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Ultrafast photoexcitation stabilizes new states of matter with rich out-of-equilibrium behaviours. Here, Lantzet al. report a transient non-thermal phase developing immediately after photoexcitation in V₂O₃, shedding a light on optical manipulation of strongly correlated systems.

By emulating a 2D hard-core Bose–Hubbard lattice using a controllable 4 × 4 array of superconducting qubits, volume-law entanglement scaling as well as area-law scaling at different locations in the energy spectrum are observed.

Three-dimensional (3D) strongly correlated many-body systems and their dynamics across quantum phase transitions pose a challenge when it comes to numerical simulations. The authors experimentally demonstrated that such many-body dynamics can be efficiently studied in a 3D spinor Bose–Hubbard model quantum simulator, and observed dynamics and scaling effects beyond the scope of existing theories at superfluid–insulator quantum phase transitions.

Magnetic excitations in infinite-layer cuprates have been intensively studied. Here the authors use resonant inelastic x-ray scattering and theoretical calculations to study magnons in thin films of SrCuO₂, finding distinct magnon dispersion attributed to renormalization due to quantum fluctuations.

The optimal condition for superconductivity is a long-sought issue but remains challenging. Here, Ivashko et al. demonstrate that the compressive strain to La₂CuO₄ films enhances the Coulomb and magnetic-exchange interactions relevant for superconductivity, providing a strategy to optimise the parent Mott state for superconductivity.

Quantifying the degree of correlation required to drive a Mott insulator transition is a crucial aspect in understanding and manipulating correlated electrons. Here, the authors introduce a thallium-based cuprate system and use resonant inelastic X-ray scattering, combined with Hubbard-Heisenberg modeling, to establish a universal relation between electron interactions and magnon dispersion, suggesting optimal superconductivity at intermediate correlation strength.

Distinguishing band and Mott insulators experimentally represents a longstanding challenge. Here, the authors demonstrate a momentum-resolved signature of a dimerized Mott-insulator in the out-of-plane spectral function of Nb₃Br₈.

Abrupt changes, or kinks, in electron dispersion, caused by the coupling of electronic excitations to collective modes, could provide insights into the superconducting pairing mechanism. Here the authors report dispersion kinks driven by electronic correlations in the normal state of an iron-based superconductor.

Painful bone growth after injury or surgery often goes undetected until it is advanced and treatment options are limited. Here, authors demonstrate that a blood test detecting gene expression profiles in isolated circulating mesenchymal progenitor cells could detect early signs of this condition and track treatment success.

The authors study epitaxial thin films of the pyrochlore-sublattice compound LiTi2O4 by RIXS and ARPES. They observe cooperation between strong electron correlations and strong electron-phonon coupling, giving rise to a mobile polaronic ground state in which charge motion and lattice distortions are coupled.

Nonlinear multidimensional spectroscopy that can image the sub-cycle dynamics of strongly correlated systems on the sub-femtosecond timescale is demonstrated by using the carrier–envelope-phase dependence of the correlated multielectron response to decode the complex interplay between different many-body states.

In transition metal oxides, an insulating band gap is found when the energy scales related to ionic charge excitations dominate over electronic itinerancy. Here, the authors demonstrate strong electron-phonon interactions in Li₂CuO₂and their effect on the insulating band gap.

Compositionally complex alloys have attracted significant attention recently, but the role of electronic correlations in these materials is unknown. Redka et al. study the CrMnFeCoNi alloy using a combination of experimental and theoretical techniques, revealing strong correlation effects far from the Fermi edge.

A detailed resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) study of a series of well-known cuprate superconductors reveals a correlation between the number of apical oxygens in these systems, and the strength of their in-plane exchange interaction.

Exploring the orbital-selective Mott phase (OSMP) addresses the central issue of electron correlations in the iron-based superconductors. Here the authors theoretically study the dynamical spin structure factor in the block-OSMP regime and unveil momentum dependent characteristics for different spin excitation modes.

The pseudogap phase exhibited by the cuprates is almost as enigmatic as superconductivity in these materials itself. A time-resolved study performed by Cilento et al. suggests that this state can be photoexcited into a transient non-equilibrium state that is more conductive than the equilibrium state.

The origin of bad-metal resistivity is a long-standing problem for condensed matter physics. Here the authors show anomalous resistivity, transport lifetime, and relaxation dynamics consistent with bad-metal behavior over a wide range of temperature for fermionic potassium atoms in optical lattices.

Minimization of kinetic energy leads to ferromagnetic correlations between itinerant electrons in MoSe₂/WS₂ moiré lattices even in the absence of exchange interactions.

