Latest news with #UniversityofTexasAustin
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Quantum Computer Generates Truly Random Number in Scientific First
A quantum machine has used entangled qubits to generate a number certified as truly random for the first time, demonstrating a handy function that's physically beyond even the most powerful supercomputer. Researchers from the US and UK repurposed existing quantum supremacy experiments on Quantinuum's 56-qubit computer to roll God's dice. The result was a number so random, no amount of physics could have predicted it. Quantum technology is becoming critical for secure electronic communication as cybersecurity threats increase. Computer scientist Rajeeb Hazra, president and CEO of Quantinuum, says this is "a pivotal milestone that brings quantum computing firmly into the realm of practical, real-world applications." Several years ago, University of Texas Austin computer scientists Scott Aaronson and Shih-Han Hung proposed a way to generate certified random bits based on random circuit sampling – a method to test a device's ability to squeeze as much quantum magic from its qubits with the least amount of classical tinkering. "When I first proposed my certified randomness protocol in 2018, I had no idea how long I'd need to wait to see an experimental demonstration of it," says Aaronson. "Building upon the original protocol and realizing it is a first step toward using quantum computers to generate certified random bits for actual cryptographic applications." When we roll dice, pick a card, or think of a number between one and a billion, our actions are a combination of countless rules, each as fundamentally reliable and predictable as a pendulum's swing. Even chaotic phenomena like the swirl of wax in a wall of lava lamps are – in theory – destined by thermodynamics. As complex as this web of rules might appear, the fact they are each predetermined to have a single outcome by physics leaves room for patterns that could be exploited by a sufficiently smart computer. Which isn't what you want when you'd prefer your encryptions to be impossible to break, or your Dungeons and Dragons half-elf paladin to have a truly random charisma score. Quantum physics plays by a different set of rules, one with its own built-in random number generator determining a particle's properties. As far as we know, there are no hidden strings at work nearby that a supercomputer could cleverly hedge its bets on. Stitching together the fates of 56 'quantum dice' and using Aaronson's and Hung's protocol to minimize the intrusion of classical physics, the team forced Quantinuum's device to solve a series of problems that relied on its random selection process. To make sure the end result qualified as suitably random, the researchers verified the result across multiple supercomputers using a standardized benchmark protocol that compares the quantum server's results with theoretical ideals. With a combined performance of more than one million trillion operations per second (1.1 exaflops), the computers gave the process a score that easily clears the benchmark for true randomness. This result left no doubt that the solution contained no loopholes a bank of advanced supercomputers might find and unravel, given enough time. Using quantum uncertainty to generate random bits isn't new in itself. Yet by accessing Quantinuum's recently upgraded System Model H2 quantum computer over the internet to carry out the task, the team demonstrated the ultimate game of 'pick a number' could soon be played by just about anybody around the world. "Our application of certified quantum randomness not only demonstrates the unmatched performance of our trapped-ion technology," says Hazra, "but sets a new standard for delivering robust quantum security and enabling advanced simulations across industries like finance, manufacturing, and beyond. This research was published in Nature. Paralyzed Man Controls a Robotic Arm With The Power of His Mind Imaginary Numbers Are an Important Tool For Technology And Engineering Squids' Amazing Color Shifting Could Be Key to Hyper-Efficient Solar Tech
CNN
24-02-2025
- Business
- CNN
Four charts show why Trump's vision of energy independence is a myth
President Donald Trump swept into office with a three-word energy policy: Drill baby drill. In Trump's telling, unleashing US oil drilling will reduce gas prices – and thereby Americans' cost of living – and increase the nation's energy independence. But there is a very simple reason why Trump's seemingly simple plans don't add up: Not all oil is the same. Oil falls on a spectrum from light to heavy, depending on how much sulfur it contains. The recent shale revolution – with new fracking methods extracting more oil from Texas, New Mexico and North Dakota – has pushed the US to become the biggest oil producer in the world. It's also generating an expensive, light crude oil that's being exported to the tune of 13 million barrels per day. Oil experts call it 'the champagne of crudes.' But that is not the kind of oil that has powered cars and industry in the US for decades. America was built on a thick, gunky crude that comes from other countries including Canada, Saudi Arabia and Central and South American nations. 'All crude is not the same,' said Bob McNally, president of consulting firm Rapidan Energy Group. 'Some crudes are like coffee grounds – they're gunky, awful, viscous, dirty. Some crudes are like champagne, light and un-sulfurous.' The US pumps a lot of home-grown champagne out of the ground; a full 80% of the oil produced here is light crude, according to the Energy Information Administration. 'It's much lighter and sweeter,' said Hugh Daigle, an associate professor at the University of Texas Austin and an oil expert. 'It's less viscous.' Meanwhile, the US uses a lot of 'coffee-ground' oil. The nation imports around 6.5 million barrels of crude oil a day from others — most of it either heavy- or medium-density. By far the biggest source of US oil imports is its northern neighbor, Canada, which sent 1.42 billion barrels of crude oil to America in 2023. Most Canadian oil comes from Alberta's tar sands region, where the oil looks like asphalt, molasses or coffee grounds. It's the reliance on Canada's crude that's triggering fears of higher gas prices if Trump follows through on his threat to implement a 10% tariff on Canadian energy. Trump recently claimed the US could get along just fine without Canadian oil. 