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Local inversion symmetry breaking in centrosymmetric materials can lead to large spin polarization of the electronic band structure in separate sectors of the unit cell. Here, the authors reveal such hidden spin polarisation in ZrSiTe using spin and angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy in combination with ab initio band structure calculations and investigate the resultant spin polarised bulk and surface properties
Superfluid vortices are important in many diverse systems, including spinor Bose-Einstein condensates. Here, the experimental and theoretical analysis of the creation and time evolution of vortices in the polar phase of a spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate is presented, showing the evolution of single-quantum vortices towards half-quantum ones.
Gallium nitride is a wide bandgap semiconductor which is generally expected to replace some silicon-based technologies, despite some of its properties still requiring further investigation. Here, using a two-temperature model coupled to molecular dynamics simulations, the authors investigate and predict the effects of strongly ionising radiation in gallium nitride, revealing the mechanism behind its unusual resistance to radiation.
In the field of nanoscience, clustering methods have gained momentum for the analysis of experimental datasets with the aim of uncovering new physical properties. Here, the authors describe an unsupervised machine learning methodology that selects the optimal combination of feature space, clustering method, and number of clusters for the analysis of a range of experimental datasets, including break-junction traces, I-V curves, and Raman spectra.
Quantum states of light open a new avenue for materials characterization. The authors show how entangled photons can be leveraged to enhance the resolution of nonlinear spectroscopy.
Coherent diffraction imaging (CDI) is a lensless technique for 2D or 3D reconstruction of nanoscale structure images, where a highly coherent beam of x-rays, electrons or other wavelike particle or photon is incident on an object. The authors present a phase retrieval algorithm that takes advantage of the continuity of physical phenomena and uses it as a temporal constraint for CDI, and also present an illumination optics suitable for the method, which allow them to follow dynamic processes, as demonstrate in their proof-of-principle experiment.
Non-Hermitian systems have opened up a new level of complexity to non-trivial topological phases, particularly on the bulk-boundary correspondence in higher dimensions. Here, the authors developed a theoretical framework of tidal surface states for gapless nodal non-Hermitian metals, and explain their realizations with topolectrical circuits
Fractons are phases of matter featuring particles with restricted mobility and represent a new paradigm of quantum condensed matter physics; but observing them experimentally is a challenge. Here, the authors demonstrate a simple platform for the realisation of fracton physics with vortices of a two-dimensional superfluid.
While the thermodynamic power and efficiency of nanoscale heat engines in noninteracting regimes has been well-explored, revealing effect of many-body interactions remains a challenge. Here, the authors develop a reinforcement learning framework to achieve optimal power and efficiency in nanoengines where two-body interactions among elementary components are nonnegligible.
Quantum communications and distributed quantum computing can only be realized by efficient and robust entanglement generation between the communicating parties. The authors present and experimental demonstration of a wavevector multiplexed quantum memory from which Bell-type states are deterministically generated and have potential for use with quantum repeaters.
Higher-order networks including many-body interactions among nodes are ubiquitous in complex systems. The authors propose several growing mechanisms which are able to generate synthetic simplicial complexes displaying desired and customized statistical properties fitting those observed in the real world.
Non-Hermitian physics describes an open system, which is susceptible to loss or gain and has been recently used to demonstrate unusual physical phenomena in non-trivial topological systems. Here, the authors investigate the physics of impurity effects in non-Hermitian, non-reciprocal lattices and discuss how the results can be realised using an electrical circuit.
Artificial periodic lattices of microcavities filled with optically active materials can serve as a platform to explore a range of physical phenomena. Here, the authors prepare and analyse 2D Lieb lattices made from a tunable cavity array with an organic polymer which operates in the strong exciton–photon coupling regime and exhibits polariton condensation at room temperature.
In a magnetic field, superconductivity can be induced or reinforced near a metamagnetic transition, where ferromagnetic fluctuations are suspected to mediate the pairing strength of the Cooper pairs. Here, the authors investigate the superconductor UTe2 and report on the variation in the superconducting properties as the magnetic field is applied along two particular crystallographic axes and their relation to metamagnetism.
Intermediate band solar cell is a type of photovoltaic cell which includes additional narrow band states which allow absorption of low energy below-bandgap photons that might otherwise be transmitted from the host material. Here, the authors report a type of ratchet intermediate band solar cell prepared by doping GaAs with erbium and investigate the underlying energy transfer mechanisms.
The structure and processes of life’s molecules at the nanoscale are probed with optical super resolution techniques. The authors present a method that combines conventional localization information and information from structured illumination, which outperforms other methods by localizing single molecules with a theoretically optimal doubling of precision.
Charge density waves are periodic modulations of the electron density which occur at low temperatures in many transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers, though the underlying mechanism is still a matter of debate. Here the authors use renormalisation group analysis to demonstrate that electron–electron interactions and Fermi surface nesting may play a prominent role in mediating the competition between the charge density-wave and superconducting states.
Cells are in constant movement inside tissues, but often remain cohesive nevertheless, i.e., single cells do not escape from the colony edges. Using an active Brownian-particle model with attraction, in this paper the authors develop an interaction potential that reproduces experimental observations describing the motion of epithelial sheets under different conditions.
Gravitational wave astronomy has opened the door to test general relativity and the effect of gravity in the Universe. The authors present the capabilities of an overlap between space gravitational wave detectors LISA and Taiji to constrain the Hubble constant to 0.5%, in 10 years, and what can be learned from the satellite pilot Taiji-1 launched in 2019.
The use of cold atom interferometry for applications in metrology and accurate instrumentation is hampered by optically cumbersome atom detection systems. The authors present a non-destructive microwave detection method for the quantum states of cold atoms that overcomes the need for complex optical systems and experimental set ups, making it a more portable solution for quantum and inertial sensing.
