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| Open AccessHeat flows enrich prebiotic building blocks and enhance their reactivity
Heat flows through thin, crack-like geo-compartments are shown to purify previously mixed compounds and enhance their reactivity, providing a selective mechanism for separating molecules relevant to the chemical origins of life.
- Thomas Matreux
- , Paula Aikkila
- & Christof B. Mast
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Non-reciprocal topological solitons in active metamaterials
A local driving mechanism for solitons that accelerates both solitons and antisolitons in the same direction, called non-reciprocal driving, is introduced, showing a subtle interplay between non-reciprocity and topological solitons and providing waveguiding and wave-processing possibilities for other fields.
- Jonas Veenstra
- , Oleksandr Gamayun
- & Corentin Coulais
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Article
| Open AccessPattern formation by turbulent cascades
Turbulent energy cascades can be arrested by non-dissipative viscosities, resulting in pattern formation at intermediate length scales.
- Xander M. de Wit
- , Michel Fruchart
- & Vincenzo Vitelli
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Self-enhanced mobility enables vortex pattern formation in living matter
We demonstrate that self-enhanced mobility offers a simple physical mechanism for pattern formation in living systems and, more generally, in other active matter systems near the boundary of fluid- and solid-like behaviours.
- Haoran Xu
- & Yilin Wu
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All-optical frequency division on-chip using a single laser
We demonstrate an all-optical, mode-locking, Kerr-comb frequency division method that provides a chip-scale microwave source that is extremely versatile, accurate, stable and has ultralow noise, using only a single continuous-wave laser.
- Yun Zhao
- , Jae K. Jang
- & Alexander L. Gaeta
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Article
| Open AccessThe persistence of memory in ionic conduction probed by nonlinear optics
Single-cycle terahertz pumps are used to impulsively trigger ionic hopping in battery solid electrolytes, probing ion transport at its fastest limit and demonstrating the connection between activated transport and the thermodynamics of information.
- Andrey D. Poletayev
- , Matthias C. Hoffmann
- & Aaron M. Lindenberg
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| Open AccessPattern recognition in the nucleation kinetics of non-equilibrium self-assembly
Examination of nucleation during self-assembly of multicomponent structures illustrates how ubiquitous molecular phenomena inherently classify high-dimensional patterns of concentrations in a manner similar to neural network computation.
- Constantine Glen Evans
- , Jackson O’Brien
- & Arvind Murugan
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Article
| Open AccessNeural landscape diffusion resolves conflicts between needs across time
Behavioural and electrophysiological studies in simultaneously thirsty and hungry mice reveal a neural basis for resolving conflicts between needs, in which choices are guided by a persistent and distributed neural goal state that undergoes spontaneous transitions between goals.
- Ethan B. Richman
- , Nicole Ticea
- & Liqun Luo
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| Open AccessA quantum engine in the BEC–BCS crossover
This study reports the creation of a model thermodynamic engine that is fuelled by the energy difference resulting from changing the statistics of a quantum gas from bosonic to fermionic.
- Jennifer Koch
- , Keerthy Menon
- & Artur Widera
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Microstructure and crystal order during freezing of supercooled water drops
Optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction are used to study the freezing of water droplets in vacuum, leading to the development of a seven-stage model of freezing and the mapping of ice structures and crystal order.
- Armin Kalita
- , Maximillian Mrozek-McCourt
- & Claudiu A. Stan
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Quantum-enhanced Markov chain Monte Carlo
A quantum algorithm is introduced that performs Markov chain Monte Carlo to sample from the Boltzmann distribution of Ising models, demonstrating, through experiments and simulations, a polynomial speedup compared with classical alternatives.
- David Layden
- , Guglielmo Mazzola
- & Sarah Sheldon
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Observing the onset of pressure-driven K-shell delocalization
Experiments at the National Ignition Facility show how delocalization of K-shell electrons is driven by extreme pressure and temperature.
- T. Döppner
- , M. Bethkenhagen
- & D. O. Gericke
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Article
| Open AccessPhotochromism from wavelength-selective colloidal phase segregation
A simple spectral selective active colloidal system is designed in which TiO2 colloidal species are coded with dyes to form a photochromic swarm that adapts the appearance of incident light due to layered phase segregation.
- Jing Zheng
- , Jingyuan Chen
- & Jinyao Tang
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Down-conversion of a single photon as a probe of many-body localization
An experiment is described in which the conversion of a single photon in a multimode cavity into a shower of low-energy photons was attempted, but failed owing to many-body localization and violation of Fermi’s golden rule.
- Nitish Mehta
- , Roman Kuzmin
- & Vladimir E. Manucharyan
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Kardar–Parisi–Zhang universality in a one-dimensional polariton condensate
Experiments show that the dynamics of phase fluctuations in a one-dimensional polariton condensate falls in the Kardar–Parisi–Zhang universality class, and theoretical analysis supports this finding revealing the key signatures of this universality class.
