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The emergence of both complex and repeating patterns in a simple microfluidic circuit provides an ideal test-bed for studying self-organized complexity, without the need for exhaustive dynamic control over the parameters that influence complex behaviour.
Berry phases and hidden chiralities are thought to be behind some of the most exotic states in quantum magnets. Polarized neutron scattering unveils the influence of such behaviour on the dynamics of quantum systems.
A planet's rings can be distorted by the gravitational pull of its satellites, and these complex interactions have been difficult to disentangle. Saturn's moon Prometheus, however, has now been caught returning to the scene of the crime.
The spin of a photoluminescent nitrogen centre in diamond has a long life-time that could be useful as a qubit, for example. It's difficult enough to image such a single spin — imagine using that bright spin to detect nearby invisible 'dark' spins.
An atomic Bose–Einstein condensate represents a highly correlated, coherent state of matter. Experiments now reveal that the collective matter-wave properties extend to include coherent dynamics of the spin degrees of freedom.
Excited quantum states in nature are normally extremely short-lived, and this certainly applies to most nuclei. But what makes the metastable nuclear states different? And how can we exploit them for useful applications?