Arts & Sciences find brain’s ‘tipping point’ may boost quantum sensor accuracy

Keith Hengen of WashU Arts & Sciences and Whitney Armstrong at Argonne National Laboratory will co-lead research into maximizing quantum sensor accuracy with $750,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission. Hengen, an associate professor of biology, is applying his neuroscience research on the brain’s computational power to this computing challenge. Key to the project is a concept Hengen describes as “a complex system when it’s balanced at the tipping point between order and chaos,” which is believed to maximize information processing. “At criticality, information processing is maximized,” Hengen said, suggesting this balance could also reduce energy consumption in quantum sensors.

Superconducting Polychronous Computation Aims to Improve Quantum Sensor Accuracy A $750,000 grant from the U.S. The project seeks to apply these neuroscience-derived insights to the design of more efficient and precise quantum sensors. By mimicking the brain’s computational strategies, researchers hope to overcome limitations in current sensor technology and unlock new possibilities in fields ranging from materials science to medical diagnostics. This cross-disciplinary approach highlights a growing trend of borrowing principles from biological systems to advance technological innovation. For obvious reasons, we believe the brain must be tuned near criticality for optimal thinking and learning. Keith Hengen, Associate Professor of Biology at WashU Arts & Sciences Source: https://source.washu.edu/2026/08/hengen-applies-lessons-from-brain-to-quantum-sensing/ Stay currentSee today’s quantum computing news on Quantum Zeitgeist for the latest breakthroughs in qubits, hardware, algorithms, and industry deals. Tags: Rusty Flint Rusty is a quantum science nerd. He's been into academic science all his life, but spent his formative years doing less academic things. Now he turns his attention to write about his passion, the quantum realm. He loves all things Quantum Physics especially. Rusty likes the more esoteric side of Quantum Computing and the Quantum world. Everything from Quantum Entanglement to Quantum Physics. Rusty thinks that we are in the 1950s quantum equivalent of the classical computing world. While other quantum journalists focus on IBM's latest chip or which startup just raised $50 million, Rusty's over here writing 3,000-word deep dives on whether quantum entanglement might explain why you sometimes think about someone right before they text you. (Spoiler: it doesn't, but the exploration is fascinating) Latest Posts by Rusty Flint: Perplexity’s new AI stack runs on NVIDIA’s DGX Spark computer August 25, 2026 Treasury launches task force to shield finance from quantum hacks August 25, 2026 Quantum heat treatment reshapes metal frameworks, avoiding decomposition August 25, 2026