Reviews & Analysis

Two recent developments suggest how familiar properties of gravity and matter may emerge from the quantum geometry that underlies loop quantum gravity.

The discovery that microfluidic 'crystals' exhibit long-range collective behaviour demonstrates their potential use as a testbed for studying dissipative self-organization and other non-equilibrium phenomena.

The flow behaviour of solid helium at very low temperatures has recently generated as much controversy as excitement. An experiment looking directly at the grain boundaries offers fresh insights.

Atom-waves interferometers are becoming ever more compact. A new way of coherently splitting atom waves, based on radiofrequency fields, could extend the capabilities of these miniature atom traps.

When two one-dimensional Bose–Einstein condensates interfere, they exhibit a fluctuating interference pattern. The full statistical distribution of the interference amplitude can be predicted, thanks to a remarkable connection to several exactly solvable problems.

The combined data from four systems of telescopes offer the strongest evidence yet that a modification of gravity cannot do away with the need for dark matter.

Quantum teleportation in itself is intriguing. But now the combined states of two photons have been teleported — while preserving their entanglement — and this could bring large-scale quantum communication and computation a step closer.

A new kind of X-ray microscopy can visualize single-unit-cell steps on a crystal surface. This is an order of magnitude better depth-resolution than current X-ray microscopes can achieve.

Scanning tunnelling microscopy studies have identified a vibrational phonon mode in a high-temperature superconductor, but is it evidence for an electron–phonon pairing interaction or is it a signature of an inelastic tunnelling channel?

Synchrotron X-rays from relativistic electrons confirm an important assumption of diffusive shock acceleration in the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, but do not provide proof of the acceleration of ions to relativistic energies in supernova remnants.

A 'real life' quantum computer requires well-protected qubits, as available in quantum optical systems, and scalability, usually the domain of solid-state devices. Polar molecules integrated with superconducting stripline resonators might offer the best of both worlds.

The non-superconducting state of a high-temperature superconductor is in many ways more anomalous than the superconducting state. Unlike a standard metal, the 'normal' state shows possible signs that adding or removing one electron affects all the others.

Astrophysicists have proposed that sound waves could drive some of the largest explosions in the Universe. The emerging field of gravitational-wave astronomy might provide a means to listen in.

When a tiny constriction is introduced into the path of electrons, the conductance becomes quantized. In many experiments an unexpected additional feature is observed. An explanation might now be available.

The Klein paradox, which relates to the ability of relativistic particles to pass through extreme potential barriers, could be yet another of the strange quantum phenomena made accessible by the properties of graphene.

Predicting the properties of complex organic molecules from first principles is computationally restrictive. But by modelling their behaviour as that of a series of scattering vertices, accurate calculations of their electronic structure become possible.

One might have expected there was little left to learn about the dynamics of hot charge-carriers in semiconductors. But an unexpected heating mechanism in semiconducting quantum rods suggests there is still room for surprise.

How did the first stars form, and the early Universe develop? A meeting of minds from astronomy, cosmology and nuclear physics achieved some consensus on what we know, and what we don't.

Turbulent flows, such as those generating the thermonuclear flames of a supernova, are difficult to measure, so we rely on simulations for insights. The largest simulation to date reveals unexpected flow dynamics.