MAROKO133 Breaking ai: Scalable quantum computers closer to reality with new ultra-fast ph

📌 MAROKO133 Update ai: Scalable quantum computers closer to reality with new ultra

German scientists have laid the groundwork for the next generation of quantum technologies by developing an ultra-fast, ultra-low-loss optical phase modulator that could enable scalable quantum photonic circuits.

The research team at Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (JMU) tackled one of quantum computing’s toughest challenges by discovering a way to precisely control quantum light without destroying the fragile information it carries.

Backed by more than USD 7.7 million (EUR 6.6 million) from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR), the revolutionary project was led by Andreas Pfenning, PhD, a professor who heads the Ferro35 junior research group at the university physics department. 

The new chip, capable of controlling light signals at extremely high speeds with almost no losses, could reportedly speed up the transition of quantum photonics from laboratory experiments to practical, large-scale technologies. 

Controlling quantum light

In classical fiber-optic networks, optical phase modulators are standard parts that encode information onto light by altering its phase at extremely high speeds. But quantum technologies operate under stricter conditions, since even tiny optical losses or excess noise can collapse quantum states. 

“We need components that combine very high speeds with extremely low optical losses,” Pfenning reported. “This combination does not yet exist, and it is essential for complex quantum circuits.”

To tackle the issue, Pfenning and his team pursued a new approach by integrating barium titanate (BTO), a ferroelectric material with outstanding electro-optic traits, into III-V photonics platforms, which are widely used to generate quantum light on chips. 

Andreas Pfenning, PhD, project leader. Image credit: University of Würzburg

To maintain the purity required for ferroelectric behavior, the group then grew its own crystals in-house. The method, also known as molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) is one of the most precise thin-film fabrication techniques in materials research. 

“For ferroelectric materials, we need an exceptionally clean process environment,” Pfenning explained. “Even the smallest impurities can alter the properties of the crystals.”

The researchers carried out the project in ultra-high-vacuum cleanrooms at the Gottfried Landwehr Laboratory for Nanotechnology. An additional system is currently being installed to specifically support the research activities of the Ferro35 group.

Scalable quantum chips

In addition to the phase modulator, the team is building a full toolkit for photonic quantum circuits, including waveguides, couplers, and integrated quantum light sources. Each component is first simulated, then fabricated, and finally tested. 

“We are building a component library that allows us to design, assemble, and directly manufacture circuits,” Pfenning noted. “In a way, it’s like building with Lego bricks: if the right element is placed in the right position, a functional circuit gradually emerges.” 

According to the professor, the resulting designs can be tested experimentally without delay. This modular strategy also opens the door for hands-on education. It allows students to design and test quantum photonic layouts in a realistic research environment.

While fully scalable quantum computers remain years away, the new technology could find near-term applications. High-speed, low-loss modulators are in strong demand for advanced telecommunications and optical signal processing. 

“Fast, low-loss modulators are also of great interest for telecommunications,” Pfenning concluded in a press release. “Our technology could provide important impulses here as well.”

🔗 Sumber: interestingengineering.com

📌 MAROKO133 Breaking ai: Astronauts Helicoptered to Hospital After Mystery Evacuat

Earlier this month, NASA announced that it had to cancel a scheduled spacewalk, citing a “medical situation” affecting a “single crew member who is stable” on board the International Space Station.

The mystery illness eventually led to the space agency staging the first medical evacuation in 25 years of continuous operation on board the aging orbital outpost, rushing four astronauts back to Earth in a move that brought the station’s number of occupants from seven to a skeleton crew of just three.

While the medical incident only affected a single astronaut, who has yet to be identified for privacy reasons, all four members of the Crew-11 mission cut their time on board the ISS short by weeks, safely splashing down off the coast of San Diego early Thursday morning.

The four astronauts were airlifted to the Scripps Memorial Hospital in San Diego via helicopter for a “planned overnight stay at a local medical facility for additional evaluation,” according to a January 16 statement. After being “released as expected,” they continued their journey to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where they will “continue standard postflight reconditioning and evaluations.”

Do you know anything about what caused the evacuation from the ISS? Drop us a line at [email protected]. We can keep you anonymous.

“All crew members remain stable,” the space agency reassured. “To protect the crew’s medical privacy, no specific details regarding the condition or individual will be shared.”

It’s an exceedingly rare event, highlighting the challenges inherent to providing healthcare in space. While hundreds of miles above the surface, specialized care is hard, if not impossible, to execute. While astronauts undergo rigorous EMT-level training so they can respond to emergencies on board the station, they aren’t full-blown medical professionals, and can only do so much under the direction of doctors back on Earth.

There’s a lot to still learn about providing care during medical emergencies, particularly when it comes to long-duration space exploration missions into deep space. According to a 2022 study, there still are plenty of “gaps in knowledge regarding the potential for unanticipated in-flight medical events to affect crew health and capacity, and potentially compromise mission success.”

As researchers from Northumbria University in Newcastle point out in a recent essay for The Conversation, medical emergencies are remarkably rare on the ISS, despite being expected to occur on average every three years. Studies have shown that the most common health issues astronauts experience are skin irritation, congestion, disruptions to sleep, and in-flight injuries — most of which are ironically caused by exercise, which is designed to protect astronauts’ long-term health.

Spending prolonged periods in a microgravity environment has also been shown to affect astronauts’ vision and blood pressure.

Now that there’s finally been a medical emergency on the station, though, it’s unclear whether the public — or even the broader medical community — will ever find out any details.

More on the evacuation: Entire Space Station Down to Skeleton Crew After NASA Evacuation

The post Astronauts Helicoptered to Hospital After Mystery Evacuation From Space Station appeared first on Futurism.

🔗 Sumber: futurism.com