◎ Science and Technology Daily International Department
Russia
Russia
Launch of the Lake Baikal Neutrino Telescope
First obtained magnetic superconducting material at room temperature
In 2021, Russia's highlight in the field of basic research is the launch of the largest deep-water neutrino telescope in the northern hemisphere, "Baikal-GVD", in Lake Baikal, for recording ultra-high-energy neutrino streams from celestial bodies, studying geophysics, hydrology and freshwater biological phenomena, and exploring the creation and evolution of the universe. The "Baikal-GVD" is about half a cubic meter in size, and through a rectangular hole in the ice of Lake Baikal, this high-tech experimental device is placed at a distance of about 4,000 meters from the lake and at a depth of 750-1,300 meters.
Russian researchers are building the Baikal Deep Water Neutrino Telescope. Image source: Russian Satellite News Agency
The University of Samara in Russia is the first to describe the emergence of organic molecules in space, which play the most important role in the evolution of cosmic chemistry, and the data obtained expand the concept of the emergence of life and explain the operation mechanism of the "interstellar factory" that synthesizes organic matter. This study found that the simplest polycyclic aromatic (pyrogenol) hydrocarbons and indine can be formed at temperatures that meet the conditions of space. Small hard hydrocarbon particles containing polycyclic aromatic (fragrant) hydrocarbons are often referred to as interstellar seeds, and it actually operates as a molecular space factory for synthesizing organic matter such as amino acids and sugars.
The Quantum Technology Center of Moscow University has opened a quantum secure communication line for the communication of 20 users on campus, with a maximum distance of 50 kilometers between users. Russian telecom operator TransTeleCom has completed the construction of a quantum communication trunk between Moscow and St. Petersburg.
For the first time, the Russian Quantum Center obtained a magnetic superconducting material at room temperature. The experiments were performed on a single crystal membrane of yttrium iron garnet. The substance has a spontaneous magnetization effect at certain temperatures. With the help of this technology, quantum computers that do not require complex and expensive cooling devices can be created in the future.
United Kingdom
The UK
The first entangled photons are used to encode information into a hologram
Detailed measurement of glacier temperatures in Greenland
In the field of quantum, physicists at the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom have found for the first time a way to encode information into a hologram using quantum entangled photons. This new type of quantum holography breaks through the limitations of traditional holographic methods, making it possible to create higher-resolution, lower-noise images in the future, helping researchers better reveal cell details and further understand the function of biology at the cellular level.
The University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom uses quantum entangled photons to encode information into a hologram. Image credit: University of Glasgow
In addition, an international team of researchers led by the University of Glasgow has also found that water on the ground may come from "heaven" – the sun. The solar wind, made up of charged particles (mainly hydrogen ions) from the sun, produces water on the surface of dust particles carried by asteroids that hit Earth early in the solar system.
Researchers at the University of Bristol's Quantum Engineering Technology Laboratory explain an algorithm that reverse-engineers Hamiltonian models using machine learning by acting as an autonomous agent. This new algorithm provides valuable insights into the fundamental physical principles of quantum systems, is expected to lead to major advances in quantum computing and sensing, and has the potential to open a new chapter in scientific research.
An international team of researchers led by the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom used fiber optic sensing technology to transmit laser pulses through fiber optic cables to make the most detailed measurements of the temperature of Greenland's glaciers to date, obtaining very detailed temperature measurements from the glacier surface to the bottom of more than 1,000 meters below the ice surface. The study will help scientists better manage future changes in the world's second-largest glacier to better cope with warming.
