Freezing light in mid-air isn’t just the realm of Star Wars, as new research shows. But what do you do with the light once it’s trapped? One option is to use it to develop new forms of computers.
Much of the current research in quantum computing involves work at close to absolute zero. A simple breakthough with an everyday material could see them work at more acceptable temperatures.
Even talking to a colleague at an academic conference overseas could have harsh ramifications.
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Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull today announced the National Innovation and Science Agenda (NISA). Here’s what it means for science, commercialisation and industry in Australia.
From researchers into the future of quantum computing to those working on low cost energy storage or explaining why onions make you cry, all were winners in the annual Eureka Prizes.
As hackers get more sophisticated in their cyber crime efforts we need to look to new technology to make our systems more secure, and potentially unhackable. So how can quantum physics help?
An ion trap of the type used in the experiment.
Institute of Theoretical Physics, Innsbruck
Physicists often work unusual hours. You will find them running experiments at 4am and 10pm. This is because, so long as the pertinent conditions inside a lab – such as temperature or light level – are…
Let’s take a look back through the past 12 months of quantum physics research.
sharyn morrow/Flickr
The past year has provided some of the most interesting developments in quantum mechanics to date. The field is more than 100 years old and has been tested to unimaginable precision, yet some of its most…
Artist’s impression of an electron wave function (blue), confined in a crystal of nuclear-spin-free 28-silicon atoms (black). The spin of the electron encodes a long-lived, high fidelity quantum bit.
Dr Stephanie Simmons, UNSW Australia
A dramatic increase in the amount of time data can be stored on a single atom means silicon could once again play a vital role in the development of super-fast computers. The silicon chip revolutionised…
As hard to understand as the movie The Matrix.
jurvetson
Over the next five years, the UK government will spend £270m on supporting research in “quantum technology”. When budget announcements were made in 2013, provisions for offshore wind and shale gas extraction…
Darth Vader’s stormtroopers haven’t figured it out.
rpenalozan
There is an up-and-coming set of technologies that uses the strange properties of atomic particles predicted by the theory of quantum mechanics, which is the physics of the very small stuff. This technology…
The massive release of the US National Security Agency (NSA)’s classified documents by Edward Snowden continues to raise questions about security. One of these documents deals with the NSA’s classified…
Quantum mechanics has been hailed as the next big thing in technology. And quantum computers are a media favourite. But there is a little-known quantum technology that can peer beneath the earth, which…
Quantum computers are no longer a science fiction dream, thanks to the work of researchers such as Andrea Morello.
UNSW/Peter Morris
The Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science recognise excellence in science and science teaching. This year, we asked three prizewinners to reflect on their work and factors that influenced their careers…