Insider Brief

• A Canadian-led research team from TRIUMF and the Perimeter Institute has developed a quantum-assisted AI model to simulate particle collisions more efficiently, addressing global computational challenges.
• The study demonstrates that combining deep learning with quantum computing—using technology from D-Wave—can significantly reduce the time and cost of high-energy physics simulations.
• Published in npj Quantum Information, the work supports future upgrades to CERN’s Large Hadron Collider and underscores Canada’s growing leadership in quantum and AI-driven scientific research.

PRESS RELEASE — In a landmark achievement for Canadian science, a team of scientists led by TRIUMF and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics have unveiled transformative research that – for the first time – merges quantum computing techniques with advanced AI to model complex simulations in a fast, accurate and energy-efficient way.

“This is a uniquely Canadian success story,” said Wojciech Fedorko, Deputy Department Head, Scientific Computing at TRIUMF. “Uniting the expertise from our country’s research institutions and industry leaders has not only advanced our ability to carry out fundamental research, but also demonstrated Canada’s ability to lead the world in quantum and AI innovation.”

Traditional simulations of particle collisions are already both time-consuming and costly, often running on massive supercomputers for weeks or months. By leveraging quantum processes and technology made possible by California-based D-Wave Quantum Inc., the researchers were able to create a new “quantum-assisted” generative model capable of running simulations and open new opportunities to cost-effectively analyze rapidly growing data sets.

The research, published today in npj Quantum Information, is part of a worldwide effort to create the tools needed to accommodate upgrades to CERN’s particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), and alleviate a computational bottleneck that would impact researchers all over the world.

“Our method shows that quantum and AI technologies developed here in Canada can solve real-world scientific bottlenecks,” said Javier Toledo-Marín, joint appointee at TRIUMF and Perimeter Institute. “By combining deep learning with quantum technology, we are forging a new path for both theoretical experimentation and technological application.”

In addition to TRIUMF and Perimeter, contributions to the published research came from the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), the University of British Columbia and the University of Virginia, showcasing not only the wealth of research talent and scientific ingenuity across the country, but also the international collaboration that places Canada at the forefront of worldwide scientific innovation.

A mystery interstellar object spotted last week by astronomers could be the oldest comet ever seen, according to scientists.

Named 3I/Atlas, it may be three billion years older than our own solar system, suggests the team from Oxford university.

It is only the third time we have detected an object that has come from beyond our solar system.

The preliminary findings were presented on Friday at the national meeting of the UK’s Royal Astronomical Society in Durham.

“We’re all very excited by 3I/Atlas,” University of Oxford astronomer Matthew Hopkins told BBC News. He had just finished his PhD studies when the object was discovered.

He says it could be more than seven billion years old, and it may be the most remarkable interstellar visitor yet.

3I/Atlas was first spotted on 1 July 2025 by the ATLAS survey telescope in Chile, when it was about 670 million km from the Sun.

Since then astronomers around the world have been racing to identify its path and discover more details about it.

Mr Hopkins believes it originated in the Milky Way’s ‘thick disk’. This is a group of ancient stars that orbit above and below the area where the Sun and most stars are located.

The team believe that because 3I/ATLAS probably formed around an old star, it is made up of a lot of water ice.

That means that as it approaches the Sun later this year, the energy from the Sun will heat the object’s surface, leading to blazes of vapour and dust.

That could create a glowing tail.

The researchers made their findings using a model developed by Mr Hopkins.

“This is an object from a part of the galaxy we’ve never seen up close before,” said Professor Chris Lintott, co-author of the study.

“We think there’s a two-thirds chance this comet is older than the solar system, and that it’s been drifting through interstellar space ever since.”

Later this year, 3I/ATLAS should be visible from Earth using amateur telescopes.

Before 3I/Atlas soared into view, just two others had been seen. One was called 1I/’Oumuamua, found in 2017 and another called 2I/Borisov, discovered in 2019.

Astronomers globally are currently gearing up to start using a new, very powerful telescope in Chile, called the Vera C Rubin.

When it starts fully surveying the southern night sky later this year, scientists expect that it could discover between 5 and 50 new interstellar objects.