United States
The US
Reveals abnormal behavior of the muse
Discover direct evidence of macroscopic quantum entanglement
In the field of elementary particle research, Fermi National Laboratory and Chinese scientists jointly conducted the Muczi Anomalous Magnetic Moment Experiment, revealing with unprecedented measurement accuracy that the mucus's behavior did not match the predictions of the Standard Model theory, providing strong evidence for the existence of new physics. The International Forward Search Experiment (FASER), led by American scientists, found the "clues" of neutrinos on the LHC for the first time by analyzing data provided by the European Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
The Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory prepares to collect data. Image source: FermiLab
In the field of quantum technology, American scientists have gained a lot this year. The National Institute of Standards and Technology team used microwave pulses to put two small aluminum sheets into a state of quantum entanglement, and found direct evidence of quantum entanglement of macroscopic objects, which helped quantum networks, dark matter and gravitational wave research. Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed programmable quantum simulators that can run 256 qubits, helping scientists achieve major breakthroughs in materials science, communication technology and other fields. IBM claims that it has developed a quantum computer that can run 127 qubits, the world's largest superconducting quantum computer to date.
Scientists from the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory of the Department of Energy, among others, have for the first time directly observed the "quantum drag" between molecules in nearby water.
In addition, scientists in the United States and New Zealand use lasers to squeeze and cool lithium gas, etc., so that its density and temperature change to the extent that they can reduce the amount of light scattering, thus demonstrating the Pauli blocking effect, and it is expected to use it to develop materials that can inhibit light in the future to further improve the performance and efficiency of quantum computers.
The team of physicists at Harvard University has experimentally simulated and analyzed a new state of matter, quantum spin liquid, which has broad application prospects in the field of quantum technology such as high-temperature superconductivity and quantum computers.
Korea
South Korea
Laws were introduced to strengthen support for quantum technology
The superconducting nuclear fusion unit is operating at a record time
South Korea officially promulgated the "Law on Promoting the Revitalization and Integration of Information and Communications", which legalizes the government's support for quantum technology. According to the legislation, South Korea will establish a full-time management agency for quantum technology on the basis of government financial support, play a leading role in policy research, research and development support, infrastructure construction, manpower training, technology standardization, etc. At the same time, it also plans to increase efforts to cultivate quantum research and development and industrial ecology, and provide financial and administrative support to small and medium-sized enterprises.
South Korea's superconducting nuclear fusion device KSTAR successfully confined the plasma for 30 seconds at 100 million degrees Celsius, setting a new operating record.
The "Korean Artificial Sun" (KSTAR) has set a new operating time. Image source: newatlas.com website related reports
A qubit technology developed by a south Korean co-research team has a logic error rate of 100,000 parts.
An international joint study involving South Korean researchers has for the first time discovered a nanomaterial that exhibits a photon avalanche effect, with new application prospects.
South Korean experimental physicists have confirmed the electronic structure of a liquid metal predicted by the theoretical physics community.
France
France
Propose a new quantum computing mechanism
Demystifying the Birth of the Universe "First Matter"
France announced in January 2021 that it has launched a national strategy for quantum technology, with plans to invest 1.8 billion euros in the quantum field over five years, in an effort to give France the opportunity to become "the first country to obtain a complete prototype of a universal quantum computer." The strategy argues that full ownership of the quantum technology value chain is key to France's enduring independent research and is essential to French sovereignty in terms of know-how and industrial applications. To this end, the strategy aims to support the entire value chain of the quantum sector in France, covering all quantum-related technologies. France is building a quantum ecosystem centered on Paris, Thackeray and Grenoble.
In terms of quantum research, the French team proposed a new quantum computing mechanism frame that connects a quantum memory on a traditional two-dimensional array of qubits to form a three-dimensional architecture, thereby achieving a significant reduction in the number of qubits required for quantum computers. Only 13436 qubits are needed to crack the current mainstream 2048-bit RSA encryption under the new architecture, which is 3 orders of magnitude less than the 20 million qubits required in the previous study, which provides a new direction for quantum computer architecture design.
The European Nuclear Research Center (CERN) has made frequent and important discoveries. The center's Ultra-Torus Instrument experiment (ATLAS) and compact muse coil experiment team discovered in February that the Higgs boson decays into two leptons (electrons with opposite charges or mucus pairs) and one photon— the first evidence of "Daliz decay," which could help scientists discover new physics.
