Annals of Quantum and Condensed Matter Physics - Articles

Sørensen, D.

Akerkouch, L., Le, T.

This paper aims to examine the ability to control a model of red blood cell (RBC) dynamics and the associated extracellular flow patterns in microfluidic channels via oscillatory flows. Our computational approach employs a hybrid continuum–particle coupling, in which the cell membrane and cytosol fluid are modeled using the dissipative particle dynamics method. The blood plasma is modeled as an incompressible fluid via the immersed boundary method. This coupling is novel because it provides an accurate description of RBC dynamics while the extracellular flow patterns around the RBCs are also captured in detail. Our coupling methodology is validated with available experimental and computational data in the literature and shows excellent agreement. We explore the controlling regimes by varying the shape of the oscillatory flow waveform at the channel inlet. Our simulation results show that a host of RBC morphological dynamics emerges depending on the channel geometry, the incoming flow waveform, and the RBC initial location. Complex dynamics of RBC are induced by the flow waveform. Our results show that the RBC shape is strongly dependent on its initial location. Our results suggest that the controlling of oscillatory flows can be used to induce specific morphological shapes of RBCs and the surrounding fluid patterns in bio-engineering applications.

Ferreira, M., Tembo, T., Sandberg, J., Gunnarsson, E.

This paper aims to examine the ability to control a model of red blood cell (RBC) dynamics and the associated extracellular flow patterns in microfluidic channels via oscillatory flows. Our computational approach employs a hybrid continuum–particle coupling, in which the cell membrane and cytosol fluid are modeled using the dissipative particle dynamics method. The blood plasma is modeled as an incompressible fluid via the immersed boundary method. This coupling is novel because it provides an accurate description of RBC dynamics while the extracellular flow patterns around the RBCs are also captured in detail. Our coupling methodology is validated with available experimental and computational data in the literature and shows excellent agreement. We explore the controlling regimes by varying the shape of the oscillatory flow waveform at the channel inlet. Our simulation results show that a host of RBC morphological dynamics emerges depending on the channel geometry, the incoming flow waveform, and the RBC initial location. Complex dynamics of RBC are induced by the flow waveform. Our results show that the RBC shape is strongly dependent on its initial location. Our results suggest that the controlling of oscillatory flows can be used to induce specific morphological shapes of RBCs and the surrounding fluid patterns in bio-engineering applications.

Feng, T., Zhao, W., Li, C., Li, Y., Li, X., Liu, Z., Yan, L., Xu, P., Yan, H., Zhang, Y., Li, Z., Xiong, B.

This study systematically investigates the effects of Fe and Si impurities on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Cu-Li alloys. Five alloy compositions with controlled Fe (0.03–0.12 wt.%) and Si (0.03–0.12 wt.%) contents were fabricated and processed through homogenization, hot extrusion, solution treatment, and aging. Microstructural characterization demonstrates that Fe promotes the formation of coarse skeletal Al7Cu2Fe intermetallics, while Si facilitates the precipitation of blocky α-AlFeSi phases and eutectic Si particles. An elevated Fe content substantially deteriorates strength, ductility, and fracture toughness, primarily due to two mechanisms: the persistence of thermally stable impurity phases that serve as stress concentrators and preferential crack initiation sites throughout thermomechanical processing, and the consumption of Cu that reduces the volume fraction of primary T1 (Al2CuLi) strengthening precipitates. In contrast, Si exhibits comparatively moderate detrimental effects. The findings establish that stringent Fe control is essential for maintaining mechanical performance, whereas strategic Si adjustment offers a viable approach for cost management in recycled alloy production.

Feng, T., Zhao, W., Li, C., Li, Y., Li, X., Liu, Z., Yan, L., Xu, P., Yan, H., Zhang, Y., Li, Z., Xiong, B.

This study systematically investigates the effects of Fe and Si impurities on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Cu-Li alloys. Five alloy compositions with controlled Fe (0.03–0.12 wt.%) and Si (0.03–0.12 wt.%) contents were fabricated and processed through homogenization, hot extrusion, solution treatment, and aging. Microstructural characterization demonstrates that Fe promotes the formation of coarse skeletal Al7Cu2Fe intermetallics, while Si facilitates the precipitation of blocky α-AlFeSi phases and eutectic Si particles. An elevated Fe content substantially deteriorates strength, ductility, and fracture toughness, primarily due to two mechanisms: the persistence of thermally stable impurity phases that serve as stress concentrators and preferential crack initiation sites throughout thermomechanical processing, and the consumption of Cu that reduces the volume fraction of primary T1 (Al2CuLi) strengthening precipitates. In contrast, Si exhibits comparatively moderate detrimental effects. The findings establish that stringent Fe control is essential for maintaining mechanical performance, whereas strategic Si adjustment offers a viable approach for cost management in recycled alloy production.

