Focus: Darwin and physics

What's the big idea? - p161

doi:10.1038/nphys1206

It is not obviously the business of a physics journal to mark the anniversary of a major development in biology. But the repercussions of Darwin's theory of evolution are relevant to all.

Full Text - What's the big idea? | PDF (234 KB) - What's the big idea?

Focus: Darwin and physics

A noble conception - pp162 - 163

Michael Shermer

doi:10.1038/nphys1207

Science can explain many things in the natural world. Although the laws of gravity, the origin of galaxies and the Universe are commonly accepted, the theory of evolution is still questioned by some. There are clear reasons for why that is, and why it need not be so.

Full Text - A noble conception | PDF (319 KB) - A noble conception

Focus: Darwin and physics

A quantum of natural selection - pp164 - 166

Seth Lloyd

doi:10.1038/nphys1208

The modern evolutionary synthesis, which marries Darwin's theory of natural selection with Mendel's genetics, was developed around the same time as quantum mechanics. Is there any connection between the two?

Full Text - A quantum of natural selection | PDF (290 KB) - A quantum of natural selection

Focus: Darwin and physics

Sense of history - p167

Mark Buchanan

doi:10.1038/nphys1209

Full Text - Sense of history | PDF (99 KB) - Sense of history

Focus: Darwin and physics

Modern classic - pp169 - 170

Patrick Goymer reviews On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin

doi:10.1038/nphys1210

Full Text - Modern classic | PDF (270 KB) - Modern classic

Focus: Darwin and physics

Anniversary: Cause for celebration - p170

Dan Csontos

doi:10.1038/nphys1211

Full Text - AnniversaryCause for celebration | PDF (187 KB) - AnniversaryCause for celebration

Our choice from the recent literature - p171

doi:10.1038/nphys1212

Full Text - Our choice from the recent literature | PDF (103 KB) - Our choice from the recent literature

Quantum dots: Driven to perfection - pp173 - 174

Charles Santori & Yoshihisa Yamamoto

doi:10.1038/nphys1215

In many ways, semiconductor quantum dots behave like natural atoms, but it has proved difficult to manipulate them using resonant laser light. That problem is now overcome.

Full Text - Quantum dotsDriven to perfection | PDF (201 KB) - Quantum dotsDriven to perfection

Subject Categories: Condensed-matter physics | Quantum physics | Optical physics

See also: Letter by Nick Vamivakas et al. | Letter by Flagg et al.

Nuclear magnetic resonance: The benefits of travel - p174

Alison Wright

doi:10.1038/nphys1205

Full Text - Nuclear magnetic resonanceThe benefits of travel | PDF (181 KB) - Nuclear magnetic resonanceThe benefits of travel

Subject Categories: Techniques and instrumentation | Other physics

Kondo physics: What the noise is all about - pp175 - 176

Reinhold Egger

doi:10.1038/nphys1214

Shot noise measurements in carbon nanotube quantum dots show many-body effects related to exotic Kondo models with both spin and orbital angular momentum, paving the way for studies on a rich class of strongly correlated transport phenomena.

Full Text - Kondo physicsWhat the noise is all about | PDF (327 KB) - Kondo physicsWhat the noise is all about

Subject Categories: Condensed-matter physics | Nanotechnology

See also: Letter by Delattre et al.

Dark matter: Many birds, one stone - pp176 - 177

Dan Hooper

doi:10.1038/nphys1216

A new theory for dark matter has the power to explain several experimental results simultaneously, even those seemingly at odds with each other.

Full Text - Dark matterMany birds, one stone | PDF (134 KB) - Dark matterMany birds, one stone

Subject Category: Astrophysics

Microfluidics: Tuned-in flow control - pp178 - 179

Howard A. Stone

doi:10.1038/nphys1213

Analogues of the resistors, capacitors and diodes of an electronic circuit could eliminate the need for bulky external pumps to control the flow of liquids in a microfluidic circuit.

Full Text - MicrofluidicsTuned-in flow control | PDF (343 KB) - MicrofluidicsTuned-in flow control

Subject Categories: Fluid dynamics | Electronics, photonics and device physics

See also: Letter by Leslie et al.