In March, the center's ALPHA collaboration group successfully cooled the antihydrogen atoms with laser cooling technology for the first time, laying the foundation for more accurate measurements of the internal structure of the antihydrogen and its behavior under gravity. Comparing these measurements with hydrogen atoms can reveal the differences between matter atoms and antimatter atoms, bringing new perspectives to antimatter research. The center's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) discovered 4 entirely new particles, which are 4 different tetraquark states. To date, the LHC has discovered a total of 59 new hadrons.
In June, the center used LHC to reproduce the only substance quark,0000,000,000,100,000 in the Big Bang, the gluon plasma (QGP). The study found that the quark-gluon plasma has a smooth and soft texture, which is different from previous predictions and any other substance known.
Schematic diagram of related studies. Image source: Daily Science Network
In July, the center's Large Hadron Collider Bottom Quark (LHCb) experimental team discovered a new material particle, Tcc+, a 4-quark particle that is a strange hadron, the longest-lived" strange matter particle to date, and the first to contain 2 heavy quarks and 2 light anti-quarks, consisting of 2 cannabis quarks and 1 anti-upper quark and 1 reverse lower quark. This finding helps test the Standard Model theory and reveal new phenomena.
In December, neutrinos were detected during a test run of the LHC's new detector, the first discovery inside a particle accelerator.
Ukraine
Ukraine
Invention of the rf detector based on metamaterials
The new opaque scintillation medium can detect particles
In March 2021, the Institute of Radiophysics and Electronics of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences invented a metamaterial-based RF non-contact detector that can be used to detect the presence of methanol in aqueous ethanol solutions. Using so-called metamaterials as detectors, the researchers placed containers containing the liquid under study near the intermetallic membrane and excited its resonant field, using electrodynamic formulas to describe the corresponding interactions. This means that if a natural substance with unknown characteristics comes into electromagnetic contact with a metamaterial with known characteristics, it is possible to identify the natural substance with unknown characteristics by recording the properties of the metamaterial through standard microwave technology and equipment, which is currently in the laboratory stage but is considered to have a promising application.
In the field of particle research, the Institute of Scintillation Materials of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine has been developing a new opaque scintillation medium for the past few years to act as a detection particle in high-energy physics experiments. Cern, believing the research promising, decided in 2021 to invite a Ukrainian scientific team to participate in the Large Hadron Collider Bottom Quark Experiment (LHCb), one of the major experimental projects in the field of basic science in Ukraine that has attracted international attention in recent years.
Israel
Israel
National plans as a support
Full force in the quantum field
In March 2021, Israel's Ministry of Defense and Innovation Agency said it would invest $60 million to build Israel's first quantum computer with a computing power of about 30-40 qubits. The project is part of Israel's National Quantum Capability Program, launched in 2019, which will invest $380 million in the quantum realm. In addition to the field of quantum computing, the program has also invested $40 million in five companies and eight academic groups to promote the research of new quantum sensors such as quantum radar, of which Ben Gurion University has developed a compact, robust cold atomic clock and a sensitive magnetic atom sensor.
A team of researchers at the Hebrew University in Israel has developed a tiny fluorescent crystal called a "quantum dot" that is mounted on a golden "nano-needle" that emits a single photon stream when it is irradiated by a laser and shoots out in one direction after passing through a special grating. The team is currently refining the device to provide a more reliable and efficient single-photon stream that can be widely used in quantum cryptography.
Fluorescent crystals are placed on "nano-needles" for directional illumination, which can be used for quantum encryption. Image source: Afhu Organization Network (afhu.org) related reports
Germany
Germany
Launch of Europe's first quantum computer
Precise control of quantum transitions in atomic nuclei
The first commercial quantum computer in Europe developed by the German Fraunhofer Association in cooperation with IBM was officially launched. The elementary particle components of the 27-qubit computer are produced by IBM in the United States, the cooling system comes from Finland, and the control system is developed in Germany. Meanwhile, Germany has assembled an international team in The Quantum Valley in Lower Saxony to develop new quantum computers based on a fundamental technology that allows ions to exist and be stored alone. In addition, for the first time, a German government department held a video conference between Berlin and Bonn via quantum communication technology.
