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Superconducting quantum circuit simulates proton tunneling phenomenon in chemical systems

Phys · · 657 words · By Jim Shelton

Researchers from Yale, Google, and UC-Santa Barbara developed a superconducting quantum circuit to simulate proton tunneling, a quantum phenomenon crucial to chemical processes like DNA formation. This advance allows scientists to study these complex reactions with high control, potentially leading to breakthroughs in solar fuels, pharmaceuticals, and materials science.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-04-superconducting-quantum-circuit-simulates-proton.h…

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9 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 7
verified Verified By Reference 1
info Single Source 1
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“Researchers at Yale, Google, and the University of California-Santa Barbara have created a device that simulates the quantum "tunneling" behavior of protons that occurs in chemistry, a process so common it occurs in everything from photosynthesis to the formation of human DNA.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that researchers at Yale, Google, and UC-Santa Barbara developed a device simulating proton quantum tunneling. The evidence consistently mentions the collaboration between these institutions and the simulation of quantum tunneling in chemistry.
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web search NEUTRAL — In the laboratory of UC Santa Barbara materials scientist Stephen Wilson, researchers are investigating the physics behind unusual states of matter while designing materials that could support propert…
https://quantumfoundry.ucsb.edu/news
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web search NEUTRAL — Researchers at Yale, Google, and the University of California-Santa Barbara have created a device that simulates the quantum "tunneling" behavior of protons that occurs in chemistry, a process so ...
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-superconducting-quantum-circui…
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web search NEUTRAL — Researchers at Yale University, in collaboration with Google and the University of California-Santa Barbara, have achieved a significant milestone in the field of quantum chemistry. They have successf…
https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science…
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“It is described in a new study in the journal PRX Quantum.”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web search results mention that the research is described in a new study published in the journal PRX Quantum, confirming the publication venue.
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web search NEUTRAL — In a new study published in the journal PRX Quantum, researchers from the University of Turku in Finland, University of Milan in Italy, and Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń in Poland address th…
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1118274
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web search NEUTRAL — The advance has the potential to aid researchers across a variety of disciplines, including the development of new solar fuels, pharmaceuticals, and materials. It is described in a new study in the jo…
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-superconducting-quantum-circui…
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web search NEUTRAL — PRX Quantum is a highly selective, open access journal featuring quantum information science and technology research with an emphasis on lasting and profound impact. The journal expands on the excelle…
https://journals.aps.org/prxquantum/
verified
“Quantum tunneling is a mechanism by which particles, such as electrons or protons, pass through an energy barrier they should not have sufficient energy to cross.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The definition of quantum tunneling—passing through an energy barrier without sufficient energy—is standard knowledge in quantum mechanics and is confirmed by multiple web search results citing general physics principles.
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web search NEUTRAL — Quantum tunnelling falls under the domain of quantum mechanics. To understand the phenomenon, particles attempting to travel across a potential barrier can be compared to a ball trying to roll over a …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_tunnelling
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web search NEUTRAL — Quantum tunneling allows particles to pass through energy barriers even when lacking sufficient energy to overcome them classically, defying physics intuition.
https://about-science.org/lesson/what-is-quantum-tunneling/
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web search NEUTRAL — How does quantum tunneling work? Quantum tunneling happens when a particle passes through a potential energy barrier that it classically shouldn’t be able to surmount.
https://www.bluequbit.io/blog/quantum-tunneling
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“In DNA, protons can shift between positions within a base pair—base pairs are the building blocks of the DNA double helix structure—via a process called quantum tunneling.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results specifically state that protons can shift within a DNA base pair via quantum tunneling, confirming the mechanism in the context of DNA structure.
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web search NEUTRAL — In physics, quantum tunnelling, barrier penetration, or simply tunnelling is a quantum mechanical phenomenon in which an object such as an electron or atom passes through a potential energy barrier th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_tunnelling
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web search NEUTRAL — In DNA, protons can shift between positions within a base pair—base pairs are the building blocks of the DNA double helix structure—via a process called quantum tunneling.
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-superconducting-quantum-circui…
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web search NEUTRAL — The influence of quantum tunnelling on proton transfer within a base pair H-bond (modelled as the DFT deduced double-well potential) is then investigated by solving the time-dependent master equation …
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2015/cp/c5cp00472…
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“For the new study, the researchers built a superconducting quantum circuit that recreates the structures found in chemistry and allows the user to adjust the device's barrier height and asymmetry.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm that the researchers built a superconducting quantum circuit to simulate chemical structures and that this device allows for adjusting parameters like barrier height and asymmetry.
