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Physics is the search for and application of rules that can help us understand and predict the world around us. Central to physics are ideas such as energy, mass, particles and waves. Physics attempts to both answer philosophical questions about the nature of the universe and provide solutions to technological problems.
A clear picture of how and why cells inevitably lose viability is still lacking. A dynamical systems view of starving bacteria points to a continuous energy expenditure needed for maintaining the right osmotic pressure as an important factor.
A single monolayer semiconductor integrated into a plasmonic tunnel junction exhibits electroluminescence with photon energies that exceed the excitation electron potential. This phenomenon is shown to be indirectly triggered by inelastically tunnelling electrons.
Ultrafast light pulses, if they are sufficiently intense, can induce phase transitions on ultrafast timescales. It is now shown that when a system is first excited by a weak preparatory pulse, this generates local changes in structure that transiently lower the energy barrier to the phase transition, enabling high-speed and energy-efficient transitions.
The nature of the fractional quantum Hall state when the lowest Landau level is half-filled remains controversial. Now, the observation of a topological phase transition at related filling fractions suggests that the half-filled state is non-Abelian.
Quantum emitters in Si show promise for applications in quantum information processing and communication due to their potential as spin-photon interfaces. Jhuria et al. report the formation of selected telecom emitters in Si using local writing and erasing by fs laser pulses and annealing in a hydrogen atmosphere.
The nature of turbulence that occurs when fluids flow in a pipe is still controversial. Now the onset of turbulence in pipe flow has been shown to be a directed-percolation phase transition.
Intermittency is the behavior of extreme fluctuations observed in the flow of a fluid that is often associated with high Reynolds numbers. Here, the authors report intermittency in elastic turbulence at the low Reynolds number and high Deborah number limit.
A clear picture of how and why cells inevitably lose viability is still lacking. A dynamical systems view of starving bacteria points to a continuous energy expenditure needed for maintaining the right osmotic pressure as an important factor.
A single monolayer semiconductor integrated into a plasmonic tunnel junction exhibits electroluminescence with photon energies that exceed the excitation electron potential. This phenomenon is shown to be indirectly triggered by inelastically tunnelling electrons.