EurekAlert August 3, 2021 A key open question in quantum computing is whether quantum algorithms can potentially offer a significant advantage over classical algorithms for tasks of practical interest. An international team of researchers (USA – Flatiron Institute, Columbia University, Switzerland) has introduced a method to simulate layered quantum circuits consisting of parametrized gates suitable for near-term quantum computers. They used a neural-network parametrization of the many-qubit wavefunction focusing on states relevant for the Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA). For the largest circuits simulated, they reached 54 qubits at 4 QAOA layers without requiring large-scale computational resources. For larger systems, […]
Towards next-gen computers: Mimicking brain functions with graphene-diamond junctions
Science Daily August 4, 2021 Researchers in Japan designed graphene-diamond junctions that can mimic the characteristics of biological synapses and key memory functions, opening the doors for next-generation image sensing memory devices. They demonstrated optoelectronically controlled synaptic functions using junctions between vertically aligned graphene (VG) and diamond. The fabricated junctions mimic biological synaptic functions when stimulated with optical pulses and exhibit other basic brain functions such as the transition from short-term memory (STM) to long-term memory (LTM). The VG-diamond arrays underwent redox reactions induced by fluorescent light and blue LEDs under a bias voltage. The researchers attributed this to the […]
World’s first commercial re-programmable satellite blasts into space
Phys.org July 30, 2021 The European Space Agency launched the world’s first commercial fully re-programmable satellite from French Guiana on Friday [July 30, 2021] ushering in a new era of more flexible communications paving the way for a new era of more flexible communications. Unlike conventional models that are designed and “hard-wired” on Earth and cannot be repurposed once in orbit, the Eutelsat Quantum allows users to tailor the communications to their needs—almost in real-time. Because it can be reprogrammed while orbiting in a fixed position 35,000 kilometres (22,000 miles) above the Earth, the Quantum can respond to changing demands […]
Top 10 Science and Technology Inventions for the Week of July 30, 2021
01. Bird’s-eye view could be key to navigating without GPS 02. Autonomous self-healing seen in piezoelectric molecular crystals 03. A new information storage and processing device 04. New quantum research gives insights into how quantum light can be mastered 05. The quantum refrigerator 06. Spin-sonics: Acoustic wave gets the electrons spinning 07. Through the thin-film glass, researchers spot a new liquid phase 08. Wirelessly charging multiple devices simultaneously 09. To de-ice planes on the fly, researchers aim to control rather than combat ice formation 10. Dancing with the light: A new way to make crystals bend by shining light And […]
Autonomous self-healing seen in piezoelectric molecular crystals
Phys.org July 23, 2021 Self-healing polymers, gels and other materials developed so far have been soft. To develop self-healing hard materials, an international team of researchers (India, Germany) grew bipyrazole organic crystals in tiny (2mm long by 0.2mm wide) needle shapes. When pressure was applied they broke but and then bounced back from the break into straight-line needles again, verifying that the material had truly healed. It is not clear if the type of crystals produced the team will be useful in any given product. However, the work shows that piezoelectric molecular crystals can be grown in ways that allow […]
Bird’s-eye view could be key to navigating without GPS
Science Daily July 27, 2021 Working under a project co-supported by the US Army, an international team of researchers (Germany, UK, USA – Purdue University, UT Dallas, China) has demonstrated that cryptochrome 4, a protein in birds’ retinas is sensitive to magnetic fields. They identified the molecular mechanism underlying this sensitivity. They extracted the genetic code for cryptochrome 4 and produced the photoactive protein in large quantities using bacterial cell cultures. They used a wide range of magnetic resonance and novel optical spectroscopy techniques to demonstrate its pronounced sensitivity to magnetic fields due to electron transfer reactions triggered by absorption […]
Combining two approaches to advance quantum computing
Phys.org July 26, 2021 An international team of researchers (USA – Yale University, the Netherland, Spain, Denmark, Sweden) experimentally demonstrated a new qubit that fuses the electromagnetic modes of superconducting circuits and the spins of small numbers of electrons trapped in semiconductor quantum dots. They were able to show how to harness this spin-dependent supercurrent to achieve both spin detection and coherent spin manipulation. The work represents a significant advancement to our understanding and control of Andreev levels which are microscopic, electronic states that exist in all Josephson junctions. In superconductor-semiconductor heterostructures such as the nanowire junctions investigated in this […]
Dancing with the light: A new way to make crystals bend by shining light
Nanowerk July 30, 2021 Only very thin crystals (up to 20 microns) can show appreciable mechanical response. Researchers in Japan accidentally discovered that the photothermal effect causes a crystal to bend fast. To create a new, faster bending crystal and clarify the underlying mechanism, they exposed a thin salicylideneaniline derivative crystal to UV light and obtained substantial bending within approximately 1 second. However, the bend angle dropped rapidly with increasing crystal thickness, revealing that the bending was caused by photoisomerization. When they illuminated a thick (>40 microns) crystal with UV light, they observed an extremely rapid bending within several milliseconds, […]
Earth’s interior is swallowing up more carbon than thought
Phys.org July 26, 2021 The best-understood parts of the carbon cycle are at or near Earth’s surface, but deep carbon stores play a key role in maintaining the habitability of our planet by regulating atmospheric CO2 levels. An international team of researchers (UK, Germany, China, France, Switzerland, Singapore) conducted a series of experiments that support growing evidence that carbonate rocks become less calcium-rich and more magnesium-rich when channeled deeper into the mantle. This chemical transformation makes carbonate less soluble meaning it doesn’t get drawn into the fluids that supply volcanoes. Instead, most of the carbonate sinks deeper into the mantle […]
Molecular library of OLED host materials
Nanowerk July 27, 2021 OLED pixels normally consist of multiple layers which ensure, for example, that electrons can travel in the pixel with as little resistance as possible. The fine-tuning of the layer properties, for example, electron mobility or the emitted wavelength (color of the light), is a complex task. An international team of researchers (South Korea, Ukraine, Belgium, Germany) compared a wide range of computer-simulated and experimentally measured properties of OLED thin films, trying to understand whether OLED design can be guided solely by computer. They established a molecular library of typical OLED materials to streamline the design of […]