'We don't need their oil and gas; we have more than anybody,' Trump said at the World Economic Forum last month. A White House spokesman, Kush Desai, said in a statement that Trump is using 'every lever of executive power to deliver progress on border security' including the 'threat of tariffs that disproportionately affect Canadian oil producers — who are landlocked and reliant on exporting to the United States via pipelines.' But US oil refineries could also be impacted by those tariffs. Many US refineries – some of which have been around since the 1930s or earlier – were built decades before America's light-oil boom and therefore made to handle the heavy crude they first imported from the Middle East and South America – the same type of crude that Canada now produces. Refining US light oil is much simpler because it already has low sulfur content. McNally likens it to putting it 'through a still like you're making hooch in a hollow in West Virginia.' Some US refineries have adapted to refine the country's light, home-grown oil, though it varies by region and geography. For instance, Gulf Coast refineries process mostly domestic oil because they're relatively close to the Permian basin in Texas and New Mexico. Meanwhile, refineries in Midwestern and Western states are heavily reliant on Canadian oil because it's also relatively nearby. The other factors refineries need to consider are the price of crude oil (dirtier and heavier crude is cheaper than lighter), and the end products the refineries are making – everything from gasoline for cars, jet fuel, propane and asphalt. There's a lot that goes into oil companies' business calculations, said Jenna Delaney, a Rapidan Energy Group analyst focusing on global crude. 'It's complex, it's regionally specific and it's a lot more complicated than saying, 'we produce this crude, we should use all of it and not export any of it,'' Delaney said. Trump's idea to use only US oil is simply not realistic, experts told CNN. Doing so would throw US refineries into turmoil, and gas prices could skyrocket as a result. 'We'll be importing Canadian oil for the foreseeable future, as far as I'm concerned,' Daigle said.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Four charts show why Trump's vision of energy independence is a myth
President Donald Trump swept into office with a three-word energy policy: Drill baby drill. In Trump's telling, unleashing US oil drilling will reduce gas prices – and thereby Americans' cost of living – and increase the nation's energy independence. But there is a very simple reason why Trump's seemingly simple plans don't add up: Not all oil is the same. Oil falls on a spectrum from light to heavy, depending on how much sulfur it contains. The recent shale revolution – with new fracking methods extracting more oil from Texas, New Mexico and North Dakota – has pushed the US to become the biggest oil producer in the world. It's also generating an expensive, light crude oil that's being exported to the tune of 13 million barrels per day. Oil experts call it 'the champagne of crudes.' But that is not the kind of oil that has powered cars and industry in the US for decades. America was built on a thick, gunky crude that comes from other countries including Canada, Saudi Arabia and Central and South American nations. 'All crude is not the same,' said Bob McNally, president of consulting firm Rapidan Energy Group. 'Some crudes are like coffee grounds – they're gunky, awful, viscous, dirty. Some crudes are like champagne, light and un-sulfurous.' The US pumps a lot of home-grown champagne out of the ground; a full 80% of the oil produced here is light crude, according to the Energy Information Administration. 'It's much lighter and sweeter,' said Hugh Daigle, an associate professor at the University of Texas Austin and an oil expert. 'It's less viscous.' Meanwhile, the US uses a lot of 'coffee-ground' oil. The nation imports around 6.5 million barrels of crude oil a day from others — most of it either heavy- or medium-density. By far the biggest source of US oil imports is its northern neighbor, Canada, which sent 1.42 billion barrels of crude oil to America in 2023. Most Canadian oil comes from Alberta's tar sands region, where the oil looks like asphalt, molasses or coffee grounds. It's the reliance on Canada's crude that's triggering fears of higher gas prices if Trump follows through on his threat to implement a 10% tariff on Canadian energy. Trump recently claimed the US could get along just fine without Canadian oil. 'We don't need their oil and gas; we have more than anybody,' Trump said at the World Economic Forum last month. A White House spokesman, Kush Desai, said in a statement that Trump is using 'every lever of executive power to deliver progress on border security' including the 'threat of tariffs that disproportionately affect Canadian oil producers — who are landlocked and reliant on exporting to the United States via pipelines.' But US oil refineries could also be impacted by those tariffs. Many US refineries – some of which have been around since the 1930s or earlier – were built decades before America's light-oil boom and therefore made to handle the heavy crude they first imported from the Middle East and South America – the same type of crude that Canada now produces. Refining US light oil is much simpler because it already has low sulfur content. McNally likens it to putting it 'through a still like you're making hooch in a hollow in West Virginia.' Some US refineries have adapted to refine the country's light, home-grown oil, though it varies by region and geography. For instance, Gulf Coast refineries process mostly domestic oil because they're relatively close to the Permian basin in Texas and New Mexico. Meanwhile, refineries in Midwestern and Western states are heavily reliant on Canadian oil because it's also relatively nearby. The other factors refineries need to consider are the price of crude oil (dirtier and heavier crude is cheaper than lighter), and the end products the refineries are making – everything from gasoline for cars, jet fuel, propane and asphalt. There's a lot that goes into oil companies' business calculations, said Jenna Delaney, a Rapidan Energy Group analyst focusing on global crude. 'It's complex, it's regionally specific and it's a lot more complicated than saying, 'we produce this crude, we should use all of it and not export any of it,'' Delaney said. Trump's idea to use only US oil is simply not realistic, experts told CNN. Doing so would throw US refineries into turmoil, and gas prices could skyrocket as a result. 'We'll be importing Canadian oil for the foreseeable future, as far as I'm concerned,' Daigle said.
