Lifeboat Foundation

The idea of the multiverse has at least two conceptually distinct sources in theoretical physics: quantum mechanics and cosmology. The many worlds of quantum mechanics are very different in terms of their nature and origin from cosmology’s multiverse. However, physicists have reason to believe that ultimately, these two distinct multiverses are in fact one and the same, writes David Wallace.

In big budget science-fiction and fantasy franchises, the “multiverse” is a collection of universes – some quite like our own, some differing from ours only in the way some historical event played out or some person’s life unfolded, some vastly different and filled with strange wonders. But in the drier and more disciplined world of modern physics, “multiverse” means… well, pretty much the same, only without the prospect of easily moving from one universe to the next. The multiverse of physics is revealed more subtly, by hints hidden in our observations and our theories.

Or rather: the multiverses of physics are revealed more subtly. For remarkably, physics gives us not one but three different multiverses, and reasons to accept all three.

Exciton polaritons, hybrid quasiparticles caused by the strong exciton-photon coupling, constitute a unique prototype for studying many-body physics and quantum photonic phenomena traditionally in cryogenic conditions.

Atomically thin transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), as exceptional semiconductors with room-temperature operations, have received much attention due to their fascinating valleytronics features and strong exciton resonance. Nevertheless, in TMDs microcavities, the overall nonlinear interaction strength of polaritons can be insignificant compared to that of other wide-bandgap semiconductors.

Considerable effort has been devoted to improving the nonlinear interactions, for instance, by resorting to 2s states, trion, and moiré or dipolar excitons. However, these excitons quickly dissipate at elevated temperatures and then destroy the strong coupling condition. Thus, achieving an appropriate combination of strong nonlinearity together with the thermal stability of the TMDs polaritons is highly sought after for realistic polariton-based integrated devices.

Computer vision algorithms have become increasingly advanced over the past decades, enabling the development of sophisticated technologies to monitor specific environments, detect objects of interest in video footage and uncover suspicious activities in CCTV recordings. Some of these algorithms are specifically designed to detect and isolate moving objects or people of interest in a video, a task known as moving target segmentation.

While some conventional algorithms for moving target segmentation attained promising results, most of them perform poorly in real-time (i.e., when analyzing videos that are not pre-recorded but are being captured in the present moment). Some research teams have thus been trying to tackle this problem using alternative types of algorithms, such as so-called quantum algorithms.

Researchers at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology and Southeast University in China recently developed a new quantum algorithm for the segmentation of moving targets in grayscale videos. This algorithm, published in Advanced Quantum Technologies, was found to outperform classical approaches in tasks that involve the analysis of video footage in real-time.

Scientists at the IBS Center for Quantum Nanoscience (QNS) at Ewha Womans University have accomplished a groundbreaking step forward in quantum information science. In partnership with teams from Japan, Spain, and the US, they created a novel electron-spin qubit platform, assembled atom.

An atom is the smallest component of an element. It is made up of protons and neutrons within the nucleus, and electrons circling the nucleus.

“These simulations do not allow you to go back and alter your past, but they do allow you to create a better tomorrow by fixing yesterday’s problems today.”

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have demonstrated.

Quantum entanglement is a fundamental and intriguing phenomenon in quantum mechanics. It occurs when two or more particles become correlated in such a way that the state of one particle cannot be described independently of the state of the other(s), even when they are separated by large… More.

Continue reading “Scientists use quantum entanglement to travel in time” »

For his work on techniques to generate quantum dots of uniform size and color, Bawendi is honored along with Louis Brus and Alexei Ekimov.

Moungi Bawendi, the Lester Wolfe Professor of Chemistry at MIT and a leader in the development of tiny particles known as quantum dots, has won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2023. He will share the prize with Louis Brus of Columbia University and Alexei Ekimov of Nanocrystals Technology, Inc.

The researchers were honored for their work in discovering and synthesizing quantum dots — tiny particles of matter that emit exceptionally pure light. In its announcement this morning, the Nobel Foundation cited Bawendi for work that “revolutionized the chemical production of quantum dots, resulting in almost perfect particles.”

Date October 11, 2023

Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20, but sometimes it would be nice to have known the outcomes before making a choice. This is as true in day-to-day life as it is in quantum mechanics. But it seems that the quantum world has something we do not have: a way to alter yesterday’s choices today, before they become tomorrow’s mistakes.

None of this is real time-travel. Physicists remain skeptical about that possibility. However, it is possible to simulate a closed time-loop with quantum mechanics, thanks to the property of entanglement. When two particles are entangled, they are in a single state even if they are separated by huge distances. A change to one is a change to the other, and this happens instantaneously.

So a particle can be prepared for an experiment, entangled, and sent to the experiment. Then scientists can modify its entangled companion, changing the way the particle in the experiment behaves.

Bahadır Eroğlu/iStock.

Wouldn’t it be great if researchers could use a special quantum eraser to remove their mistakes?