Physics
An insulator made of two conductors
Research
ETH Zurich
At ETH Zurich researchers have observed a new state of matter: in graphene layers twisted relative to each other, two electrical conductors team up to form an insulator.
Exploring the practical benefits of exotic materials
Research
PSI
Niel Schröter’s research at PSI has focused on exotic materials and demonstrated their fascinating electronic states for the first time. His work has now been recognised through one of the Swiss Physical Society’s annual awards. He plans to build on this basic research in future and pave the way for quantum computers.
Improving contact-tracing apps in the COVID-19 era
Research
EPFL
An international collaboration with EPFL has developed a method to improve the performance of COVID-19 contact-tracing apps by taking into account a user’s recent contacts, risk levels and shared information about tests and symptoms.
Scientific reasoning requires the irrationality of intuition
Research
EPFL
EPFL Summer Series: How science works. Science is based on coherent reasoning, while intuition follows a more disjointed path. But scientific research couldn’t succeed if scientists didn’t listen to their gut feelings every once in a while.
First light at Furka: The experiments can begin
Research
PSI
It's another milestone on the path to full operation of the X-ray free-electron laser SwissFEL with five experiment stations in all: "First light" at the experiment station Furka. It clears the way for experimental possibilities that are unique worldwide. Team leader Elia Razzoli explains what the Furka Group is planning to do.
Running quantum software on a classical computer
Research
EPFL
Two physicists, from EPFL and Columbia University, have introduced an approach for simulating the quantum approximate optimization algorithm using a traditional computer. Instead of running the algorithm on advanced quantum processors, the new approach uses a classical machine-learning algorithm that closely mimics the behavior of near-term quantum computers.
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