undoubtedly make a splash in the field of astrophysics. High-energy neutrinos are likely created alongside high-energy cosmic rays, whose sources remain a mystery. The advantage of observing neutrinos is that they are not diverted on their cosmic journey to Earth, so measuring their arrival direction should reveal their origin. In describing KM3NeT’s motivation, Aart Heijboer from the Dutch National Institute for Subatomic Physics said: “This is part of trying to understand the highest-energy processes in the Universe.”

The KM3NeT experiment comprises two detector arrays ARCA, which lies off the coast of Italy at a depth of 3450 m, and ORCA, which lies off the coast of France at a depth of 2450 m. Each array consists of a collection of vertical detection lines that are anchored to the seafloor and spaced out in a grid pattern. Currently, about 50 of the planned 345 detection lines have been installed. Along each detection line lie 18 spherical optical-sensor modules that record light flashes produced by high-energy particles shooting through the pitch-black seawater. Neutrinos themselves do not produce flashes rather they collide with atoms, creating secondary particles that produce light that the sensors can detect.

The ultra-high-energy event, named KM3-230213A, occurred at the Italian ARCA site during a preliminary measurement campaign in which 21 detection lines were in operation. In the early hours of February 13, 2023, the detector array picked up the signal of a high-energy particle identified as a muon shooting through the array in a matter of a few microseconds. What stuck out about this event was how bright it was. Roughly a third of the ARCA sensors recorded photons. From that fireworks display, the KM3NeT Collaboration calculated the energy of the muon to be around 120 PeV, or 1.2 × 1017 eV, by far the most energetic event that KM3NeT has seen.

Another unique aspect was the particle’s direction. KM3NeT constantly detects muons most of which rain down from the upper atmosphere when cosmic rays strike Earth. However, the KM3-230213A muon did not fit the bill of a cosmic-ray muon. It came from the west, at an angle very close to that of the horizon. Such a horizontal direction implies that this muon was created by a neutrino colliding with an atom in the deep sea surrounding the detector. “When you look at the direction and you look at the energy, the only real explanation is that a neutrino made the event,” Coyle said.

The energy of this neutrino cannot be directly measured, but it must have been greater than that of the muon that it produced. From their models, the researchers estimate the neutrino energy was 220 PeV, which is 30,000 times the energy that physicists can obtain in their most powerful particle accelerators. Heijboer remarked that this single neutrino carried the energy equivalent of a ping-pong ball falling from a meter height.

“This is clearly an interesting event. It is also very unusual,” said Ignacio Taboada, a physicist from the Georgia Institute of Technology and spokesperson for the IceCube experiment in Antarctica. IceCube, which has a similar detector-array design as KM3NeT but is encased in ice rather than water, has detected neutrinos with energies as high as 10 PeV, but nothing in 100 PeV range. “IceCube has worked for 14 years, so it’s weird that we don’t see the same thing,” Taboada said. Taboada is not involved in the KM3Net experiment.

The KM3NeT team is aware of this weirdness. They compared the KM3-230213A event to upper limits on the neutrino flux given by IceCube and the Pierre Auger cosmic-ray experiment in Argentina. Taking those limits as given, they found that there was a 1% chance of detecting a 220-PeV neutrino during KM3NeT’s preliminary (287-day) measurement campaign. “It’s not crazy,” Heijboer said. “One percent effects do happen.”

That assessment was echoed by David Saltzberg, a neutrino expert from UCLA who is not involved with KM3NeT. “It happens from time to time that one sees such a remarkable event early in the lifetime of an experiment, and the flux initially seems anomalous,” he said. If future observations don’t see similar high-energy events, then it might be that the KM3-230213A event was a statistical fluke, Saltzberg explained. But it’s possible that this event is the first indication of a higher-than-expected flux. “Time will tell,” he said.

If more ultra-high-energy neutrinos are detected, it could offer new insights into high-powered accelerators in our Universe. High-energy neutrinos are expected to be made in the accelerating process for cosmic rays. In this scenario, the KM3-230213A neutrino may be a long-distance messenger from a cosmic-ray source, such as a supernova explosion or a gamma-ray burst. The KM3NeT researchers searched the sky around the arrival direction of the KM3-230213A neutrino and did not find any signs of supernovae in our Galaxy. But they did find possible extragalactic sources: Twelve blazars (bright cores of active galaxies) were found in the vicinity of the neutrino’s direction. Further analysis might be able to pinpoint the most likely candidate, explained KM3NeT team member Rosa Coniglione from the National Institute of Nuclear Physics in Italy.

There could be another explanation, however. High-energy cosmic rays traversing the Universe should occasionally interact with photons from the cosmic microwave background. Such interactions are predicted to produce a population of high-energy neutrinos called cosmogenic neutrinos, which should have energies that extend from the peta-eV range (1015 eV) into the exa-eV range (1018 eV and above). Saltzberg said that cosmogenic neutrinos are “guaranteed” to be out there, but their abundance is unknown because of uncertainties about cosmic rays. “This guaranteed flux has been a Holy Grail of neutrino astronomy for a long time,” he said. If KM3-230213A is a cosmogenic neutrino and others like it are observed, such events could reveal when the highest-energy cosmic-ray sources turned on, Saltzberg said.

Website: International Conference on High Energy Physics and Computational Science.

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