Browse Articles

The strong interaction is modified in the presence of nuclear matter. An experiment has now quantified with high precision and accuracy the reduction of the order parameter of the system’s chiral symmetry, which is partially restored.

Layering quantum materials can produce interesting phenomena by combining the different behaviour of electronic states in each layer. A layer-sensitive measurement technique provides insights into the physics of a magnetic topological insulator.

In quantum chromodynamics, the condensation of quark–antiquark pairs breaks the chiral symmetry of vacuum. Experiments with pionic tin atoms demonstrate that the symmetry is partially restored at high densities.

Large-system molecular dynamics simulations of films of glass-forming polymers reveal spatially long-range tails of interface-driven gradients of the glass transition temperature, suggestive of a combined local caging and long-range collective elasticity origin of relaxation and vitrification in glass-forming liquids.

Photon bound states are quantum states of light that emerge in systems with ultrahigh optical non-linearities. A single artificial atom was used to study the dynamics of these states, revealing that the number of photons within the pulse determines the time delay after the pulse scatters off the atom.

The realization of ultracold molecules in higher bands of an optical lattice sets the stage for the study of the interplay between orbital physics and the Bose–Einstein condensation and Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer superfluidity crossover.

Measurements on a single artificial atom—a quantum dot—coupled to an optical cavity show scattering dynamics that depend on the number of photons involved in the light–matter interaction, which is a signature of stimulated emission.

Controlling the spatial distribution of optically active spin defects in solids is a long-standing goal in the quantum sensing and simulation communities. Measurements of the many-body noise generated by the spins were used to verify that a highly coherent and strongly interacting quantum spin system was confined to two dimensions within a diamond substrate.

Solid-state systems are established candidates to study models of many-body physics but have limited control and readout capabilities. Ensembles of defects in diamond may provide a solution for studying dipolar systems.

The nautical mile and knot were acknowledged by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. Bart Verberck wonders why this is not the case anymore.

Driven by curiosity and creativity, materials that are diverted from their intended use may lead to surprising insights. We take a moment to celebrate the playful side of physics.

The study of complexity of unitary transformations has become central to quantum information theory and, increasingly, quantum field theory and quantum gravity. A proof of how complexity grows with system size demonstrates the power of a geometric approach.

The discovery of an unexpectedly large thermoelectric response in a 2D material establishes its power to probe the entropy carried by its charge carriers in the hotly debated strange metal phase.

It is very challenging to model hydrogen at high pressures and low temperatures because quantum effects become significant. A state-of-the-art numerical study shows that these effects cause important changes to the predicted phase diagram.

Reflection cannot only occur at interfaces in space but also in time. Transmission-line metamaterials support time interfaces at which interference has been observed, forming a temporal version of a Fabry–Pérot cavity.