Posts tagged with ‘quantum physics’

Quantum entangled particles appear to smash the second law of thermodynamics to bits

Over the years, there have been many challenges to the second law of thermodynamics— that law that says there is no free energy and you can’t get something for nothing— some of them have been valid, some have not. In a recent experiment from Japan, it was found that quantum entangled particles take that second law and just blow by it like it wasn’t even there. Free energy? Apparently so.

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Egyptian teen invents revolutionary new space propulsion system

Two thousand years ago, Egypt was one of the great academic centers of the world. And now, one 19 year girl old named Aisha Mustafa has invented a quantum physics based propulsion system that would make the ancient Egyptian scholars proud, and it could represent the future of space travel.

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Quantum simulator can outperform a universe-sized computer

Quantum computers are going to be so incredibly badass, but here’s exactly how badass: A new quantum simulator from the University of Sydney has, and we’re quoting here, “the potential to perform calculations that would require a supercomputer larger than the size of the known universe.” Mind. Blown.

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Physicists start to pin down the quantum speed limit

Regardless of the initial results of an experiment with some neutrinos, the absolute speed limit in the universe is still the speed of light. Even in the weird quantum world, nothing can go faster than the speed of light and that’s just how it is. But what is the quantum speed limit? By putting quantum particles in a lattice, Marc Cheneau and colleagues have identified this maximum quantum velocity, which has implications for quantum entanglement and quantum computations.

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Researchers show how to break quantum cryptography by faking quantum entanglement

Quantum cryptology right now is the absolute best of the best in terms of computer and network security, as it’s seen as completely unbreakable. But nothing is unbreakable— someone will find a way. And with quantum cryptology, one way may be to mimic the quantum entanglement upon with the encoding relies.

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Remember those faster than light neutrinos? Not so much. Einstein wins again.

FOOLS YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD DEFEAT ME??

So last month, there was that sensational story that prompted every single news outlet (present company included) to be all like “Holy fuck faster than light neutrinos, it’s the end of science as we know it Einstein’s been toppled” etc. As many of you guessed, these results were probably not accurate, hence no faster than light neutrinos. You guys can’t stop Einstein HE’S A BEAST.

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First quantum computer simulator operates at the speed of light

Physicist Richard Feynman first proposed it in 1982, and now it exists: the first universal, digital quantum simulator— that is, a very basic quantum computer that, only using a few quantum bits, can perform functions at the level of a modern supercomputer, only at the speed of light.

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Higgs boson could be found before Christmas, pushing forward the end of the world. Happy Holidays.

So far, the Higgs boson has remained elusive. Previously, scientists working at the Large Hardon Collider had predicted that they would either find it by the end of 2012 or not at all. Now, a spokesman for the LHC (yeah you know me) says that it’s very likely the search could conclude before Christmas of this year.

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Spin liquids, a strange new state of quantum matter

Spin liquids are an exotic state of matter that can only exist in the world of quantum mechanics. They’re a strange mess of spin states and superpositions that forces magnetism and anti-magnetism to simultaneously exist in millions of different configurations. However “liquid” is just a technicality, because spin liquids aren’t a liquid like water, but it’s a state of matter with the atoms in disarray.

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