Phase transitions and critical phenomena articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Aluminium alloys can naturally age and form microstructural clusters that affect their mechanical properties. Here, the authors show that nanosized samples do not under undergo natural aging because diffusion-controlled clustering processes are inhibited.

    • Phillip Dumitraschkewitz
    • , Peter J. Uggowitzer
    •  & Stefan Pogatscher

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The many strongly interacting degrees of freedom in transition metal oxides make it difficult to capture and describe the nature of their metal-insulator transitions. Li et al. show that a resonant magnetic X-ray nanoprobe gives access to local critical behavior that is difficult to detect otherwise.

    • Jiarui Li
    • , Jonathan Pelliciari
    •  & Riccardo Comin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Molecular crystals that show a reversible shape change by external stimuli are invaluable for the design of actuators but their strong deformations usually lead to their destruction. Here the authors report a fluorenone derivative showing a strong, reversible and instantaneous shear deformation upon heating due to a structural phase transition.

    • Yulong Duan
    • , Sergey Semin
    •  & Theo Rasing

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Hydrogen-rich superhydrides are promising high-temperature superconductors which have been observed only at pressures above 170 GPa. Here the authors show that CeH9 can be synthesized at 80-100 GPa with laser heating, and is characterized by a clathrate structure with a dense 3-dimensional atomic hydrogen sublattice.

    • Nilesh P. Salke
    • , M. Mahdi Davari Esfahani
    •  & Jung-Fu Lin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    An important question in ecology is how much species at higher trophic levels affect lower levels through top-down cascades. Here the authors show through analyses of pelagic size spectra that such cascades are strong in freshwater systems and can also arise in nutrient rich marine systems.

    • Axel G. Rossberg
    • , Ursula Gaedke
    •  & Pavel Kratina

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Fractional quantum Hall states in 2D electron gases arise due to strong electron-electron interactions, which makes a general theoretical understanding difficult. Fu et al. present data showing the ν = 5/3 quantum Hall state has a 3/2 plateau in the diagonal resistance that has not been captured by existing models.

    • Hailong Fu
    • , Yijia Wu
    •  & Xi Lin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Dirac spin liquid is a candidate description for the strongly correlated behaviour of some quantum magnets. Song et al. study the symmetry dependence physics of monopole excitations and argue that the lattice-dependent consequences for magnetic ordering may provide a unifying picture for 2D quantum magnetism.

    • Xue-Yang Song
    • , Chong Wang
    •  & Yin-Chen He

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Supercritical water exists in gas- and liquid-like forms, but these have not been distinguished yet at the macroscale. Here the authors investigate supercritical water interacting with microporous carbon by neutron imaging, and observe the coexistence of gas- and liquid-like states upon crossing the Widom line.

    • Florentina Maxim
    • , Cristian Contescu
    •  & Christian Ludwig

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Higher-order multipolar phases are unusual states that can form in correlated materials and are difficult to observe as they do not directly couple to conventional probes. Patri et al. theoretically show that angle-dependent magnetostriction measurements can probe quadrupolar and octupolar ordering.

    • Adarsh S. Patri
    • , Akito Sakai
    •  & Yong Baek Kim

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Ising magnet LiHo0.045Y0.955F4 allows experimental probes of disordered quantum dynamics. Silevitch et al. show that strongly-driven localized spin clusters form effectively decoupled two-level systems whose interactions and coherence can be tuned by external ac and dc magnetic fields.

    • D. M. Silevitch
    • , C. Tang
    •  & T. F. Rosenbaum

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Quantitative imaging on the doping in phase-change materials for data storage remains scarce. Here, the authors combine electron microscopy, atom probe tomography, and simulations to determine the role of indium and silver dopants during recrystallization.

    • Min Zhu
    • , Wenxiong Song
    •  & Richard Dronskowski

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Surface Fermi arcs (SFAs) are characteristic features of a topological Weyl semimetal but there is no easy way to manipulate them so far. Here, the authors report manipulation of the shape, size and connections of SFAs in a Weyl semimetal NbAs, leading to an unusual topological Lifshitz transition.

    • H. F. Yang
    • , L. X. Yang
    •  & Y. L. Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Predicting alloy microstructures with parameter-free theoretical schemes remains a challenge. Here the authors derive a general phase field approach to reproduce the microstructural evolution of a nickel-aluminum alloy as a function of composition only and without empirical thermodynamic parameters.

    • Swastibrata Bhattacharyya
    • , Ryoji Sahara
    •  & Kaoru Ohno

  • Article
    | Open Access

    One of the proposed explanations for the unusual pseudogap behaviour of cuprate superconductors is the formation of an electron nematic phase. Murayama et al. find magnetic anisotropy in the pseudogap regime of HgBa2CuO4+δ, providing evidence for anomalous nematic ordering.

