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Linear resistivity across many strongly correlated materials at high temperatures has no satisfactory explanation. A universal framework of incoherent metallic transport in which quantities are bounded could be the way forward.
Topological charges form readily at defects in liquid crystals, but controlling them is a formidable task. An innovative approach pins defects to a microfibre, enabling controlled creation and manipulation of topological charges.
Chern numbers characterize the quantum Hall effect conductance—non-zero values are associated with topological phases. Previously only spotted in electronic systems, they have now been measured in ultracold atoms subject to artificial gauge fields.
The mechanism holding Cooper pairs together in iron-based superconductors is highly debated. Finding the fingerprint of the pairing mechanism would be a leap forward.
The Jarzynski equality, relating non-equilibrium processes to free-energy differences between equilibrium states, has been verified in a number of classical systems. An ion-trap experiment now succeeds in demonstrating its quantum counterpart.
Graphene’s electronic properties can be modified by putting it on a substrate. Now it is shown that intercalating a graphene sheet and an iridium substrate with lead islands causes resonances, attributed to a spatial variation of spin–orbit coupling.
Solids embedded with fluid inclusions are intuitively softer than their pure counterparts. But experiments show that when the droplets are small enough, material can become stiffer—highlighting a role for surface tension.
Defects are often introduced to increase the stiffness of three-dimensional materials. Evidence now suggests that the elastic modulus of two-dimensional graphene sheets can also be increased by controlled defect creation.
An experimental study characterizes subradiance—inhibited emission due to destructive interference—in ultracold molecules close to the dissociation limit and shows that it could be used for precision molecular spectroscopy.
Fractional magnetic excitations are thought to exist even in the simplest multi-dimensional spin models, but attention has focused on frustrated systems. Such excitations have now been seen in an unfrustrated two-dimensional quantum antiferromagnet.
Weak magneto-chiral dichroic effects may explain why biomolecules all have the same chirality, but they are notoriously difficult to observe. Using hard X-rays, strong magneto-chiral dichroism has now been observed in a paramagnetic molecular helix.
The Nernst coefficient is a measure of the transverse thermoelectric effect in a conductor. Superconducting fluctuations magnify this effect but in URu2Si2, the million-fold enhancement suggests that the fluctuations have an exotic origin.
Landau levels in graphene are not equidistant so that transitions between them can be individually probed. Time-resolved optical pumping experiments reveal strong electron–electron scattering resulting in an Auger-depleted zeroth order Landau level.
Many quantum protocols require fast, remote entanglement generation to outperform their classical counterparts. A modular solution is now reported, using trapped ions that are remotely entangled through photons.
A proposal for detecting dark matter originating from light fields rather than particles makes use of existing networks of atomic clocks to measure time discrepancies between clocks that are spatially separated.
An imaging study of vortex proliferation near a continuous phase transition in a ferroelectric reveals frozen-in vortices that follow the predictions of the Kibble–Zurek model for cosmological strings formed in the early Universe.
Falling droplets bounce back well from superhydrophobic surfaces. Now it is shown that when a thin air film is made to persist between drop and surface, efficient bouncing is possible for wettable surfaces too, and for drops with low surface tension.
Communication systems require non-reciprocal electromagnetic propagation, which is difficult to realize in circuits. An alternative is demonstrated by modulating the phase of strongly coupled resonators in a circular configuration.
Superconducting vortex droplets in a mesoscopic superconductor disintegrate in the same way as the charged liquid droplets studied by Lord Rayleigh, revealing dynamics similar to thunder clouds, atomic nuclei and trapped ultracold atoms.
Experimentalists have observed the predicted half-integer quantum Hall effect using the topological insulator BiSbTeSe2, which exhibits topological surface states at room temperature, with each surface contributing a half quantum of Hall conductance.