Under a dark, star-streaked sky, scientists at the Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico are deploying an unconventional tool for planetary defense: heliostats.
“A heliostat is a very large — several meters on edge — motorized mirror that concentrates sunlight on a tower, like a giant magnifying glass,” Sandia scientist John Sandusky told Space.com. “As the sun moves across the sky, the heliostat changes orientation to hold the sun’s reflection fixed.
“During [the day], sunlight concentrated by the many heliostats boils water or melts salt to power electrical generators,” he continued. “The generators collectively produce hundreds of megawatts of electricity for the power grid.”
But, as he pointed out, heliostats don’t have a job at night. After sunset, these vast fields of mirrors remain idle, covering acres of land but serving no purpose. “They just sit there unused,” Sandusky said in a previous statement.
He proposes repurposing them to help find asteroids that might threaten Earth. “The heliostats work just as well in the dark,” he explained to Space.com, “concentrating starlight at night the same way they concentrate sunlight during the day. Whereas sunlight boils water for the electrical grid, starlight generates a mere trickle of electricity on large photodiodes that are like the cells of a solar panel.”
The sheer number of heliostats already available in the U.S. sparked the idea to use them for asteroid detection at night. Dim objects — like small asteroids near Earth or large ones farther away — require more light collection to spot. Rather than letting these mirrors sit idle, the plan is to put them to productive use with minimal added cost.
“[It’s a] potentially cheap opportunity to use what we already have,” Sandusky said. “Initially, it’ll just be a new tool, an augmentation to the existing toolbelt of astronomical observatories. But ultimately, it should scale least expensively to the smallest or more distant asteroids.”
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Hunting asteroids with heliostats works differently from traditional telescope imaging. Instead of creating a picture by mapping where light lands on each sensor (or pixel), the heliostat method skips imaging entirely. It tracks how fast an object moves across the sky and converts that motion into a frequency signal — similar to how radar detects speed.
“It’s like listening to a wind chime instead of hearing the wind blow,” explained Sandusky. “The heliostats sweep gently against the stars, holding a steady rhythm through the night. The flow of light from the stars produces one tone. Light from an asteroid moving along the sweep produces a slightly different tone, because each sweep encounters the asteroid at a slightly different position against the stars.
“The difference in tone will typically be very small — less than one millihertz, [which is] much finer than our ears could distinguish,” he continued. “But thanks to the extreme stability of GPS timing, precision electronics resolve this small difference over the course of a night. The faster the asteroid, the greater the difference in tone.”
Sandusky has already spent summer nights testing his idea using one of the 212 heliostats at Sandia’s National Solar Thermal Test Facility in Albuquerque, though he has not yet attempted to detect any asteroids. So far, the heliostat has been slowly redirected to sweep back and forth across the night sky, tracking stars as a first step in the experiment.
“The current hurdle is funding to demonstrate scaling from one heliostat to many and to reprogram the heliostat controllers to sweep against the stars instead of the horizon,” he said. “To asteroid hunt on a global scale, Earth’s various heliostat fields need synchronization to a common timing standard, like GPS. They must also be outfitted with photodiodes and other necessary optical and electronic devices.”
This will take time, but Sandusky has already presented his initial experimental results and computational simulations at the Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers’ 2024 Unconventional Imaging, Sensing, and Adaptive Optics conference in San Diego. “Since this is an unconventional idea, the conference was a good fit,” he said.
“The next step is criticism from the scientific and technical community, responding to the initial publication and identifying problems and limitations,” he continued. “New ideas benefit from critical feedback. In parallel, we seek funding to outfit heliostats and make regular observations. Partnerships are needed to establish theoretical bounds and improve model fidelity.”
The next step, he said, could involve using the heliostat to locate a known planet — an experiment that would help reveal the technology’s capabilities and limitations.
Whether crossing the Atlantic to marry someone who’s not all that into it (“Catastrophe”), sacrificing body parts to the schemes of a femme fatale (“Bad Monkey”) or enabling a terminal cancer patient’s dominant desires (“Dying for Sex”), Rob Delaney’s become an expert at portraying men who’ll do just about anything for their women — or man crush, if you throw in his “Deadpool” appearances.
