Applied physics articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    The robust production of droplets by microfluidic T-junctions is a well-established technique. Um et al. demonstrate how the mutual interaction between droplets can be used to achieve additional control including the simultaneous release of droplets caused by synchronization phenomena.

    • Eujin Um
    • , Minjun Kim
    •  & Joonwoo Jeong

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Spin angular momenta play a crucial role in topological phases of matter, in acoustic waves they have been demonstrated recently. Here, the authors present a symmetry-breaking metasurface waveguide that assists backscattering suppression of acoustic waves, because of tight spin-momentum coupling.

    • Yang Long
    • , Danmei Zhang
    •  & Jie Ren

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The development of vertical organic transistors with controllable threshold voltage is highly desirable for integrated circuit-based displays and sensors. Here, the authors report vertical organic permeable dual-based transistors with independently tunable on-currents and threshold voltages.

    • Erjuan Guo
    • , Zhongbin Wu
    •  & Hans Kleemann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Király et al. propose a method combining micro-CT and MRI imaging to precisely localize electrodes and optic fibers in the mouse brain in vivo. This allows assessing the success of targeting after surgery, depth adjustment of movable probes and identifying systematic errors in the surgical process.

    • Bálint Király
    • , Diána Balázsfi
    •  & Balázs Hangya

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The authors introduce a dynamic spatial ultrasound modulator, based on digitally generated patterns of microbubbles controlled by a complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) chip. They achieve reshaping of incident plane waves into complex acoustic images and demonstrate dynamic parallel assembly of microparticles.

    • Zhichao Ma
    • , Kai Melde
    •  & Peer Fischer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Acoustical tweezers can exert forces several orders of magnitude greater than optical tweezers but the absence of spatial selectivity and their limited resolution has prevented their use for many applications in microbiology. Here the authors perform spatially selective contactless manipulation and positioning of human cells.

    • Michael Baudoin
    • , Jean-Louis Thomas
    •  & Alexis Vlandas

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Although knots in complex optical fields have been realized experimentally, the realization of acoustic vortex knots is still problematic. Here, the authors have demonstrated the creation of acoustic vortex knots by embedding the knot function into a propagating acoustic field using a metasurface hologram.

    • Hongkuan Zhang
    • , Weixuan Zhang
    •  & Xiangdong Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Being able to manipulate the temporal evolution and spatial distribution of diffusive quantities would provide exciting possibilities for applications. Here, the authors show that one can achieve large spatial asymmetric diffusion characteristics inside a metamaterial whose material parameters are space- and time-modulated.

    • Miguel Camacho
    • , Brian Edwards
    •  & Nader Engheta

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, the authors experimentally demonstrate abilities of a mechanical Willis meta-layer, in beams and plates, for independently engineering transmission and reflection coefficients of flexural waves in both amplitude and phase and nonreciprocal wave propagation.

    • Yangyang Chen
    • , Xiaopeng Li
    •  & Guoliang Huang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, by constructing a heterostructure with sonic crystals, a topological waveguide is realized by the authors. The waveguide states feature gapless dispersion, momentum-valley locking, immunity against defects, and a high capacity for energy transport.

    • Mudi Wang
    • , Wenyi Zhou
    •  & Zhengyou Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Synthetic hair-like structures (cilia) controlled by an external field have been developed, especially for microfluidic applications. Here, Gu et al. make soft artificial cilia carpets with programmable magnetization patterns and utilize them to achieve pumping and locomotion in a soft robotic model.

    • Hongri Gu
    • , Quentin Boehler
    •  & Bradley J. Nelson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, the authors present a light-responsive elastic metamaterial whose transmission spectrum can be tuned by light stimuli. More specifically, we demonstrate that an appropriate laser illumination is effective in reversibly widening an existing frequency band gap, doubling its initial value.

    • Antonio S. Gliozzi
    • , Marco Miniaci
    •  & Emiliano Descrovi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The concept of topological corner states in two dimensional topological insulators can be generalised to higher dimensions. Here, authors present a three dimensional acoustic metamaterial that exhibits the full hierarchy of topological multipole states including corner, hinge, surface and bulk states.

    • Haoran Xue
    • , Yong Ge
    •  & Baile Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Current theories predict that a plate-like particle rotates continuously in a shear flow. Kamal et al. instead show that even nanometric hydrodynamic slip may induce a thin plate-like particle to adopt a stable orientation, and discuss implications of this effect for flow processing of 2D nanomaterials.

