First electronic–photonic quantum chip created in commercial foundry

In a milestone for scalable quantum technologies, scientists from Boston University, UC Berkeley, and Northwestern University have reported the world's first electronic–photonic–quantum system on a chip, according to a study published in Nature Electronics.

The system combines quantum light sources and stabilizing electronics using a standard 45-nanometer semiconductor manufacturing process to produce reliable streams of correlated photon pairs (particles of light)—a key resource for emerging quantum technologies. The advance paves the way for mass-producible "quantum light factory" chips and large-scale quantum systems built from many such chips working together.

"Quantum computing, communication, and sensing are on a decades-long path from concept to reality," says Miloš Popović, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at BU and a senior author on the study. "This is a small step on that path—but an important one, because it shows we can build repeatable, controllable quantum systems in commercial semiconductor foundries."

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Quantum Secrets from Strange Metals

Scientists have made progress in understanding the behavior of a strange metal called Y-ball, which is central to next-generation quantum materials and could drive future technologies. By using gamma rays in a synchrotron and Mossbauer spectroscopy, the researchers found unusual fluctuations in Y-ball’s electrical charge and discovered that these strange metals may pave the way for high-temperature superconductivity and other quantum applications.

Physicists at Rutgers University have offered theoretical perspectives on an experiment involving a “strange metal,” which could play a crucial role in the development of future quantum technologies.

Researchers investigating a compound referred to as “Y-ball,” which belongs to a mysterious class of “strange metals” considered crucial for the development of advanced quantum materials, have discovered novel methods for examining and comprehending its behavior.


The outcomes of the experiments may contribute to the creation of disruptive technologies and devices.


“It’s likely that quantum materials will drive the next generation of technology and that strange metals will be part of that story,” said Piers Coleman, a Distinguished Professor at the Rutgers Center for Materials Theory in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences and one of the theoreticians involved in the study. 

“We know that strange metals like Y-ball exhibit properties that need to be understood to develop these future applications. We’re pretty sure that understanding this strange metal will give us new ideas and will help us design and discover new materials.”

Reporting in the journal Science, an international team of researchers from Rutgers, the University of Hyogo, and the University of Tokyo in Japan, the University of Cincinnati, and Johns Hopkins University described details of electron motion that provide new insight into the unusual electrical properties of Y-ball. 

The material, technically known as the compound YbAlB4, contains the elements ytterbium, aluminum, and boron. It was nicknamed “Y-ball” by the late Elihu Abrahams, founding director of the Rutgers Center for Materials Theory.  READ MORE...