national institute of standards and technology
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Physicists Simulate Time Travel Using Quantum Entanglement
The quantum world operates by different rules than the classical one we buzz around in, allowing the fantastical to the bizarrely normal. Now, a team of physicists has used quantum entanglement to simulate a closed timelike curve—in layman’s terms, time travel. Before we proceed, I’ll stress that this was simulated; no quantum particles went back…
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Inside the U.S. Government’s Fight Against Quantum Hackers — Which Don’t Exist yet
This week, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced the winners of a global competition to create new encryption standards. Somewhat mind-bogglingly, these algorithms have been designed to defend against a cyber threat that doesn’t even exist yet: quantum computers.
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Physicists Trap Ultracold Neutrons in a Bottle to See How Long They Live
An international team of researchers recently measured the lifetime of a neutron outside of an atomic nucleus with extraordinary precision. By their measurements, the neutron survived for 14.629 minutes, or 877.75 seconds, give or take a third of a second.
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Researchers Put Cloth Face Masks Under a Microscope. The Images Are Out of This World
Cloth face masks have become part of the daily routine for many of us. The first thing I did at the beginning of the pandemic last year was buy some cloth face masks for my mum, who is 68 years old and has delicate health. Nearly a year after that purchase, my mum is vaccinated,…