Delaney first came to prominence making jokes on Twitter back when it could still be funny. He was previously nominated for an Emmy for writing an episode of “Catastrophe” with co-creator and co-star Sharon Horgan. And now, with “Dying,” adapted from Nikki Boyer and the late Molly Kochan’s podcast about the latter’s end-of-life erotic adventures, he’s received his first acting nomination for playing Neighbor Guy opposite fellow nominees Michelle Williams and Jenny Slate. Delaney, who lives in England with his wife, Leah, and their three sons (a fourth child, Henry, died from a brain tumor at age 2½), spoke to The Times via video link while visiting his hometown of Marblehead, Mass.
Delaney in “Dying for Sex” as Neighbor Guy, who develops a kinky — and eventually quite intimate — relationship with Michelle Williams’ character.
(Sarah Shatz / FX)
Does Neighbor Guy have a proper name?
Not really. They thought about it and they just never gave him one. Unlike Nikki and Molly, Neighbor Guy is not one guy, he’s an amalgamation of people and also some people they wished that Molly might have met.
How would you describe him?
He starts off as a real guy with neuroses and problems and foibles. He goes through a mini-enlightenment with Molly, who is so focused on the present and cognizant that her time is limited. Neighbor Guy makes the great decision to go along for the ride of the way she’s living her life, and not to try to make it about him — and in so doing really benefits himself.
While their dominant/submissive games generate a lot of humor, Neighbor Guy’s not portrayed as a clown, as is the usual case for masochists in media.
The real heavy lifting there would have been done by [showrunners] Kim Rosenstock and Liz Meriwether, who wrote it. The intent for him was to start as a slovenly, annoying neighbor, but under Molly’s gaze transform into something more special, warmer and open. I was never worried about tone, the balance of humor, sadness, fear, anger and confusion.
But were you ever embarrassed?
Oh, sure. Masturbating with Molly on the other side of the wall and I’d catch a grip’s eye while grunting or whatever. It’d be, “Sorry you had to see that,” then we’d go eat bagels at the craft table together.
How was working with Michelle?
Everything you’d wish and more. She’s really a kind person and an incredibly curious and generous performer. And she’s very game for all the silly stuff, like making Neighbor Guy eat cake out of her hands. Styling each other’s hair with lube in her hospital bed was kind of both wacky and lovely. Kim and Liz provided us with a great variety of scenes for our characters to get to know each other, challenge each other and help each other.
Your sickroom lovemaking in the penultimate episode is like nothing I’ve seen before on television.
We spent close to a week in that hospital room. Emotional budgeting was required. I did a lot of crying during takes and in between takes. That’s the last stuff we shot together. By that time, I’d really gotten to know Molly the character and Michelle Williams the friend. So it was very difficult to watch her, at the height of her powers, dying.
(Adam Glanzman / For The Times)
What do your characters from “Catastrophe” to “Bad Monkey” to “Dying for Sex” have in common?
I’m glad that my three biggest TV roles have been men who are striving, bleeding, failing, bargaining with women, because that makes the best stuff to watch. A man’s going to work on a puzzle one way, a woman will another way. Work on it together, they can solve it. Or, alternately, kill each other. Either of those makes great TV.
How has your 19 years of marriage influenced this work, and vice versa?
“Catastrophe” felt more like the first decade of my marriage, which was very confusing, trying by hook or crook to shed bad habits that I had. Now I’ve endeavored to be like an old dog who can learn new tricks, so humility has been the watchword for my second decade of marriage.
You’ve coped with alcoholism, depression and catastrophic loss. Any lessons to impart?
I’m almost 50, and now at least know that everyone has seasons of difficulties. I would say that acknowledging those realities … I mean, it’s not bad to be an alcoholic if you acknowledge it, don’t drink and work through it. It’s true I’ve been through some things that I would not wish on others. But the older I get the less unique I feel, which is great because nobody’s unique.
Reality star Harry Jowsey has flirted, broken hearts and lied on TV. But now the 28-year-old Australian says he’s ready to find his soulmate — and he’s nervous.
Last month, applications opened on a website for his new Netflix reality show, “Let’s Marry Harry,” with thousands of people signing up for the chance to be the former “Too Hot to Handle” star’s bride.
On the day the show was announced, Jowsey marveled that women posted TikToks on how they just applied to be on his show.
