Physical Review Letters

Stories

Physicists create a strange new quantum state called a fractional Fermi sea

Published the theoretical framework for the state

Physicists at the University of Innsbruck created a new quantum state called a fractional Fermi sea: ultracold cesium atoms locked into a highly excited but orderly configuration. The state forms when researchers cycle the atoms between forceful repulsion and attraction, pushing the gas far from equilibrium without letting it fall into disorder.

Updated Oct 19

Quantum operations run 1,000 times faster with new error-cutting method

New Capabilities

As of September 2026: Published the study

Quantum computers leak information: the longer an operation runs, the more time stray electrical noise, heat, or cosmic radiation have to corrupt fragile qubits. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have found a way to run a broad range of operations more than 1,000 times faster, cutting thousands of repeated control steps down to a single cycle.

Updated Sep 11