Nanotechnology: Atomic waterwheels set in motion - p179

David Gevaux

doi:10.1038/nphys1204

Full Text - NanotechnologyAtomic waterwheels set in motion | PDF (283 KB) - NanotechnologyAtomic waterwheels set in motion

Subject Category: Nanotechnology

Focus: Darwin and physics

Quantum Darwinism - pp181 - 188

Wojciech Hubert Zurek

doi:10.1038/nphys1202

Quantum Darwinism describes the proliferation, in the environment, of multiple records of selected states of a quantum system – an approach that has resulted in considerable progress towards a solution of the quantum measurement problem.

Abstract - Quantum Darwinism | Full Text - Quantum Darwinism | PDF (992 KB) - Quantum Darwinism

Subject Category: Quantum physics

Preparation of non-local superpositions of quasi-classical light states - pp189 - 192

Alexei Ourjoumtsev, Franck Ferreyrol, Rosa Tualle-Brouri & Philippe Grangier

doi:10.1038/nphys1199

Quantum superpositions of coherent light waves offer several advantages for quantum-information processing compared to single photons. A novel scheme for generating these so-called Schrödinger-cat states circumvents problems arising from their fragility, which has been a key obstacle towards applications.

First Paragraph - Preparation of non-local superpositions of quasi-classical light states | Full Text - Preparation of non-local superpositions of quasi-classical light states | PDF (3,857 KB) - Preparation of non-local superpositions of quasi-classical light states | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Quantum physics | Optical physics | Techniques and instrumentation

Evidence for an oscillating soliton/vortex ring by density engineering of a Bose–Einstein condensate - pp193 - 197

I. Shomroni, E. Lahoud, S. Levy & J. Steinhauer

doi:10.1038/nphys1177

Two intriguing shapes that appear in Bose–Einstein condensates are vortex rings and solitons. Experiments now suggest that there can be periodic oscillations between these qualitatively different structures.

First Paragraph - Evidence for an oscillating soliton/vortex ring by density engineering of a Bose-Einstein condensate | Full Text - Evidence for an oscillating soliton/vortex ring by density engineering of a Bose–Einstein condensate | PDF (744 KB) - Evidence for an oscillating soliton/vortex ring by density engineering of a Bose–Einstein condensate | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Atomic and molecular physics | Statistical physics, thermodynamics and nonlinear dynamics

Spin-resolved quantum-dot resonance fluorescence - pp198 - 202

A. Nick Vamivakas, Yong Zhao, Chao-Yang Lu & Mete Atatüre

doi:10.1038/nphys1182

Two experiments observe the so-called 'Mollow triplet' in the emission spectrum of a quantum dot—originating from resonantly driving a dot transition—and demonstrate the potential of these systems to act as single-photon sources and as a readout modality for electron-spin states.

First Paragraph - Spin-resolved quantum-dot resonance fluorescence | Full Text - Spin-resolved quantum-dot resonance fluorescence | PDF (1,023 KB) - Spin-resolved quantum-dot resonance fluorescence | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Condensed-matter physics | Quantum physics | Optical physics

See also: News and Views by Santori & Yamamoto

Resonantly driven coherent oscillations in a solid-state quantum emitter - pp203 - 207

E. B. Flagg, A. Muller, J. W. Robertson, S. Founta, D. G. Deppe, M. Xiao, W. Ma, G. J. Salamo & C. K. Shih

doi:10.1038/nphys1184

Two experiments observe the so-called Mollow triplet in the emission spectrum of a quantum dot—originating from resonantly driving a dot transition—and demonstrate the potential of these systems to act as single-photon sources, and as a readout modality for electron-spin states.

First Paragraph - Resonantly driven coherent oscillations in a solid-state quantum emitter | Full Text - Resonantly driven coherent oscillations in a solid-state quantum emitter | PDF (1,095 KB) - Resonantly driven coherent oscillations in a solid-state quantum emitter | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Condensed-matter physics | Quantum physics | Optical physics

See also: News and Views by Santori & Yamamoto

Noisy Kondo impurities - pp208 - 212

T. Delattre, C. Feuillet-Palma, L. G. Herrmann, P. Morfin, J.-M. Berroir, G. Fève, B. Plaçais, D. C. Glattli, M.-S. Choi, C. Mora & T. Kontos

doi:10.1038/nphys1186

Sensitive measurements of fluctuations in the current through carbon-nanotube-based quantum dots provide insight into the many-body physics of such systems.

