Technology

Jerusalem, 7 April, 2025 (TPS-IL) — In a groundbreaking advancement in the field of quantum mechanics and ultrafast optics, Israeli scientists unveiled a new technique that could revolutionize high-speed computing and communication technologies.

The research demonstrates how a strong laser pulse can induce changes in a material’s fundamental properties within attoseconds — a unit of time so brief that light itself crosses only the width of a hydrogen atom in that period.

“Once we know how to trace the ‘journey’ of individual electrons between energy levels in a material, we can use light and the knowledge we have gained about its effects to deliberately and precisely change the properties of the material within hundreds or tens of attoseconds,” said Prof Nirit Dudovich, from the Weizmann Institute’s Department of Physics of Complex Systems, who led the research.

“Based on this ability, the fastest processors that can be produced may be developed, which will accelerate by orders of magnitude the rate at which information is transmitted or processed,” she explained.

Published in the peer-reviewed Nature Photonics journal, the study centers around the groundbreaking discovery that intense laser pulses can rapidly alter a material’s behavior, shifting it from a conductor to an insulator, or changing its transparency. While such transformations were previously understood in theory, capturing them in real time has been a monumental challenge due to the extreme timescales involved.

To overcome this obstacle, Dudovich’s team developed a novel dual-laser technique. Graduate students Omer Kenler, Chen Mor, and Noa Yaffe played a key role in the design of the method, which uses two precisely timed laser beams. The first beam, consisting of relatively long pulses, interacted with the material to induce the desired change. Simultaneously, a second beam of ultra-short attosecond pulses functions like a high-speed camera, capturing the delay as the light passes through the altered material. By combining the data from these beams and analyzing the resulting interference pattern, the team was able to reconstruct the changes in the material with unprecedented precision.

“This method is like a navigation app for electrons,” explained Dudovich. “Just as apps like Waze estimate travel time, our method reconstructs the electron’s ‘travel plan’ through the material by analyzing how much light was delayed. From this, we learn how the material’s energy levels responded to the light.”

The ability to track the electron’s journey through a material and observe how the material’s energy levels shift opens up vast new possibilities in the field of quantum mechanics. Dudovich’s team showed that intense laser pulses could split, merge, or rearrange these energy levels in real time. The breakthrough is not just an observation—it provides a tool to control the material’s physical state with precision at quantum speeds.

The implications of this research extend far beyond the laboratory. The ability to manipulate and monitor ultrafast changes in material properties has profound applications in the development of next-generation processors and communication technologies. “The discoveries could lead to the development of fast processors that will accelerate the rate at which information is transmitted or processed by orders of magnitude,” Dudovich emphasized.

The breakthrough could potentially lead to the creation of processors operating at speeds far beyond the capabilities of current technology. By using light, rather than electricity, to manipulate the quantum states of materials, these processors could process data at optical or even attosecond speeds, greatly enhancing computing power and energy efficiency.

In addition to computing, the new technique holds promise for high-speed communication and the development of quantum devices. The ability to manipulate the refractive index of materials at such fine scales could lead to the creation of optical switches and modulators far surpassing the capabilities of current fiber-optic technology.

Jerusalem, 17 August, 2023 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s position as a cyber superpower places it in an exclusive club of world powers, despite having a population a little larger than New York City, according to former Israeli defense official Chuck Freilich.

Freilich, a senior research fellow at the MirYam Institute and the Institute for National Security Studies and a former deputy national security adviser in Israel, recently published a book on the subject, titled, “Israel and Cyber Threat: How the Startup Nation Became a Global Cyber Power.”

A former senior fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School who teaches at Columbia and at Tel Aviv University, Freilich said Israel’s cyber capabilities are prominent at both the civilian and military levels. The number of cyber start-ups in Israel equals the total number of cyber start-ups in the world, excluding the United States, he noted.

“This is a stunning statistic. It’s the result of a really unique contribution to the Israeli hi-tech scene in general, and the cyber realm especially, by the defense establishment and intelligence agencies,” said Freilich.

