Very thin wires made of a topological insulator could enable highly stable qubits, the building blocks of future quantum computers. Scientists see a new result in topological insulator devices as an important step towards realizing the technology’s potential.
The European Research Council (ERC) awards four researchers from the University of Basel with one of the coveted ERC Consolidator Grants. The projects in the fields of cell biology, physics, immunology and chemistry will each receive around two million euros in funding.
The International Day of Women and Girls in Science will take place on 11 February. To mark this day, physicists from the University of Basel are hosting a public panel discussion with guests from industry and research. The aim is to discuss strategies for increasing gender balance in science. The program also features an exhibition on famous female scientists and demonstration experiments aimed at capturing the interest of schoolgirls in particular. In the run-up to the event, UniNews spoke to the two women behind it.
The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded both professors Jelena Klinovaja and Ilaria Zardo from the Department of Physics at the University of Basel an ERC Starting Grant. The two physicists will receive up to 1.5 million Euros over the course of the next five years for their ambitious research projects.
Majorana fermions are particles that could potentially be used as information units for a quantum computer. An experiment by physicists at the Swiss Nanoscience Institute and the University of Basel’s Department of Physics has confirmed their theory that Majorana fermions can be generated and measured on a superconductor at the end of wires made from single iron atoms. The researchers also succeeded in observing the wave properties of Majoranas and, therefore, in making the interior of a Majorana visible for the first time.
