Reviews & Analysis

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  • Generating high harmonics or attosecond pulses of light is normally thought of as a classical process, but a theoretical study has now shown how the process could be driven by quantum light.

    • Dong Hyuk Ko
    • P. B. Corkum
    News & Views
  • Measuring the transmission matrix of disordered structures has so far been limited to the domain of linear systems. Now it has been measured for nonlinear disorder, with exciting implications for information capacity.

    • Sushil Mujumdar
    News & Views
  • Regenerative animals accurately regrow lost appendages. Now, research suggests that mechanical waves propagating from the amputation edge have a key role in this process.

    • Yutaka Matsubayashi
    News & Views
  • Amorphous gel structures are present in our everyday lives in the form of food, cosmetics, and biological systems. Experiments now show that their formation cannot be explained within the framework of equilibrium physics.

    • Michael Schmiedeberg
    News & Views
  • Exploring the combined effects of many-body interactions and topology is experimentally challenging. Now, researchers have shown that strong interparticle interactions force ultracold atoms to shift as a whole or one by one, or break quantization in a topological pump.

    • Yongguan Ke
    • Chaohong Lee
    News & Views
  • The collective dynamics observed between Bose-condensed atoms and molecules indicate the occurence of macroscopic quantum phenomena. Experimental investigations found that the atomic and molecular populations oscillate at a frequency that scales with the sample size, providing evidence for bosonic enhancement. These findings could make many-body quantum dynamics accessible in ultracold molecule research.

    Research Briefing
  • Non-perturbing spectroscopy allows the observation of fragile fractional quantum Hall states and broken symmetries in graphene with atomic precision.

    • En-Min Shih
    • Marlou R. Slot
    News & Views
  • The two-component bacterial MinDE protein system is the simplest biological pattern-forming system ever reported. Now, it establishes a mechanochemical feedback loop fuelling the persistent motion of liposomes.

    • Kerstin Göpfrich
    News & Views
  • Multi-colour light fields allow a nonlinear coupling between free electrons and propagating light by stimulated Compton scattering, without the need for near fields to mediate the interaction.

    • Niklas Müller
    • Sascha Schäfer
    News & Views
  • Using ‘momentum cooling’ in cyclotron-based proton therapy can increase proton transmission rates and thereby reduce treatment delivery times. This simple technique, which reduces the momentum spread of the proton beam without introducing substantial beam losses, enhances efficiency and has the potential to reduce costs, thereby advancing cancer treatment and improving patient outcomes.

    Research Briefing
  • Most quantum processors rely on native interactions between pairs of qubits to generate quantum entangling gates. Now, by modulating the driving laser fields, gates that entangle a triplet or quartet of trapped-ion qubits have been realized, creating useful new components for quantum computing applications.

    Research Briefing
  • In principle, quantum entanglement gives advantages in radar detection even under noisy and lossy operating conditions. More than a decade after the proposal, the predicted quantum advantage has finally been demonstrated at microwave frequencies.

    • Quntao Zhuang
    News & Views
  • Whether Anderson localization of light is possible in three dimensions has long been an open question. Numerical calculations have now shown that it can be done with a disordered arrangement of metal particles.

    • Diederik S. Wiersma
    News & Views
  • A coherent interface between a mechanical oscillator and superconducting electrical circuits would enable the control of quantum states of mechanical motion, but such interfaces often result in excess mechanical energy loss. A new material-agnostic approach is shown to achieve strong electromechanical coupling while preserving a long phonon lifetime.

    Research Briefing
  • Two studies of electrons generated from laser-triggered emitters have found highly predictable electron–electron energy correlations. These studies, at vastly different energy scales, may lead to heralded electron sources, enabling quantum free-electron optics and low-noise, low-damage electron beam lithography and microscopy.

    • John W. Simonaitis
    • Phillip D. Keathley
    News & Views
  • A real qubit is not an isolated unitary quantum system but is subject to noise from its environment. An experiment has now turned this interaction on its head, controlling the environment using the qubit itself.

    • Bayan Karimi
    • Jukka P. Pekola
    News & Views
  • The structure of disordered materials typically ages, but sometimes also rejuvenates, resulting in intriguing memory properties. Progress in numerical simulations of spin glasses has now enabled replication of such phenomena from simple models.

    • Eric Vincent
    News & Views
  • Hydrides are promising for harnessing high-temperature superconductivity, albeit with the need of extreme pressures. New experimental protocols establish a magnetic route to detect and study superconductivity compatible with high-pressure devices.

    • Swee K. Goh
    • Wei Zhang
    • King Yau Yip
    News & Views