- Quentin Fontaine
- , Davide Squizzato
- & Jacqueline Bloch
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Article
| Open AccessEvaporation of microwave-shielded polar molecules to quantum degeneracy
A general and efficient approach to evaporatively cool ultracold polar molecules through elastic collisions to create a degenerate quantum gas in three dimensions is demonstrated using microwave shielding.
- Andreas Schindewolf
- , Roman Bause
- & Xin-Yu Luo
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Odd dynamics of living chiral crystals
Experiments show that swimming starfish embryos spontaneously assemble into large chiral crystals that exhibit self-sustained chiral oscillations and unconventional deformation responses characteristic of odd elastic materials.
- Tzer Han Tan
- , Alexander Mietke
- & Nikta Fakhri
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Observation of ultracold atomic bubbles in orbital microgravity
Bubbles of ultracold atoms have been created, observed and characterized at the NASA Cold Atom Lab onboard the International Space Station, made possible by the microgravity environment of the laboratory.
- R. A. Carollo
- , D. C. Aveline
- & N. Lundblad
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High-entropy polymer produces a giant electrocaloric effect at low fields
A study reports and characterizes a high-entropy electrocaloric polymer that switches under low fields, and discusses its potential suitability for use in caloric heat pumps.
- Xiaoshi Qian
- , Donglin Han
- & Q. M. Zhang
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Article
| Open AccessTime-crystalline eigenstate order on a quantum processor
A study establishes a scalable approach to engineer and characterize a many-body-localized discrete time crystal phase on a superconducting quantum processor.
- Xiao Mi
- , Matteo Ippoliti
- & Pedram Roushan
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Observation of Stark many-body localization without disorder
Experiments with a trapped-ion quantum simulator observe Stark many-body localization, in which the quantum system evades thermalization despite having no disorder.
- W. Morong
- , F. Liu
- & C. Monroe
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Episodic deluges in simulated hothouse climates
Through an idealized set of simulations, with a model that incorporates key physics, research reveals dramatic swings between massive rainfall events and extended dry periods in hothouse climates.
- Jacob T. Seeley
- & Robin D. Wordsworth
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Emergent hydrodynamics in a strongly interacting dipolar spin ensemble
A hybrid solid-state platform based on two strongly interacting dipolar species is used to study the emergence of the classical properties of a solid from its underlying microscopic quantum description.
- C. Zu
- , F. Machado
- & N. Y. Yao
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Emergent order in hydrodynamic spin lattices
A macroscopic analogue of a spin system is shown to emerge in an ensemble of droplets bouncing on the surface of a vibrating bath, revealing symmetry-breaking phenomena such as ‘magnetic’ ordering.
- Pedro J. Sáenz
- , Giuseppe Pucci
- & John W. M. Bush
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Quantum simulation of 2D antiferromagnets with hundreds of Rydberg atoms
Programmable quantum simulation of two-dimensional antiferromagnets is achieved with up to 196 neutral atoms, and the capability of the platform is demonstrated on square and triangular arrays.
- Pascal Scholl
- , Michael Schuler
- & Antoine Browaeys
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The universal visitation law of human mobility
Using large-scale mobility data from diverse cities around the globe, a simple and robust scaling law that captures the temporal and spatial range of population movement is revealed.
- Markus Schläpfer
- , Lei Dong
- & Geoffrey B. West
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A quantum magnetic analogue to the critical point of water
The pressure dependence and magnetic field dependence of the specific heat of a quantum magnet, SrCu2(BO3)2, demonstrate that its phase diagram contains a line of first-order transitions terminating at a critical point, in analogy with water.
- J. Larrea Jiménez
- , S. P. G. Crone
- & F. Mila
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Non-reciprocal phase transitions
A theoretical study of non-reciprocity in collective phenomena reveals the emergence of time-dependent phases heralded by exceptional points in contexts ranging from synchronization and flocking to pattern formation.
- Michel Fruchart
- , Ryo Hanai
- & Vincenzo Vitelli
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Underdetection of cases of COVID-19 in France threatens epidemic control
Analyses of virological and surveillance data in France show that a substantial proportion of symptomatic cases of COVID-19 have remained undetected and that easily accessible and efficient testing is required to control the pandemic.
- Giulia Pullano
- , Laura Di Domenico
- & Vittoria Colizza
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Observing the emergence of a quantum phase transition shell by shell
An atomic simulator formed of a few ultracold fermionic atoms trapped in a two-dimensional harmonic potential exhibits precursors of a quantum phase transition, revealing the onset of collective quantum many-body phenomena in a few-body system.
- Luca Bayha
- , Marvin Holten
- & Selim Jochim
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The scales of human mobility
A model shows that human mobility is organized within hierarchical containers that coincide with familiar scales and that a power-law distribution emerges when movements between different containers are combined.
- Laura Alessandretti
- , Ulf Aslak
- & Sune Lehmann
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The growth equation of cities
A theoretical model in the form of a stochastic differential equation is proposed that describes, more accurately than previous models, the population evolution of cities, revealing that rare but very large interurban migration is a dominant factor.
- Vincent Verbavatz
- & Marc Barthelemy
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Article |
Anatomy of cage formation in a two-dimensional glass-forming liquid
The onset of rigidity in a two-dimensional colloidal glass-forming system is identified by the formation and merging of locally rigid domains in which particles move in a cooperative manner.
