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Non-Hermitian systems with gain and loss give rise to exceptional points with exceptional properties. An experiment with superconducting qubits now offers a first step towards studying these singularities in the quantum domain.
An unusual flavour of critical phenomena with a stable quantum critical phase of matter is observed in a strongly correlated material and linked to the underlying lattice structure.
Two independent cold-atom experiments have demonstrated the building blocks for the quantum simulation of dynamical gauge fields — an advance that holds promise for our understanding of computationally intractable problems in high-energy physics.
A model fluid comprising rotating magnetic particles behaves according to the equations of hydrodynamics, but for a few key differences due to broken mirror symmetry. The resulting active chiral fluid is characterized by parity-odd Hall viscosity.
The demonstration of high-resolution spectroscopy of Sr2 molecules trapped in an optical lattice at the ‘magic’ wavelength opens the way to precision control of molecular excitations.
Whether a cell divides symmetrically or asymmetrically during early development determines the fate of its progeny. Now cell size has emerged as a key player in making this decision.
A statistical analysis of data from ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions has uncovered the specific viscosities of the quark–gluon plasma — suggesting that the hottest matter in the current Universe behaves like a near-perfect fluid.
Synchronization can induce both order and disorder, betraying a multistability that is rife in living systems. Evidence now suggests that the circadian clock synchronizes with the cell cycle, and that this behaviour is common to different species.
The visible mass in the Universe emerged when hadrons — the building blocks of atomic nuclei — formed from a hot fireball made of quarks and gluons. This mechanism has now been investigated in baryon-rich matter at relatively low temperatures.
Two-level quantum systems are routinely excited by resonant pump beams. Experiments now show resonant excitation through dichromatic, detuned pumps — providing a coherent control technique that will also aid single-photon emission from solid-state devices.
Floquet engineering harnesses alternating fields to create a topological band structure in an otherwise ordinary material. These fields drive plasmons that can spontaneously split into chiral circulating modes and induce magnetization.
Photonic circuits naturally implement boson sampling, a quantum algorithm that is classically hard to solve. Four photon pairs produced and processed within a single silicon chip have now been used to run it, a step towards besting classical computers.
The superconductor–insulator phase transition is a quantum phenomenon that reveals a competition between the superconducting phase order and charge localization. Now, microwave spectroscopy is shown to be a promising approach to investigate this effect in controllable one-dimensional Josephson arrays.
A demonstration that Michael Berry’s legacy can inform our understanding of Lamb waves in stratified fluids serves as a reminder of the reach of topological thinking — as well as its potential utility.
A rich pattern of fractional quantum Hall states in graphene double layers can be naturally explained in terms of two-component composite fermions carrying both intra- and interlayer vortices.
The detection of the quantum state of tens of neutral atoms arranged in arrays has reached a new record fidelity. This brings fault-tolerant quantum computation and simulation closer to reality.
A theoretical analysis of exotic superconductors suggests that it is possible to manipulate the state of their order parameter with light. This will help engineer devices from topological superconductors by patterning regions with different orders.
While Bose–Einstein condensates of atoms were achieved in the mid-1990s, extending the regime of quantum degeneracy to polar molecules took another two decades of dedicated work. The researchers that contributed to this achievement span many generations of students in many different laboratories around the world.
The transport properties of many two-dimensional systems are strongly affected by the proximity of a periodic pattern. Colloidal particles are now shown to have preferred sliding routes due to competing symmetries between two unmatched crystalline surfaces.
