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Millions of thunderstorms have now been analysed, providing new insights into the development of extreme weather events. The key lies in the combination of soil moisture and wind. Thunderstorms are known to form preferentially on warm, humid days with unstable air. But predicting where exactly a thunderstorm will develop has so far remained extremely difficult.

Together with a team in China a team at TU Wien extends the capabilities of quantum computers: Instead of combinations of 0s and 1s, the new technology uses four different states simultaneously.

Researchers at TU Wien and IASBS have shown that the way different quantum measurements influence one another can be captured in a surprisingly simple formula. One of the most striking features of quantum physics is that certain properties cannot be measured at the same time. Every measurement may inevitably affects the object's physical state being measured - and therefore also the outcome of any subsequent measurement.

By combining completely different microscopy methods, the optical density of a sample can be measured with pinpoint accuracy. The original intention was to examine biological samples on a molecular scale and encountered stubborn problems. But then it was discovered that the cause of the annoying measurement inaccuracy, the variable refractive index of the sample, can be precisely determined and thus becomes a highly interesting measurement result itself - when two fundamentally completely different microscopy methods are combined.

How are superconductivity and magnetism connected? A puzzling relation between magnetism and superconductivity in a quantum material has lingered for decades - now a study from TU Wien offers a surprising new explanation. Some materials conduct electricity without any resistance when cooled to very low temperatures.

An old puzzle in particle physics has been solved: How can quantum field theories be best formulated on a lattice to optimally simulate them on a computer? The answer comes from AI. Quantum field theories are the foundation of modern physics. They tell us how particles behave and how their interactions can be described.

Nanomechanical systems developed at TU Wien have now reached a level of precision and miniaturization that will allow them to be used in ultra-high-resolution atomic force microscopes in the future. A major leap in measurement technology begins with a tiny gap of just 32 nanometers. This is the distance between a movable aluminum membrane and a fixed electrode, together forming an extremely compact parallel-plate capacitor-a new world record.

A remarkable success has been achieved at TU Wien: by combining two fundamentally different microscopy techniques, researchers can now measure the optical properties of a sample with pinpoint accuracy. The original goal was to investigate biological samples on a molecular scale - but this soon led to stubborn technical problems.

Researchers at TU Wien and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) have demonstrated an unexpected effect: in a quantum system that is highly disordered, coherent microwave radiation can suddenly emerge. Two candles emit twice as much light as one. And ten candles have ten times the intensity.

Alternatives to animal testing: At TU Wien, researchers are developing three-dimensional (3D) printing techniques that can be used to create living biological tissue - for example, to study skin diseases. Roughly one quarter of Europe's population suffers from chronic inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis, eczema, or acne.

Researchers at TU Wien have discovered an unexpected connection between two very different areas of artificial intelligence: Large Language Models (LLMs) can help solve logical problems-without actually "understanding" them. Anyone who has spent hours struggling with a Sudoku puzzle knows the feeling: you're stuck until suddenly a small hint sets the entire solution in motion.

Cu-64 is a copper isotope needed for medical applications - but it is very difficult to produce. At TU Wien, researchers have now developed an alternative production method. The copper isotope Cu-64 plays an important role in medicine: it is used in imaging processes and also shows potential for cancer therapy.

A team at TU Wien combines quantum physics and general relativity theory - and discovers striking deviations from previous results. It is something like the "Holy Grail" of physics: unifying particle physics and gravitation. The world of tiny particles is described extremely well by quantum theory, while the world of gravitation is captured by Einstein's general theory of relativity.

Climate change is leading to stronger flood disasters. TU Wien and Joanneum Research have developed a new model that shows how private and public protection measures interact.

How silver iodide seeds ice: TU Wien researchers uncover how a tiny crystal triggers ice formation at the atomic level No one can control the weather, but certain clouds can be deliberately triggered to release rain or snow. The process, known as cloud seeding, typically involves dispersing small silver iodide particles from aircraft into clouds.

A puzzle in theoretical chemistry has been solved at TU Wien: a new computational method now makes it possible to calculate the forces between large molecules with unprecedented accuracy. Why can geckos walk up walls? Why does nitrogen become liquid at -196 °C? Many everyday phenomena can be explained by van der Waals forces - weak bonds between molecules that are notoriously difficult to calculate.

In 2024, TU Wien presented the world's first nuclear clock. Now it has been demonstrated that the technology can also be used to investigate unresolved questions in fundamental physics. Thorium atomic nuclei can be used for very specific precision measurements. This had been suspected for decades, and the search for suitable atomic nucleus states had been ongoing worldwide.

Materials that react to temperature: a development by TU Wien is now significantly expanding the possible applications of 3D printers. 3D printing is extremely practical when you want to produce small quantities of customised components. However, this technology has always had one major problem: 3D printers can only process a single material at a time.

What happens when electrons leave a solid material? This seemingly simple phenomenon has, until now, eluded accurate theoretical description. Now, researchers have found the missing piece of the puzzle. Imagine a frog sitting inside a box. The box has a large opening at a certain height. Can the frog escape? That depends on how much energy it has: if it can jump high enough, it could in principle make it out.

How do you find objects buried in sand or hidden in thick fog? A team from the Institut Langevin (Paris) and TU Wien (Vienna) has developed an astonishing method. Can we reveal objects that are hidden in environments completely opaque to the human eye? With conventional imaging techniques, the answer is no: a dense cloud or layer of material blocks light so completely that a simple photograph contains no information about what lies behind it.