    • Catherine Kamal
    • , Simon Gravelle
    •  & Lorenzo Botto

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Designing efficient and flexible metamaterial with uncorrelated transmissions for spatial vibration encoding and identification remains a challenge. Here, the authors propose a randomized resonant metamaterial with randomly coupled local resonators for single-sensor identification of elastic vibrations.

    • Tianxi Jiang
    • , Chong Li
    •  & Zhi-Ke Peng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    An acoustic analogue of a three-dimensional topological insulator (TI) has not been achieved, despite various realizations in other kinds of TIs. Here, the authors report a three-dimensional multi-order TI in an acoustic bilayer chiral structure, with robust surface or hinge sound transport.

    • Cheng He
    • , Hua-Shan Lai
    •  & Yan-Feng Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Although multipole topological insulators have been theoretically described and experimentally observed in 2D, third-order topological insulators in 3D have not been observed yet. Here, the authors realize for the first time a quantized octupole 3D topological state in an acoustic metamaterial.

    • Xiang Ni
    • , Mengyao Li
    •  & Alexander B. Khanikaev

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Designing artificial somatosensory systems to efficiently emulate biological tactile information sensing, coding, and processing remains a challenge. Here, the authors demonstrate a tactile sensory system based on optoelectronic spiking afferent nerves with both coding and learning capabilities.

    • Hongwei Tan
    • , Quanzheng Tao
    •  & Sebastiaan van Dijken

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Electron-spin to photon-polarisation conversion is a promising technology for achieving free-space or fibre coupled quantum transfer. Here, the authors demonstrate acoustically-driven single photons from single electrons, without the need for self-assembled quantum dots, using a SAW-driven lateral n-i-p junction.

    • Tzu-Kan Hsiao
    • , Antonio Rubino
    •  & Christopher J. B. Ford

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Antiferromagnets promise great potential for spintronic applications due to their spin excitations at terahertz frequencies, however, read out of the spin state is hindered by the small response to external fields. Here the authors demonstrate all optical readout of the spin state of antiferromagnetic Mn3Sn at THz frequency.

    • Takuya Matsuda
    • , Natsuki Kanda
    •  & Ryusuke Matsunaga

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The field of perovskite light-emitting diodes witnesses rapid development in both device processing strategies and performances. Here Wang et al. develop high-quality perovskite-molecule composite thin films and achieve high quantum efficiency of 17.3% and half-lifetime of 100 h.

    • Heyong Wang
    • , Felix Utama Kosasih
    •  & Feng Gao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Supersymmetric quantum mechanics enables the description of phenomena exhibiting a supersymmetry only in the space domain. Here, the authors show an underlying time-domain supersymmetry exists in optics, acoustics, and elasticity, and study its properties and potential applicability.

    • Carlos García-Meca
    • , Andrés Macho Ortiz
    •  & Roberto Llorente Sáez

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Despite the fact that layered materials are often employed as lubricants, many of the underlying mechanisms are still controversial. Here the authors present a fundamental model for describing friction on atomically thin sheets that reveals the dynamics of strengthening and layer-number dependence of the friction.

    • David Andersson
    •  & Astrid S. de Wijn

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Detection of small, translucent particles is challenging due to their low inherent scattering. Here, the authors present an easy, high-throughput, label-free method for detecting nanoparticles in low volumes of liquids on a disposable chip, using an acoustically actuated lens-free holographic system.

    • Aniruddha Ray
    • , Muhammad Arslan Khalid
    •  & Aydogan Ozcan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tuning the constitutive parameters of metamaterials in real time depends on the ability to modify the structure or external circuits attached to the metamaterials. Here, the authors propose virtualized metamaterials, allowing the tuning of acoustic parameters on-demand through software-defined frequency dispersion.

    • Choonlae Cho
    • , Xinhua Wen
    •  & Jensen Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, the authors propose a new principle to achieve super-resolution for a wide class of targets. If an object is heated up by a beam, electromagnetic or acoustic, they show that the super-linearity of the induced thermal radiation leads to an arbitrarily high spatial compression factor relative to diffraction-limited beam profile.

    • Guillaume Graciani
    •  & François Amblard

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Network properties can be modified when they interact with other networks, yet most previous results have focused on equilibrium states exclusively. Here the authors introduce a framework to examine the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of evolutionary processes to mimic real-world interconnected networks.

    • Javier M. Buldú
    • , Federico Pablo-Martí
    •  & Jacobo Aguirre

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, the authors demonstrate strain-induced, strong coupling between two adjacent nanomechanical pillar resonators for the investigation of collective dynamical phenomena. Both mode hybridization and the formation of an avoided level crossing in the response of the nanopillar pair are experimentally observed.