Holmberg, C., Nair, R.

Samples known or suspected to be infected with high-consequence viruses such as Ebola, Nipah, and Lassa must be handled under high biocontainment. Studies involving animal infections with these pathogens can generate tissues that require downstream analyses, including molecular assays and histopathology, which are more readily performed, or in some cases only feasible, at lower containment levels. Before removal from high containment for analyses at lower containment levels, specimens must undergo validated inactivation procedures. Here, we quantified viral load reduction in tissues infected with these pathogens following treatment with neutral-buffered formalin for 10 min, 1 h, 3 days, or 7 days, and MagMAX lysis/binding solution concentrate or TriPure isolation reagent for 1 or 10 min. To ensure accurate detection of any residual infectious virus, samples were purified through resins or centrifugal filters to reduce reagent cytotoxicity and maximize volume of testable material. We demonstrated effective inactivation (≥ 4 log 10 reduction) of all three pathogens and quantified log-reduction values over multiple timepoints. These findings provide validation data to support safe handling of infectious tissues for research, field studies, and outbreak response. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-33750-9.

Takahashi, S.

Despite considerable progress in recent years, several fundamental questions about superconducting qubits remain open. We observe good agreement between exact diagonalization and the measured spectra, and we show that the result is stable under a range of perturbations of the assumptions. In contrast to earlier studies, our approach accounts for heterogeneity and avoids the usual simplifying assumptions. We observe a crossover between two distinct regimes controlled by the coupling strength. Together, these results contribute to a more complete picture and open the way to further applications.

Madsen, L., Laudenbach, F., Askarani, M., Rortais, F., Vincent, T., Bulmer, J., Miatto, F., Neuhaus, L., Helt, L., Collins, M., Lita, A., Gerrits, T., Nam, S., Vaidya, V., Menotti, M., Dhand, I., Vernon, Z., Quesada, N., Lavoie, J.

A quantum computer attains computational advantage when outperforming the best classical computers running the best-known algorithms on well-defined tasks. No photonic machine offering programmability over all its quantum gates has demonstrated quantum computational advantage: previous machines1,2 were largely restricted to static gate sequences. Earlier photonic demonstrations were also vulnerable to spoofing3, in which classical heuristics produce samples, without direct simulation, lying closer to the ideal distribution than do samples from the quantum hardware. Here we report quantum computational advantage using Borealis, a photonic processor offering dynamic programmability on all gates implemented. We carry out Gaussian boson sampling4 (GBS) on 216 squeezed modes entangled with three-dimensional connectivity5, using a time-multiplexed and photon-number-resolving architecture. On average, it would take more than 9,000 years for the best available algorithms and supercomputers to produce, using exact methods, a single sample from the programmed distribution, whereas Borealis requires only 36 μs. This runtime advantage is over 50 million times as extreme as that reported from earlier photonic machines. Ours constitutes a very large GBS experiment, registering events with up to 219 photons and a mean photon number of 125. This work is a critical milestone on the path to a practical quantum computer, validating key technological features of photonics as a platform for this goal.

Olsen, H., Kaya, E., Mahmoud, Z.

A quantum computer attains computational advantage when outperforming the best classical computers running the best-known algorithms on well-defined tasks. No photonic machine offering programmability over all its quantum gates has demonstrated quantum computational advantage: previous machines 1 , 2 were largely restricted to static gate sequences. Earlier photonic demonstrations were also vulnerable to spoofing 3 , in which classical heuristics produce samples, without direct simulation, lying closer to the ideal distribution than do samples from the quantum hardware. Here we report quantum computational advantage using Borealis, a photonic processor offering dynamic programmability on all gates implemented. We carry out Gaussian boson sampling 4 (GBS) on 216 squeezed modes entangled with three-dimensional connectivity 5 , using a time-multiplexed and photon-number-resolving architecture. On average, it would take more than 9,000 years for the best available algorithms and supercomputers to produce, using exact methods, a single sample from the programmed distribution, whereas Borealis requires only 36 μs. This runtime advantage is over 50 million times as extreme as that reported from earlier photonic machines. Ours constitutes a very large GBS experiment, registering events with up to 219 photons and a mean photon number of 125. This work is a critical milestone on the path to a practical quantum computer, validating key technological features of photonics as a platform for this goal.