Graduates of the Israel Defense Forces cyber units, mainly Unit 8200 and Unit 81, as well as intelligence agencies, enter the private sector and become a primary source of commercial start-ups, he explained.

This in turn acts as a driving force behind cyber innovation. The fact that the Israeli defense establishment funds incubators and technological innovation programs also contributes to this prosperity of the local cyber scene, according to Freilich.

The military units “find and train Israel’s cyber personnel, and most importantly, the really top-level personnel. In the cyber world, a few geniuses make all the difference,” he added.

Between 2011 and 2020, some 100 veterans of Unit 81, who served in the years between 2003 and 2010, went on to found 50 start-ups, with an accumulated evaluation of over $10 billion, Freilich noted. “That’s 100 veterans alone,” he said.

“Another mind blowing statistic is that the NSA [the U.S. National Security Agency] has about 40,000 personnel, while Unit 8200 [its Israeli equivalent] reportedly has a quarter of that, 10,000 people. Most of what Unit 8200 does is cyber based. Here you have little Israel on the scale of a global superpower. Each year, between a few hundred and a thousand cyber personnel are discharged in Israel. China’s 2022 graduating cyber school count was 1,300. So we have a cyber force on the scale of global superpowers,” he stated.

Pointing to compulsory military service as the core secret sauce behind this success, Freilich argues that this enables the IDF to track down the best and the brightest, with the military scouting high school databases and beginning to locate suitable youths by the 10th grade.

“One percent of the best high school graduates go to Atuda [a program that enables them to study and delay military service] and Talpiyot [a program that sends students to complete BAs in mathematics and natural sciences as part of their service]. Talpiyot looks at the top 2%, and then begins an intensive testing process. Only 10% of that 2% pass and are then further winnowed down through a grueling aptitude testing process,” said Freilich, describing the rigorous screening process.

With regard to Unit 81, while 10,000 candidates passed initial annual screening, only a few hundred went on to be selected.

“All told, the IDF trains 10,000 people a year in cyber programs. This is a huge training program, not only giving people computer skills, but also reaching the real geniuses,” he said.

Freilich added that a third of graduates of a Unit 8200 high school program that teaches university-level cyber come from peripheral areas.

He also drew attention to Israel’s national style, which he described in his book as “hutzpah gone viral.”

“Israeli society has a never-ending propensity to challenge authority and reject accepted norms, refusing to take no for an answer, and thirsting for new ways of achieving things,” said Freilich.

“Our strategic circumstances means we have a greater willingness to take risks, and we are non-hierarchical and informal,” he added. “That’s the same culture you find in R&D firms around the world. So cyber fits Israel like a glove.”

On Aug. 8, the Mayanei HaYeshua Medical Center in Bnei Brak announced that it had been struck by a cyber-attack, forcing personnel to switch to pen and paper before recovering computer networks.

Despite Israel’s cyber achievements, problems still exist in protecting the civil sector, Freilich admitted.

“There is reason to be concerned about that and critical national infrastructure, like water and communications—the type of sites that the Israel National Cyber Directorate defends the most. They get specially tailored defense packages, but there is still reason for concern,” said Freilich.

Iran, for its part, woke up to the cyber realm after sustaining the devastating 2009 Stuxnet attack, which international media reports attributed to Israel and the United States.

“Be wary of the law of unintended consequences,” said Freilich. “Until 2010, Iran wasn’t doing much in this area. By 2012, it was launching offensive attacks around the world.”

Jerusalem, 17 August, 2023 (TPS-IL) — The US government gave its approval for Israel to sell its Arrow 3 missile defense system to Germany, Israel’s Defense Ministry announced on Thursday. Washington’s assent was the final hurdle for what the $3.5 billion sale, Israel’s largest arms deal ever.

The Arrow 3 missile defense system is designed to intercept ballistic missiles in outer space. With its long-range interception capabilities, operating at high altitudes above the atmosphere, the Arrow 3 is regarded as the top interceptor of its kind. The system employs a hit-to-kill approach for intercepting incoming threats.

