Laser and clock noise dominate the raw data streams of space-based gravitational-wave detectors, necessitating extensive on-ground postprocessing to recover scientific signals. Optical frequency combs offer a unified solution by coherently linking these two noise sources. Through detailed modeling of optical and electrical signals, the authors show that key noise characteristics—including offsets, drifts, and jitter—can be retrieved from the existing intersatellite laser carrier exchange used for gravitational-wave sensing. Experiments demonstrate clock synchronization with an accuracy of 0.47 ns or better, along with a noise performance of 15 pm/$\sqrt{Hz}$.

Spin correlations and their coupling to the lattice underpin magnetostrictive functionality, yet conventional probes capture only its collective response. By selectively exciting crystal-field-split d–d transitions, the authors isolate site-specific spin contributions through the generation of acoustic strain pulses. Their distinct temperature dependences expose multiple spin-correlation channels, and uncover negative thermal expansion in Fe${}_2$Mo${}_3$O${}_8$ driven by spontaneous magnetostriction. This approach opens an ultrafast-acoustics route to resolving magnetic contributions to mechanical response.

Traveling-wave parametric amplifiers (TWPAs), essential components of superconducting quantum processors, are built from artificial transmission lines for which dispersion relations must be tailored to favor specific parametric processes, while suppressing spurious ones. A unified framework to guide the design of such dispersion relations has been lacking. This study develops such a framework, borrowing concepts from periodic structures and filter synthesis. Innovative architectures are revealed, including an “ambidextrous” right-left-handed TWPA.

Precise mapping of the geomagnetic field is essential for geophysics, space weather, and navigation, but current magnetometers are limited by sensitivity, dynamic range, and compactness. The authors present the OSCAR-QUBE quantum magnetometer based on nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond, achieving vector magnetic-field measurements aboard the International Space Station in a compact device with sensitivity below 300 nT/√Hz. They further validate its performance through direct comparison to geomagnetic field models, showing good agreement with the expected field in low Earth orbit. This establishes diamond-based quantum magnetometry as viable for compact, high-performance space missions.

Microscale ultrasound acoustofluidics has become an important tool for handling cells and microparticles in lab-on-a-chip technology, but it fails in separation and focusing of submicrometer particles, due to dissipation processes in the viscous boundary layer. Here a theoretical proof-of-concept analysis shows that by embedding the microfluidic channel in a properly designed fused-silica metamaterial, the vibrational motion of the fluid and the metamaterial can be matched, which prevents formation of the viscous boundary layer. This increases the $Q$ factor of the ultrasound resonance modes by several orders of magnitude, reduces acoustic streaming, and enables nanoparticle focusing.

Arbitrary control of electromagnetic waves is pivotal to the development of high-performance communications, sensing, and analog computing systems, but complex field transformations imply narrowband performance due to the resonant/frequency-dispersive nature of their realization. This work shows that metamaterials can be engineered to provide unprecedented field control over broad bandwidths of operation while remaining reflectionless. The main advantages of the proposed approach over earlier techniques, such as transformation optics, are discussed. These metamaterials provide a route toward broadband devices that perform complex functionalities, such as spatial signal preprocessing.

Nitrogen-vacancy-center (N-$V$) diamond is a powerful platform for vector quantum magnetometry, vital for biological imaging and precision navigation. However, progress has been held back since cavity-enhanced microwave readout is limited to single-axis sensing. The authors expand this technique by using a sinusoidal bias field to sequentially address the N-$V$ orientations, unlocking full vector magnetometry and opening a new space for sensor optimization. They also identify a subtle but important interplay between microwave noise and the time‑varying bias field. By modeling its impact on sensitivity, this study provides new insight to guide the design of next‑generation sensing systems.

Magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM) is promising for three-dimensional imaging of nuclear-spin densities in nanoscale objects, with applications spanning biology, chemistry, and physics. However, high-resolution volumetric MRFM remains limited by long acquisition times and the difficulty of reconstructing faithful images. This study uses simulations to assess strained Si${}_3$N${}_4$ resonators as MRFM force sensors, and introduces a multislice scanning protocol combined with compressed sensing and optimized reconstruction algorithms. The results show that this advanced approach can improve reconstruction quality and reduce acquisition times by up to two orders of magnitude.

