Silicon Valley may have led the digital revolution, but Illinois is emerging as a hub for quantum innovation, dubbed the “Quantum Prairie.” Anchored by institutions like the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, the region is attracting both tech giants and startups focused on quantum information science. Researchers are now harnessing quantum physics—first discovered […]
Engineers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have developed a versatile new electrolyte that advances the development of an initially anode-free sodium-ion battery—a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and grid energy storage. Led by Assistant Professor Fang Liu and PhD students Qianli Xing and Ziqi Yang, the team is also using this electrolyte […]
Caltech researchers have developed a machine learning method that significantly accelerates quantum calculations related to atomic vibrations, or phonons, which influence key material properties like heat transport and phase transitions. Led by Professor Marco Bernardi and graduate student Yao Luo, the team built on their earlier work using singular value decomposition (SVD) to simplify complex […]
Scientists and engineers at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) are pioneering a new approach to materials science that leverages artificial intelligence and robotics to dramatically speed up the design, testing, and optimization of metal components critical to national defense. This initiative, called TETRA (Transforming Evaluation and Testing via Robotics and Acceleration), reimagines the traditional […]
Researchers at the University of Arizona in Tucson have developed a laser-based microscope that snaps images at attosecond — or a billionth of a billionth of a second — speed.
