A silicon-based quantum computing device could be closer than ever due to a new experimental device that demonstrates the potential to use light as a messenger to connect quantum bits of information — known as qubits — that are not immediately adjacent to each other. The feat is a step toward making quantum computing devices from silicon, the same material used in today’s smartphones and computers.

In a step toward making a quantum computer using everyday materials, a team led by researchers at Princeton University has constructed a key piece of silicon hardware capable of controlling quantum behaviour between two electrons with extremely high precision. The study was published in the journal Science. The team constructed a gate that controls interactions between the electrons in a way that allows them to act as the quantum bits o...

  By applying a solar cell technology, researchers at Princeton University have developed a different type of smart window: a self-powered version that could be inexpensive and easy to apply to windows. This system features solar cells that selectively absorb near-ultraviolet (near-UV) light, so the new windows are completely self-powered.

Researchers from Princeton University's Department of Molecular Biology have developed a method that can precisely track the replication of yellow fever virus in individual host immune cells. The technique, which is described in a paper published in the journal Nature Communications, could aid the development of new vaccines against a range of viruses, including Dengue and Zika.

Electromagnetic pulses lasting one millionth of a millionth of a second may hold the key to advances in medical imaging, communications and drug development. But the pulses, called terahertz waves, have long required elaborate and expensive equipment to use. Now, researchers at Princeton University have drastically shrunk much of that equipment: moving from a tabletop setup with lasers and mirrors to a pair of microchips small enough to...

  For the first time, an experiment has directly imaged electron orbits in a high-magnetic field, illuminating an unusual collective behaviour in electrons and suggesting new ways of manipulating the charged particles. The study, conducted by researchers at Princeton University and the University of Texas-Austin was published in the journal Science.

Princeton University researchers have built a computer chip that promises to boost performance of data centres that lie at the core of online services from email to social media. Data centres - essentially giant warehouses packed with computer servers - enable cloud-based services, such as Gmail and Facebook, as well as store the staggeringly voluminous content available via the internet.