“I don’t think anyone would click on it, because it’s a vulnerable thing to do to apply for a dating show, especially one where we’re getting married,” Jowsey told The Times earlier this month, laughing. “It’s like ‘Oh, people like me!’”
Netflix is counting on it.
Jowsey is part of what the streaming video giant calls its “Netflix Reality Universe” — made up of regular people looking for love or who are up for competing against others. For example, “Love on the Spectrum,” follows people on the autism spectrum going on dates. “Too Hot to Handle” challenges attractive contestants not to engage in sexual activity. “Squid Game: The Challenge” features people competing in games similar to the hit South Korean drama.
Reality TV is a key part of Netflix’s programming strategy, which aims to take the place of traditional TV with a wide variety of programming for virtually every demographic. Dating shows, cooking competitions and live reunion specials are comfort food that help supplement the streamer’s large library of movies, scripted dramas like “Squid Game,” kids shows like “Sesame Street” and, increasingly, live events and sports.
By taking breakout stars from its reality shows and casting them in a variety of programs and roles that promote the streaming service, Netflix helps boost their clout, and vice versa.
“Netflix has created its own subculture with their audience,” said Tom Nunan, a former studio and network executive. “If that means having some of your favorite reality talent move over to some of their other reality shows, so much the better. It’s just trying to keep it all in the family.”
“Let’s Marry Harry,” which debuts next year and is executive-produced by podcaster Alex Cooper, is a prime example of Netflix’s strategy. Since he appeared on “Too Hot to Handle,” Netflix has found ways to make Jowsey a bigger star, putting him in the second season of dating series “Perfect Match” and casting him in an upcoming movie on the streaming service, romantic comedy “The Wrong Paris.”
Netflix has given similar opportunities to “Too Hot to Handle” costar Chloe Veitch, who has appeared as a contestant on “The Circle” and “Perfect Match” and was a host of “Sneaky Links: Dating After Dark.” Comedian Michelle Buteau, who served as a host of Netflix reality show “The Circle,” has comedy specials on the streaming service and stars in her own scripted series, “Survival of the Thickest.”
Positioned as Netflix’s first “The Bachelor“-like reality show, “Let’s Marry Harry” elevates Jowsey, who is known for qualities that did not exactly make him obvious marriage material. In the second season of “Perfect Match,” he initially lied about kissing another contestant.
The drama that comes with reality TV is part of the gig.
“We’re gonna be judged regardless,” Jowsey said in an interview while eating a New York strip steak at Calabra, a rooftop restaurant in Santa Monica. “It’s kind of freeing to just be like, ‘Well, f—k it. I’m just gonna do it and be myself, and people aren’t gonna like it, people are gonna love it.’ It’s the best job in the world, just get to be myself on camera and have fun.”
Jowsey’s playfulness, charm and mischievous nature are some of the reasons why audiences have been drawn to him since “Too Hot to Handle” premiered on Netflix five years ago, said Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s vice president of nonfiction series and sports.
“He’s like a lovable rapscallion, right?” Riegg said. “He’s got the accent. He’s got a bit of mischief in those eyes. He’s fun. He’s a good person … if the show is a more efficient way of helping him find the potential Mrs. Jowsey then I think, awesome. And so we’ll go on that journey with him.”
Riegg was instrumental in building Netflix’s reality TV programming lineup when he joined Netflix in 2016. Back then, the streamer’s reality slate was bare. But Netflix today has more than 1,800 unscripted titles, including 500 reality TV titles.
The streamer developed worldwide hits such as “Love is Blind,” which has been adapted in 10 countries, and the U.S. version will launch its ninth season later this year. “Love is Blind” was the second-most watched original streaming show on U.S. TV screens last year, according to Nielsen.
Riegg said reality dating shows are “fertile ground.” When he was at ABC, Riegg said he and executive Rob Mills were instrumental in coming up with the idea for “Bachelor in Paradise,” which is a reality dating show that brings together the contestants from past seasons of “The Bachelor” or “The Bachelorette.”
At Netflix, the contestants on “Love is Blind” and “Too Hot to Handle” have participated in other reality programs such as “Perfect Match” or “Battle Camp” that bring together participants from across the streamer’s unscripted universe. Jowsey has been one of the more controversial contestants. “Let’s Marry Harry” was a logical next step.
“It was good idea with the right piece of talent and the right auspices behind it, so we’re excited to get going on it,” Riegg said.
