Research Briefing |
Featured
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Dark states of electrons in a quantum system with two pairs of sublattices
The identification of dark statesâquantum states that do not interact with photonsâin real materials may help to address many unsolved issues in condensed-matter physics. Now, they have been identified in palladium diselenide.
- Yoonah Chung
- , Minsu Kim
- & Keun Su Kim
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Article
| Open AccessTransient absorption of warm dense matter created by an X-ray free-electron laser
Warm dense copper, created by an X-ray free-electron laser, features a transition from reverse saturable absorption to saturable absorption. The results can be used to benchmark non-equilibrium models of electronic structure in warm dense matter.
- Laurent Mercadier
- , Andrei Benediktovitch
- & Nina Rohringer
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Review Article |
Electronic excitations at the plasmonâmolecule interface
Plasmonic excitations can enhance the interaction between a metal and molecules adsorbed onto its surface. This Review summarizes the different effects involved in this process and places them into a framework based on electron scattering.
- Andrei Stefancu
- , Naomi J. Halas
- & Emiliano Cortes
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Article
| Open AccessTerahertz spectroscopy of collective charge density wave dynamics at the atomic scale
The observation of phase modes of charge density wave has been a long-standing challenge. Such low-energy phase excitations have now been seen in a transition metal dichalcogenide.
- Shaoxiang Sheng
- , Mohamad Abdo
- & Sebastian Loth
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Article |
Active hydraulics and odd elasticity of muscle fibres
A multiscale model of muscle as a fluid-filled sponge suggests that hydraulics limits rapid contractions and that the mechanical response of muscle is non-reciprocal.
- Suraj Shankar
- & L. Mahadevan
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Article |
Sequence-specific interactions determine viscoelasticity and ageing dynamics of protein condensates
The time-dependent viscoelastic moduli of biomolecular condensates are connected to the functions that the condensates influence in cells. Now sticker and spacer residues in proteins are shown to regulate condensate viscoelasticity and ageing dynamics.
- Ibraheem Alshareedah
- , Wade M. Borcherds
- & Priya R. Banerjee
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Article |
Dominant 1/3-filling correlated insulator states and orbital geometric frustration in twisted bilayer graphene
Orbitally frustrated states have been predicted to occur in twisted bilayer graphene. Now these states have been observed for fractional filling of the electronic bands, and exhibit charge- and magnetically ordered phases.
- Haidong Tian
- , Emilio Codecido
- & Chun Ning Lau
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Article |
Boundary modes of a charge density wave state in a topological material
Topological boundary modes within charge-ordered states have not yet been observed experimentally. Now an in-gap boundary mode, stemming solely from the charge order, is visualized in the topological material Ta2Se8I.
- Maksim Litskevich
- , Md Shafayat Hossain
- & M. Zahid Hasan
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News & Views |
Metamorphosis of topological spin structures
Multi-step transitions between a variety of topological spin textures have been unveiled in a centrosymmetric magnet, which may enable efficient multistate memory and logic devices.
- Jayjit Kumar Dey
- & Sujit Das
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Research Briefing |
Enhancing the efficiency of light-induced phase transitions through transient local distortions
Ultrafast light pulses, if they are sufficiently intense, can induce phase transitions on ultrafast timescales. It is now shown that when a system is first excited by a weak preparatory pulse, this generates local changes in structure that transiently lower the energy barrier to the phase transition, enabling high-speed and energy-efficient transitions.
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News & Views |
Single molecule ready to couple
A single light-emitting dye molecule precisely placed within the tiny gap of a metal nanodimer boosts lightâmatter coupling â a step closer to the development of quantum devices operating at room temperature.
- Rohit Chikkaraddy
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Article |
Bending rigidity, sound propagation and ripples in flat graphene
The mechanism by which two-dimensional materials remain stable at a finite temperature is still under debate. Now, numerical calculations suggest that rotational symmetry is crucial in suppressing anharmonic effects that lead to structural instability.
- Unai Aseginolaza
- , Josu Diego
- & Ion Errea
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News & Views |
Bacteria spiral into control
Spiral waves of cell density can form and propagate through bacterial biofilms. These waves are formed by a self-organization process that coordinates pulling forces between neighbouring cells.
- Guram Gogia
- & David R. Johnson
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Article
| Open AccessA quantum critical Bose gas of magnons in the quasi-two-dimensional antiferromagnet YbCl3 under magnetic fields
Some magnetic phase transitions can be understood as BoseâEinstein condensation of magnons. Close to a quantum critical point, YbCl3 now provides a realization of a BoseâEinstein condensate that is dominated by two-dimensional physical behaviour.
