Physicists at the University of Oxford have successfully simulated how light interacts with empty space—a phenomenon once thought to belong purely to the realm of science fiction.

The simulations recreated a bizarre phenomenon predicted by quantum physics, where light appears to be generated from darkness.

The findings pave the way for real-world laser facilities to experimentally confirm bizarre quantum phenomena.

The results have been published today (5 June) in Communications Physics.

One of the current hot research topics is the combination of two of the most recent technological breakthroughs: machine learning and quantum computing. An experimental study shows that already small-scale quantum computers can boost the performance of machine learning algorithms. This was demonstrated on a photonic quantum processor by an international team of researchers of the University of Vienna. The work, recently published in Nature Photonics, shows promising new applications for optical quantum computers.

Seoul National University College of Engineering announced that the research team of Professors Jeyong Yoon and Jaeyune Ryu from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, in collaboration with Professor Jang Yong Lee’s team from Konkuk University’s Department of Chemical Engineering, has developed a new water electrolysis operation strategy that can produce green hydrogen without complex catalyst manufacturing processes.

 

The research team presented the possibility of significantly increasing hydrogen production efficiency without the use of precious metal-based catalysts. As a result, this research outcome is expected to be a technological turning point that accelerates the realization of a carbon-neutral society.

 

These findings were published on May 23th in the world-renowned journal Nature Communications under the title “Dynamic polarization control of Ni electrodes for sustainable and scalable water electrolysis under alkaline conditions.”

Airborne hazardous chemicals can be dilute, mobile, and hard to trap. Yet accurately measuring these chemicals is critical in protecting human health and the environment. Now, a new, small, low-cost device, nicknamed ABLE, could make the collection and detection of airborne hazards much easier and faster. 

University of Hawaiʻi researchers discovered a new type of cosmic explosion, extreme nuclear transients, triggered when massive stars are torn apart by supermassive black holes.

An international research collaboration featuring scientists from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory discovered a fundamental universal principle that governs how microscopic whirlpools interact, collide and transform within quantum fluids, which also has implications for understanding fluids that behave according to classical physics.