The Jülich Supercomputing Centre (JSC) at Forschungszentrum Jülich received a 100-qubit quantum computer from Pasqal in mid-November. Pasqal is a world leader in neutral atoms quantum computing technology. The new quantum computer is part of the EuroHPC JU project HPCQS and will be coupled with the JURECA DC supercomputer at JSC. This will enable European researchers to use hybrid classical-quantum resources to solve complex challenges.

Partnering with researchers from Google Quantum AI and Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, Wiebe developed an algorithm for simulating systems of coupled masses and springs on quantum computers. The researchers then provided evidence of the new algorithm’s exponential advantage over classical algorithms.

Quantum states can only be prepared and observed under highly controlled conditions. A research team from Innsbruck, Austria, has now succeeded in creating so-called hot Schrödinger cat states in a superconducting microwave resonator. The study, recently published in Science Advances, shows that quantum phenomena can also be observed and used in less perfect, warmer conditions.

PsiQuantum today announced several updates across its operations in Queensland as the company scales up its operations heading into 2025. The company opened its new Asia-Pacific HQ in Brisbane’s City Centre with PsiQuantum’s Co-Founder and Chief Architect Terry Rudolph sharing the company’s latest technical progress and its alignment with the operations on the ground in Brisbane.

South Korean quantum computing startup OQT announced on the 13th that it has secured a seed investment of approximately $2.25 million (KRW 3 billion) from Kakao Ventures and Bluepoint Partners.

Researchers at the University of Twente solved a long-standing problem: trapping optically-generated sound waves in a standard silicon photonic chip. This discovery, published as a Featured Article in APL Photonics, opens new possibilities for radio technology, quantum communication, and optical computing.

ICFO researchers Dr. Frederic Català-Castro, Santiago Ortiz-Vázquez, Dr. Carmen Martínez-Fernández, Martín Fernández-Campo, Dr. Neus Sanfeliu-Cerdán, led by Prof. Dr. Michael Krieg, along with Dr. Paolo-Antonio Frigeri from Impetux Optics and collaborators from multiple institutes (Center of Genomic Regulation, Institute for Research in Biomedicine and Universitat Pompeu Fabra), have developed a novel optical tweezer method to characterize rheological properties. This approach, published in Nature Nanotechnology, allows for more versatile, simplified measurements of the rheological properties of cells, tissues, and organelles, improving upon previous techniques.

Physics Professor Wolfgang Losert, Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics Professor Kan Cao, Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor John Fourkas, and Electrical and Computer Engineering Associate Professor Cheng Gong were awarded $2 million by the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research to build a test bed to study how neural networks process information and develop new approaches to quantum computing and sensing inspired by the living brain. As principal investigator of this multidisciplinary and cross-institutional project, Losert will collaborate with both UMD faculty members as well as other academic and industry partners to better understand and recreate the brain’s unique capacity for learning and adapting quickly—abilities that far surpass traditional computer systems.

In a new paper published online November 14 in the journal Science Advances, engineers from Duke University demonstrate an entirely new approach to the technology using “ring resonators.” With the ability to carry out tasks with high precision while requiring much lower power inputs, the work could inspire a new generation of these devices.

Recently, a team led by the Laboratoire d’Optique Appliquée (CNRS), in collaboration with ICREA Professor at ICFO Jens Biegert and other multiple institutions (Institut für Quantenoptik - Leibniz Universität Hannover, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering IOF, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena), demonstrated the quantum optical properties of high-harmonic generation in semiconductors. The results, appearing in Physical Review X Quantum, align with the previous theoretical predictions about HHG.