The insulator-to-metal transition in vanadium dioxide still has many unexplored properties. Here the authors use multi-modal THz and mid-IR nano-imaging to examine the phase transition in VO₂ thin films, and discuss the unexpectedly smooth transition at THz frequencies in the context of a dimer Hubbard model.

Understanding the dynamics of cuprates following photoexcitation can provide insights into the complex coupling mechanisms that underlie their exotic equilibrium behaviour. Here the authors use pump-probe reflection spectroscopy to investigate the nonequilibrium spin dynamics of Mott-insulating Nd₂CuO₄.

Doped Sr₂IrO₄ is of interest because of its close similarities to La₂CuO₄, a parent compound of the cuprates. Nelson et al. reveal the intrinsic evolution of its electronic structure with hole doping by avoiding the strong in-plane disorder introduced by previously used chemical substitutions.

A major goal in the fields of ultracold quantum gases and quantum simulations is measuring the phase diagram of strongly interacting many-body systems. This has now been achieved in an optical-lattice-based quantum simulator. The simulation is validated through an ab initio comparison with large-scale numerical quantum Monte Carlo simulations.

Authors unveil how strain precisely tailors octahedral tilts, charge transfer, and orbital–spin reconstruction in LSMO/LCO bilayers, enabling robust interfacial Mn–Co antiferromagnetism and tunable magnetism.

Arrays of superconducting transmon qubits can be used to study the Bose–Hubbard model. Synthetic electromagnetic fields have now been added to this analogue quantum simulation platform.

The Main Himalayan Thrust comprises two fault planes connected by imbricated faults, a structure that impedes convergence, according to an analysis of the distribution and orientation of aftershocks of the 2015 Gorkha earthquake in Nepal.

The influence of surface ponding on the interior of ice shelves is currently unknown. Here, the authors combine surface and borehole geophysics on the Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica, with remote sensing and modelling and show how pond refreezing increases ice shelf density and temperature.

CeSb undergoes a devil’s staircase sequence of extremely long-period modulations of the magnetically ordered 4f states. Here, the authors visualize how the devil’s staircase ordering impacts mobile electrons and collapses the well-defined band picture at the Fermi energy.

Bipolarons - two electrons or holes localized on the same molecule - are generally considered negligible in organic electronic devices. Dhanker et al. show that large bipolaron densities can exist near electrode interfaces and that they are linked to the phenomenon of unipolar organic magnetoresistance.

Environmental transmission electron microscopy reveals distinct atomistic pathways for the reduction of NiO to metallic nickel by CO and H₂, with H₂ more effective in transforming the entire bulk material.

A highly nonlinear optical response can be used to time-resolve light-induced phase transitions with few-femtosecond to sub-femtosecond accuracy, paving the way for time-resolving highly correlated many-body dynamics in strongly correlated systems with few-femtosecond accuracy.

The emergence of relaxation in unitarily evolving systems can be seen as a paradox, but not once the distinction between local and global dynamics is considered. Here, the authors use photons in an integrated optical interferometer to show that, for a system evolving unitarily on a global level, single-mode measurements converge to those of a thermal state.

A problem in the treatment of 1D quantum magnetic systems is the shortage of theoretical models applicable for general confinement. Here, Volosniev et al.introduce an energy-functional technique to solve 1D fermionic and bosonic systems with strong short-range interaction in arbitrary geometry.

The interplay between magnetism and charge density wave in the kagome magnet FeGe is under debate. By using elastic and inelastic X-ray scattering, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, and first principles calculations, Miao et al. propose that the charge density wave is stabilized by spin-phonon coupling.

Controlling nanoscale interfaces is key for ensuring stable plasmonic and catalytic function yet remains difficult to achieve under operando conditions. Now it has been shown that transient Au–Cl adlayers function as redox-active Au(I) intermediates, modulating interfacial electrostatics. This modulation stabilizes gold nanogaps and directs ligand rebinding, thereby enabling reproducible regeneration of subnanometre architectures.

A near-field optical microscopy study provides nanoscale insight into an insulator-to-metal transition and the interplay with a neighbouring structural phase transition in a prototypical correlated electron material.

The electronic properties of oxide interfaces are renowned for their richness. A comprehensive study of a series of perovskite nickelates examines the interplay between charge transfer and hybridization effects.

Single-atom storage can dramatically exceed the limit of traditional high-density memory devices but is challenging. Here the authors show the bistability in the orbital configuration of a single Co atom on black phosphorus which can be accessed, manipulated and has potential for high-temperature single-atom information storage.