Articles in 2022

At low temperatures, the orbital degrees of freedom in insulating magnets normally do not fluctuate, leaving only magnetic behaviour. Measurements now suggest that in Pr₂Zr₂O₇, it is possible to reach a quantum regime of coupled spin–orbital dynamics.

Photonic waveguides with appropriately engineered interactions allow the experimental realization of non-Abelian quantum holonomies of the symmetry group U(3), which is known from the strong nuclear force.

The Luttinger liquid is a theoretical concept used to describe interacting fermions in a 1D system. Now it is shown that the model also describes electron physics in η-Mo₄O₁₁, a quasi-2D material in which 1D chains cross each other.

Manipulating the chirality of electron vortices using attosecond metrology allows the clocking of continuum–continuum transitions, bringing the dream of time-resolved quantum physics a little closer.

Elasticity-driven synchronization in active solids has been predicted theoretically and was recently realized in a synthetic system. A biological realization is now demonstrated in a bacterial biofilm.

The performance of computing devices is determined by the implementation of logical operations at the hardware level. A quantum AND gate designed using three energy levels of a superconducting circuit may speed up quantum computing algorithms.

On soft substrates, epithelial tissues are under high tension and form holes that spontaneously heal. Thus, mechanical stress directly impacts the integrity of epithelia.

A continuum active solid system is realized in a bacterial biofilm. Self-sustained elastic waves are observed, and two modes of collective motion with a sharp transition between them are identified.

Interspecies comparisons between atomic optical clocks are important for several technological applications. A recently proposed spectroscopy technique extends the interrogation times of clocks, leading to highly stable comparison between species.

Attosecond circular-dichroism chronoscopy—a spectroscopy technique that employs two circularly polarized pulses in co-rotating and counter-rotating geometries—can measure the amplitudes and phases of continuum–continuum transitions in electron vortices.

There is an urgent need to rethink the Nobel Prize in Physics in the light of the climate crisis. As expressed by its founder, the award should acknowledge research that addresses pressing challenges for humanity.

Organs in the human body have complex networks of fluid-filled tubes and loops with different geometries and topologies. By studying self-organized, synthetic tissues, the link between topological transitions and the emergence of tissue architecture was revealed.

During development, tissues with complex topology emerge from collections of cells with simple geometry. This process in neuroepithelial organoids is governed by two topologically distinct modes of epithelial fusion.

Various features of the behaviour in the cuprates near where the pseudogap collapses are caused by quantum fluctuations. Now, neutron scattering experiments suggest that very-low-energy collective spin excitations are the cause.

In a burning plasma, fusion-born α particles are the dominant source of heating. In such conditions, the deuterium and tritium ion energy distribution deviates from the expected thermal Maxwellian distribution.

Superconductivity with an anisotropy is revealed in a layered material. This result points towards a version of superconductivity where spin–orbit interactions produce a material that is resilient to external magnetic fields.

Inertial confinement fusion experiments reveal a departure from the expected hydrodynamic behaviour of a plasma when the fusion reactions become the primary source of plasma heating.

A form of superconductivity where strong spin–orbit coupling combines with topological band inversions to produce strong robustness against magnetic fields is shown in a few-layer transition metal dichalcogenide.

To run algorithms on a computer they are broken down into logical operations that are implemented in hardware. A quantum logical AND gate has now been demonstrated, which could substantially improve the efficiency of near-term quantum computers.