    • H. Murayama
    • , Y. Sato
    •  & Y. Matsuda

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A ferroelectric metal is a peculiar state proposed by Anderson and Blunt half a century ago, but is not fully understood. Here, the authors present a time-resolved reflectivity study of LiOsO3 demonstrating evidence for decoupling of itinerant electrons and phonons in the polar transition of the material.

    • N. J. Laurita
    • , A. Ron
    •  & D. Hsieh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Verwey transition in magnetite was reported 80 years ago but identifying the underlying mechanism has been difficult. Here the authors show that structural distortions associated with the Verwey transition emerge as local fluctuations at the Curie temperature, confirming their link with magnetic order.

    • Giuditta Perversi
    • , Elise Pachoud
    •  & J. Paul Attfield

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The still-developing understanding of topologically non-trivial phases of matter has led to new mechanisms for unconventional many-body behaviour. Here the authors present a model where the symmetry needed for a symmetry-protected topological phase only emerges after the formation of long-range order.

    • Daniel González-Cuadra
    • , Alejandro Bermudez
    •  & Alexandre Dauphin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Deconfined quantum critical points separate two phases with different broken symmetries, which puts them beyond the standard Landau theory of phase transitions. Here the authors present a model with a monopole-free deconfined quantum critical point, making it more amenable to detailed numerical studies.

    • Yuhai Liu
    • , Zhenjiu Wang
    •  & Fakher F. Assaad

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The low temperature magnetic properties of organic Mott insulator κ-(ET)2-Cu2(CN)3 a quantum spin liquid candidate is notoriously difficult to understand. Here, a model based on defect spins is introduced that allows to describe results of complementary experiments on the same theoretical footing.

    • Kira Riedl
    • , Roser Valentí
    •  & Stephen M. Winter

  • Article
    | Open Access

    α-RuCl3 is a candidate material for studying Kitaev physics but a microscopic theory consistent with experiments has not yet been established. Here the authors present a theory with an intermediate-field spin liquid phase that can explain recent results indicating anyonic behaviour.

    • Jacob S. Gordon
    • , Andrei Catuneanu
    •  & Hae-Young Kee

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Precise measurements of the superconducting stiffness tensor can give detailed insights into the superconductor-normal phase transition. Kapon et al. introduce the Stiffnessometer approach for sensitive magnetic-field-free measurements and find two transition temperatures in LSCO rings.

    • Itzik Kapon
    • , Zaher Salman
    •  & Amit Keren

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Exploring the impurity-induced phenomena facilitates the understanding of emergent quantum materials. Here the authors show the anomalous magnetization transitions as well as demonstrate the relation between the impurities and the excited spin states in the Mg doped Shastry-Sutherland compound SrCu2(BO3)2.

    • Zhenzhong Shi
    • , William Steinhardt
    •  & Sara Haravifard

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Laser-matter interaction has been intensively studied in equilibrium states, but irreversible processes in a highly nonequilibrium state at nanoscales remains elusive due to experimental challenges. Here, Ihm et al. image heterogeneous melting of gold nanoparticles with nanometer and picosecond resolution.

    • Yungok Ihm
    • , Do Hyung Cho
    •  & Changyong Song

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Universal non-equilibrium behaviour can emerge in physical systems when they are driven through a parameter regime where their energy gap closes. Dóra et al. show that the Kibble-Zurek scaling associated with exceptional points in non-Hermitian systems is distinct from the conventional Hermitian result.

    • Balázs Dóra
    • , Markus Heyl
    •  & Roderich Moessner

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Switching of magnetic materials often occurs through discrete random avalanches. Singh et al. observe sharply reduced avalanches in the topologically protected skyrmion phase of a Fe/Gd heterostructure and obtain different critical behaviour in the stripe and skyrmion phases, suggesting distinct universality classes.

    • A. Singh
    • , J. C. T Lee
    •  & S. Roy

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A quantized zero-bias conductance peak (ZBCP) is potentially a signature of Majorana edge mode provided that a topological gap opens in the bulk. Here, Grivnin et al. observe ZBCP at the edge both with and without a superconducting bulk-gap in an InAs nanowire coated with epitaxial Al.

    • Anna Grivnin
    • , Ella Bor
    •  & Hadas Shtrikman

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Several experiments have shown evidence for unusual nematic electronic behaviour in unconventional superconductors. Here the authors use pump-probe spectroscopy to observe out-of-equilibrium behaviour of coupled nematic-orbital excitations in iron selenide.

    • T. Shimojima
    • , Y. Suzuki
    •  & K. Ishizaka

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Interfaces between topologically distinct phases are often described by effective field theories. Here, Crépel et al. propose a family of model wave functions based on matrix product states which not only unveils the universal properties of the whole system but also unprecedented captures low energy physics.