The Netflix strategy, following in the footsteps of other TV networks like MTV and Bravo, has given some people, like Jowsey, the opportunity to build massive followings from relatively modest beginnings, putting their faces in front of hundreds of millions subscribers around the world. That creates a virtuous cycle, getting the star’s social media fandoms to return to watch other shows. As of last year, Netflix said it had more than 301 million subscribers.
Jowsey’s social media following rose from 140,000 to 2.4 million on Instagram after “Too Hot to Handle” premiered in 2020. Today, he has 4.4 million followers on Instagram and 5.1 million on TikTok. He hosts a podcast called “Boyfriend Material” and sells skincare products.
Jowsey grew up on a farm in Australia, the youngest of five siblings. When he was in university, his brother’s friend died by suicide — a wake-up call for Jowsey that university wasn’t the place he wanted to be. Jowsey said he loved making people laugh, and first leaned into modeling and then landed on New Zealand reality dating show, “Heartbreak Island.”
Harry Jowsey.
(Jerod Harris / Getty Images for Netflix)
With his wavy brown hair and self-described cheeky vibe, Jowsey applied to multiple reality shows, eventually landing a role on “Too Hot to Handle.” He wasn’t even subscribed to Netflix at the time because he didn’t have the money for it.
“Obviously, it just turned into this beautiful relationship, and I get to live out my biggest dream,” Jowsey said. “I remember putting in my manifesting book, ‘One day I’ll have a bachelor-style show’ … and it’s here.”
On the day “Let’s Marry Harry” opened contestant applications, Jowsey left from an early dinner to Netflix Summer Break, an event at the Santa Monica Pier promoting the streamer’s reality stars that about 450 people attended.
Jowsey and his team boarded a black SUV headed to the Netflix event. When asked what is the ideal person he’s looking for, Jowsey said, “Someone who is happy. I’m going in with no idea … ‘My type’ … hasn’t worked out.”
Once at the event, he took photos on a lip-shaped red couch and on the boardwalk under a large sign that said “Netflix Summer Break.” The event resembled a summer beachside carnival, with loud pop and R&B music, a stand serving colorful cotton candy, food trucks and a supply of themed drinks, including “I Do” (a gin beverage) and “I Do … Not” (a concoction with tequila).
As he walked past crowds of people, he got catcalls. “Harry, you sexy mother f—ker,” one attendee told him. He greeted Tanner Smith from Netflix’s “Love on the Spectrum,” Mark L. Walberg, host of “Temptation Island” and posed for photos with actors from “The Wrong Paris,” a movie about a woman who joins a dating show that she thinks is in Paris, France, but learns is actually in Paris, Texas.
Jowsey went through a string of media interviews. “This is the last one,” Jowsey said, referring to his stint on reality dating shows. The interviewer was skeptical — “Are you sure about that?”
He hasn’t had the best track record in love.
His relationship with “Too Hot to Handle” costar Francesca Farago fizzled even after he proposed with a candy ring. He was attracted to Jessica Vestal on “Perfect Match” but then kissed costar Melinda Melrose and lied about it.
Jowsey said he doesn’t want to hurt anyone anymore, a tough goal when the whole conceit of the “Bachelor” genre involves rejecting potential mates.
“I hope the person that I marry is so happy that it outweighs all the hurt,” Jowsey said. “I feel like if it was the wrong person, and they were with me for too long, then it’ll hurt more so I want them to hurt as least as possible.”
After Jowsey finished his interviews, he appeared onstage as part of the Netflix Summer Break evening program, where reality stars were given awards — favorite reality couple, for example — and others promoted their shows. The program’s host AJ McLean of the Backstreet Boys called Jowsey one of his “all-time favorite flirts.”
As the Netflix Summer Break program drew to a close, the reality stars were getting ready to experience the rides on the pier exclusively for an hour. “Try not to drink too much before you go on the coasters,” McLean said, encouraging attendees to “eat, drink and be merry, and create content, of course.”
But for Jowsey, he’s already preparing for a life beyond reality TV. On a typical day, he said he wakes up at 5 or 6 a.m. and works on trading stocks. One of the companies he’s invested in is Netflix.
“I realize this reality TV, this life, it’s all kind of rented,” Jowsey said.
