Reviews & Analysis

Electromagnetic waves below the plasma frequency usually reflect off a metal. A theory now suggests that a nonlinear Josephson plasma wave — an excitation in an anisotropic superconductor — can propagate below the plasma frequency.

The mass and radius of a neutron star constrain the equation of state and the symmetry energy of its nuclear matter. A new analysis suggests how these quantities might be pinned down more precisely.

The reordering of field lines during magnetic reconnection plays an important part in many astrophysical and terrestrial plasma phenomena. Satellite measurements of a so-called null point during magnetic reconnection should help refine theoretical models of this process.

Every metal, semimetal and doped semiconductor has a Fermi surface that determines its physical properties. A new state of matter within the 'pseudogap' state of a high-temperature superconductor destroys the Fermi surface, the process of which provides information about the new state.

The pursuit of ultracold atomic gases has revolutionized atomic physics. Will translationally cold molecules — which are now becoming available — similarly transform molecular and chemical physics?

Tiny collapsing bubbles can focus acoustic energy into bursts of visible light. Careful measurements of the emitted light reveal extraordinary conditions at the centre of the implosion of a single bubble, but not so extraordinary as to support fantastical claims.

X-rays enable the structure of matter to be imaged with near-atomic resolution, but the continuous output of conventional X-ray sources prevents rapidly evolving changes in the material's structure to be followed. The emission of a train of attosecond X-ray pulses from a laser-driven relativistic plasma could solve this limitation.

Trapped atomic Fermi gases currently provide models of neutron stars, high-temperature superconductors, and even the quark–gluon plasma that comprised the early universe. The ability to produce these important systems on a chip could also open the way to their practical use.

Observing coherent coupling between two quantum objects in the solid state is hard enough at millikelvin temperatures. Now, this has been achieved at room temperature — using nitrogen defects in diamond — opening up an avenue to practical quantum computing.

When it comes to information processing within and between biological cells, diffusion plays an important role. However, the pace with which messages are transmitted could be much faster than the messenger molecules move.

Many solar physicists expect the peak sunspot activity during the next solar cycle to be at its weakest in almost a century. A recent prediction to the contrary could turn this prevailing wisdom on its head.

Despite the complexity of the processes involved, the statistics of the tropical rain rate are remarkably similar to those of critical phenomena near continuous phase transitions in other — much smaller — physical systems.

The challenge to measure the quantum-mechanical mixing between particle and antiparticle states for a particular type of meson is at last being met — but as yet, alas, reveals no exotic physics.

Plasma instabilities known as edge-localized modes present a significant challenge to the development of next-generation fusion reactors. But by inducing small perturbations in the magnetic fields that confine fusion plasmas, such instabilities could become a thing of the past.

The study of complex oxides using a local probe reveals exciting secrets — from magnetic domains arranged like bricks in a wall to the possible first visualization of a polaronic charge carrier.

Quantum states of matter with topological order are of great fundamental — and potential practical — interest. Polar molecules stored in optical lattices could offer a platform for realizing such 'exotic' states.

The ability to generate intense attosecond pulses of light promises unprecedented opportunities to study the lightest and fastest of all chemically relevant particles — electrons. Two techniques demonstrate progress towards measuring and controlling their attosecond dynamics.

The sensitivity and dynamic range of a network made of neuron-like elements is now shown to be maximized at the critical point of a phase transition. This raises the question of whether critical senses might improve survival in a critical world.

It's a twenty-year-old question: how much do the constituent quarks and gluons contribute to the spin of a nucleon? New results from the COMPASS experiment add to the picture.

As the duration of pulses generated by modern lasers approaches that of a single optical cycle, the absolute phase of the wave-packets in such pulses becomes important. A new method for measuring this phase could aid their use in both high-field physics and attosecond pulse generation.