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Breakthrough: Reducing Electronic Noise in Quantum Tech
UCLA researchers demonstrate nanowires made from unconventional materials can potentially reduce noise below the lowest level possible in traditional electronics.
Published on Feb. 4, 2026
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A UCLA-led research team has demonstrated that minuscule wires made from two unconventional materials can potentially reduce noise below the lowest level possible in traditional electronics. The findings not only hold the potential to improve current technologies but also suggest possibilities in quantum computing.
Why it matters
The electronic flicker noise that can disrupt communication devices and sensors is often caused by interruptions in the flow of electrons by various scattering processes in the metals that conduct them. This same type of noise also creates hurdles for the development of quantum computers. The UCLA team's discovery of nanowires that can conduct electricity with lower noise than normal could lead to significant improvements in these technologies.
The details
The researchers fabricated nanowires from materials whose atomic bonds were strong in only one direction, then hooked them up to tiny electrodes. One nanowire was made of a compound based on the element tantalum, while the other was based on niobium. In the tantalum-based material, noise dropped as current increased until it fell below the limit of practical measurement, at temperatures around -100 degrees Fahrenheit. The niobium-based material displayed similar behavior, with noise falling well below the level made by normal electrons and remaining constant, even at room temperature and above.
- The study was published in the journal Nature Communications on February 5, 2026.
The players
Alexander Balandin
Holder of the Fang Lu Endowed Chair in Engineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, distinguished professor of materials science and engineering, and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA (CNSI).
Subhajit Ghosh
A UCLA postdoctoral researcher and the first author of the study.
UCLA NanoLab
The facility where the nanowires were fabricated.
UCLA Phonon Optimized Engineered Materials Laboratory
The laboratory where the nanowires were tested.
CNSI
The California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, which houses several technology centers that were used for additional analysis.
What they’re saying
“Normally we think about phonons as the bad guys that are scattering electrons. In this particular case, we found the phonons allowed electrons to jointly move along. This weird, unique property with respect to noise could allow us to improve signal-to-noise ratio.”
— Alexander Balandin, Holder of the Fang Lu Endowed Chair in Engineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, distinguished professor of materials science and engineering, and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA (CNSI) (Mirage News)
“Strongly correlated materials are transforming materials science. It seems a lot of properties were lost in the simplified description that we had before, so we needed to revise our theoretical models and interpretations. If we can describe the materials more accurately, it can help us to elicit and understand new properties.”
— Alexander Balandin, Holder of the Fang Lu Endowed Chair in Engineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, distinguished professor of materials science and engineering, and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA (CNSI) (Mirage News)
What’s next
The researchers plan to further investigate the materials from this study, while also seeking other materials that carry charge density waves even more efficiently at room temperature.
The takeaway
This breakthrough in reducing electronic noise in quantum technologies could lead to significant improvements in communication devices, sensors, and quantum computing, paving the way for a quieter, brighter future for these critical technologies.
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