Solid-state quantum emitters such as N-$V$ centers in diamond are central to quantum information and sensing technologies, but their study has largely been via serial, single-emitter measurements. Here the authors use cryogenic photoluminescence-excitation imaging to enable parallel, subdiffraction-resolved interrogation of hundreds of N-$V$ centers across wide fields of view. They find an unexpected overabundance of closely spaced N-$V$ clusters, indicating spatially correlated—not random—defect formation. This work both advances our understanding of diamond growth and highlights naturally occurring N-$V$ clusters as a scalable resource for entanglement-enhanced quantum technologies.

Magnonics has arisen as a promising platform for integrated radio-frequency devices, offering inherent nonreciprocity and reconfigurability. The efficiency of spin-wave excitation in microdevices, however, remains a major practical limitation. Here micrometer-sized rf antennas on yttrium iron garnet films are studied using propagating spin-wave spectroscopy, to identify dominant loss mechanisms and improve transducer performance. Insertion losses below 10 dB and strong nonreciprocal transmission are achieved by reducing Ohmic losses, enabling significant isolation at micrometer length scales. These results are an important step toward practical integrated magnonic rf devices.

Gravity-gradient sensing based on cold atoms boasts high precision and shows great potential in geophysical research and resource exploration. This study develops and optimizes a vertical free-fall cold-atom gravity gradiometer. Measurement performance is immune to vibration, tilting, and phase noises; it is limited only by the detection noise. The authors also perform tests to simulate the presence of high-density ore bodies, to further validate the instrument’s measurement performance and exploration capacity. This work supplies practical technical solutions and optimization strategies for efficient, high-precision field exploration with such gradiometers.

Chip-scale atomic beams are a promising approach for realizing low-drift, low-power microwave atomic clocks, as atomic beams can circumvent some of the sources of drift present in other chip-scale atomic clock architectures. The spectroscopic approach used in such work can be limited by light shifts, but the authors find a surprisingly simple method to mitigate the dominant ones, using a competition between resonant light shifts and Doppler shifts. Employing this technique, they dramatically reduce the clock’s sensitivity to laser-frequency variation, and the measured clock performance indicates that full miniaturization of this approach is feasible.

Photon Bose-Einstein condensates combine coherence, low threshold, and thermal photon statistics, making them promising optical sources and sensors. Here researchers show that a room-temperature semiconductor photon condensate can be used directly for thermal range finding by operating just above threshold, where bright continuous-wave single-mode emission still shows measurable photon bunching. The resulting second-order coherence peak provides a robust measure of optical delay, enabling millimeter-precision distance measurements and simultaneous extraction of multiple path delays. This work links many-body quantum optics with practical optical metrology.

Reconfigurable lithography based on conductive atomic force microscopy on oxide interfaces has long been limited to ambient conditions. This Letter reports a mechanism that overcomes this constraint, enabling the writing, measuring, and erasing of quantum devices in situ at 100 mK with ultrafine resolution. This capability establishes a versatile “Hubbard toolbox” for correlated oxides, providing a platform to engineer and simulate programmable quantum phases in the solid state.

Steep-slope transistors are essential for low-power electronics, but they remain constrained by the fundamental Boltzmann limit, with most existing solutions relying on complex mechanisms that hinder scalability. The authors introduce a universal theoretical framework demonstrating that intrinsic hysteretic charge-trapping dynamics in nanoscale transistors can overcome this barrier. They also found that subthermal switching emerges from nonequilibrium feedback, providing simple and broadly applicable design principles. Future experimental validation could enable robust, scalable memtransistor technologies and drive advances in low-power and in-memory computing architectures.

Localized topological states in metamaterials offer promising applications from enhanced sensing to energy harvesting, due to their robustness. Most systems have lattice dimensions comparable to the wavelength, requiring large devices for low-frequency applications. Here the authors show programmable subwavelength topological and hybrid interface modes in a piezoelectric metamaterial domain with locally resonant shunt circuits. This enables simultaneous spatial and spectral programmability for rapid reconfiguration of interface location and frequency, without modifying the mechanical structure, while revealing the coexistence of conventional topological and hybrid interface modes.

