
A Quantum Photonic Chip Ran in Orbit for Eight Months, Losing Half Its Detectors
University of Vienna physicists report that a light-based quantum processor survived launch on a Falcon 9 and produced photon pairs and interference in space.
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10 stories from Planck Standard. Latest: September 29, 2026.

University of Vienna physicists report that a light-based quantum processor survived launch on a Falcon 9 and produced photon pairs and interference in space.

By cooling ultra-pure crystals to a fraction of a degree above absolute zero, a Vienna-led team stretched the lifetime of magnons to 18 microseconds — long enough to turn them into a 'quantum bus' linking hundreds of qubits.

By cooling ultra-pure crystals to a whisker above absolute zero, a Vienna-led team kept magnons alive for 18 microseconds — long enough, they say, to carry quantum information the way today's best qubits do.

Researchers led by the University of Vienna kept 'magnons' alive for 18 microseconds — long enough to carry quantum information — and found the only real limit is how pure the crystal is.

Researchers achieved a record-breaking quantum experiment showing that sodium nanoparticles can exist in superposition states despite containing thousands of atoms.

Researchers demonstrate quantum interference in sodium nanoparticles containing thousands of atoms, pushing quantum mechanics into new realm.

Researchers demonstrated quantum superposition in sodium clusters containing thousands of atoms, pushing the boundaries of quantum mechanics toward macroscopic objects.

Researchers demonstrate quantum interference in sodium nanoparticles containing thousands of atoms, pushing the boundaries of quantum mechanics into larger-scale objects.

Researchers demonstrated that metallic nanoparticles made of thousands of atoms can exist in quantum superposition, pushing the boundaries of quantum mechanics into surprisingly large-scale objects.

Metallic sodium nanoparticles 10 times larger than any previously tested produced clear quantum interference patterns in experiments published in Nature, pushing the boundary of where quantum mechanics visibly applies.