Millions of users use browser extensions on a daily basis, for example, to block advertisements on websites. But is the use of extensions from third-party providers at all secure? CISPA Faculty Dr. Aurore Fass and her students Sheryl Hsu and Manda Tran have examined this question based on extensions for Google’s web browser Chrome, thus providing the first large study on the Chrome Web Store. Their respective paper “What is in the Chrome Web Store?” was accepted at the ACM…

A new record for atom-based quantum computers. Making quantum systems more scalable is one of the key requirements for the further development of quantum computers because the advantages they offer become increasingly evident as the systems are scaled up. Researchers at TU Darmstadt have recently taken a decisive step towards achieving this goal. The results of their research have now been published in a prestigious publication. Quantum processors based on two-dimensional arrays of optical tweezers, which are created using focussed…

Scientists report the first look at electrons moving in real-time in liquid water; findings open up a whole new field of experimental physics. In an experiment akin to stop-motion photography, scientists have isolated the energetic movement of an electron while “freezing” the motion of the much larger atom it orbits in a sample of liquid water. The findings, reported today in the journal Science, provide a new window into the electronic structure of molecules in the liquid phase on a timescale…

If gravitational condensate stars (or gravastars) actually existed, they would look similar to black holes to a distant observer. Two theoretical physicists at Goethe University Frankfurt have now found a new solution to Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity, according to which gravitational stars could be structured like a Russian matryoshka doll, with one gravastar located inside another. The interior of black holes remains a conundrum for science. In 1916, German physicist Karl Schwarzschild outlined a solution to Albert Einstein’s…

Quantum bits can be described more precisely with the help of newly discovered harmonics as a team of 30 researchers reports in Nature Physics. Physicists from Forschungszentrum Jülich and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology have uncovered that Josephson tunnel junctions – the fundamental building blocks of superconducting quantum computers – are more complex than previously thought. Just like overtones in a musical instrument, harmonics are superimposed on the fundamental mode. As a consequence, corrections may lead to quantum bits that…

In the realm of quantum mechanics, the ability to observe and control quantum phenomena at room temperature has long been elusive, especially on a large or “macroscopic” scale. Traditionally, such observations have been confined to environments near absolute zero, where quantum effects are easier to detect. But the requirement for extreme cold has been a major hurdle, limiting practical applications of quantum technologies. Now, a study led by Tobias J. Kippenberg and Nils Johan Engelsen at EPFL, redefines the boundaries…

Microscopy breakthrough combines digital display with super-resolution for high-speed imaging to facilitate biological discovery. In the ever-evolving realm of microscopy, recent years have witnessed remarkable strides in both hardware and algorithms, propelling our ability to explore the infinitesimal wonders of life. However, the journey towards three-dimensional structured illumination microscopy (3DSIM) has been hampered by challenges arising from the speed and intricacy of polarization modulation. Introducing the DMD-3DSIM System Enter the high-speed modulation 3DSIM system “DMD-3DSIM,” combining digital display with super-resolution…

Researchers at Mainz University have been able to visualize the third class of magnetism, called altermagnetism, in action. Ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism have long been known to scientists as two classes of magnetic order of materials. Back in 2019, researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) postulated a third class of magnetism, called altermagnetism. This altermagnetism has been the subject of heated debate among experts ever since, with some expressing doubts about its existence. Recently, a team of experimental researchers led…

New InP-based modulator with record-high bit rates could help move more data faster. As data traffic continues to increase, there is a critical need for miniaturized optical transmitters and receivers that operate with high-order multi-level modulation formats and faster data transmission rates. In an important step toward fulfilling this requirement, researchers developed a new compact indium phosphide (InP)-based coherent driver modulator (CDM) and showed that it can achieve a record high baud rate and transmission capacity per wavelength compared to…

The quest for the limit of the periodic table. Since the turn of the century, six new chemical elements have been discovered and subsequently added to the periodic table of elements, the very icon of chemistry. These new elements have high atomic numbers up to 118 and are significantly heavier than uranium, the element with the highest atomic number (92) found in larger quantities on Earth. This raises questions such as how many more of these superheavy species are waiting…

Two astrophysicists from the Laboratory for Space Research (LSR) at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) have finally solved a 20-year-old astrophysical puzzle concerning the lower-than-expected amounts of the element Sulphur found in Planetary Nebulae (PNe) in comparison to expectations and measurements of other elements and other types of astrophysical objects. The expected levels of Sulphur have long appeared to be “missing in action”. However, they have now finally reported for duty after hiding in plain sight, as a result…

SOFIA’s FORCAST instrument found water on dry asteroids. Using data from the retired Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) — a joint project of NASA and the German Space Agency at DLR — Southwest Research Institute scientists have discovered, for the first time, water molecules on the surface of an asteroid. Scientists looked at four silicate-rich asteroids using the FORCAST instrument to isolate the mid-infrared spectral signatures indicative of molecular water on two of them. “Asteroids are leftovers from the…

Researchers show that the SETI Ellipsoid method can leverage continuous, wide-field sky surveys, significantly enhancing our ability to detect these potential signals. In a paper published in the Astronomical Journal, a team of researchers from the SETI Institute, Berkeley SETI Research Center and the University of Washington reported an exciting development for the field of astrophysics and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), using observations from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission to monitor the SETI Ellipsoid, a method for identifying…

A recent study from Hebrew University has achieved a significant advancement in integrating single-photon sources onto tiny chips at room temperature, representing an important step forward in quantum photonics with potential for applications such as quantum computing and cryptography. This achievement signifies a milestone in the development of practical quantum photonic devices, heralding a promising future where quantum technologies, encompassing computing, communication, and sensing, can be fully realized. A recent study, spearheaded by Boaz Lubotzky during his PhD research, along…

Expanded superconducting strips for enhanced photon-counting accuracy. Wider superconducting strips enable better photon-number resolution, with greater dynamic range and fidelity. Using single photons as qubits has become a prominent strategy in quantum information technology. Accurately determining the number of photons is crucial in various quantum systems, including quantum computation, quantum communication, and quantum metrology. Photon-number-resolving detectors (PNRDs) play a vital role in achieving this accuracy and have two main performance indicators: resolving fidelity, which measures the probability of accurately recording…

Researchers gain insights into charge transfer at atomically thin interfaces between semiconductors. Semiconductors are ubiquitous in modern technology, working to either enable or prevent the flow of electricity. In order to understand the potential of two-dimensional semiconductors for future computer and photovoltaic technologies, researchers from the Universities of Göttingen, Marburg and Cambridge investigated the bond that builds between the electrons and holes contained in these materials. By using a special method to break up the bond between electrons and holes,…