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The idea of monopoles in spin ice has enjoyed much success in the intermediate temperature regime. Low-temperature measurements now point to the importance of surfaces and impurities in monopole dynamics, in providing extrinsic resistance for monopole currents.
In the highly degenerate spin-ice ground state, flipped spins give rise to magnetic charges, or monopoles, which form a measurable current in a magnetic field. The low-temperature relaxation dynamics of spin-ice materials now reveal that defects can impede monopole flow—creating a magnetic analogue of electrical resistance.
An increase in diffusion beyond the ballistic-transport regime is now demonstrated. This so-called hyper-transport is observed in an optical experiment, but it might also be evident in other systems with time-varying disorder.
Topological entanglement entropy provides a robust measure for detecting the long-range entanglement that characterizes quantum ground states displaying topological order. A new method for calculating this entropy isolates minimally entangled states from the ground states of a topological phase—offering a reliable test for identifying topological spin liquids.
Long-distance quantum communication is limited by optical absorption and scattering. A noiseless amplifier for photonic qubits coherently encoded across two optical modes is now demonstrated, which could combat this negative effect. The method enabled a fivefold increase in the transmission fidelity of the polarization state of a single photon.
New data, backed up by simulations, support the existence of Majorana fermions in the one-dimensional topological superconductor that is induced by placing an aluminium superconductor close to an indium-arsenide nanowire.
A technique for protecting out-of-equilibrium nuclear spin states from thermalization while offering a route to converting them into observable NMR signal is an important contribution to a field that welcomes every bit of extra signal.
The Physical Sciences–Oncology Centers in the US bring together scientists from all backgrounds to tackle some of the most important questions in cancer research.
