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Showing posts with the label devices

Secure cryptography with real-world devices is now a realistic possibility

New research published in Nature describes how an international team of researchers have, for the first time, experimentally applied a type of quantum cryptography considered to be the ‘most’, ‘bug proof’ means of communication. In an experiment that builds on three decades of fundamental research, experimental work at the Department of Physics, University of Oxford – with theoretical contributions from ETH Zurich, EPFL, University of Geneva in Switzerland, and the French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energy Commission (CEA). ) – demonstrates a complete quantum key distribution protocol that is immune to the physical device vulnerabilities and defects that interfere with current quantum protocols. This experiment proved a much stronger form of security than can be achieved today using classic computers. Existing ‘quantum key distribution’ (QKD) implementations rely on communication between ‘trusted’ quantum devices (and thus offer potential for quantum hacking). The newly demonstrat

Smaller and more powerful magnets can enhance devices that harness the fusion power of the sun and stars

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PPPL main engineer Yuhu Zhai with high temperature superconducting magnet drawing, which can improve the performance of spherical tokamak fusion device. Credit: Kiran Sudarsanan / PPPL Transportation Service Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have found a way to build powerful magnets that are smaller than ever, helping design and construct machines that can help the world harness the power of the sun to create electricity. without producing the greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Scientists have found a way to build high-temperature superconducting magnets made of materials that conduct electricity with little or no resistance at warmer temperatures than before. Such a powerful magnet would fit more easily into the tight spaces inside the spherical tokamak, which is shaped more like a nucleated apple than a conventional donut tokamak, and is being explored as