The scientists developed a novel technique to map how the momentum of phonons changes. The map reveals the direction of phonon propagation and thus the direction of heat flow on the nanoscale. This research demonstrates that an abrupt boundary between different materials tends to reflect heat much more efficiently than a gradual, diffuse boundary.

Researchers have for the first time demonstrated that a specific class of oxide membranes can confine, or “squeeze,” infrared light – a finding that holds promise for next generation infrared imaging technologies. The thin-film membranes confine infrared light far better than bulk crystals, which are the established technology for infrared light confinement.

Now, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and their colleagues have devised a novel way to extend the operating range of microcombs to shorter near-infrared wavelengths. The team’s method allows scientists to independently tailor the microcomb’s central wavelength as well as the intensity and separation of the frequencies it generates.

One of the biggest challenges in quantum technology and quantum sensing is “noise”–seemingly random environmental disturbances that can disrupt the delicate quantum states of qubits, the fundamental units of quantum information. Looking deeper at this issue, JILA Associate Fellow and University of Colorado Boulder Physics assistant professor Shuo Sun recently collaborated with Andrés Montoya-Castillo, assistant professor of chemistry (also at CU Boulder), and his team to develop a new method for better understanding and controlling this noise, potentially paving the way for significant advancements in quantum computing, sensing, and control. Their new method, which uses a mathematical technique called a Fourier transform, was published recently in the journal npj Quantum Information.

There is currently a huge gap between the problems for which a quantum computer could be useful in chemistry – including studies of quantum reaction dynamics and spectroscopy – and what can actually be simulated today with quantum computers, even with the largest and most impressive qubit platforms from IBM, Google, or Rigetti. The challenge is that most well-known quantum computing (QC) algorithms have hardware requirements and circuit depths that far exceed the current scale by several orders of magnitude.

HQS Quantum Simulations, a leading provider of quantum simulation software, proudly presents HQStage, a powerful modular cloud-supported toolkit designed to meet the simulation needs of developers and researchers in quantum physics and chemistry. HQStage offers 10 powerful simulation modules, intuitive management tools and the flexibility to combine local and cloud computing.

In a recent collaboration between the High Magnetic Field Center of the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the University of Science and Technology of China, researchers introduced the concept of the "Topological Kerr Effect" (TKE) by utilizing the low-temperature magnetic field microscopy system and magnetic force microscopy imaging system supported by the steady-state high magnetic field experimental facility.

Newton’s third law of motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The basic physics of running involves someone applying a force to the ground in the opposite direction of their sprint. For senior Olivia Rosenstein, her cross-country participation provides momentum to her studies as an experimental physicist working with 2D materials, optics, and computational cosmology.

Physicists have observed a novel quantum effect termed “hybrid topology” in a crystalline material. This finding opens up a new range of possibilities for the development of efficient materials and technologies for next-generation quantum science and engineering.