Lifeboat Foundation

Here we propose a novel protected erasure qubit, the Floquet fluxonium molecule (FFM). The FFM qubit exhibits (i) extremely long predicted logical coherence times and relatively long erasure lifetimes, (ii) a simple superconducting circuit structure, and (iii) high-fidelity single-qubit gates, which are much faster than the coherence timescale. Based on a Floquet-driven pair of inductively coupled fluxonium circuits [13–15], the FFM is a multi-DOF superconducting circuit with engineered, highly coherent quasieigenstates.

Our key technical contribution is a novel form of Floquet protection in a multi-DOF qubit, which strongly suppresses phase-flip errors, removing them at first and second order in the flux noise. The combination of drive and multi-DOF allows the low-lying eigenstates to be disjoint and delocalized with a nonvanishing energy gap. The second-order sweet spot has no analogue in the single-DOF circuits that have been studied thus far [16–18]; in fact, in single-DOF circuits there is a generic trade-off between bit-and phase-flip errors arising from the inability to keep two eigenstates simultaneously disjoint and flux delocalized using accessible circuit QED Hamiltonians [19].

The higher-order phase-flip insensitivity allow the predicted coherence time of the FFM qubit to significantly outperform other multi-DOF circuits. These include the following: the dual-rail erasure transmon, with experimentally achieved logical lifetimes of approximately ms and erasure lifetimes of approximately [12]; the dual-rail cavity, with logical lifetimes predicted [10] (achieved [11]) at approximately ms (3 ms), limited by cavity and ancilla dephasing, and erasure lifetimes of approximately in both cases; and the cold echo qubit, with predicted logical lifetime of ms with erasure rates unreported [8]. Theoretically, we find the FFM exhibits long bit-flip coherence times of approximately 50 ms while suppressing phase flips even further, along with a 500-erasure lifetime.

Gridstor, a US-based developer and operator of grid-scale battery storage systems, has kicked off construction of its first project in the Texas ERCOT market.

The developer said last week (17 October) that construction is underway on the Hidden Lakes Reliability Project 220MW/440MWh standalone battery energy storage system (BESS) in Texas’ Galveston County.

In a major jump into the era of eVTOL air taxis and multicopter cargo drones, the US FAA has issued new regulations that introduce the first new aircraft category, called “power-lift” aircraft, since modern helicopters were introduced in the 1940s.

According to the FAA and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a power-lift aircraft is “a heavier-than-air aircraft capable of vertical take-off, vertical landing, and low-speed flight, which depends principally on engine-driven lift devices or engine thrust for the lift during these flight regimes and on non-rotating aerofoils for lift during horizontal flight.”

Essentially, this means aircraft that combine the characteristics of both fixed-wing planes and helicopters. In other words, they can take off, hover, and land like helicopters, yet act like fixed-winged craft in horizontal flight. As of now, these include convertiplanes, tilt-rotors, tilt-wings, rotor-wings, tail-sitters, and VSTOL aircraft like the Harrier and the F-35B Lighting II that use vector thrust, lift jets, or lift fans for vertical flight.

Deposits of ice in lunar dust and rock (regolith) are more extensive than previously thought, according to a new analysis of data from NASA’s LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) mission. Ice would be a valuable resource for future lunar expeditions. Water could be used for radiation protection and supporting human explorers, or broken into its hydrogen and oxygen components to make rocket fuel, energy, and breathable air.

Prior studies found signs of ice in the larger permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) near the lunar South Pole, including areas within Cabeus, Haworth, Shoemaker and Faustini craters. In the new work, “We find that there is widespread evidence of water ice within PSRs outside the South Pole, towards at least 77 degrees south latitude,” said Dr. Timothy P. McClanahan of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and lead author of a paper on this research published October 2 in The Planetary Science Journal.

The study further aids lunar mission planners by providing maps and identifying the surface characteristics that show where ice is likely and less likely to be found, with evidence for why that should be. “Our model and analysis show that greatest ice concentrations are expected to occur near the PSRs’ coldest locations below 75 Kelvin (−198°C or −325°F) and near the base of the PSRs’ poleward-facing slopes,” said McClanahan.

Researchers at McGill University have made a significant advance in the development of all-solid-state lithium batteries, which are being pursued as the next step in electric vehicle (EV) battery technology.

By addressing a long-standing issue with battery performance, this innovation could pave the way for safer, longer-lasting EVs. The findings are published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science.

The challenge lies in the resistance that occurs where the ceramic electrolyte meets the electrodes. This makes the battery less efficient and reduces how much energy it can deliver. The research team has discovered that creating a porous ceramic membrane, instead of the traditional dense plate, and filling it with a small amount of polymer can resolve this issue.

Demystifying the science of quantum physics.

A new study has uncovered the universal dynamics far from equilibrium in randomly interacting spin models, thereby complementing the well-established universality in low-energy equilibrium physics. The study, recently published in Nature Physics, was the result of a collaborative effort involving the research group led by Prof. Du Jiangfeng and Prof. Peng Xinhua at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), along with the theoretical groups of Prof. Zhai Hui from Tsinghua University and Dr. Zhang Pengfei from Fudan University.

A plasma jet from galaxy M87 appears to move five times faster than light.

In the world of astronomy, a peculiar and seemingly impossible phenomenon is unfolding in galaxy M87. A beam of plasma, or energy, is shooting out from the galaxy’s core and appears to travel at five times the speed of light, as observed by the Hubble Space Telescope. Though this illusion has been known since 1995, it continues to challenge our understanding of the universe’s laws, particularly the cosmic speed limit that states nothing can move faster than light.

A new technique for harvesting geothermal energy being pioneered in Utah has passed a significant milestone: Southern California Edison has contracted for enough of the energy to power 400,000 homes.