The authors demonstrate how to directly access the multiplet structure in x-ray emission spectra of two Mn complexes, using an x-ray free-electron laser with two incoming femtosecond pulses: a pump pulse above the Mn K-edge to generate 1s core holes, and a seed pulse with tunable energy to initiate stimulated emission. This allows resolution of fine multiplet features that are obscured by lifetime broadening in conventional Mn x-ray emission. The position and intensity of each multiplet line is directly related to the electronic structure surrounding the Mn atom, providing key insights into the electronic structure of a 3d transition-metal compound, with applications to many systems.

High-$Q$ acoustic resonators are important for sensing and wave control, but compact airborne designs are limited by radiation leakage and unclear elastic-acoustic coupling. Combining full-wave simulations with temporal coupled-mode theory, the authors reveal a Friedrich-Wintgen quasi–bound state in the continuum arising from shear-acoustic interplay in a silicon frame. This coupling enhances destructive interference, enabling an ultrahigh-$Q$ resonance in a simple, compact structure. The result provides a practical route to high-performance acoustic devices.

Spin correlations and their coupling to the lattice underpin magnetostrictive functionality, yet conventional probes capture only its collective response. By selectively exciting crystal-field-split d–d transitions, the authors isolate site-specific spin contributions through the generation of acoustic strain pulses. Their distinct temperature dependences expose multiple spin-correlation channels, and uncover negative thermal expansion in Fe${}_2$Mo${}_3$O${}_8$ driven by spontaneous magnetostriction. This approach opens an ultrafast-acoustics route to resolving magnetic contributions to mechanical response.

Traveling-wave parametric amplifiers (TWPAs), essential components of superconducting quantum processors, are built from artificial transmission lines for which dispersion relations must be tailored to favor specific parametric processes, while suppressing spurious ones. A unified framework to guide the design of such dispersion relations has been lacking. This study develops such a framework, borrowing concepts from periodic structures and filter synthesis. Innovative architectures are revealed, including an “ambidextrous” right-left-handed TWPA.

Precise mapping of the geomagnetic field is essential for geophysics, space weather, and navigation, but current magnetometers are limited by sensitivity, dynamic range, and compactness. The authors present the OSCAR-QUBE quantum magnetometer based on nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond, achieving vector magnetic-field measurements aboard the International Space Station in a compact device with sensitivity below 300 nT/√Hz. They further validate its performance through direct comparison to geomagnetic field models, showing good agreement with the expected field in low Earth orbit. This establishes diamond-based quantum magnetometry as viable for compact, high-performance space missions.

Microscale ultrasound acoustofluidics has become an important tool for handling cells and microparticles in lab-on-a-chip technology, but it fails in separation and focusing of submicrometer particles, due to dissipation processes in the viscous boundary layer. Here a theoretical proof-of-concept analysis shows that by embedding the microfluidic channel in a properly designed fused-silica metamaterial, the vibrational motion of the fluid and the metamaterial can be matched, which prevents formation of the viscous boundary layer. This increases the $Q$ factor of the ultrasound resonance modes by several orders of magnitude, reduces acoustic streaming, and enables nanoparticle focusing.

Surface-acoustic-wave radio-frequency (SAW-RF) devices are important for wireless telecommunication, yet show limited functionality, large footprint, and lack of reconfigurability. This study integrates thin films of phase-change materials (PCMs) with existing SAW-RF technology to overcome these limitations. The authors discover that PCM-based thin-film superlattices can endow a SAW-RF device’s acoustic waves with topological character. Using reconfigurable PCM significantly improves device performance without increasing the footprint, opening technological avenues for low-loss next-generation radio-frequency telecommunication.

Arbitrary control of electromagnetic waves is pivotal to the development of high-performance communications, sensing, and analog computing systems, but complex field transformations imply narrowband performance due to the resonant/frequency-dispersive nature of their realization. This work shows that metamaterials can be engineered to provide unprecedented field control over broad bandwidths of operation while remaining reflectionless. The main advantages of the proposed approach over earlier techniques, such as transformation optics, are discussed. These metamaterials provide a route toward broadband devices that perform complex functionalities, such as spatial signal preprocessing.

