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For ultracold atoms experiencing a synthetic magnetic field in an optical lattice, it is possible to observe the translational symmetry-breaking pattern determined by the chosen gauge.
Crushing a brittle porous medium such as a box of cereal causes the grains to break up and rearrange themselves. A lattice spring model based on simple physical assumptions gives rise to behaviours that are complex enough to reproduce diverse compaction patterns.
A simple system for studying self-organization in biology comprises driven actin filaments, thought to interact primarily via binary collisions. Angle-resolved statistics suggest that the transition to polar order is driven by multi-filament events.
When compacting a brittle porous medium—think stepping on fresh snow—patterns develop. Simulations and densification experiments with cereals now provide an understanding of compaction patterns in terms of a lattice model with breakable springs.
The Bose–Einstein condensation of ultracold atoms in a strong synthetic magnetic field in a cubic lattice realizes the Harper–Hofstadter model used in the study of topological states of matter.
The complex interactions inherent in real-world networks grant us precise system control via manipulation of a subset of nodes. It turns out that the extent to which we can exercise this control depends sensitively on the number of nodes perturbed.
We're well versed on the first-passage time for a random process, but the time required to cover more than one site in a system is a different problem altogether. It turns out that the two measures have more in common than we thought.
The efficient and robust manipulation of single spins is an essential requirement for successful quantum devices. The manipulation of a single nitrogen–vacancy spin centre is now demonstrated by means of a mechanical resonator approach.
The first-passage time relates the efficiency of a search process, but fails to do so for searches in which several targets are sought. Now, the distribution of times required for a random search to visit all sites has been determined analytically.
A range of semiconductors can host both spin and valley polarizations. Optical experiments on single layers of transition metal dichalcogenides now show that inter-valley scattering can accelerate spin relaxation.
The Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya exchange induces a range of chiral phenomena in spintronic systems. Experiments now confirm that this interaction is proportional to the Heisenberg exchange, reflecting their common origins despite their opposite symmetries.
Quantum technologies, including quantum sensors, quantum communication and quantum metrology, represent a growing industry. Out in space, such technologies can revolutionize the way we communicate and observe our planet.