- Bo Li
- , Kai Lou
- & Steve Granick
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Floating under a levitating liquid
Manipulation of the effective gravity of an oscillating liquid creates stable buoyancy in the lower surface of a liquid layer levitating above air, allowing bodies to float upside down.
- Benjamin Apffel
- , Filip Novkoski
- & Emmanuel Fort
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Observation of superconducting diode effect
A superconducting diode that has zero resistance in only one direction is realized in an artificially engineered superlattice without inversion symmetry, enabling directional charge transport without energy loss.
- Fuyuki Ando
- , Yuta Miyasaka
- & Teruo Ono
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Exponentially faster cooling in a colloidal system
A colloidal system is used to demonstrate the Mpemba effect and obtain the parameters responsible for its anomalous relaxation dynamics, which are manipulated to achieve exponentially faster cooling than typical.
- Avinash Kumar
- & John Bechhoefer
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Loopy Lévy flights enhance tracer diffusion in active suspensions
A theoretical framework describing the hydrodynamic interactions between a passive particle and an active medium in out-of-equilibrium systems predicts long-range Lévy flights for the diffusing particle driven by the density of the active component.
- Kiyoshi Kanazawa
- , Tomohiko G. Sano
- & Adrian Baule
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Dualities and non-Abelian mechanics
Dualities—mathematical mappings between different systems—can act as hidden symmetries that enable materials design beyond that suggested by crystallographic space groups.
- Michel Fruchart
- , Yujie Zhou
- & Vincenzo Vitelli
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Signatures of self-organized criticality in an ultracold atomic gas
A driven–dissipative gas of ultracold potassium atoms is used to demonstrate three key signatures of self-organized criticality, and provides a system in which the phenomenon can be experimentally tested.
- S. Helmrich
- , A. Arias
- & S. Whitlock
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Inverse transition of labyrinthine domain patterns in ferroelectric thin films
The labyrinthine domain patterns formed in ultrathin films of ferroelectric oxides by subcritical quenching undergo an inverse phase transition to the less-symmetric parallel-stripe domain structure upon increasing temperature.
- Y. Nahas
- , S. Prokhorenko
- & L. Bellaiche
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A statistical solution to the chaotic, non-hierarchical three-body problem
The ergodic hypothesis is used to produce a statistical solution to the chaotic non-hierarchical three-body problem.
- Nicholas C. Stone
- & Nathan W. C. Leigh
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Article |
Quantifying the dynamics of failure across science, startups and security
A model demonstrates that people who eventually succeed and those who do not may initially appear similar, but are characterized by fundamentally distinct failure dynamics in terms of the efficiency and quality of each subsequent attempt to succeed.
- Yian Yin
- , Yang Wang
- & Dashun Wang
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Article |
Braess’s paradox and programmable behaviour in microfluidic networks
Microfluidic systems controlled by a single driving pressure are programmed to exhibit complex flow-switching schemes and a fluid analogue of Braess’s paradox by exploiting fluid inertia and network design.
- Daniel J. Case
- , Yifan Liu
- & Adilson E. Motter
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Electrochemically reconfigurable architected materials
Architected silicon-based lattices are reported that reversibly transform their structure on electrochemical lithiation and delithiation, through cooperatively coupled buckling instabilities that are sensitive to random and pre-designed defects.
- Xiaoxing Xia
- , Arman Afshar
- & Julia R. Greer
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Letter |
Frequent observations of identical onsets of large and small earthquakes
Analysis of a dataset of high-sensitivity Tohoku–Hokkaido seismograph records shows that pairs of subduction-type earthquakes of different sizes have very similar initial characteristics, implying that the final size of an earthquake cannot be reliably predicted from these.
- Satoshi Ide
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Letter |
Hidden resilience and adaptive dynamics of the global online hate ecology
The dynamics of interactions between hate-orientated networks on different online platforms is characterized, and a mathematical model predicts that policing on one online platform can make matters worse and generate ‘darker’ parts of the Internet.
- N. F. Johnson
- , R. Leahy
- & S. Wuchty
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Letter |
Nonreciprocal control and cooling of phonon modes in an optomechanical system
A cavity optomechanical scheme produces robust nonreciprocal coupling between phononic resonators and is used to control the resonators’ thermal fluctuations.
- H. Xu
- , Luyao Jiang
- & J. G. E. Harris
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Letter |
Large teams develop and small teams disrupt science and technology
Analyses of the output produced by large versus small teams of researchers and innovators demonstrate that their work differs systematically in the extent to which it disrupts or develops existing science and technology.
- Lingfei Wu
- , Dashun Wang
- & James A. Evans
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Letter |
Complex networks reveal global pattern of extreme-rainfall teleconnections
Complex networks are used to analyse global-scale teleconnections between extreme-rainfall events, revealing a peak in the distance distribution of statistically significant connections at around 10,000 kilometres.
- Niklas Boers
- , Bedartha Goswami
- & Jürgen Kurths