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Quantum tunnelling of the magnetisation limits the performance of single-molecule magnets at low temperatures. Here, the authors combine ab initio and analytical methods to show that spin-phonon coupling subtly influences tunnelling via polaron formation.

The authors study the non-centrosymmetric achiral material In_xTaS₂ by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and quantum oscillations. They find that it hosts an “ideal” Kramers nodal line, well isolated at the Fermi level.

Using photoemission spectroscopy and ab initio calculations, evidence is given of two distinct unconventional mechanisms of lifted Kramers spin degeneracy generated by the altermagnetic phase of centrosymmetric MnTe with vanishing net magnetization.

A tunable quantum dot device in Bernal bilayer graphene possesses a spin–valley relaxation time of 38 s at millikelvin temperatures.

Transition metal ions with long-lived spin states represent the minimum size magnetic bit. Here, the authors study the spin–lattice relaxation of a cobalt(II) complex and demonstrate the role of time-reversal symmetry that hinders direct spin–phonon processes regardless of the sign of the magnetic anisotropy.

The Kramers–Kronig approach is applied to high-capacity, free-space terahertz communications, bringing a greatly simplified receiver design.

Kramers Nodal Lines (KNLs) have been theoretically proposed as special Weyl line degeneracies connecting time-reversal invariant momenta, but their observation in quantum materials is not established. Combining ARPES experiments with DFT calculations, the authors identify SmAlSi and its isostructural family as viable materials to host KNLs.

Kramers–Weyl fermions are identified in chiral crystals, and their phenomenology is drawn out.

Many topological crystalline phases have unknown physical responses. Here, the authors systematically extend the theory of defect and flux responses to predict zero-dimensional (0D) states in topological crystalline materials, including 2D PbTe monolayers and 3D SnTe.

Quantum fluctuations have been detected in a macroscopic, millimole-scale solid-state spin ensemble without the use of external excitations, enabling non-invasive quantum sensing techniques.

This study of magic-angle twisted trilayer graphene moiré superconductors using scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy identifies two energy gaps that develop from many-body resonance in this highly tunable class of materials.

Researchers demonstrate a self-calibrating programmable photonic integrated circuit. The findings may be useful for the accurate control of large-scale photonic integrated circuits in applications such as light-based machine learning.

Dysprosium alkoxides and dysprosium-doped yttrium alkoxides show very large energy barriers, greater than 800 K, to magnetic relaxation. These barriers arise from the presence of a strongly axial pseudo-octahedral crystal field, which switches off relaxation through the first excited state that typically occurs in single-molecule magnets, and favours a competitive pathway through higher-energy states.

Ligand design contributes to dictating the magnetic properties of lanthanide-based single-molecule magnets. Here, the authors report a series of phosphorus-ligated dysprosium complexes, and show that the dynamic magnetic properties change as the ligand is varied from phosphine to phosphide to phosphinidene.

There have been numerous studies of rare-earth magnetic systems with magnetic frustration, for instance, on triangular lattices, however, these have primarily been limited to the case of an effective spin, S_eff  = 1/2. Here, Kurumaji et al demonstrate the emergence of canted antiferromagnetic state with S_eff  =  3/2 in DyAuGe via a combination of experimental probes.

Consistent theories have been proposed in which spacetime is treated classically while matter remains quantum. Here, the authors prove that such theories are constrained by a trade-off between the decoherence induced in the quantum system, and stochasticity in the classical one, providing a way to experimentally test the quantum nature of gravity.

Samarium hexaboride, a well-known Kondo insulator, shows transport anomalies at low temperatures, which recently have been proposed to be of topological origin. Using laser- and synchrotron-based photoemission techniques, Neupane et al. find evidence for a topological Fermi surface.

Resonant inelastic X-ray scattering interferometry reveals a highly entangled electronic phase in Nd₂Ir₂O₇, enabling extraction of its entanglement structure and confirming the cubic-symmetry-breaking order predicted from complementary Raman spectroscopy.

Many of the fundamental effects in condensed matter physics can be described in the framework of quasiparticles. Here, the authors observe quasiparticles related to the antiferromagnetic state in quasi-two-dimensional Sr₂IrO₄, showing close resemblances to elusive quasiparticles in cuprate superconductors.

A wearable device measures parenchymal resistance and its dynamic relationship with sleep MRI measures of glymphatic function, EEG features and cardiovascular parameters in humans.

Electric fields can be used to manipulate molecular spin qubits, but the mechanisms underlying spin-electric coupling are not well understood. Here, the authors investigate the influence of hyperfine coupling between electron and nuclear spins on the mechanism of spin-electric coupling in a 4f molecular qudit.

Solid-state quantum devices can suffer from decoherence caused by fluctuating electron spins in the surrounding material. Operating in a regime where the electron spins become magnetically ordered produces substantially longer coherence times.

