An AI model informed by calculations from a quantum computer can better predict the behaviour of a complex physical system over the long term than current best models that use only conventional computers, according to a new study led by UCL (University College London) researchers.

Researchers from Zhejiang University and their collaborators have developed Qjump, a hybrid quantum-classical algorithm for tackling combinatorial optimization problems. By combining shallow-circuit quantum sampling with classical local search, Qjump effectively "jumps" between candidate solution landscapes to overcome local minima. On up to 104 superconducting qubits, Qjump demonstrated its potential to outperform a highly optimized simulated annealing algorithm, marking a significant step toward practical quantum advantage on near-term quantum hardware.

Information transmission with structured light continues to advance in performance. In a study published in PhotoniX, researchers from Nanjing University have introduced the LightELF system to tackle a key challenge in structured light detection. The team developed and validated an event‑driven method for dynamic singularity detection and topological signal encoding, providing a new technical pathway to overcome the long‑standing challenge of real‑time processing and information transmission using optical topological knots.

We thought it was evolution, but an experiment with pencils shows that tips like teeth and thorns may owe their rounded shape to mechanical wear.

High-order Landau modes offer immense potential for large-capacity information processing. However, exploiting the high-order Landau modes and controlling their spatial distributions have remained elusive. Now, a collaborative team from Beijing Institute of Technology, The University of Hong Kong, Tsinghua University, and Tongji University, writing in the Science Bulletin, proposes a physical mechanism to reshape high-order Landau modes. By constructing pseudo-magnetic fields, pseudo-electric fields, and imaginary momentum, the researchers provide a versatile framework to tailor the spatial profiles of Landau modes to meet diverse requirements, such as spectral selection, mode localization, broadening. These findings can advance the applications in large-capacity information processing, frequency multiplexing, and wave packet reshaping.