CNN
24-02-2025
- Business
- CNN
Four charts show why Trump's vision of energy independence is a myth
President Donald Trump swept into office with a three-word energy policy: Drill baby drill. In Trump's telling, unleashing US oil drilling will reduce gas prices – and thereby Americans' cost of living – and increase the nation's energy independence. But there is a very simple reason why Trump's seemingly simple plans don't add up: Not all oil is the same. Oil falls on a spectrum from light to heavy, depending on how much sulfur it contains. The recent shale revolution – with new fracking methods extracting more oil from Texas, New Mexico and North Dakota – has pushed the US to become the biggest oil producer in the world. It's also generating an expensive, light crude oil that's being exported to the tune of 13 million barrels per day. Oil experts call it 'the champagne of crudes.' But that is not the kind of oil that has powered cars and industry in the US for decades. America was built on a thick, gunky crude that comes from other countries including Canada, Saudi Arabia and Central and South American nations. 'All crude is not the same,' said Bob McNally, president of consulting firm Rapidan Energy Group. 'Some crudes are like coffee grounds – they're gunky, awful, viscous, dirty. Some crudes are like champagne, light and un-sulfurous.' The US pumps a lot of home-grown champagne out of the ground; a full 80% of the oil produced here is light crude, according to the Energy Information Administration. 'It's much lighter and sweeter,' said Hugh Daigle, an associate professor at the University of Texas Austin and an oil expert. 'It's less viscous.' Meanwhile, the US uses a lot of 'coffee-ground' oil. The nation imports around 6.5 million barrels of crude oil a day from others — most of it either heavy- or medium-density. By far the biggest source of US oil imports is its northern neighbor, Canada, which sent 1.42 billion barrels of crude oil to America in 2023. Most Canadian oil comes from Alberta's tar sands region, where the oil looks like asphalt, molasses or coffee grounds. It's the reliance on Canada's crude that's triggering fears of higher gas prices if Trump follows through on his threat to implement a 10% tariff on Canadian energy. Trump recently claimed the US could get along just fine without Canadian oil. 'We don't need their oil and gas; we have more than anybody,' Trump said at the World Economic Forum last month. A White House spokesman, Kush Desai, said in a statement that Trump is using 'every lever of executive power to deliver progress on border security' including the 'threat of tariffs that disproportionately affect Canadian oil producers — who are landlocked and reliant on exporting to the United States via pipelines.' But US oil refineries could also be impacted by those tariffs. Many US refineries – some of which have been around since the 1930s or earlier – were built decades before America's light-oil boom and therefore made to handle the heavy crude they first imported from the Middle East and South America – the same type of crude that Canada now produces. Refining US light oil is much simpler because it already has low sulfur content. McNally likens it to putting it 'through a still like you're making hooch in a hollow in West Virginia.' Some US refineries have adapted to refine the country's light, home-grown oil, though it varies by region and geography. For instance, Gulf Coast refineries process mostly domestic oil because they're relatively close to the Permian basin in Texas and New Mexico. Meanwhile, refineries in Midwestern and Western states are heavily reliant on Canadian oil because it's also relatively nearby. The other factors refineries need to consider are the price of crude oil (dirtier and heavier crude is cheaper than lighter), and the end products the refineries are making – everything from gasoline for cars, jet fuel, propane and asphalt. There's a lot that goes into oil companies' business calculations, said Jenna Delaney, a Rapidan Energy Group analyst focusing on global crude. 'It's complex, it's regionally specific and it's a lot more complicated than saying, 'we produce this crude, we should use all of it and not export any of it,'' Delaney said. Trump's idea to use only US oil is simply not realistic, experts told CNN. Doing so would throw US refineries into turmoil, and gas prices could skyrocket as a result. 'We'll be importing Canadian oil for the foreseeable future, as far as I'm concerned,' Daigle said.