For Bella Ramsey, real pressure came with stepping into the leading role for the second season of “The Last of Us.” But it wasn’t entirely mental. The difficulty came from performing nearly every scene without the solidarity of co-star Pedro Pascal, whose character Joel was brutally killed off in Episode 2.
“I did feel the sense of, ‘Well, I’m just here every day all day for the next seven months and that’s so exhausting,’” says Ramsey. “But I love hard things. Doing hard things is how I feel satisfied and fulfilled.”
Season 2 saw Ramsey embodying Ellie, a stubborn young woman living in a postapocalyptic reality, in a more mature way. Slipping into her skin for the second time was “very familiar.” Ramsey tackled new skills, including extensive stunt training and a few guitar lessons, but generally they relied on their instincts to find Ellie’s emotional state. “The way that she thinks and moves and speaks and acts and behaves is almost second nature because of how long I’ve lived in her,” Ramsey says. “She feels very easily accessible to me.”
Ellie’s burgeoning relationship with Dina (Isabela Merced) was key to understanding the character’s evolution. As the newly minted couple travels from Jackson, Wyo., to Seattle in search of Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) after Joel’s murder, Ellie’s protector impulse becomes more pronounced, particularly after learning Dina is pregnant. “I say this with all the love for Ellie, but she is quite selfish,” Ramsey says. “But then she has these moments of, ‘Wait, it’s not just me anymore.’ She’s forced out of her inherent selfishness by love. She was forced to think about other people, which is growth for her.”
Bella Ramsey as Ellie in “The Last of Us.”
(Liane Hentscher / HBO)
Pascal and Dever shot for short periods of time during the production in Canada last year. Ramsey says they were “less in denial” about Pascal’s exit than he was “because I had felt the effects of him not being there.” Shooting the scene where Ellie walks in just as Abby impales Joel with a broken golf club was a pivotal experience.
“I was really trying to get loads of energy in me before that scene to be able to do it,” Ramsey says. “I was dancing and getting hyped up. When we actually did it, I had to live in it for a little bit … At the end of the day you feel this exhausted satisfaction and catharsis. But seeing his little face on the ground was pretty awful. I’ll never forget it.”
Less awful was Episode 6, a flashback to Ellie and Joel’s relationship before his death. Ramsey describes shooting it with director Neil Druckmann, who also created the video games, as “joyful.” Several scenes are a shot-for-shot remake of “The Last of Us Part II,” including Joel taking Ellie to an overgrown space museum. But Ramsey never tries to mimic the game version of the character, even when replicating such an iconic scene.
“I was just living it through my understanding of Ellie,” they say. “I’ve watched the gameplay, and what tends to happen with me is that if I watch someone exist like Ellie exists in the game, I accidentally adopt those mannerisms. But it’s not something that I’m consciously doing. I only know Ellie as me.”
Although Ramsey had prepared with the stunt team in London ahead of filming, the physicality of the shoot was intense. They note that “every other day was a stunt day,” which was incredibly taxing. Ramsey was allowed to do all of their own stunts, including the fight scene in Episode 1 and the water work in Episode 7.
“I say this with all the love for Ellie,” Ramsey says of their “Last of Us” character. “But she is quite selfish.”
(Bexx Francois / For The Times)
“The bit where [Ellie is] crawling out of the ocean was at the actual ocean in the middle of the night, which was freezing,” Ramsey says. “I had just recovered from bronchitis. I had a wetsuit on underneath the costume and the water collected in the wetsuit and my backpack, so it was so heavy. I had to summon everything I had to be able to do it.”
Being part of “The Last of Us” is proof for Ramsey that they can do anything as an actor, including cry on a command — a newly acquired talent in Season 2. “I’ve been really aware of how capable the body and mind can be because of the duration and the challenge of shooting a show for so long, physically and mentally,” Ramsey says.
This year marks Ramsey’s second time up for lead actress in a drama for “The Last of Us,” making them the first out nonbinary actor to be nominated for an Emmy more than once. It’s gratifying for Ramsey, who never imagined they’d be in a position of influence.
“It’s nice to be seen,” Ramsey says. “I feel like that’s what people like me have been searching for: to be seen for who they are. It’s a lovely thing for that to happen on a large scale, and hopefully it will help other gender-nonconforming people to feel seen as well. I’m just existing, which is the point. I feel so grateful to have this accidental impact on people.”
JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) – New Zealand opened their FIBA Asia Cup 2025 campaign with a statement, pulling away late to defeat Iraq 100-78 in a Group D showdown on Sunday at the King Abdullah Sports City.
Taylor Britt led the way with 19 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in a steady all-around performance, while Carlin Davison came off the bench to deliver 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and highlight plays that fueled the Tall Blacks’ dominant final frame.
What started as a physical, back-and-forth encounter turned into a fourth-quarter blowout, as New Zealand outscored Iraq 37-17 in the final period, ending the game with pace and precision while frustrating their opponents into rushed decisions and visible disarray.
New Zealand looked in control early, turning up the heat late in the first quarter with transition buckets and lockdown defense. Mojave King beat the buzzer with a long triple to hand the Tall Blacks a 24-16 lead after one.
The lead grew to double digits early in the second, 28-16, but Iraq responded with grit and rhythm. Abbas Alqarnawi and Thulfiqar Hammoodi caught fire from deep, and the Iraqis clawed back with a 9-2 run to close the half. Demario Mayfield’s triple with 30 seconds left gave Iraq a surprising 43-42 lead at halftime.
Alqarnawi would finish the game as Iraq’s top performer with 19 points on 5 three-pointers, while Mayfield and Hammoodi provided support, but the momentum wouldn’t last.
The third period remained close, with Iraq briefly up 48-44 before New Zealand mounted a quick 6-0 reply to retake the lead. Neither side pulled away, and the Kiwis entered the final quarter clinging to a 63-61 edge.
That’s when the game shifted.
Davison and Flynn Cameron injected energy off the bench, sparking a 10-2 run that gave New Zealand a 73-65 lead. From there, the Tall Blacks imposed their will — swarming on defense, running in transition and finding easy baskets off smart ball movement.
Carlin Davison (NZL)
New Zealand reached the 90-point mark following a string of conversions from Davison and Ngatai, while Iraq’s offense sputtered. Coach Veselin Matic’s squad struggled to find their rhythm, lost their defensive shape and showed signs of frustration as the margin ballooned.
“We’re a bit dispointed with the way we started. We acknolwedge Iraq and their intensity, which gave us problems. We were half a step late, and our defense wasn’t good enough,” New Zealand coach Judd Flavell said post-game. “They had their way on the offenive end. Now, we just have to be much better than that. But our group in the 2nd half played better. We wanted to keep the pace high, and that rewarded us down the stretch.”
With the win, New Zealand (1-0) now turn their attention to a tough Day 3 clash against the Philippines. Iraq (0-1) will try to regroup against Chinese Taipei for their next game.
Quantum computers have the potential to solve problems far beyond the reach of today’s fastest supercomputers. But today’s machines are notoriously fragile. The quantum bits, or “qubits,” that store and process information are easily disrupted by their environment, leading to errors that quickly accumulate.
One of the most promising approaches to overcoming this challenge is topological quantum computing, which aims to protect quantum information by encoding it in the geometric properties of exotic particles called anyons. These particles, predicted to exist in certain two-dimensional materials, are expected to be far more resistant to noise and interference than conventional qubits.
“Among the leading candidates for building such a computer are Ising anyons, which are already being intensely investigated in condensed matter labs due to their potential realization in exotic systems like the fractional quantum Hall state and topological superconductors,” said Aaron Lauda, professor of mathematics, physics and astronomy at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences and the study’s senior author. “On their own, Ising anyons can’t perform all the operations needed for a general-purpose quantum computer. The computations they support rely on ‘braiding,’ physically moving anyons around one another to carry out quantum logic. For Ising anyons, this braiding only enables a limited set of operations known as Clifford gates, which fall short of the full power required for universal quantum computing.”
But in a new study published in Nature Communications, a team of mathematicians and physicists led by USC researchers has demonstrated a surprising workaround. By adding a single new type of anyon, which was previously discarded in traditional approaches to topological quantum computation, the team shows that Ising anyons can be made universal, capable of performing any quantum computation through braiding alone. The team dubbed these rescued particles “neglectons,” a name that reflects both their overlooked status and their newfound importance. This new anyon emerges naturally from a broader mathematical framework and provides exactly the missing ingredient needed to complete the computational toolkit.