First Paragraph - Noisy Kondo impurities | Full Text - Noisy Kondo impurities | PDF (904 KB) - Noisy Kondo impurities | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Condensed-matter physics | Nanotechnology

See also: News and Views by Egger

Imaging nanoscale Fermi-surface variations in an inhomogeneous superconductor - pp213 - 216

W. D. Wise, Kamalesh Chatterjee, M. C. Boyer, Takeshi Kondo, T. Takeuchi, H. Ikuta, Zhijun Xu, Jinsheng Wen, G. D. Gu, Yayu Wang & E. W. Hudson

doi:10.1038/nphys1197

A variant on Fourier-transform scanning tunnelling spectroscopy enables spatial variations in the Fermi surface of bismuth-based cuprate superconductors to be probed. This technique reveals that these variations take place over nanometre distances.

First Paragraph - Imaging nanoscale Fermi-surface variations in an inhomogeneous superconductor | Full Text - Imaging nanoscale Fermi-surface variations in an inhomogeneous superconductor | PDF (753 KB) - Imaging nanoscale Fermi-surface variations in an inhomogeneous superconductor | Supplementary information

Subject Category: Condensed-matter physics

Strength of the spin-fluctuation-mediated pairing interaction in a high-temperature superconductor - pp217 - 221

T. Dahm, V. Hinkov, S. V. Borisenko, A. A. Kordyuk, V. B. Zabolotnyy, J. Fink, B. Büchner, D. J. Scalapino, W. Hanke & B. Keimer

doi:10.1038/nphys1180

Although spin fluctuations are believed to have an important role in the mechanism responsible for high-temperature superconductivity, it has been unclear whether the strength of their coupling with fermionic quasiparticles is sufficiently strong. Systematic analysis of angle-resolved photoemission and neutron spectra suggests it is.

First Paragraph - Strength of the spin-fluctuation-mediated pairing interaction in a high-temperature superconductor | Full Text - Strength of the spin-fluctuation-mediated pairing interaction in a high-temperature superconductor | PDF (708 KB) - Strength of the spin-fluctuation-mediated pairing interaction in a high-temperature superconductor | Supplementary information

Subject Category: Condensed-matter physics

Quantum interference and Klein tunnelling in graphene heterojunctions - pp222 - 226

Andrea F. Young & Philip Kim

doi:10.1038/nphys1198

The observation of oscillations in the conductance characteristics of narrow graphene p–n-junctions confirms their ability to collimate ballistic carriers. Moreover, the phase of these oscillations at low magnetic field suggests the occurrence of the perfect transmission of carriers normal to the junction as a direct result of the Klein effect.

First Paragraph - Quantum interference and Klein tunnelling in graphene heterojunctions | Full Text - Quantum interference and Klein tunnelling in graphene heterojunctions | PDF (2,825 KB) - Quantum interference and Klein tunnelling in graphene heterojunctions | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Electronics, photonics and device physics | Condensed-matter physics | Nanotechnology

Observation of an Efimov-like trimer resonance in ultracold atom–dimer scattering - pp227 - 230

S. Knoop, F. Ferlaino, M. Mark, M. Berninger, H. Schöbel, H.-C. Nägerl & R. Grimm

doi:10.1038/nphys1203

The observation of a trimer resonance in an ultracold mixture of caesium atoms and dimers confirms one of the key predictions of three-body physics in the limit of resonant two-body interactions, with possible implications for understanding few-body states in nuclear matter.

First Paragraph - Observation of an Efimov-like trimer resonance in ultracold atom-dimer scattering | Full Text - Observation of an Efimov-like trimer resonance in ultracold atom–dimer scattering | PDF (589 KB) - Observation of an Efimov-like trimer resonance in ultracold atom–dimer scattering

Subject Categories: Atomic and molecular physics | Nuclear physics

Frequency-specific flow control in microfluidic circuits with passive elastomeric features - pp231 - 235

Daniel C. Leslie, Christopher J. Easley, Erkin Seker, James M. Karlinsey, Marcel Utz, Matthew R. Begley & James P. Landers

doi:10.1038/nphys1196

Frequency-specific components that passively control the flow in a channel in an analogous manner to that of the resistors, capacitors and diodes of an electronic circuit could eliminate the need to exert active control in microfluidic circuits with bulky external pumps.

First Paragraph - Frequency-specific flow control in microfluidic circuits with passive elastomeric features | Full Text - Frequency-specific flow control in microfluidic circuits with passive elastomeric features | PDF (2,268 KB) - Frequency-specific flow control in microfluidic circuits with passive elastomeric features | Supplementary information

Subject Categories: Fluid dynamics | Electronics, photonics and device physics

See also: News and Views by Stone