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Optical near-field microscopy has facilitated our understanding of nanophotonics. This Perspective explores the opportunities that near-field studies of terahertz fields provide for ultrafast phase transitions in condensed matter systems.
Magnetic phases that are stabilized by quantum fluctuations in low dimensions are rare. A thickness-dependent crossover from three-dimensional antiferromagnetism to a two-dimensional vestigial nematic state that is driven by fluctuations has now been observed.
Understanding the mechanism of bacterial cell division is important in both fundamental and applied biology. Now, researchers have investigated the self-organization of cytoskeletal filaments and the role nematic ordering plays in cell division.
The Kibble–Zurek mechanism is a key framework for describing the dynamics of continuous phase transitions. Recent experiments with ultracold gases, employing alternative methods to create a superfluid, highlight its universality.
For solid-state qubits, the material environment hosts sources of errors that vary in time and space. This systematic analysis of errors affecting high-fidelity two-qubit gates in silicon can inform the design of large-scale quantum computers.
In light of the recent Olympic and upcoming Paralympic Summer Games in Paris, we take a closer look at the physics of sports and how it helps athletes improve their performance.
Recent experimental claims of quantum advantage rely on the absence of classical algorithms that can reproduce the results. A tensor network algorithm can now challenge recent optical quantum advantage experiments.
Migrating cell clusters exhibit finger-like protrusions at the front, attributed to leader cells physically dragging follower cells along. Now, an optogenetics experiment has shown that follower cells must also play a role in protrusion formation.
Leader cells play an important role in guiding migratory clusters in various biological processes. Now, the mechanical organization of leader and followers within a cell cluster is shown to enable collective migration.
Heterostructures of ferromagnets and superconductors may host exotic superconducting states. Now a circuit quantum electrodynamics technique is demonstrated that provides evidence for triplet p-wave pairing in such a heterostructure.
Treadmilling of cytoskeletal filaments is crucial for their functional self-organization. Now the mechanism underpinning this collective organization is shown to be the dissolution of misaligned filaments.
Fluctuating hydrodynamics posits that thermalization in non-equilibrium systems depends on equilibrium transport coefficients. This hypothesis is now tested by exploring the emergence of fluctuations in non-equilibrium dynamics of ultracold atoms.
An atom interferometer now maintains a spatial superposition state for 70 seconds, compared to few seconds in freely falling systems. This could improve measurements of the strength of gravitational fields and quantum gravity studies.
A bright, ultrashort X-ray pulse is used to transiently create and characterize warm dense copper. As the pulse intensity is increased, the opacity of copper is strongly altered. The recorded X-ray absorption spectra, substantiated by a theoretical electronic structure model, provide insight into the non-equilibrium electron dynamics during the formation of warm dense matter.
A new ferroic-like phase has been discovered in highly doped superconducting cuprates. The existence of a well-defined order parameter on the supposedly disordered side of the phase diagram challenges the accepted theoretical framework.