From mathematical trash to quantum treasure
The key lies in a new class of mathematical theories called non-semisimple topological quantum field theories (TQFTs). These extend the standard “semisimple” frameworks that physicists typically use to describe anyons. Traditional models simplify the underlying math by discarding objects with so-called “quantum trace zero,” effectively declaring them useless.
“But those discarded objects turn out to be the missing piece,” Lauda explained. “It’s like finding treasure in what everyone else thought was mathematical garbage.”
The new framework retains these neglected components and reveals the new type of anyon — the neglecton — which, when combined with Ising anyons, allows for universal computation using braiding alone. Crucially, only one neglecton is needed, and it remains stationary while the computation is performed by braiding Ising anyons around it.
A house with unstable rooms
The discovery wasn’t without its mathematical challenges. The non-semisimple framework introduces irregularities that violate unitarity, a fundamental principle ensuring that quantum mechanics preserve probability. Most physicists would have seen this as a fatal flaw.
But Lauda’s team found an elegant workaround. They designed their quantum encoding to isolate these mathematical irregularities away from the actual computation. “Think of it like designing a quantum computer in a house with some unstable rooms,” Lauda explained. “Instead of fixing every room, you ensure all of your computing happens in the structurally sound areas while keeping the problematic spaces off-limits.
“We’ve effectively quarantined the strange parts of the theory,” Lauda said. “By carefully designing where the quantum information lives, we make sure it stays in the parts of the theory that behave properly, so the computation works even if the global structure is mathematically unusual.”
From pure math to quantum reality
The breakthrough illustrates how abstract mathematics can solve concrete engineering problems in unexpected ways.
“By embracing mathematical structures that were previously considered useless, we unlocked a whole new chapter for quantum information science,” Lauda said.
The research opens new directions both in theory and in practice. Mathematically, the team is working to extend their framework to other parameter values and to clarify the role of unitarity in non-semisimple TQFTs. On the experimental side, they aim to identify specific material platforms where the stationary neglecton could arise and to develop protocols that translate their braiding-based approach into realizable quantum operations.
“What’s particularly exciting is that this work moves us closer to universal quantum computing with particles we already know how to create,” Lauda said. “The math gives a clear target: If experimentalists can find a way to realize this extra stationary anyon, it could unlock the full power of Ising-based systems.”
About the study:In addition to Lauda, other authors include the study’s first author, Filippo Iulianelli, and Sung Kim of USC, and Joshua Sussan of Medgar Evers College of The City University of New York.
The study was supported by National Science Foundation (NSF) Grants (DMS-1902092, DMS-2200419, DMS-2401375), Army Research Office (W911NF-20-1-0075), Simons Foundation Collaboration Grant on New Structures in Low-Dimensional Topology, Simons Foundation Travel Support Grant, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (DGE- 1842487) and PSC CUNY Enhanced Award (66685-00 54).
LAHORE (Web Desk) – Police arrested several PTI leaders, including Deputy Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Moin Qureshi and MPA Shoaib Amir, during a protest rally in Lahore on Tuesday to mark the two-year imprisonment of party founder Imran Khan.
According to reports, provincial assembly members led a rally in the city, during which MPA Shoaib Amir was taken into custody. Deputy Opposition Leader Moin Qureshi was also reportedly arrested.
MPA Farrukh Javed Moon alleged that police attacked their vehicles with batons, smashed windows, assaulted lawmakers, and tore their clothes.
Reports suggest that over six MPAs have been detained in Lahore. Among those arrested are Moin Qureshi, Farrukh Javed Moon, Col (retired) Shoaib, Nadeem Sadiq Dogar, Khawaja Salahuddin, Ameenullah Khan, and Iqbal Khattak.
Read also: PTI all set for countrywide protest movement today
Party sources claimed that around 300 PTI workers have also been detained from Lahore.
A day earlier, PTI members were reportedly staying inside the Punjab Assembly to avoid arrest during police raids.
On the other hand, a police official claimed that PTI members attacked law enforcement, leaving one officer with a head injury.
President of the Insaf Legal Forum (ILF) Lahore, Malik Shujaat Jandran, stated that legal teams have been formed to secure the release of the arrested leaders and workers.
He added that three legal teams are present across the city’s main courts — Model Town, District Courts, and Cantt Court — to assist in the bail process and ensure legal support.
