Reviews & Analysis

Multiple parameter estimation techniques are employed to empirically validate theoretical propositions regarding complex systems by discerning relevant free parameters from often scarce experimental data. In this tutorial, the authors provide a beginner’s guide to parameter estimation via adjoint optimization, and show its efficiency in prototypical problems across different fields of physics.

Surface wetting describes the interaction between a solid surface and a liquid droplet, the dynamics of which govern the performance of functional surfaces for nanoscience and industrial applications. Here, the authors review how a combination of new surface characterization techniques allows the probing of surface wettability in greater detail compared to conventional methods (e.g., contact angle measurement).

Bound states in the continuum, for decades a theoretical curiosity, have more recently found application in nanophotonic platforms due to their high quality factors and spatial confinement. Here, the authors review recent progress in the development of active and passive photonic devices exploiting these properties.

Judicious design of metamaterials and phononic crystals permits the realization of novel localization and wave-guiding properties. Here, recent developments and strategies for applying these structures to piezoelectric energy harvesting are reviewed.

Magnetic susceptibility measurements are an integral technique used across chemistry, physics and materials science; however, while straightforward to perform, interpretation of the data is often not. Here, the authors provide a basic guide to help newcomers interpret magnetic susceptibility data outlining examples based around the Curie-Weiss law that are ideal for those wishing to learn the basics of this method.

Here, Zanin and Olivares review the permutation patterns-based metrics used to distinguish chaos from stochasticity in discrete time series. They analyse their performance and computational cost, and compare their applicability to real-world time series.

Topological materials are extensively studied in condensed matter physics and several have been studied to the point where it is now time to ask if these unique materials have a role to play in next generation technologies. The author reviews the current status of well-characterized topological materials such as Bi₂Se₃ for electronic device applications, focusing on selected technological aspects and their promise for engineering applications.

Quantum information processing holds promise to achieve more secure data transfer in the current network of telecommunication fibres. Here, the authors review recent works implementing spatial division multiplexing in optical fibres and discuss their potential for quantum communication in classical networks.

Optical frequency combs were realized nearly two decades ago to support the development of the world’s most precise atomic clocks, but their versatility has since made them useful instruments well beyond their original goal, and spans across a wide variety of fundamental and applied physics in a wide range of wavelengths. Fortier and Baumann present a comprehensive review of developments in optical frequency comb technology and a view to the future with these technologies.

Magnonics involves the manipulation of spin waves in order to develop more energy efficient spintronics devices which do not rely on the movement of electronic charge. Here, the authors review the various methods designed to control magnonics with particular focus on voltage i.e. electric-field.

Quantum communication and computing is now in a data-intensive domain where a classical network describing a quantum system seems no longer sufficient to yield a generalization of complex networks methods to the quantum domain. The authors review recent progress into this paradigm shift that drives the creation of a network theory based fundamentally on quantum effects.

For both fundamental and applied sciences topological states of matter is an area of intense research and most investigations are dedicated to realizing these materials using electronic and optical methods. Here the authors review recent efforts in a third avenue of research which seeks to emulate topological states using acoustics.