MIT engineers whip up a more breathable hydrogel

Alfred University and Classiq Launch Quantum Computing Initiative

Alfred University, the SUNY College of Ceramics, and Classiq have partnered on a quantum computing initiative targeting engineering education, energy systems research, and workforce development. The collaboration leverages Classiq's high-level quantum software platform, allowing students and researchers to build quantum applications without needing low-level circuit design expertise. Key research areas include power system optimization (the unit commitment problem), advanced ceramic and materials science, and AI-assisted quantum learning. The initiative also explores a potential multi-institution grant to broaden quantum computing access across SUNY and CUNY systems.

Oak Ridge, Cleveland Clinic, and IBM Demonstrate Quantum Simulations for Fusion Materials

Các nhà nghiên cứu từ Oak Ridge, Cleveland Clinic và IBM đã sử dụng máy tính lượng tử để tính toán chín cấu hình phân tử của FLiBe, một loại muối nóng chảy quan trọng trong sản xuất nhiên liệu triti cho lò phản ứng nhiệt hạch. Họ kết hợp CPU, GPU và QPU trong kỹ thuật siêu máy tính tập trung vào lượng tử để xác định cấu trúc điện tử và tính chất liên kết triti của FLiBe, vốn khó mô phỏng chính xác trên máy tính cổ điển.

Lập trình viên quan tâm đến ứng dụng thực tế của công nghệ lượng tử sẽ tìm hiểu cách kết hợp các phần mềm truyền thống (CPU/GPU) với máy tính lượng tử (QPU) để giải quyết vấn đề vật lý phức tạp, mở ra cơ hội phát triển các công cụ mô phỏng vật lý mới cho các lĩnh vực như vật liệu fusion.

Discovery helps explain why solid-state batteries often fail

MIT and Technical University of Munich researchers have identified why grain boundaries in solid-state battery electrolytes cause dendrite formation and battery failure. Hidden electrical imbalances at the boundaries between tiny crystals of electrolyte material create local electric fields that block lithium ion movement and cause electron leakage, which reduces lithium ions into metal dendrites that short-circuit batteries. Using electron microscopy, machine learning modeling, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy on LLZO electrolyte material, the team developed a model explaining the space charge behavior at grain boundaries. By adjusting material processing conditions to minimize negative charges at boundaries, they achieved a critical current density more than 300% higher than baseline, enabling faster charging and longer battery life. The findings provide a roadmap for engineering grain boundaries to improve solid-state battery safety and performance.

TU Wien Researchers Find Entanglement in ‘Strange’ Metal

Researchers at TU Wien have demonstrated high multipartite quantum entanglement in a macroscopic centimetre-sized strange-metal crystal composed of cerium, palladium, and silicon. Using quantum Fisher information — a tool from quantum information theory — and neutron-scattering experiments at the ILL in Grenoble, the team showed that the crystal's response to neutron bombardment cannot be explained by independent particles. Instead, groups of at least nine quantum-entangled entities act collectively. The findings offer a potential explanation for strange metals' unusually low-noise electrical current and open a path toward applying strange metals in quantum metrology and other quantum technologies.

Which Light is Right For Quantum Sensing?

Researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems discovered that excitation wavelength significantly impacts the performance of spin defects in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) for quantum sensing. Using red (633 nm) light instead of green (532 nm) light produced nearly 100% spin-dependent readout contrast and a threefold improvement in calculated DC magnetic field sensitivity. However, red light also caused pronounced emission blinking, while green light yielded stable emission. Combining both wavelengths stabilized blinking at a slight cost to contrast, revealing a fundamental trade-off between emission stability and signal strength. The findings suggest wavelength-level optimization per individual defect could advance 2D quantum sensors and enable super-resolution imaging.

Graphene can hold multiple states of superconductivity, a new study finds

MIT researchers have discovered that rhombohedral graphene — a naturally occurring stacked structure found in ordinary graphite — can host multiple distinct superconducting states. In experiments where electrons were progressively removed from four- and five-layer rhombohedral graphene samples, four different superconducting states emerged at specific electron densities. Remarkably, three of these states survived magnetic fields up to ~9 tesla (roughly 180,000 times Earth's magnetic field), and one state actually strengthened under a perpendicular magnetic field, raising the critical temperature from 55 to ~90 millikelvin. The team proposes that electrons may be pairing with aligned rather than opposite spins, which would explain why magnetic fields preserve rather than destroy superconductivity. The exact microscopic mechanism remains unclear and requires further theoretical and experimental investigation.

New Optical Technique Captures Three Material Properties in a Single Measurement

Researchers have developed an optical technique that simultaneously measures three material properties — chemical composition, molecular structure, and mechanical stiffness — from a single point without touching or labeling the sample. The method, published in Nature Communications, uses Specto Photonics' proprietary BIPD filter to capture Brillouin scattering, ultra-low-frequency Raman, and conventional Raman signals together. Tested on common pharmaceuticals like ibuprofen and paracetamol, it can distinguish between different solid-state forms of the same drug that conventional methods often cannot resolve. Applications extend to biomedical research and materials science, with potential for real-time quality control and 3D sub-micron imaging.