A simple programmable quantum processor has been created using trapped atomic ions. The system can be programmed with 15 classical inputs to produce any unitary operation on two qubits. This trapped-ion approach is amenable to scaling up for the creation of more complex circuits.

The transition from a ferromagnetic to a paramagnetic state is observed directly as the density of carriers that mediate spin–spin coupling is varied. The measurement was performed on thin films of GaMnAs and was made possible by superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDS).

The Nernst effect — the generation of a transverse electric field in a system subject to a longitudinal temperature gradient and perpendicular magnetic field — is increasingly used as a probe of a material's electronic structure. The discovery of an unexpected Nernst response in graphite establishes the role of dimensionality on this effect, and enables the individual contributions of bulk and surface to be distinguished.

It has been suggested that the extreme states of matter generated by high-intensity lasers could allow conditions similar to those in the vicinity of a black hole to be studied in the lab. The observation of striking similarities between the X-ray spectra emitted by a laser-driven laboratory plasma and those measured from two high-mass binary star systems suggest such potential has been realized.