The German Fraunhofer Association partnered with IBM to launch Europe's first commercial quantum computer. Image credit: IBM website
The centers under the Helmholtz Federation, with the National Science and Engineering as the core, continue to forge ahead. For example, the Jürich Research Center for the first time achieved the direct measurement of the extraordinary electrical properties present in ultra-thin topological insulators by using four special cutting-edge scanning tunneling microscopes; a miniature infrared detector was developed that could control the spectral response of two different infrared bands using a voltage-controlled switch. The Helmholtz Center (HZB) in Berlin has developed a method to accurately measure the cross-section of the electron beam of a "benchtop particle accelerator", driving the application of new accelerator technology in medicine and research. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology has developed a new Fabry-Perot resonator that tracks the movement of nanoparticles in space for protein, DNA folding or virus characterization, and a new gas molecular sensor that enables precise molecular-specific detection.
The institutes of the Max Planck Society, whose main task is basic research, have also borne fruit. For example, the Institute of Quantum Optics is the first to implement quantum logic operations between quantum modules separated by different laboratories, opening up a new development path for distributed quantum computing. The Institute for Intelligent Systems recorded the world's first video of a space-time crystal. The Institute of Biophysical Chemistry has developed a new optical microscopy method capable of resolving individual molecules spaced only a few nanometers apart. The Coal Research Institute has developed a new method of synthesizing ammonia at room temperature and ordinary atmospheric pressure. For the first time, the Institute of Nuclear Physics has used X-rays to precisely control the quantum transition of an atomic nucleus. The Institute of Optics designed an experiment that prevents photon quenching while detecting photons. The Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics has found that bubbles in rock pores may have been the cradle of early Earth life.
For the first time, German scientists succeeded in achieving atomic interferometry in space on a probe rocket. Given that atomic interferometers can take advantage of the wave properties of atoms to make extremely accurate measurements, such as measuring the Earth's gravitational field or detecting gravitational waves, the new research is expected to detect gravitational waves more accurately.
Japan
Japan
For the first time, the mass of overweight elements is accurately measured
Clarify the mechanism of magnetic Sgminzi crystals
In March 2021, researchers from Japan's Mercari Corporation, the University of Tokyo, and Osaka University planned to build short-range communication networks in a new way within five years to achieve an "absolutely secure" quantum Internet. In its business plan released in February, the "Quantum Internet Task Force" announced a plan to establish a quantum Internet test environment.
An international joint research team composed of the Japan High Energy Accelerator Research Institute (KEK), the Riken Institute of Chemistry, and Kyushu University successfully accurately measured the mass of the superheavy element Db isotope 257Db with atomic number 105 using the inflatable anti-hopping nuclear separator (GARIS-II. ) and the multi-reflective time-of-flight measurement mass spectrometer (MRTOF) in RI Beam Factory (RIBF).
The device used to measure the mass of the Db isotope. Photo credit: Japan Science and Technology Agency
In August, the University of Tokyo clarified the nanoscale magnetic Sgminzi crystal mechanism, providing a design direction for the development of new substances. The research team at the University of Tokyo constructed a microscopic model containing antisymmetric exchanges derived from chiral crystal structures and spin-charge interactions derived from cruising electronic systems, and through numerical simulation analysis, theoretically confirmed the stable existence of nanoscale magnetic Sgramminger crystal phases. The design ideas in this study help to make progress in the field of spintronics that take advantage of the huge bursts of magnetic fields generated by the high integration of magnetic Smingons.
Source: Science and Technology Daily (reporters Dong Yingbi, Liu Xia, Tai Ju, Li Hongce, Zhang Hao, Hu Dingkun, Li Shan, Chen Chao, intern reporter Zhang Jiaxin)
Editor: Zhang Shuang
Review: Yue Liang
Final Judge: Liu Haiying