HQS Quantum Simulations (HQS) announces the release of an update to its open-source tool, the Active Space Finder (ASF). Developed in collaboration with Covestro, a global player in the field of polymer materials, this update aims to enhance chemical simulations by simplifying the selection of active spaces in molecules. The initial version of the ASF has been available on GitHub since 2021, and users can now download the improved version.

Microsoft recently announced the launch of two new purpose-built capabilities for Azure Quantum Elements: Generative Chemistry and Accelerated Density Functional Theory (DFT), aiming to further increase the productivity and accessibility of chemistry and materials science research. Generative Chemistry can scientists discover novel, synthesizable, and useful molecules quickly. Accelerated DFT offers substantial increases in speed compared to other density functional theory codes.

Recently, scientists from the Matteo Zaccanti of the Italian National Institute of Optics have created a dense gas composed of lithium-chromium (LiCr) molecules at a temperature of 200 nanokelvin. This gas consists of ultracold molecules with strong magnetic dipoles. The researchers say that transferring the molecules to their absolute ground state, expecting to create a doubly polar molecule Bose-Einstein condensate with both electric and magnetic dipole moments. These dipolar molecules could potentially lead to new quantum simulation and quantum computing schemes.

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.