The existence of a topological bulk-boundary correspondence for Dirac semimetals has remained an open question. Here, Wieder et al. predict one-dimensional hinge states originating from bulk three-dimensional Dirac points in solid-state Dirac semimetals, revealing condensed matter Dirac fermions to be higher-order topological.

The energy–momentum relationship of certain fermions resembles an hourglass, which is movable but unremovable; this robust property follows from the intertwining of spatial symmetries with the band theory of crystals, revised with mathematical connections to topology and cohomology.

Quantum technology concepts rely on efficient control of the system state, such as the electron spin. Here the authors present a mechanism for spin and orbital manipulation based on hybridizing quantum dot states at two points inside InAs nanowires, resulting in tunable quantum rings with giant controllable g-factors.

A candidate for efficient broadband quantum memory at telecommunication wavelengths is identified. The long coherence time and the efficient optical spin pumping demonstrated in the experiment make it practical for spin-wave storage.

Microcantilevers made from flexible materials exhibit nonlinear dynamic behaviour such as bistability. Venstra et al.describe how noise induces transitions between the states in a strongly nonlinear vibrating cantilever and exploit the noisy environment to improve the signal transduction.

AQP3 facilitates the transport of hydrogen peroxide. Here the authors report cryo-EM structures of AQP3 under different pH and in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. Along with molecular dynamics simulations, the study reveals how AQP3 maintains redox balance in endocrine pancreas.

The study of lattice vibrations coupled to electronic excitations may provide an avenue for exploring exotic physical phenomena. Here, Xuet al. observe a Fano resonance in the Weyl semimetal TaAs, revealing evidence for a strong coupling between phonons and Weyl fermions.

The dynamic susceptibility of the quantum spin ice material Yb₂Ti₂O₇ is probed by means of time-domain spectroscopic techniques, providing a handle on the conductivity of monopole excitations in this system.

Owing to the propensity for uranium(III) compounds to undergo disproportionation, uranium-element multiple bonds involving uranium(III) oxidation states remain rare. Here the authors report hexauranium-methanediide rings that formally contain uranium(III)- and uranium(IV)-methanediides supported by alternating halide and arene bridges.

High-pressure measurements of the electrical conductivity of (Mg,Fe)O, used as an analogue for basal magma ocean material, indicate that the conductivity is high enough to produce a dynamo much stronger than a core-driven dynamo for super-Earths larger than 3–6 Earth masses.

Spin excitations are implicated in the emergence of high-temperature superconductivity in the cuprates but the details are unclear. Calculations performed by Jia et al.resolve a seeming contradiction presented by recent X-ray measurements and suggest that the role played by high-energy spin excitations is nominal for pairing.

Non-centrosymmetric ferroelectric and piezoelectric halide perovskites are an ideal model system to explore the photogalvanic effects. This Perspective discusses the opportunities and challenges of designing and harnessing photogalvanic effects in these materials towards unconventional devices for spin computing, sensing and solar energy applications.

The authors report that the metallic spin-1/2 chain compound Ti₄MnBi₂ forms near a quantum critical point with inherent frustration. They identify strong 1D spin and 3D electron coupling that should stimulate the search for materials exhibiting a 1D Kondo effect and heavy fermions.

Enzymes present loops around active sites whose closing and opening dynamics are essential for its activity. Here the authors unveil the mechanism governing loop motion, showing that it involves an activated conformational rearrangement around a couple of torsional angles taking place under the strong friction exerted by the rest of loop torsions.

The coupling of spin and orbital motion of electrons in carbon nanotubes has been demonstrated before, but a study now shows that the strength and sign of the spin–orbit coupling can be tuned by a gate voltage, and that, importantly for future applications, the effect survives in the presence of disorder.

A dysprosium amide–alkene complex shows soft magnetic hysteresis loops up to 100 kelvin, arising from the high charge density of the amide ligands and the structural role of the pendant alkene.

A Dirac quantum spin liquid phase is predicted to have a continuum of fractionalized spinon excitations with a Dirac cone dispersion. A spin continuum consistent with this picture has now been observed in neutron scattering measurements.

Nano-mechanical resonators improve with high-Q factor and light mass, but this leads to the onset of nonlinear behaviour. Here the authors demonstrate precise control of the non-linear and bistable dynamics of a levitated nanoparticle in vacuum, using it as model system to study stochastic bistable phenomena.

A one-dimensional Dirac-like band is observed in a layer van der Waals material, expanding the arsenal of 2D systems.

The fate of high-energy degrees of freedom, such as spin-orbit interactions, in the coherent state of Kondo lattice materials remains unclear. Here, the authors use resonant inelastic x-ray scattering in CePd₃ to show how Kondo-quasiparticle excitations are renormalized and develop a pronounced momentum dependence, while maintaining a largely unchanged spin-orbit gap.