Subterms
Like Schrödinger’s cat, a 2019 claim of quantum supremacy seems to be simultaneously alive and dead. Thanks to the rules of quantum mechanics, the fabled feline occupies two contradictory states at once, and the same applies to this year’s most prominent quantum advance. In October, researchers from Google claimed to have achieved a milestone known […] More
For the first time, scientists have measured the heat transferred by the quantum effervescence of empty space. Two tiny, vibrating membranes reached the same temperature despite being separated by a vacuum, physicists report in the Dec. 12 Nature. The result is the first experimental demonstration of a predicted but elusive type of heat transfer. Normally, […] More
A newly proposed type of time crystal could stand alone. Time crystals are structures that repeat regularly in time, just as a standard crystal is composed of atoms arranged in a regularly repeating pattern in space. Scientists first created time crystals in 2016 (SN: 10/26/16). But those crystals require periodic blasts from a laser to […] More
Quantum supremacy is here, researchers from Google claim. For the first time, a quantum computer has solved a problem that can’t be performed by a standard computer — at least not within a reasonable amount of time — Google announced October 23. This milestone, known as quantum supremacy, is a long-anticipated step toward useful quantum […] More
Something Deeply HiddenSean CarrollDutton, $29 Quantum physics is about multiplicity. Its equations describe multiple possible outcomes for a measurement in the subatomic realm. Physicists have devised a dozen or two different interpretations of what that really means. And in turn, dozens and dozens of books have been written to explain, defend or deny the validity […] More
A leaked paper suggests that Google has achieved a milestone known as quantum supremacy, using a quantum computer to perform a calculation that couldn’t be achieved even with the world’s most powerful supercomputers. It’s a hotly anticipated goal, and one intended to mark the beginning of a new era of quantum computation (SN: 6/29/17). But […] More
LHC data suggests the subatomic particle’s constituent quarks and gluons share weird links TIED UP Protons contain smaller particles called quarks and gluons (illustrated). Experimental data suggest that quantum entanglement links those particles with one another. scify/Shutterstock Share this: This article is only available to Science News subscribers. Subscribers, enter your e-mail address to access […] More
A variation of the classic double-slit experiment is applied to a positron for the first time MAKING WAVES The famous double-slit experiment (illustrated) has revealed that particles of matter, like electrons, are also waves. Now, researchers have performed a similar experiment to demonstrate antimatter’s wavelike behavior. RUSSELL KIGHTLEY/Science Source Share this: This article is only […] More