    • J. Doster
    • , S. Hoenl
    •  & E. M. Weig

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It has been shown previously that substrate viscoelasticity affects surface wettability. Here the authors observe a wetting transition during drying of droplets on such substrates and elucidate it with high resolution force field measurements thereby determining its dependence on substrate properties.

    • Julia Gerber
    • , Tobias Lendenmann
    •  & Dimos Poulikakos

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, the authors demonstrate a robotic metamaterial implemented through a combination of actuators, sensors and local controllers. They show that this active metamaterial can exhibit tunable linear non-reciprocal dynamic characteristics, with a very large and broadband non-reciprocal gain.

    • Martin Brandenbourger
    • , Xander Locsin
    •  & Corentin Coulais

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Surface acoustic waves are promising candidates to convey flying qubits through semiconductor circuits. The authors investigate the central building block of such a circuit in an experiment and present a route to realise quantum logic gates with flying electrons that are surfing on a sound-wave.

    • Shintaro Takada
    • , Hermann Edlbauer
    •  & Christopher Bäuerle

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, the authors study the influence of tacticity on the dynamic behaviour of chiral structured periodic media comprising rotational inertia elements. This opens the way towards new mechanisms for wave control by exploiting spin-spin coupling mechanism.

    • A. Bergamini
    • , M. Miniaci
    •  & A. Zemp

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Strong light-matter coupling can tune exciton properties but its effect in photovoltaics remains unexplored. Here Nikolis et al. show that the photon energy loss from optical gap to open-circuit voltage can be reduced to unprecedented values by embedding organic solar cells in optical microcavities.

    • Vasileios C. Nikolis
    • , Andreas Mischok
    •  & Koen Vandewal

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, the authors propose an ultrasonic meta-lens for generating super-oscillation wave packets with different spatial momenta and then superimposing them to a diffraction-limit-broken spot. They experimentally verify super-resolution ultrasound imaging of subwavelength objects.

    • Ya-Xi Shen
    • , Yu-Gui Peng
    •  & Xue-Feng Zhu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, the authors report an effect analogous to optical activity in a 3D mechanical micro-lattice composed of chiral unit cells. They spatiotemporally resolve the motion of metamaterial beams at ultrasonic frequencies with nanometric precision and show up to 22° polarization rotation per unit cell.

    • Tobias Frenzel
    • , Julian Köpfler
    •  & Martin Wegener

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, the authors experimentally report one-way transmission of ultrasonic waves by relying on the acoustic radiation pressure effect. This effect makes it possible to reconfigure a multilayer system by significantly deforming the water-air interface, achieving efficient nonreciprocal acoustic transmission.

    • Thibaut Devaux
    • , Alejandro Cebrecos
    •  & Vincent Tournat

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Willis coupling is an additional degree of freedom, which can enhance acoustic metamaterials, by coupling monopole and dipole excitations. Here, the authors experimentally demonstrate a meta-atom with Willis coupling approaching the theoretical maximum, which is robust to thermo-viscous losses.

    • Anton Melnikov
    • , Yan Kei Chiang
    •  & David Powell

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Developing planar phononic circuits analogous to photonic circuits are of interest to provide scalable advantages and complex manipulation of phonons. Here, the authors realize a phononic integrated circuit with a Gallium Nitride-on-sapphire platform, which provides strong confinement and control of phonons.

    • Wei Fu
    • , Zhen Shen
    •  & Hong X. Tang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The amoebae Dictyostelium have previously been observed to migrate counter to the direction of a traveling chemical wave. Here the authors demonstrate that light-activated phototactic synthetic particles move counter to the pulse direction in a way which is reminiscent of the amoebae’s behavior.

    • Celia Lozano
    •  & Clemens Bechinger

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Social contagion cannot only be understood in terms of pairwise interactions among individuals. Here, the authors include higher-order social interactions, the effects of groups, in their model of social contagion, enabling insight into why critical masses are required to initiate social changes.

    • Iacopo Iacopini
    • , Giovanni Petri
    •  & Vito Latora

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Zero-group-velocity Lamb waves, which are surface waves with reduced losses and high Q factor, have many potential applications. The authors image such waves in 2 dimensions, and in the GHz range, with a bilayer using a time-resolved imaging technique with an ultra-short-pulse laser.

    • Qingnan Xie
    • , Sylvain Mezil
    •  & Oliver B. Wright

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