Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the United States have developed the most sensitive method yet for detecting and profiling a single molecule, utilizing an optical microcavity. This method enables the observation of individual molecules without the aid of fluorescent labels, facilitating a better understanding of how the building blocks of matter interact with each other. Their research findings have been published in the latest issue of the journal Nature.

Researchers at Columbia University have recently succeeded in creating a unique quantum state of matter called a Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC)  using molecules. Their BEC, made of sodium-cesium molecules, remained stable for two seconds under the conditions of being cooled to a temperature of only 5 nanokelvin.

Researchers from the Physics Department of the University of Vienna, collaborating with international researchers, have achieved a groundbreaking result in quantum physics by reinterpreting the Higgs mechanism, which is a mechanism in the Standard Model that generates mass. In this work, they utilized a graphical research tool called "Magnetic Quivers" to describe how this mechanism gives mass to fundamental particles and triggers phase transitions. The research findings have been published in Physical Review Letters.

Shortly after the retirement of the IBM Quantum Lab service, IBM announced yesterday that it has partnered with OVHcloud, a cloud service provider, and Qbraid, a quantum software development cloud platform, as third-party providers of Jupyter notebook environments to meet the needs of users who wish to use Qiskit on the cloud.

Researchers from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan, collaborating with Yokohama National University, Tohoku University, and NEC Corporation, have proposed and successfully demonstrated a new method that can control multiple qubits via a single cable using microwave multiplexing technology at low temperature. The researchers said that this circuit has the potential to increase the density of microwave signals per cable by approximately 1,000 times, thereby increasing the number of controllable qubits significantly. The achievement lays the foundation for supporting the development of large-scale superconducting quantum computers.

Recently, a research team led by the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering has created a "quantum optical antenna" using germanium vacancy centers in diamonds. This antenna can provide up to six orders of magnitude of optical signal enhancement, achieving performance that is difficult for conventional antennas to match. The researchers said that this technology can be activated with only nanowatts of energy, without the effects of bleaching, heating, and background fluorescence caused by excessive light, and it does not dissipate energy during use.

Yesterday, the German quantum software company Kipu Quantum and the quantum computing startup Quantum-South, which focuses on developing logistics optimization solutions, announced a strategic partnership. This partnership will focus on developing and deploying advanced quantum solutions, leveraging each other's unique strengths to introduce groundbreaking quantum computing applications in telecommunications, banking and financial services, and logistics.

According to a new paper posted on the pre-print server ArXiv, researchers from Moderna and IBM Quantum have collaborated to demonstrate the use of quantum computers to predict the mRNA (messenger RNA) secondary structures. The study suggests that quantum computing is approaching a utility-scale capability for solving real-world problems. In this research, the researchers utilized IBM Eagle and Heron quantum processors to tackle the issue of predicting mRNA structure.

Recently, a team at the Technical University Darmstadt in Germany has demonstrated for the first time a magnetometer based on a two-dimensional array of ultracold atoms with superior spatial resolution compared to classical devices. In this study, scientists trapped rubidium atoms in a square array with a width of 0.2 millimeters. They found that when this system is exposed to a magnetic field, it can detect spatial variations in the magnetic field, as each atom of the array acts as a separate sensor. Researchers said that this is a significant advancement in the field of quantum sensors, and this platform has the potential to become a robust and widely used sensor.

Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, recently announced over CAD 11 million in Regional Quantum Initiative (RQI) funding to three innovative B.C.-based organizations. Among them, quantum computing software company 1QB will receive nearly CAD 3.5 million to develop and commercialize their Topological Quantum Architecture Design, Simon Fraser University will receive CAD 4.3 million for the purchase of new quantum manufacturing infrastructure, and the University of British Columbia will receive CAD 3.25 million to enhance the commercialization capabilities of its SBQMI institute in quantum technology.

Recently, New York University’s Center for Quantum Information Physics (CQIP) and the University of Copenhagen’s Niels Bohr Institute have established a collaboration to develop superconductor and semiconductor materials for quantum computing. In this collaboration, CQIP will work with the University of Copenhagen’s Novo Nordisk Foundation Quantum Computing Programme (NQCP) under the Niels Bohr Institute to explore the viability of superconductor-semiconductor quantum materials.

Photonic, the Canadian distributed quantum computing startup company, recently announced that it has successfully transferred quantum information between two physically separated silicon spin qubits using photons at telecom wavelengths in a point-to-point network. This accomplishment demonstrates the potential of existing telecommunication networks to enable long-distance quantum communication, and this significant milestone lays the foundation for quantum internet and distributed quantum computing.

The Hyperform consortium, funded by the European Union and the plan French 2030, is developing quantum secure solutions capable of protecting sensitive data from quantum computer attacks. The consortium, consisting of eight leading French enterprises in the field of network security and post-quantum cryptography, has secured an investment of more than 7.5 million euros. Over the next three years, the consortium will develop quantum-safe components, and next-generation quantum-safe chips, and create post-quantum cryptographic libraries to enhance the security of applications such as payment transactions and identity document reading.

A new study recently conducted by researchers from the Cleveland Clinic and IBM has laid the groundwork for applying quantum computing methods to protein structure prediction. The study demonstrates how to decompose the problem into different parts, utilize quantum computing methods to handle some of the most computationally resource-intensive parts, and use classical computing methods to deal with other parts. This hybrid approach can improve the accuracy of the computation.

Dutch communications security startup Q*Bird recently announced that it has raised €2.5 million of funds, which was jointly led by QDNL and Cottonwood Technology Fund, with participation from InnovationQuarter. The company stated that the new funds will be used to expand the sales of its quantum cryptography (QKD) product called Falqon and develop more quantum security products to accelerate its growth in emerging markets.

Hamamatsu Photonics announced yesterday that it has completed the acquisition of NKT Photonics. The company stated that this acquisition will help it drive its technology to the next level and accelerate its business growth in the semiconductor, quantum, and medical fields.

According to two recent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission by the quantum information company Infleqtion, the company raised about $10.8 million in funding from investors this month. Infleqtion's CEO, Matthew Kinsella, stated publicly that this financing is only part of a “much larger capital raise.”

Researchers from Cornell University have developed an optimization framework that integrates variational quantum circuits with classical optimization, which can reduce the energy consumption in large data centers handling artificial intelligence (AI) workload by 12.5% and reduce carbon emissions by up to 9.8%.

Full-stack quantum computing developer Quantinuum has recently appointed Brian Sereda as the company's CFO. Sereda was previously the CFO of Rigetti Computing and has over 30 years of experience in corporate finance and 15 years of experience as a CFO.

The European Materials for Quantum Computing (MATQu) research project recently held its final review meeting, officially announcing the end of this three-year research project. The project aimed at establishing approaches for producing superconducting qubit elements, such as resonators and Josephson Junctions structures, by using 300 mm wafer-scale CMOS-compatible processes. Through tireless efforts, the project has identified new approaches to improve superconducting qubits, which will help accelerate the roll-out and time-to-market of quantum computers.