Quantum

The world’s longest quantum communications link has been set up between China and South Africa, spanning a record-breaking 12,900 km (8,015 miles). The connection takes advantage of quantum physics for “unbreakable” encryption.

You can cram much more quantum processing power into a given space if you use four different ways to store data on a single atom, according to new research. The method unlocks more powerful quantum computers that are easier to control.

Causality is key to our experience of reality: dropping a glass, for example, causes it to smash, so it can’t smash before it’s dropped. But scientists have now demonstrated how that understanding of time can be violated to charge a quantum battery.

Researchers are claiming a breakthrough in quantum communications, thanks to a new diamond-stretching technique they say greatly increases the temperatures at which qubits remain entangled, while also making them microwave-controllable.

Atom Computing has announced the first quantum computer to pass the 1,000-qubit milestone. The prototype, due to become available for use in 2024, leapfrogs IBM’s announcement of its new quantum computer platform expected in the next few weeks.

Taking 3D images underwater is tricky due to inconsistent lighting conditions and particles in the water that cause distortion. Researchers have created a novel prototype system that uses quantum technology and LiDAR to overcome these difficulties.

Georgia Tech scientists have discovered a new quantum state in a quirky material. In a phenomenon never before seen in anything else, the team found that applying a magnetic field increased the material’s electrical conductivity by a billion percent.

IBM has unveiled the most powerful quantum processor in the world – the Osprey, with a massive 433 quantum bits (qubits). The new chip headlines a raft of advances in quantum computers announced, as the company prepares for a massive leap next year.

Many quantum effects can only be produced at extremely cold temperatures, which limits how useful they would be in real-world tech. Now, Princeton researchers have demonstrated a strange quantum state taking place in a material at room temperature.

Scientists have demonstrated a technique to allow quantum computers to store more information in photons of light. The team encoded eight levels of data into photons and read it back easily, representing an exponential leap over previous systems.

Quantum computing requires extremely cold temperatures. To that end, IBM has built and demonstrated a huge “super-fridge” codenamed Project Goldeneye that chills things colder than outer space.

Researchers in Germany have demonstrated quantum entanglement of two atoms separated by 33 km (20.5 miles) of fiber optics. This is a record distance for this kind of communication and marks a breakthrough towards a fast and secure quantum internet.