The deal is also the first sale of the Arrow system to another country.

Washington’s assent paves the way for Israel and Germany to sign a Letter of Commitment to facilitate work on the project, followed by the signing of a complete contract which is expected to take place by the end of 2023.

Operational since 2017, the Arrow 3 is part of the country’s multi-layered defense array, which includes the Arrow-2, David’s Sling, and Iron Dome defense systems.

The Arrow 3 system is co-developed and co-produced by the Directorate of Defense Research & Development’s Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) and the United States Missile Defense Agency (MDA). Under the terms of the partnership, transfer of the Arrow 3 to any third country requires mutual consent of Israel and the U.S.

Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) serves as the primary contractor.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine prompted European countries to boost defense spending. That, as well as interest in Israeli military technology from Abraham accords partners have created a spike in Israeli defense exports.

Jerusalem, 9 August, 2023 (TPS-IL) — In an effort to help Indian startups meet their country’s water challenges, Israel and India recently launched a program aiming to empower Indian water tech startups.

The Israeli Embassy in India will collaborate with The Circle: Founders Club, a business accelerator based in Gurugram and backed by Hunch Ventures to help Indian startups get tech validation, commercialization, market access and fundraising.

Selected founders will also be part of a comprehensive accelerator program that includes mentorship and networking opportunities from both Indian and Israeli specialists in water technology.

The program was officially launched with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Israeli Ambassador Naor Gilon and Karanpal Singh, founder of Hunch Ventures and The Circle on August 3.

India faces significant water issues arising from a combination of factors, including population growth, urbanization, industrialization, agricultural demands, climate change, and inadequate water management practices. These challenges have far-reaching implications for the country’s economy, environment, and public health.

“Israel is the global leader in water technologies and given India’s large population we are thrilled to work together towards sustainability and water security. Through this collaboration we will bring leading technologies to work with Indian companies to find domestic solutions,” said Singh.

Spearheading the initiative will be Doron Gidony, the embassy’s Innovation Attache together with Nemesisa Ujjain, Circle FC’s Vice President for Innovation.

Ambassador Gilon said, “By incorporating expertise from both Israel and India, we aim to address critical water challenges of our time. This initiative holds the potential to drive positive change, fostering sustainable solutions and shaping a brighter, water-secure future. Together, Israel and India are poised to lead the charge towards a more water-secure world.”

Jerusalem, 2 August, 2023 (TPS-IL) — Israel’s SolarEdge Technologies Inc. has entered into a joint venture with Saudi Arabia’s Ajlan & Bros Holding to deploy “smart renewable energy solutions” in the kingdom, according to the Israeli firm.

The joint venture is “in line with the Saudi Vision 2030 initiative that aims to reduce the country’s dependence on oil by the end of this decade,” the Herzliya-based company said in a press statement.

The joint venture will be established in the kingdom’s capital, Riyadh, where the private sector conglomerate is based.

“We are honored to partner with Ajlan & Bros Holding and to support Saudi Arabia’s journey towards ‘Vision 2030’. SolarEdge is committed to driving the clean energy transition on a global scale, exemplified by this JV which will provide local enterprises in Saudi Arabia with the support they need to rapidly transition away from fossil fuels to clean solar energy and meet their aggressive renewable energy goals,” SolarEdge CEO Zvi Lando said.

The joint venture will be managed by teams from both companies, with Ajlan & Bros Holding as the majority shareholder.

The news of the deal comes amid reports of potential progress on a U.S.-brokered rapprochement between Jerusalem and Riyadh that would see the Saudis join the Abraham Accords.

Israeli and US officials have hinted of possible progress in recent days. Israeli media reported on Sunday that the country’s opposition parties are open to the possibility of supporting a Saudi peace agreement if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition partners object to possible Saudi demands for concessions to the Palestinians.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said on Monday that a peace agreement is “closer than it has ever been.” However, a day earlier Likud MK Yuli Edelstein had a more cautious take on the negotiations, saying that it was “too early” to talk about an agreement.