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AI often has trouble interpreting optical illusions. A new kind of neural network starts to bridge the gap
Can the theory of relativity inform quantum mechanics?
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Quantum information theory is the field behind quantum computing, but experts in this field are also applying their way of thinking to some big questions in quantum physics.
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Tech giants, major powers and top research universities are all in a race to build viable quantum systems. Why now?
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The electric rainbow of the aurora happens when excited atoms relax via ‘forbidden transitions’.
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A huge investment in building an unproven quantum computer may help local science and industry, but the results are far from a sure thing.
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A flawed paper shakes confidence in the foundations of ‘quantum-proof’ encryption – and highlights the need for a new generation of experts.
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Quantum computing has huge promise from a technical perspective, but the practical benefits are less clear.
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A new measurement of gravity at small scales hints at an alternative to billion-dollar experiments for the future of physics.
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Quantum computers are proving extremely difficult to build, and there is no guarantee they will live up to their designers’ hopes.
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Human behaviour is often irrational if viewed through the lens of “classical” physics and probability theory.
A complex cooling rig is needed to maintain the ultracold working temperatures required by a superconducting quantum computer.
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After decades of hype, quantum computers are on the verge of becoming useful. Here’s a refresher on why they’re such a big deal
As new and powerful telescopes gather new data about the universe, they reveal the limits of older theories.
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Einstein’s theory of general relativity suggests that our universe originated in a Big Bang. But black holes, and their gravitational forces, challenge the limits of Einstein’s work.
Researchers can use mirrorlike beam splitters to put phonons, or quantum sound particles, into a state of superposition.
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Scientists show they can create quantum superpositions of sound particles, pointing to the potential for mechanical quantum computers.
Looking at life at the atomic scale offers a more comprehensive understanding of the macroscopic world.
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Studying the brief and tiny quantum effects that drive living systems could one day lead to new approaches to treatments and technologies.
Hawking and the author.
Photograph: Thomas Hertog and Jonathan Wood
The enigma at the centre of our 20-year collaboration was how the Big Bang could have created conditions so perfectly hospitable to life
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Countries around the world are racing to develop quantum technologies for computing, sensing and communication. Australia is trying not to get left behind.
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A new way to make high-frequency light could make it easier to look at things 10 times smaller than conventional microscopes can see.
Particle physics has failed to find some of the evidence physicists were hoping for.
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Our two best theories of nature, quantum mechanics and general relativity, are incompatible with each other in many ways – leaving physicists to dig deeper.
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Life may be using quantum mechanics to its advantage.
In a cubist painting, reality is more than a single perspective can capture.
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According to a school of thought known as QBism, quantum mechanics is a guide to action.