Nitrogen-vacancy-center (N-$V$) diamond is a powerful platform for vector quantum magnetometry, vital for biological imaging and precision navigation. However, progress has been held back since cavity-enhanced microwave readout is limited to single-axis sensing. The authors expand this technique by using a sinusoidal bias field to sequentially address the N-$V$ orientations, unlocking full vector magnetometry and opening a new space for sensor optimization. They also identify a subtle but important interplay between microwave noise and the time‑varying bias field. By modeling its impact on sensitivity, this study provides new insight to guide the design of next‑generation sensing systems.

Laser and clock noise dominate the raw data streams of space-based gravitational-wave detectors, necessitating extensive on-ground postprocessing to recover scientific signals. Optical frequency combs offer a unified solution by coherently linking these two noise sources. Through detailed modeling of optical and electrical signals, the authors show that key noise characteristics—including offsets, drifts, and jitter—can be retrieved from the existing intersatellite laser carrier exchange used for gravitational-wave sensing. Experiments demonstrate clock synchronization with an accuracy of 0.47 ns or better, along with a noise performance of 15 pm/$\sqrt{Hz}$.

Magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM) is promising for three-dimensional imaging of nuclear-spin densities in nanoscale objects, with applications spanning biology, chemistry, and physics. However, high-resolution volumetric MRFM remains limited by long acquisition times and the difficulty of reconstructing faithful images. This study uses simulations to assess strained Si${}_3$N${}_4$ resonators as MRFM force sensors, and introduces a multislice scanning protocol combined with compressed sensing and optimized reconstruction algorithms. The results show that this advanced approach can improve reconstruction quality and reduce acquisition times by up to two orders of magnitude.

Solid-state quantum emitters such as N-$V$ centers in diamond are central to quantum information and sensing technologies, but their study has largely been via serial, single-emitter measurements. Here the authors use cryogenic photoluminescence-excitation imaging to enable parallel, subdiffraction-resolved interrogation of hundreds of N-$V$ centers across wide fields of view. They find an unexpected overabundance of closely spaced N-$V$ clusters, indicating spatially correlated—not random—defect formation. This work both advances our understanding of diamond growth and highlights naturally occurring N-$V$ clusters as a scalable resource for entanglement-enhanced quantum technologies.

Magnonics has arisen as a promising platform for integrated radio-frequency devices, offering inherent nonreciprocity and reconfigurability. The efficiency of spin-wave excitation in microdevices, however, remains a major practical limitation. Here micrometer-sized rf antennas on yttrium iron garnet films are studied using propagating spin-wave spectroscopy, to identify dominant loss mechanisms and improve transducer performance. Insertion losses below 10 dB and strong nonreciprocal transmission are achieved by reducing Ohmic losses, enabling significant isolation at micrometer length scales. These results are an important step toward practical integrated magnonic rf devices.

Gravity-gradient sensing based on cold atoms boasts high precision and shows great potential in geophysical research and resource exploration. This study develops and optimizes a vertical free-fall cold-atom gravity gradiometer. Measurement performance is immune to vibration, tilting, and phase noises; it is limited only by the detection noise. The authors also perform tests to simulate the presence of high-density ore bodies, to further validate the instrument’s measurement performance and exploration capacity. This work supplies practical technical solutions and optimization strategies for efficient, high-precision field exploration with such gradiometers.

Scanning photocurrent microscopy (SPCM) maps the spatially resolved photoresponse of contacted devices, and has become a central probe of light-matter coupling in low-dimensional materials, where confined fields and limited heat-dissipation channels yield optoelectronic behavior with no bulk analog. This review systematizes how SPCM disentangles numerous factors in canonical systems, where progress has been held back less by instrumentation than by physics: Overlooking laser-induced heating has repeatedly led to unrealistic minority-carrier lifetimes and misattributed mechanisms. The author argues for pairing SPCM with nonoptical probes, while exploiting its photothermal sensitivity.