Articles in 2019

Single-cycle interferometric autocorrelation measurements of electrons tunnelling across the gap of a plasmonic bowtie antenna and quantitative models provide insight into the physical interactions that drive the electron transfer.

Transport measurements show that nematic fluctuations near a phase transition increase the temperature at which superconductivity occurs by a factor of nearly six. This happens in a non-magnetic nickel-based compound.

In our understanding of planetary formation, it is still unclear how millimetre-sized dust grains grow into centimetre-sized aggregates. Microgravity experiments now show that electrical charging of the grains leads to the formation of larger clumps.

A general method is proposed to calculate the out-of-time-ordered correlators (OTOCs) in one-dimensional systems. Motivated by the results obtained from its application to various systems, a universal form for the dynamics of OTOCs is conjectured.

A flux-tunable inductive coupling between two microwave superconducting resonators allows the operation of one of them as a two-level system. The lifetime is limited by the oscillator’s quality factor, offering potential for highly coherent qubits.

The quantum imaginary time evolution and Lanczos algorithms offer a resource-efficient way to compute ground or excited states of target Hamiltonians on quantum computers. This offers promise for quantum simulation on near-term noisy devices.

The energy cost for the synchronization of biochemical oscillators is determined under general conditions. This framework reveals a relationship between the KaiC ATPase activity and the synchronization of the KaiC hexamers.

Little is known about how edge states in topological materials interact with each other. Here, a quantum spin Hall insulator is used to show that when edge states are brought close together, additional gaps appear in the spectrum.

Using sulfur doping and pressure, the authors separate the nematic and magnetic phase transitions in FeSe. They find that a Lifshitz transition sits between two independent superconducting domes where nematic critical fluctuations remain finite.

A platform for probing the mechanics and migratory dynamics of a growing model breast cancer reveals that cells at the invasive edge are faster, softer and larger than those in the core. Eliminating the softer cells delays the transition to invasion.

In a nanobeam that is strongly coupled to a single-electron transistor, electron tunnelling back-action induces self-sustaining mechanical oscillations. This oscillator can be compared to a phonon laser and can be stabilized.

Vacuum fluctuations in the vicinity of nanophotonic structures can lead to the conversion of a free electron into a polariton and a high-energy photon, whose frequency can be controlled by the electromagnetic properties of the nanostructure.

Electro-optomechanical conversion between optical and microwave photons is achieved with minimal added noise by cooling the mechanical oscillator to its quantum ground state. This has potential for future coherence-preserving transduction.

The remarkably large thermal Hall response recently observed in the copper oxides challenges our understanding of the excitations in an insulating antiferromagnet. Here, a possible explanation of the underlying physics is provided.

X-ray pump–probe experiments reveal that the molecular structure of C₆₀ molecules substantially delays their fragmentation following photoionization. This may help to understand X-ray laser-induced radiation damage on molecules.

An effective Hamiltonian exhibiting \({\Bbb Z}_2\) symmetry has been engineered by implementing a Floquet-based method on ultracold bosons in an optical lattice, providing a first step towards quantum simulation of \({\Bbb Z}_2\) lattice gauge theories with ultracold matter.

A dissipative Kerr soliton crystal state is a temporally ordered regular ensemble of soliton pulses within a cavity. Chaotic driving of optical resonators enables the defect-free creation and dynamical characterization of these states.

A chiral fluid comprising spinning colloidal magnets exhibits macroscopic dynamics reminiscent of the free surface flows of Newtonian fluids, together with unique features suggestive of Hall—or odd—viscosity.

In a model system crosslinked by motors, cytoskeletal polymers slide past each other at speeds independent of their polarity. This behaviour is best described within an active-gel framework that deviates from the dilute limit set by existing theory.

A quantum circuit-based algorithm inspired by convolutional neural networks is shown to successfully perform quantum phase recognition and devise quantum error correcting codes when applied to arbitrary input quantum states.