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web search NEUTRAL — Quantum Circuit Simulates Chemistry. April 16, 2026• Physics 19, s48. A tunable quantum device can model the energy profiles of chemical reactions and improve physicists’ understanding of reaction dyn…
https://physics.aps.org/articles/v19/s48
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web search NEUTRAL — Asymmetric Double-Well Potential Simulates Chemical Activation. This system allows for precise measurement of tunneling rates, the quantum mechanical phenomenon where particles pass through energy bar…
https://quantumzeitgeist.com/google-quantum-tunable-asymmetr…
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web search NEUTRAL — Building a superconducting quantum circuit that follows protons on the go.For the new study, the researchers built a superconducting quantum circuit that recreates the structures found in chemistry an…
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-superconducting-quantum-circui…
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“The research grew out of work in the Yale labs of Nobel Prize physics laureate Michel Devoret and chemist Victor Batista.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm that Victor Batista and Michel Devoret have collaborated on work simulating chemistry using bosonic quantum devices, establishing the origin of the research work.
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web search NEUTRAL — Yale’s Robert Schoelkopf, Michel Devoret, and Steven Girvin reflect on their trailblazing approach to quantum computing research.
https://news.yale.edu/2024/01/11/yales-quantum-computing-jou…
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web search NEUTRAL — "Simulating Chemistry with Bosonic Quantum Devices" by Victor Batista and Michel Devoret. View profile for Prineha Narang.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/prineha_quantum-physics-simul…
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web search NEUTRAL — John Clarke: From SLUGs to macroscopic quantum phenomena Michel H. Devoret: From macroscopic quantum phenomena to artificial atomsJohn M. Martinis: Prehistor...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTtT2jTF4Xc
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“Devoret is the Frederick W. Beinecke Professor Emeritus of Applied Physics at Yale, the Yzurdiaga Professor of Physics at the University of California-Santa Barbara, and chief scientist for Google Quantum AI in Santa Barbara; Batista is John Gamble Kirkwood Professor of Chemistry in Yale's Faculty of Arts and Sciences, a member of the Energy Sciences Institute on Yale's West Campus, and former director of the Center for Quantum Dynamics on Modular Quantum Devices.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results provide specific professional and academic associations for both Devoret and Batista, confirming their roles at Yale and UC-Santa Barbara, although specific titles vary across sources.
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web search NEUTRAL — At Yale University, Steven Girvin, Robert J. Schoelkopf, and Devoret devised a type of superconducting charge qubit called the transmon.[21][22] In 2009, Devoret also pioneered fluxonium,[23] which ca…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Devoret
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web search NEUTRAL — "Simulating Chemistry with Bosonic Quantum Devices" by Victor Batista and Michel Devoret. View profile for Prineha Narang.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/prineha_quantum-physics-simul…
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web search NEUTRAL — Two UC Santa Barbara professors were awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in physics for their experiments on an electrical circuit that showed quantum physics in action. Michel Devoret and John Martinis were…
https://www.noozhawk.com/ucsb-professors-michel-devoret-john…
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“The new research also reveals details of two unexpected mechanisms within quantum proton transfer: the activation rates for protonation vary widely, in an oscillating pattern, and even a slight imbalance between the circuit's barriers can dramatically slow down the process.”
CORROBORATED
A web search result directly quotes the findings of the research, detailing the two unexpected mechanisms: oscillating variation in activation rates and the effect of slight barrier imbalances.
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web search NEUTRAL — Quantum mechanics cannot predict the exact location of a particle in space, only the probability of finding it at different locations.[1] The brighter areas represent a higher probability of finding t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_mechanics
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web search NEUTRAL — The new research also reveals details of two unexpected mechanisms within quantum proton transfer: the activation rates for protonation vary widely, in an oscillating pattern, and even a slight imbala…
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-superconducting-quantum-circui…
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web search NEUTRAL — About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXs_vkc8hpY
info
“Publication details: Alejandro Cros Carrillo de Albornoz et al, Asymmetry Control in a Parametric Oscillator for the Quantum Simulation of Chemical Activation, PRX Quantum (2026). DOI: 10.1103/71yp-fqns”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim provides highly specific publication details (authors, title, journal, year 2026, DOI). While the evidence count suggests multiple sources, the provided web search results for this claim are empty, and the Wikipedia results are irrelevant to the specific paper. Therefore, the claim relies solely on the provided text and cannot be corroborated by external evidence.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An electronic oscillator is an electronic circuit that produces a periodic, oscillating or alternating current (AC) signal, usually a sine wave, square wave or a triangle wave, powered by a direct cur…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_oscillator
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An optical parametric oscillator (OPO) is a parametric oscillator that oscillates at optical frequencies. It converts an input laser wave (called "pump") with frequency …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_parametric_oscillator
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Quantum entanglement is the phenomenon wherein the quantum state of each particle in a group cannot be described independently of the state of the others, even when the particles are separated by a la…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_entanglement
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.