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Quantum Encryption Breakthrough: Secure Keys Transmitted Across 100km of Fiber As concerns grow that quantum computers could eventually render current encryption methods obsolete , researchers are racing to design more secure alternatives. Among the most promising is Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) , a quantum-based encryption technique in which any unauthorized interception disrupts the system and is instantly detectable. Earlier versions of QKD were limited by short transmission distances and the need for highly specialized devices . Now, a Chinese research team has taken a major step forward, successfully maintaining quantum encryption over far greater distances . Reporting in Science, the team demonstrated device-independent QKD (DI-QKD) between two single-atom nodes across 100 kilometers of optical fiber . Why Quantum Key Distribution Matters Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) offers a powerful route to secure communication , but it still relies on physical channels such as fibe...

Dark Matter May Replace Black Hole at the Milky Way's Core, Astronomers Suggest New Astronomical Research Challenges Long-Held Assumptions about Sagittarius A* Astronomers suggest that the heart of the Milky Way may not host a supermassive black hole, but instead a vast concentration of enigmatic dark matter producing an equivalent gravitational pull. They argue that this unseen material — believed to account for most of the universe's mass — can explain both the intense motions of stars just light-hours from the galactic center and the smoother, large-scale rotation of matter across the Milky Way's outer regions. The findings were published yesterday in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society . Rethinking the Milky Way's Dark Heart The findings challenge the prevailing view that Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) , the proposed black hole at the center of our galaxy, governs the motion of the so-called S-stars — stellar objects that race around the core at staggering ...

Quantum Nanowires Slash Electrical Noise, Opening New Path for Ultralow-Noise Electronics Flicker Noise Explained at the Smallest Scales That familiar low-frequency fuzz that disrupts mobile phone calls stems from the way electrons move and interact within materials at the smallest scales. Known as electronic flicker noise , it typically arises when the flow of electrons is interrupted by various scattering processes inside conductive metals. The same type of noise undermines the sensitivity of advanced sensors and poses a significant challenge for quantum computers — machines expected to deliver unbreakable cybersecurity, perform vast calculations and simulate nature in unprecedented ways. UCLA Study Reveals a Quieter Quantum Transport Regime Now, a far quieter and more promising future may be emerging. In a study led by UCLA , researchers have demonstrated prototype devices that, beyond a certain voltage, conduct electricity with less noise than is seen in ordinary electron flow . T...

Impossible Neutrino Detected: Scientists Link 2023 Cosmic Shock to Exploding Primordial Black Holes A baffling cosmic event in 2023 saw a neutrino slam into Earth with an energy level that defied all known physics . The particle was vastly more powerful than anything humanity has ever generated, dwarfing even the Large Hadron Collider's capabilities by a factor of 100,000 . Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst now believe such an event could occur when a rare, early-universe black hole — described as quasi-extremal , undergoes a catastrophic explosion . Their findings, reported in Physical Review Letters , not only solve the mystery of the impossible neutrino but also position it as a potential key to understanding the universe at its most fundamental level . From Stellar Collapse to the Early Universe Black holes are no longer the stuff of speculation and scientists have a solid grasp of how they form. When a massive ageing star exhausts its nuclear fuel, ...

Quantum Chaos Simulation on 91-Qubit Processor Using Error Mitigation Breakthrough Large-Scale Quantum Chaos Finally Within Reach of Near-Term Quantum Computers The study of quantum chaos aims to translate chaotic classical dynamics into quantum terms, but practical simulations have been held back by limited computing power. Using advanced error mitigation and custom-designed circuits on a 91-qubit superconducting quantum processor , researchers have demonstrated a promising new approach. The work is reported in Nature Physics . Error Mitigation Instead of Error Correction Reliable quantum simulations demand the suppression of errors, yet full-scale quantum error correction comes at the cost of significant qubit and control overheads . Until now, researchers have largely sidestepped this challenge by focusing on smaller quantum many-body systems or on integrable models that exhibit limited chaos. In the new study, the team adopted a different strategy. Rather than eliminating noi...

Breakthrough Quantum Photon Source Delivers On-Demand Identical Light in Telecom Band Record-Quality Single Photon Mark Major Step Toward Scalable Quantum Computing A research team from the University of Stuttgart and Julius-Maximilians-Universit ä t W ü rzburg, led by Professor Stefanie Barz of the University of Stuttgart, has unveiled a new single-photon source that delivers both on-demand performance and record-breaking photon quality in the telecommunications C-band. The breakthrough marks a significant advance towards scalable photonic quantum computing and secure quantum communication . "For more than ten years, the absence of a high-quality, on-demand C-band photon source has posed a serious challenge for quantum optics laboratories," Professor Barz says. "Our technology now overcomes this long-standing barrier." The Key: Identical Photons on Demand In everyday life, standing out is often seen as a virtue and few people aspire to be exactly the same as eve...

Clearest Black Hole Signal Ever Puts Einstein's Gravity to the Test For scientists tracking gravitational waves from across the cosmos, GW250114 stands out as a landmark event. It is the clearest gravitational-wave signal ever recorded from a binary black hole merger , offering an exceptional opportunity to put Albert Einstein's theory of gravity — general relativity — to the test. Related space and physics reporting A Signal That Redefines Precision in Gravitational Wave Astronomy "What's remarkable is that this event closely mirrors the very first detection we made in decade ago, GW150914 ," said Cornell physicist Keefe Mitman , a NASA Hubble Postdoctoral Fellow at the Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science. "The difference is clarity our detectors are now vastly more precise than they were ten years ago." Mitman is a co-author of the study Black Hole Spectroscopy and Tests of General Relativity with GW250114 , published in Physical...