- Yosuke Matsumoto
- , Simon Schnierer
- & Hidenori Takagi
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Article |
Spectral evidence for Dirac spinons in a kagome lattice antiferromagnet
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.
- Zhenyuan Zeng
- , Chengkang Zhou
- & Shiliang Li
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Article |
Single-component superconductivity in UTe2 at ambient pressure
The symmetry of the superconducting order parameter in UTe2 is still debated. Now ultrasound experiments suggest that the order parameter can only have one component.
- Florian Theuss
- , Avi Shragai
- & B. J. Ramshaw
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Research Briefing |
Rotational symmetry influences the mechanical properties of graphene
Rotational symmetry is shown to protect the quadratic dispersion of out-of-plane flexural vibrations in graphene and other two-dimensional materials against phononâphonon interactions, making the bending rigidity of these materials non-divergent. The quadratic dispersion is then consistent with the propagation of sound in the graphene plane.
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Article |
Room-temperature flexible manipulation of the quantum-metric structure in a topological chiral antiferromagnet
Manipulation of the quantum-metric structure to produce topological phenomena has rarely been studied. Now, flexible control of the quantum-metric structure is demonstrated in a topological chiral antiferromagnet at room temperature.
- Jiahao Han
- , Tomohiro Uchimura
- & Shunsuke Fukami
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Distinct elastic properties and their origins in glasses and gels
As amorphous solids, glasses and gels are similar, but the origins of their different elastic properties are unclear. Simulations now suggest differing free-energy-minimizing pathways: structural ordering for glasses and interface reduction for gels.
- Yinqiao Wang
- , Michio Tateno
- & Hajime Tanaka
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Article |
All-optical seeding of a light-induced phase transition with correlated disorder
Controlling phase transitions in solids is crucial for many applications. Ultrafast laser pulses have now been shown to enable the energy-efficient generation of structural fluctuations in VO2 by harnessing the correlated disorder in the material.
- Allan S. Johnson
- , Ernest Pastor
- & Simon E. Wall
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Article
| Open AccessNonlinearity-induced topological phase transition characterized by the nonlinear Chern number
Linear topological systems can be characterized using invariants such as the Chern number. This concept can be extended to the nonlinear regime, giving rise to nonlinearity-induced topological phase transitions.
- Kazuki Sone
- , Motohiko Ezawa
- & Takahiro Sagawa
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News & Views |
At the breaking point
The shape and trajectory of a crack plays a crucial role in material fracture. High-precision experiments now directly capture this phenomenon, unveiling the intricate 3D nature of cracks.
- Michael D. Bartlett
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Article |
Emergence of large-scale mechanical spiral waves in bacterial living matter
The occurrence of propagating spiral waves in multicellular organisms is associated with key biological functions. Now this type of wave has also been observed in dense bacterial populations, probably resulting from non-reciprocal cellâcell interactions.
- Shiqi Liu
- , Ye Li
- & Yilin Wu
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Article
| Open AccessLeggett modes in a Dirac semimetal
Leggett modes can occur when superconductivity arises in more than one band in a material and represent oscillation of the relative phases of the two superconducting condensates. Now, this mode is observed in Cd3As2, a Dirac semimetal.
- Joseph J. Cuozzo
- , W. Yu
- & Enrico Rossi
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Article |
Topological Kerr effects in two-dimensional magnets with broken inversion symmetry
The ferromagnet CrVI6 serves as a material platform to demonstrate the topological Kerr effect in two-dimensional magnets. This can be used to identify skyrmions by magneto-optical means.
- Xiaoyin Li
- , Caixing Liu
- & Zhenyu Zhang
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Article |
Multistep topological transitions among meron and skyrmion crystals in a centrosymmetric magnet
Topological magnetic spin structures such as skyrmions and merons have the potential to be used in magnetic information devices. Now multistep transformations between such structures are demonstrated in a centrosymmetric material.
- H. Yoshimochi
- , R. Takagi
- & S. Seki
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News & Views |
Multiphoton quantum statistics from scattered classical light
Even by shining classical light on a single opening, one can perform a double-slit experiment and discover a surprising variety of quantum mechanical multi-photon correlations â thanks to surface plasmon polaritons and photon-number-resolving detectors.
- Martijn Wubs
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Article
| Open AccessComplexity of crack front geometry enhances toughness of brittle solids
Experiments probing three-dimensional crack propagation show that the critical strain energy needed to drive a crack is directly proportional to its geodesic length. This insight is a step towards a fully three-dimensional theory of crack propagation.
