Debugging a quantum processor
Researchers at the University of Innsbruck, together with partners from Sydney and Waterloo, have presented a new diagnostic method for quantum computers. It makes errors in individual quantum bits visible during logical calculation and evaluates them. The new method was demonstrated on an ion trap quantum processor in Innsbruck. It can be used to identify critical error sources —a key to developing more robust, fault-tolerant quantum processors.
Quantum computing without interruptions
Mid-circuit measurements are one of the biggest practical hurdles in quantum error correction on encoded qubits. Researchers in Innsbruck and Aachen have now proposed and experimentally demonstrated that a universal fault-tolerant quantum algorithm can be executed without such measurements. Using a trapped-ion quantum processor, the team successfully ran Grover's quantum search algorithm on three logical qubits.
Tracking contamination in real time
High-purity silicon is used in computer chips and solar cells. A new analytical method developed at the Department of Ion Physics and Applied Physics in collaboration with Wacker Chemie AG can detect impurities in real time and reduces resource consumption during the production of high-purity polysilicon.
Quantum gas resists heating
A joint theoretical study by the University of Innsbruck and Zhejiang University has uncovered the microscopic origin of a striking quantum phenomenon: a periodically driven gas of ultracold atoms that simply refuses to heat up, defying classical expectations.
Field tests: Clearing aisle islands boosts sales
Additional product displays in supermarket aisles—so-called secondary placements—are intended to encourage impulse purchases. However, a new study by Mathias C. Streicher of the University of Innsbruck shows that excessive use of secondary displays narrows the aisles, reducing in-aisle browsing and sales. In real-world field experiments, sales rose by about 11.5 percent after removing secondary displays from a congested aisle, even though fewer products were on display overall.
2026 World Cup: Spain in the lead
An international team, including researchers from the University of Innsbruck and TU Dortmund University, has once again produced a data-driven prediction for the World Cup. According to the statistical analysis, Spain is the top favorite with a 14.5 % probability, followed closely by England and France, both with 12.4 %, and Germany with 11.2 %.
A novel critical quantum phase
In a new study published in Physical Review Letters, a team of the Nägerl group jointly with theory collaborator Alvise Bastianello from the CNRS and the Université Paris-Dauphine demonstrates that highly unusual quantum states known as "fractional Fermi seas" can be quantum engineered.
New blueprint for exotic quantum states
Researchers led by Francesca Ferlaino and Luca Barbiero have developed a new theoretical model for ultracold magnetic atoms in a one-dimensional quantum structure, revealing seven exotic phases of matter. Most remarkably, one phase combines topological order and superconductivity, with potential applications in quantum computing. They provide a detailed roadmap for realizing and detecting these using existing experimental techniques.
Future Climate Intensifies Drought Effects on Grassland
The effects of individual climate factors on ecosystems are usually considered in isolation; however, in reality, they occur simultaneously and influence each other. Increasing CO₂ concentrations in the atmosphere contribute to climate warming, which in turn fosters more frequent and intense drought periods. A study from Innsbruck shows that the consequences of drought on grasslands in a future climate will be more severe than previously assumed. The work of a team led by Maud Tissink and Michael Bahn from the Department of Ecology has been published in Science Advances.
Not all quantum measurements are created equal
Proving that one quantum measurement is more powerful than another has long been difficult. Physicists from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Lund University, and the University of Innsbruck have now developed and demonstrated a simple technique to certify that a certain class of measurements has properties that cannot be mimicked by simpler means.
Statistics: Looking beyond the mean
When it comes to statistics, we usually expect to be informed about what happens “on average”. But sometimes the key information lies in the deviations from that mean: How likely is heavy rain, and how likely is it to remain dry? So-called distributional regression describes not only the mean but also the distribution of possible values. An international team of authors, including three researchers from the University of Innsbruck, demonstrates in Nature Reviews Methods Primers how versatile this method is and how easily it can be applied in practice.
Choice of tree species affects urban air quality
A research team from the University of Innsbruck and Jinan University investigated how heat and tree emissions, together with nitrogen oxides, intensify the formation of ground-level ozone in megacities, such as Beijing — with a clear result: tree species make the difference.
Quantum simulators get error bars
Researchers have developed a method for determining the accuracy of quantum simulations. The new method not only reconstructs the dynamics of a quantum system from experimental data, but can also quantify the uncertainty of the predictions derived from it. The verification method was demonstrated in Innsbruck, Austria, on an ion-trap quantum computer with up to 51 qubits.
One step closer to the ideal glass
In 1948, chemist Walter Kauzmann published experimental data that could point to the existence of an “ideal glass”: a hypothetical fourth state of matter in which a solid, despite having an amorphous structure, is in thermodynamic equilibrium. Using computer simulations, a team led by Innsbruck physicist Gerhard Jung has now observed for the first time a “Kauzmann transition” from a liquid to an ideal glass.
Stressed soil: How drought is changing grassland
How will the future of our soils - and thus also water availability - be shaped by the effects of impending climate change? An international study led by Jesse Radolinski and Michael Bahn from the Department of Ecology at the University of Innsbruck shows how drought, warming and increased atmospheric CO₂ concentrations are changing existing hydrological processes in soils and challenging the resilience of ecosystems. The findings were published in the journal Science.
A molecular fountain of youth for the brain
What happens in the brain as we age? Might it be at all possible to rejuvenate nerve cells? Seeking answers to these questions, a research group led by Frank Edenhofer at the Department of Molecular Biology has succeeded for the first time in observing mini-brains age.