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For the first time, a purely dipolar quantum gas has been prepared experimentally. Different regimes have been explored; in some, the gas is stable, whereas in others it collapses due to the strong dipole–dipole interaction between the constituent atoms.
The propagation of charge carriers in graphene under an imposed periodic potential can become strongly anisotropic, suggesting a way of making electronic circuits with appropriately patterned surface electrodes without the need for cutting nanoscale structure into graphene.
Our tools for understanding phase transitions at thermal equilibrium do not usually apply to granular matter. However, a vibrating quasi-one-dimensional system displays dynamic behaviour common to classic phase transitions.