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Researchers have created a composite image showing dark matter’s role in linking galaxies, using data from 23,000 galaxy pairs located 4.5 billion light-years away. This discovery, through weak gravitational lensing, offers direct evidence of the dark matter web predicted for decades, moving from theoretical assumptions to measurable proof. The finding helps confirm dark matter’s critical role in keeping galaxies intact, at a time when some scientists are questioning its existence. Though still largely invisible, this breakthrough brings us closer to truly understanding the unseen forces binding the universe together.

The idea of dark matter originated out of sheer necessity. Given the amount of matter we can observe, the universe shouldn’t be able to exist and function the way it does—this visible matter simply can’t produce the gravitational forces required to hold galaxies together. Dark matter offers scientists a solution to this problem. They suggest the universe must contain a type of matter that we are unable to detect, one that doesn’t absorb, reflect, or emit light—hence, a truly “dark” form of matter.

To maintain the accuracy of our scientific models, dark matter would need to make up more than a quarter of the universe’s total matter. However, what exactly constitutes dark matter remains a mystery, and attempting to find evidence for something invisible is a difficult endeavor. Until now, scientists have primarily relied on observing its gravitational influence as indirect proof of dark matter’s existence. But researchers from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, have gone a step further—they’ve produced a composite image that confirms galaxies are linked by dark matter.

A multitude of genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors come together to create mental health problems in teens.

Using a broad genetic trawling method, scientists at Washington University identified connections between genetic risk factors and behaviors like screen time and stressful life events in youth. Their findings highlight potential areas for intervention to mitigate the risk of psychiatric disorders.

Genetic Research in Youth Behavior.

Researchers have unveiled a new photonic in-memory computing method that promises to advance optical computing significantly.

This technology, using magneto-optical materials, achieves high-speed, low-energy, and durable memory solutions suitable for integration with existing computing technologies.

Photonic In-Memory Computing

For error-resistant quantum computers, creating superpositions or entanglement between states is relatively easy. In contrast, adding magic to the state or dislocating them further from easy-to-simulate stabilizer states is expected to be highly challenging.

“In the literature of , you often encounter terms like ‘magic state distillation’ or ‘magic state cultivation,’ which refer to pretty arduous processes to create special quantum states with magic that the quantum computer can make use of,” said Niroula.

“Prior to this paper, we had written a paper that observed a similar transition in entanglement, in which we had observed phases where measurements of a quantum system preserved or destroyed entanglement depending on how frequent they are.”

Water and oil, and some other simple fluids, respond in the same way to all levels of shear stress. These are termed Newtonian fluids, and their viscosity is constant for all stresses although it will vary with temperature. Under different stresses and pressure gradients, other non-Newtonian fluids exhibit patterns of behavior that are much more complex.

Scientists have revolutionized the field of quantum photonics by employing high-performance computing to analyze quantum detectors at an unprecedented scale.

Their innovative approach involves the tomographic reconstruction of experimental data, enabling rapid and efficient characterization of photon detectors. This development promises to enhance quantum research significantly, paving the way for advanced applications in quantum computing and communication.

Breakthrough in quantum photonics with high-performance computing.

Quantum squeezing is a method that sharpens precision by redistributing uncertainty within a system, already advancing technologies like atomic clocks. This concept promises even wider impacts as researchers work on applying it to more complex measurements.

Quantum squeezing is a technique in quantum physics that reduces uncertainty in one aspect of a system while increasing it in another. Imagine a balloon filled with air: when it’s untouched, the balloon is perfectly round. If you squeeze one side, it flattens in that spot but stretches in the opposite direction.

Similarly, in a squeezed quantum state, reducing uncertainty (or noise) in one variable, like position, causes increased uncertainty in a related variable, such as momentum. The total uncertainty remains the same, but redistributing it in this way allows for far more precise measurement of one of the variables.