Computing – Lifeboat News: The Blog

Nov 29
2023

Dark matter could help solve the final parsec problem of black holes

When galaxies collide, their supermassive black holes enter into a gravitational dance, gradually orbiting each other ever closer until eventually merging. We know they merge because we see the gravitational beasts that result, and we have detected the gravitational waves they emit as they inspiral. But the details of their final consummation remain a mystery. Now a new paper published on the pre-print server arXiv suggests part of that mystery can be solved with a bit of dark matter.

Just as the famous three-body problem has no general analytical solution for Newtonian gravity, the two-body problem has no general solution in general relativity. So, we have to resort to computer simulations to model how black holes orbit each other and eventually merge.

For binary black holes that are relatively widely separated, our simulations work really well, but when black holes are close to each other things get complicated. Einstein’s equations are very nonlinear, and modeling the dynamics of strongly interacting black holes is difficult.

Nov 29
2023

Amazon Introduces New Quantum Chip To Reduce Errors

Quantum computing, the cutting-edge technology that promises unprecedented computational power, has taken a significant leap forward with the unveiling of a groundbreaking quantum chip by Amazon Web Services.

“It’s a custom-designed chip that’s totally fabricated in house by our AWS quantum team,” said Peter Desantis, senior vice president of AWS utility computing products, during a keynote address in Las Vegas at AWS’s re: Invent conference for the global cloud computing community.

DeSantis said the state-of-the-art chip represents a major milestone in the quest for error-corrected quantum computers. “We’ve been able to suppress errors by 100x by using a passive error correction approach,” he said.

Nov 29
2023

Physicists find ultimate limit for how accurate clocks can be

A fundamental trade-off between the resolution of a clock and its accuracy could have important implications for quantum computers, which must measure short timescales accurately.

By Alex Wilkins

Nov 29
2023

Peculiar transient behaviors of organic electrochemical transistors governed by ion injection directionality

Few studies have investigated the structural properties of organic mixed ionic-electronic conductors in relation to the transient device characteristics. Here, Kim et al. show that backbone-dependent molecular orientation affects ion injection directionality, which determines ion mobility and transient response.

Nov 28
2023

5 More Brain-Computer Interface Companies You Need to Know

The brain-computer interface (BCI) space continues to rise in notoriety, and a number of players are throwing their hats in the ring.

Such technologies could enable users to control a computer with their brain, or even go beyond that. Countless immobile people someday could control a mouse cursor, keyboard, mobile device/tablet, wheelchair or prosthetic device by only thinking.

Big names have already established their presence in the space. Elon Musk’s Neuralink continues to make headway, while Bill Gates-and Jeff Bezos-backed Synchron has an innovative catheter-delivered implant. Blackrock Neurotech, which has a next-generation BCI, has been implanting its Utah Array in patients since 2004.

Nov 28
2023

Finally! A Fun Way to Learn Quantum Computing with QCTRL’s Black Opal

Learn about quantum computing with Q-CTRL’s Black Opal!

Today, I’m diving into the interactive platform of Q-CTRL’s Black Opal to simplify quantum concepts and demonstrate quantum computing applications. This video is perfect for both beginners curious about quantum computing and seasoned professionals seeking looking for a broad overview of quantum computing applications.

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0:00 Learning Quantum Computing.
1:38 Traveling Salesman Problem.
3:26 Casino Games and Quantum Computing.
5:42 Race Against the Bloch Sphere!!

Traditional teaching methods often struggle with effectively conveying complex quantum concepts.

Continue reading “Finally! A Fun Way to Learn Quantum Computing with QCTRL’s Black Opal” | >

Nov 28
2023

AWS brings Amazon One palm-scanning authentication to the enterprise

It comes 3 years after Amazon debuted its ‘handy’ authentication service for consumers.

Amazon’s cloud computing subsidiary AWS (Amazon Web Services) has lifted the lid on a new palm-scanning identity service that allows companies to authenticate people when entering physical premises.

The announcement comes as part of AWS’s annual Re: Invent conference, which is running in Las Vegas for the duration of this week.

Amazon One Enterprise, as the new service is called, builds on the company’s existing Amazon One offering which it debuted back in 2020 to enable biometric payments in Amazon’s own surveillance-powered cashierless stores. Visitors to Amazon Go stores can associate their payment card with their palm-print, allowing them to enter the store and complete their transaction by hovering their hand over a scanner.

Nov 28
2023

Google’s new geothermal energy project is up and running

Google says this project is the first of its kind.

Nov 27
2023

Part-biological transistors change and adapt like living tissue

Fio Omenetto, Silklab, Tufts University.

Transistors were a pivotal innovation in the evolution of electronic technology, and they have played a critical part in the miniaturization and advancement of electronic equipment. However, they could be even better.

Nov 27
2023

New study shows how heat can be used in computing

Physicists at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and Central South University in China have demonstrated that, combining specific materials, heat in technical devices can be used in computing. Their discovery is based on extensive calculations and simulations. The new approach demonstrates how heat signals can be steered and amplified for use in energy-efficient data processing.

The team’s research findings have been published in the journal Advanced Electronic Materials (“PT-Symmetry Enabled Spintronic Thermal Diodes and Logic Gates.”).

Information signals are encoded as thermal spin waves (red arrows). Logical operations are realized with two magnetic strips (signal conductors) and precisely controlled with current pulses in a spacer (platinum). (Image: Berakdar group)