Karmela Padavic-Callaghan (they/them)
@kpcallaghan_
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Now: @newscientist. Past: @sciam @WIRED @QuantaMagazine @techreview @aeonmag @PhysicsWorld. Physics PhD. Ex @BHSEC teacher. Croatian in Queens. Vegan. Queer.
Joined July 2013
Could not be more excited to be working on my first book with @CatherineTung1 for @BeaconPressBks. It is such a privilege to get to bring something personal into writing about the science that has always been integral to who I am as a person
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A balanced account of Fermi-Hubbard model simulation on a @QuantinuumQC quantum computer, by @kpcallaghan_ of @newscientist
https://t.co/ZEnzVpxbeP
newscientist.com
Using the Helios-1 quantum computer, researchers have used a record-breaking number of error-proof qubits to run the first and biggest quantum simulation of a model for perfect conductivity
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"Quantum hardware platforms are advancing steadily, but no one knows when quantum computers will run applications that broadly benefit society."
When and how will quantum computing broadly benefit humanity? Despite exhilarating recent progress, we still don’t know. Here my friend Jens Eisert and I assess the current status and the challenges ahead. We are optimistic about the quantum future, but there’s a lot of work to
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‘Nightmare’ calculation may be too tricky for even quantum computers https://t.co/685A4A5IVI ✍️ @kpcallaghan_ via @newscientist 👉 Quantum computers hold great potential for solving many problems more quickly or efficiently than conventional computers, but researchers are
newscientist.com
Quantum computers hold great potential for solving many problems more quickly or efficiently than conventional computers, but researchers are starting to identify where they could falter
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Instead of getting sucked in by headlines about algorithmic bond trading (if you must, read Scott Aaronson instead), feast your eyes on a real experimental tour de force–Endres's team has scaled optical tweezer arrays to 6000 atoms! https://t.co/nNIiBRwBLO
https://t.co/hE3r5Ry71t
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New experiment on quantum money at Laboratoire Kastler Brossel; reportage by @kpcallaghan_
https://t.co/45aeDdGLAE
@JointQuICS @UMD_IPST
newscientist.com
Using the quantum states of particles of light as currency could make for unforgeable transactions, and a new experiment has added a way to save some of that quantum money for future use, too
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Excited to share the news of our alum @JosiahSinclair building a lab and recruiting for a new team at Madison this Fall! Send him your lean & hungry students – they won't regret it! Congratulations, Josiah, and we're looking forward to hearing about your next successes!
I’m thrilled to share that this fall I’ll be joining the faculty at the University of Wisconsin–Madison as the Carl J. and Brynn B. Anderson Assistant Professor of Physics. The past year has been quite a journey: 32 applications, 12 on-site interviews, and 4 offers. I feel
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Nominate the most innovative work on Fundamental Issues in Quantum Mechanics and their Applications for the 2026 John Stewart Bell Prize! (Pls retweet!) See https://t.co/nZF7dzXsWl Deadline 30 August 2025. @CQIQC_Toronto #QuantumInformation #FoundationsOfQM #BellPrize
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This is almost certainly what will happen if Congress does not pass a fiscal year 2026 budget by October 1. Very bad for NASA's science programs. Dozens of missions turned off.
NASA's Nicky Fox , AA Science, affirms that agency is preparing to enact OMB's proposed fiscal '26 budget. Speaking at opening session of #SmallSat2025
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In a bleak twist of logic, ultrafinitists aim to obliterate infinity. Their radical plan? Remodel the universe of numbers. Is this the dawn of a grim #ScienceRevolution? Welcome to the dystopia of #Mathematics. #Ultrafinitism. Dive in, if you dare: https://t.co/t1ABuBIG4V...
newscientist.com
Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.
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In our first review, scientists revisit how physical forces shape collective #AnimalBehavior, revealing how individual-environment coupling underlies group dynamics across taxa — from fish schools to ant rafts. 🐟 🐜 🔗 https://t.co/AJygIaRDN6
#CollectiveBehavior
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Cld our universe have emerged from a big bounce following contraction of a previous universe rather than a big bang? A new analysis by UC Berkeley physicist Raphael Bousso that's based on quantum theory “categorically rules out” a cyclic universe... (NS)
newscientist.com
Instead of the big bang, some physicists have suggested that our universe may have come from a big bounce following another universe contracting – but quantum theory could rule this out
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"For quantum computers to get significant speed-up, they need to take advantage of special structure. They do not offer significant speed-up for unstructured problems, so we do not expect to be able to just throw them at anything." @andrewmchilds
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Applications for the 2025-2026 cycle of the 51 Pegasi b Postdoctoral Fellowship in Planetary Astronomy are now open! Please don't hesitate to reach out if you are interested in applying with Yale as a host institution :)
hsfoundation.org
The 51 Pegasi b Fellowship provides exceptional postdoctoral scientists with the opportunity to conduct theoretical, observational, and experimental research in planetary astronomy.
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For interested students: Quantum Hackathon LATAM 2025 is happening this year (October 1-3) at the University of Montevideo, Uruguay.
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Picosecond synchronization of mode-locked lasers for metropolitan-scale quantum networks @NIST @JQInews @OpticaWorldwide @kpcallaghan_ @OPNmagazine
https://t.co/zPceGQZ7Bk
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Reflecting also on the sheer amount of people, effort, and money serious field work like this epic NSF-funded project requires. Reliable weather forecasts and weather data don't just fall from the sky!!
I rode along with the meteorologists chasing the world's most extreme hail storms across the Great Plains in a massive effort improve our forecasts of these damaging events. Thanks to all involved in @nsf_icechip for having us. Had a hail of a good time. https://t.co/Jb6rRbbdBw
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It’s honestly so disrespectful and irresponsible that the national media has mostly ignored the @afscme33 city workers’ strike in Philly, now in week two. It’s a huge story with massive implications for the 6th biggest city in the country. Hell, I’ll write about it! Email me!
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The hunt for the next Busy Beaver number is one of the most exciting things happening in maths today and the heroes behind it are a community of enthusiasts, fishing bits of exotic code from a deep mathematical abyss that seems to lead into the unknowable
newscientist.com
Some numbers are so unimaginably large that they defy the bounds of modern mathematics, and now mathematicians are closing in on a number that may mark the edge of this bizarre abyss
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I'm hiring a postdoc! If you'd like to work with me on quantum learning, error correction, quantum algorithms, and FTQC at Virginia Tech in the Washington, DC metro area, please apply here:
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