    • V. Crépel
    • , N. Claussen
    •  & N. Regnault

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Interfaces between topologically distinct phases reveal rich phenomenology. Here, Crépel et al. present a microscopic study on the low energy physics, interface gapless mode, identification of spin and charge excitations, etc. of the Halperin–Laughlin interface using recently proposed model wavefunctions.

    • V. Crépel
    • , N. Claussen
    •  & B. Estienne

  • Article
    | Open Access

    There is great interest, in refrigeration technology, in replacing harmful volatile hydrofluorocarbons with solid materials. Here the authors show that commercially available plastic crystal neopentylglycol displays colossal and reversible barocaloric effects comparable with those exploited in hydrofluorocarbons, which make it suitable for application.

    • P. Lloveras
    • , A. Aznar
    •  & J.-Ll. Tamarit

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Exploring lattice distortions from magnetic short-range ordering (SRO) facilitates the understanding of magnetic long-range ordering (LRO). Here the authors apply high-multipole nonlinear optical polarimetry to track SRO induced distortions in CrSiTe3, showing that LRO is established via a crossover from two- to three-dimensional SRO.

    • A. Ron
    • , E. Zoghlin
    •  & D. Hsieh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Identifying the nature of the glass transition is challenging because relevant experiments or analytical descriptions are hard to achieve. Here, Berthier et al. develop a Monte Carlo numerical tool to investigate two-dimensional glasses and find a zero-temperature thermodynamic glass transition.

    • Ludovic Berthier
    • , Patrick Charbonneau
    •  & Sho Yaida

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Magnetic spin ice compounds are described by vertex models, which have been intensively studied for their exotic properties. Bovo et al. show thin films of Dy2Ti2O7 have structures distinct from bulk crystals and come close to realising the two-dimensional F-model, which has an unusual ordering transition in the Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless class.

    • L. Bovo
    • , C. M. Rouleau
    •  & S. T. Bramwell

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Molecular systems are predicted to transform into atomic solids and be metallic at high pressure; this was observed for the diatomic elements iodine and bromine. Here the authors access the higher pressures needed to observe the dissociation in chlorine, through an incommensurate phase, and provide evidence for metallization.

    • Philip Dalladay-Simpson
    • , Jack Binns
    •  & Ross T. Howie

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Theoretical studies of quantum magnetism typically assume idealised lattices with freely tunable parameters, which are difficult to realise experimentally. Zvyagin et al. perform challenging measurements at high pressures to tune and to accurately monitor the exchange parameters of a triangular lattice antiferromagnet.

    • S. A. Zvyagin
    • , D. Graf
    •  & H. Tanaka

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Heavy-fermion materials have unusual electronic behavior due to a dual localized-itinerant character of 4f electrons. Here, by studying divalent EuRh2Si2, the authors gain insight into the electronic states of the trivalent heavy fermion system YbRh2Si2 and show that it experimentally demonstrates Luttinger’s theorem.

    • M. Güttler
    • , A. Generalov
    •  & D. V. Vyalikh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Among its interesting properties, SrTiO3 can show both superconductivity and ferroelectric quantum criticality at low temperatures. Tomioka et al. use La and oxygen-isotope doping to tune electron-doped SrTiO3 to the critical region and observe enhanced superconductivity, suggesting a link between them.

    • Yasuhide Tomioka
    • , Naoki Shirakawa
    •  & Isao H. Inoue

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Exploring the role of structural defect is essential to understand the exotic quantum spin phenoma in rare earth pyrochlores. Here the authors show oxygen vacancies can stabilise the spin liquid phase and reveal the ferromagnetic ground state when oxygen vacancies are eliminated in Yb2Ti2O7.

    • D. F. Bowman
    • , E. Cemal
    •  & J. P. Goff

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Electrons in uranium-based materials are often on the border between localised and itinerant behaviour, which can lead to unusual magnetic behaviour. Here the authors combine experiment and theory to show that USb2 may be an unusually high temperature example of a singlet-ground-state magnet.

    • Lin Miao
    • , Rourav Basak
    •  & L. Andrew Wray

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Kitaev model is intensively studied as an exactly-solvable starting point for theoretical studies of quantum spin liquid states. Hickey and Trebst show that magnetic fields can destabilize the well-known gapped Kitaev spin liquid and induce a new gapless spin liquid, with a distinct gauge structure and neutral Fermi surface.

    • Ciarán Hickey
    •  & Simon Trebst

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The mechanism of lithium storage in graphenic carbon remains a fundamental question to be addressed. Here the authors employ suitable bilayer graphene foam to investigate various physiochemical phenomena of lithium intercalation and propose a storage model.

    • Kemeng Ji
    • , Jiuhui Han
    •  & Yutaka Oyama

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