Researchers develop molecular qubits that communicate at telecom frequencies
(chicagoquantum.org)32 points by hhs 6 hours ago
32 points by hhs 6 hours ago
I mean I guess that's the pitch - lots of stuff not yet demonstrated though
I really thought they were making up the name 'erbium'. I've been away from a periodic table too long..
Ytterbium, Yttrium, Terbium, and Erbium were all named after a village in Sweden that had a mine: Ytterby
We are happy that Rbium didn't become the next name of choice.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ytterby
The mine closed down long ago. Today, it's a relatively expensive location for villas.
Always cool to see stuff from your niche field on hn. Note: this measurement is done at cryogenic temperatures, although somewhat similar molecular spin work (from ~same group [1]) works at ambient.
[1]: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09417-w