- Xinyue Wei
- , Chenzhuo Li
- & John M. Kolinski
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Article |
Flexoelectricity-driven toroidal polar topology in liquid-matter helielectrics
Exploring and exploiting electric dipole arrangements analogously to what is possible with magnetic spin textures is an emerging prospect. Now a spontaneous toroidal polar topology is observed in ferroelectric liquid crystals.
- Jidan Yang
- , Yu Zou
- & Satoshi Aya
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Quantum transport response of topological hinge modes
Topologically protected hinge modes could be important for developing quantum devices, but electronic transport through those states has not been demonstrated. Now quantum transport has been shown in gapless topological hinge states.
- Md Shafayat Hossain
- , Qi Zhang
- & M. Zahid Hasan
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News & Views |
Time in a glass
Ageing is a non-linear, irreversible process that defines many properties of glassy materials. Now, it is shown that the so-called material-time formalism can describe ageing in terms of equilibrium-like properties.
- Beatrice Ruta
- & Daniele Cangialosi
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Article
| Open AccessObservation of Josephson harmonics in tunnel junctions
The standard currentâphase relation in tunnel Josephson junctions involves a single sinusoidal term, but real junctions are more complicated. The effects of higher Josephson harmonics have now been identified in superconducting qubit devices.
- Dennis Willsch
- , Dennis Rieger
- & Ioan M. Pop
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News & Views |
A kagome antiferromagnet reaches its quantum plateau
It has long been predicted that spin-1/2 antiferromagnets on the kagome lattice should feature a series of plateaus in the change of its magnetization under an applied magnetic field. A quantum plateau of this kind has now been observed experimentally.
- Gia-Wei Chern
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Article
| Open AccessBragg glass signatures in PdxErTe3 with X-ray diffraction temperature clustering
The existence of Bragg glassesâfeaturing nearly perfect crystalline order and glassy featuresâhas yet to be experimentally confirmed for disordered charge-density-wave systems. A machine-learning-based experimental study now provides evidence for a Bragg glass phase in the charge density waves of PdxErTe3.
- Krishnanand Mallayya
- , Joshua Straquadine
- & Eun-Ah Kim
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Article |
Picosecond volume expansion drives a later-time insulatorâmetal transition in a nano-textured Mott insulator
During a photoinduced phase transition, electronic rearrangements are usually faster than lattice ones. Time-resolved measurements now show that the insulator-to-metal transition in a thin-film Mott insulator is preceded by lattice reconfiguration.
- Anita Verma
- , Denis Golež
- & Andrej Singer
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News & Views |
Relaxation of a sensitive superconductor
Some exotic metals exhibit competing electronic states that can be influenced by small perturbations. Now, a study of a kagome superconductor shows that this competition is exquisitely sensitive to weak strain fields, providing insight into its anomalous electronic properties.
- Stephen D. Wilson
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News & Views |
Breaking fast and slow
When cracks creep forward in our three-dimensional world, they do so because of accompanying cracks racing perpendicular to the main direction of motion with almost sonic speed. Clever experiments have now directly demonstrated this phenomenon.
- Michael Marder
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Article
| Open AccessCorrelated order at the tipping point in the kagome metal CsV3Sb5
The electronic transport properties of charge-ordered kagome metals are controversial. Now careful measurements on unperturbed samples show that previously measured anisotropy in the transport occurs only when external perturbations are present.
- Chunyu Guo
- , Glenn Wagner
- & Philip J. W. Moll
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Article
| Open AccessThe interplay of field-tunable strongly correlated states in a multi-orbital moiré system
Heterostructures of transition metal dichalcogenides are known to simulate the triangular-lattice Hubbard model. Now, by combining a monolayer and bilayer of different materials, this idea is extended to multi-orbital Hubbard models.
- Aidan J. Campbell
- , Valerio Vitale
- & Brian D. Gerardot
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Article
| Open AccessPropagation of extended fractures by local nucleation and rapid transverse expansion of crack-front distortion
Understanding the three-dimensional nature of fracture formation and dynamics is challenging. Experiments now show that a fracture front, after originating at a particular locus in a material, propagates jump-wise and expands transversely at high speed.
- T. Cochard
- , I. Svetlizky
- & D. A. Weitz
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News & Views |
Electronic transport probes a hidden state
Electronic transport measurements of the anomalous Hall effect can probe properties of a frustrated kagome spin ice that are hidden from conventional thermodynamic and magnetic probes.
- Enke Liu
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Article
| Open AccessDipolar skyrmions and antiskyrmions of arbitrary topological charge at room temperature
Control over magnetic skyrmions at room temperature has important applications in technology. Now the observation of skyrmions with high topological charge widens the potential for them to be used in unconventional computing techniques.
- Mariam Hassan
- , Sabri Koraltan
- & Manfred Albrecht