# Finnish Physicists Detect 0.83 Zeptojoules, the Smallest Energy Pulse Ever Measured, Edging Toward Single-Photon and Dark-Matter Sensing

*2026-05-27 02:01 UTC · Science · 1 min read*

> Aalto University physicists measured a 0.83-zeptojoule pulse, the most sensitive calorimetric detection ever, with uses in quantum computing, photon counting and dark-matter searches.

Researchers in Finland have measured the faintest burst of energy ever recorded by a calorimeter: a single electromagnetic pulse carrying just 0.83 zeptojoules, less than a trillionth of a billionth of a joule. The team, led by Academy Professor Mikko Mottonen at Aalto University with quantum-computing firm IQM and the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, reported the result in Nature Electronics.

The device is a bolometer built from a junction of superconducting and normal metal. Superconductivity is so fragile that even a minuscule rise in temperature flips the material to a measurable state, letting the sensor register energy levels that previously slipped below the noise floor.

Because the calorimeter runs at the same millikelvin temperatures as quantum-computer qubits, the researchers say it could read out qubits with less disturbance, count individual photons, and one day help hunt for elusive dark-matter axions arriving from space at unpredictable times.

## Sources

- [sciencedaily.com](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260520093654.htm)
- [physicsworld.com](https://physicsworld.com/a/new-bolometer-achieves-sub-zeptojoule-resolution/)
- [nature.com](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41928-026-01615-2)

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TechTools News · https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/1720-finnish-physicists-detect-0-83-zeptojoules-the-smallest-energy-pulse-ever
Česká verze: https://techtools.cz/tools/news/clanek/1793-finsti-fyzici-detekovali-0-83-zeptojoulu-nejmensi-energeticky-puls-jaky-kdy-byl