“Pac-Man [the character] was designed to represent the core concept of the game, ‘to eat’, in the simplest way possible,” Michiko Kumagai, the licensing manager for the iconic character at the game’s publisher, Bandai Namco, tells the BBC. “Just like the McDonald’s arches, he’s become an internationally recognised symbol. At one glance everyone can understand what Pac-Man means instinctively, [which] is why Pac-Man has reached such a wide audience.”
Reach a wide audience it certainly has. Originally called PuckMan in Japan, a reference to the Japanese phrase “paku paku taberu”, which means to gobble something up while producing a greedy, jaw-snapping sound, Pac-Man is the most successful coin-triggered arcade game of all time, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The character remains an enduring symbol even today, with the franchise having generated an estimated $14bn in revenue, from both arcade machines and dozens of re-releases on home consoles; the games have appeared on everything from the Nintendo Entertainment System [NES] to the Xbox 360.
Pac-Man has also racked up awareness-boosting cameos over recent years in big budget animated kids films including Wreck-It Ralph (2012) and Pixels (2015), while last month Bandai Namco released Shadow Labyrinth, a game that provides a fresh spin on the beloved Pac-Man gameplay.
Why the game works so well
“Pac-Man is one of the figureheads of the birth of mainstream video gaming,” Peter Etchells, professor of science communication at Bath Spa University tells the BBC. “There was an elegant simplicity to its gameplay and design that I think captured a lot of players’ imaginations.”
You don’t need to be a hardcore gamer to appreciate the character’s core purpose of strategic nibbling, with Pac-Man’s gameplay both refreshingly simple and, ultimately, difficult to master. When it came to the original, gamers could either frenetically run around without much thought or, like many people did back in the 1980s, religiously read a How to win at Pac-Man guide that taught you how to memorise hundreds of complex maze patterns and optimal paths. Such tactical preparation would make you war-ready to compete at a Pac-Man tournament – of which thousands have been hosted worldwide.
Bol has lost to McLaughlin-Levrone three times on the biggest of stages: Tokyo 2020 (in 2021), the 2022 World Championships and Paris 2024.
“It’s always unique to compete against her. I love it, even though there’s a very good chance I’ll finish second,” Bol added.
“She’s the very best ever in the event I do, so it remains special.”
Bol’s prospects of winning a second 400m hurdles world title have therefore grown in McLaughlin-Levrone’s absence.
The Dutch athlete won the 2023 edition in Budapest when McLaughlin-Levrone was out through injury.
Bol, who won her first Olympic gold in the 4x400m mixed event at Paris 2024, is set to race the 200m flat as well as the 400m hurdles in Tokyo.
McLaughlin-Levrone meanwhile could face two-time Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Paris 2024 winner Marileidy Paulino in the 400m flat at the worlds.
The World Championships start on 13 September and run until 21 September.
King Charles receives urgent plea to stop eviction amid Prince Andrew news
King Charles is urged to take action over a case of eviction just days after Prince Andrew reappeared in headlines for his past scandals and controversies.
The monarch received an urgent letter of appeal as Britain’s last remaining St John Ambulance marching band is facing eviction.
Charles, who has been a royal patron of the charity St John Ambulance, is currently at the Balmoral Castle in Scotland for his annual summer break.
The musicians had been living in their current property in Halfway, on the Isle of Sheppey, for 50 years, but now it is being put up for sale after a “thorough review of the condition, running costs, maintenance requirements, and location of the building, confirming it was no longer suitable for our service needs”, via BBC.
Bandmaster Dean Faulkner said that the band has “nothing to lose” by sending him the letter.
“It is appalling they want to sell the premises, considering that we have been part of this community for many years,” he said.
He said the band had also submitted an application to Swale Borough Council proposing to buy the building as a community asset. “We are so grateful for the community’s support in our fight to save the premises,” he added.
The report comes as there is a renewed interest in Prince Andrew’s stay in Royal Lodge following the shocking revelations made in historian Andrew Lownie’s new book about the Duke of York and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
Apart from his perverse conversations with Trump and the surprising remarks Epstein made about the disgraced royal’s bedroom antics, the book also claimed that Prince William is actively working to evict his uncle from the 30-room mansion Royal Lodge.
