quantum computing researchers

Researchers have run a quantum computer in space for the first time, marking a milestone in quantum technology beyond Earth. The demonstration suggests quantum computing and communication systems could one day operate aboard satellites, where conditions differ sharply from ground-based laboratories. Scientists say the achievement could pave the way for space-based quantum networks and new experiments impossible on Earth, though details of the mission and hardware remain limited.

Researchers have used a quantum computer to simulate particles of matter appearing out of the vacuum, reproducing a phenomenon predicted by quantum field theory in which energy can briefly convert into matter-antimatter pairs. The experiment offers a new way to study fundamental physics that is otherwise out of reach of traditional computers, and physicists say such simulations could help probe processes occurring in the early universe.

UCLA has been awarded $75 million in grants from the National Science Foundation to advance quantum technology research. The funding will support the university's work in quantum science, an area seen as key to future computing, communications and sensing. The announcement was reported by the Daily Bruin, the university's student newspaper.

Researchers report the first direct observation of a single phonon—the smallest possible unit of sound—disappearing, according to a new physics study. The feat means measuring sound at its most fundamental quantum level, in a single isolated unit, rather than in waves made of countless phonons. Scientists say the result opens a window onto how quantum behaviour works in mechanical systems, with potential implications for quantum computing and sensing technologies.

India's Defence Research and Development Organisation, working with a startup, has built a 20 millikelvin refrigerator, the extreme cooling unit required to operate quantum computers. Such dilution refrigerators bring quantum processors to temperatures near absolute zero and have previously been dominated by a handful of foreign suppliers, making the development a step toward domestic quantum computing capability.

Researchers have demonstrated a random access quantum memory system in which a single quantum processor can select among seven storage cells, rather than reading stored quantum information sequentially. The result matters for scaling quantum networks and modular quantum computers, where fast, selective retrieval of quantum states is a key engineering hurdle. Details on the research team and the specific physical platform used were not included in the available report.