The chip from a quantum computer

September issue

This month we learn how to braid and fuse topological anyons, highlight a Perspective on the use of THz optical probes in condensed matter, and consider the potential of PhD students.

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  • Artistic schematic of two atoms forming a molecule.

    This Insight issue celebrates and reviews recent progress in the generation and study of cold and ultracold molecules and ions for applications in quantum simulation, metrology and chemistry.

Nature Physics is a Transformative Journal; authors can publish using the traditional publishing route OR via immediate gold Open Access.

Our Open Access option complies with funder and institutional requirements.

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  • Deflection is one of the options discussed for preventing catastrophic collisions of asteroids with Earth. Now, a megajoule-class X-ray pulse is used to simulate such scenarios, demonstrating that it is a viable strategy at higher interceptor energies.

    • Nathan W. Moore
    • Mikhail Mesh
    • Seth Root
    Article
  • Coherent noise affecting a random error correcting code is now shown to produce a transition between phases that accumulate and destroy magic.

    • Pradeep Niroula
    • Christopher David White
    • Michael J. Gullans
    Article
  • Rydberg atoms in optical tweezers are a promising platform for quantum information science. A platform composed of dual-species Rydberg arrays has been realized, offering access to unexplored interaction regimes and crosstalk-free midcircuit control.

    • Shraddha Anand
    • Conor E. Bradley
    • Hannes Bernien
    ArticleOpen Access
    • A platform for imaging traction forces exerted by moving cells overcomes current reconstruction limitations. This technique has identified unknown migration dynamics of immune cells and resolved traction forces of single and multicellular systems.

      • Jennifer Patten
      • Karin Wang
      News & Views
    • Error-corrected quantum computers require access to so-called magic states to outperform classical devices. Now, a study has shown that coherent errors can drive error-correcting codes into high-magic states that could be a resource for universal quantum computing.

      • Xhek Turkeshi
      News & Views
    • A tunable SU(2) gauge field has been realized experimentally in a Raman momentum lattice using ultracold atoms. The chiral dynamics of the system have been investigated under different gauge potentials, whose non-Abelian nature was confirmed through observation of the non-Abelian Aharonov–Bohm effect.

      Research Briefing
    • Topological insulators exhibit unidirectional flow of robust electric charge at the edge of the system. Two recent experiments have observed these chiral edge modes in exceptionally controllable settings of ultracold atoms.

      • Luca Asteria
      • F. Nur Ünal
      News & Views
    • Approximate notions of quantum error-correcting codes hold wide importance across quantum information and physics, but are not cohesively understood. Now, general rigorous connections established between approximate quantum error correction and quantum circuit complexity reveal a ‘complexity phase diagram’ for generalized quantum codes — and create a new unifying lens on complex quantum systems.

      Research Briefing
  • The Fisher information imposes a fundamental limit on the precision with which an unknown parameter can be estimated from noisy data, as Dorian Bouchet explains.

    • Dorian Bouchet
    Measure for Measure
  • PhD students can face many challenges, such as a lack of confidence in their newly acquired skills or the uncertainty about which career path to choose. We highlight some ways to empower students in their doctoral journey.

    Editorial
  • Measurements pervade winemaking, from the size of vineyards to the taste in your mouth. Stefanie Reichert gives us the tour.

    • Stefanie Reichert
    Measure for Measure
  • In light of the recent Olympic and upcoming Paralympic Summer Games in Paris, we take a closer look at the physics of sports and how it helps athletes improve their performance.

    Editorial
Light caught under the hand of a student as they plug wires into an electrical circuit

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