Kagome materials, with their corner-sharing triangular lattice, have attracted strong interest due to the interplay of correlations, magnetism, symmetry, and topology. Here, the authors engineer the magnetic landscape of ScMn${}_6$Sn${}_6$ via Ga doping to realize ScMn${}_6$(Sn${}_{0.78}$Ga${}_{0.22}$)${}_6$, which exhibits robust ferromagnetism below 375 K with an in-plane easy axis. High-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements reveal a Dirac cone near the Fermi energy, while theoretical calculations show that its gap can be tuned by the orientation of the magnetic moments. Additionally, a flat band spanning a large region of the Brillouin zone, originating from the Kagome lattice, is observed.

While ferroelectrics have long dominated device applications, their antiferroelectric counterparts remain largely unexplored. However, now, antiferroelectrics are stepping into the spotlight, promising breakthroughs in energy storage, solid-state cooling, and even new computing paradigms. Here, we capture the elusive transition between antipolar and polar states in epitaxial PbZrO3, using operando second-harmonic generation imaging to reveal its spatial complexity. By directly visualizing symmetry breaking and phase coexistence under electric fields, this work opens a new window onto the microscopic dynamics governing antiferroelectric-ferroelectric switching.

The candidacy of Ta2Ni(Se,S)5 as an naturally exciton-condensed system has been intensely debated. Using high-resolution inelastic x-ray scattering to obtain the momentum-resolved phonon spectral function, this study tackles the controversy by revealing the absence of the phase twisting mode expected in a condensed phase. Crucially, the authors extract an exceptionally large dimensionless electron-phonon coupling constant of g/${\omega }_{ph}$ ~ 10 in the metallic normal state, placing the system in a rare ultra-strong coupling regime. By establishing Ta2Ni(Se,S)5 as a solid-state testbed for ultra-strong coupling, this work opens exciting new avenues for engineering ultrafast, lattice-driven quantum control.

Relativistic spin-orbit coupling (SOC) is an important ingredient for discovering novel electronic phenomena in quantum materials. In this work, the authors investigate the consequences of strong SOC on the physical properties of the LaPn${}_2$ (Pn = Sb, Bi) class of layered square-net materials via the synthesis of LaBi${}_2$ thin films. They report a layer-by-layer growth mode, a previously mis-indexed monoclinic structure type, and classify the compound as a good metal displaying superconductivity at ~0.55 K. Compared to LaSb${}_2$, density functional theory calculations attribute the enhanced metallic behavior and growth dynamics of LaBi${}_2$ to significant relativistic corrections to its electronic band structure.

Quantitative convergent beam electron diffraction (QCBED) enables determination of aspherical valence electron (VE) distributions but requires solving a highly nonlinear inverse problem with many parameters, making it time-consuming and difficult to apply to complex systems. Here, the authors introduce a machine-learning framework that replaces traditional refinement. Using a large synthetic CBED dataset generated by Bloch-wave simulations, they train a conditional diffusion model to infer multipole density formalism for VE mapping, from CBED patterns alone. This approach enables practical, high-throughput, and in situ QCBED, opening new opportunities for real-time VE mapping and their correlation with functional responses in quantum materials.

From Atoms to Devices: SCACS, Bridging the Longstanding Scale Gap in Heat Transport SCACS (Simulator Collection for Atomic-to-Continuum Scales) is a first-of-its-kind simulation framework that connects atomic-scale material structure directly to device-scale predictions of heat flow. This solves a longstanding problem in science and engineering: how to use atomic-level information to predict the behavior of real materials and devices. Statistical mechanics is a classic example of linking microscopic physics to large-scale properties such as temperature and pressure. In a similar spirit, SCACS links atomic, mesoscopic, and macroscopic descriptions of thermal transport in a continuous and practical way. The method starts from atomistic information, preserves the effects of defects, interfaces, and disorder, and transfers that information into engineering-scale heat-flow simulations. A machine-learning model is used as a computational tool to extend these predictions to much larger systems than would otherwise be practical. The result is a new route for carrying atomic-scale thermal physics into device-scale models, with potential value for designing semiconductors, energy materials, and other technologies where heat management is critical.

The layered antiferromagnet CrPS${}_4$ offers a compelling platform for exploring strong coupling between optical and magnetic properties in van der Waals magnets. This study provides a new description of excitons and excitonic transitions in CrPS${}_4$. The rich fine structure observed at the optical gap by photoluminescence and photoluminescence excitation spectroscopies is shown to be dominated by on-site Cr${}^{3+}$ spin-flip transitions coupled to spin transitions in the surrounding CrPS${}_4$ lattice. This coupling generates resolved magnon sidebands reflecting dispersion along the lattice’s linear Cr${}^{3+}$ chains. Rapid exciton diffusion indicates weakly dispersive excitons that are highly susceptible to traps and luminescence activators.

It is shown that unexpectedly complex magnetic structures arise in epitaxial manganite films when their substrates undergo thermally driven structural transitions and electrically driven ferroelectric domain switching. This complexity may arise due to long-range strain fields between ferroelectric domains, and the resulting images of vector in-plane magnetization are beautiful. The image shown here is reminiscent of botanical structures. The magnetization in the green ‘leaves’ lies perpendicular to the magnetization in the brown twigs on which they ‘grow’. The ‘twigs’ are straight, and decorate ferroelectric domains in the substrate.

The search for altermagnetic and related materials has largely focused on ideal crystals, overlooking the role of short-range chemical order. Using density functional theory and a cluster expansion model, the authors show that short-range anion correlations in iron oxyfluoride (FeOF) tune the magnitude and character of nonrelativistic spin splitting, producing splittings absent in ordered FeF${}_2$ and virtual-crystal approximation models. The authors further identify magneto-optical Kerr spectroscopy as a route to detect these effects experimentally and highlight heteroanionic substitution as a design strategy for high-$T_N$ spin-split antiferromagnets.

Chromium-based spinels with a breathing pyrochlore lattice provide a model platform for studying competing magnetic interactions arising from their lattice geometry. The authors report the growth of single crystals of AgInCr₄S₈ and note that the observed properties are sensitive to growth conditions, particularly sulfur overpressure. Single-crystal neutron diffraction confirms A-site ordering and reveals an incommensurate magnetic ground state that can be described by a simple helical structure. As single crystals of breathing pyrochlores are rare, this work establishes AgInCr₄S₈ as a model system for future experimental studies. Consideration of cation size trends in related compounds suggests this system lies near the upper limit of A-site ordering stability.

Ce-based intermetallic compounds provide a rich platform for exploring the interplay between geometric frustration, magnetic anisotropy, and Kondo-lattice behavior. Here, the authors report the synthesis and physical characterization of single-crystalline Ce${}_3$MgBi${}_5$. Combining magnetization, transport, and thermodynamic measurements, the study reveals Kondo-lattice behavior coexisting with frustrated magnetism associated with the distorted kagome-like arrangement of Ce moments. The resulting dome-shaped H–T phase diagram and correlated magnetotransport response establish Ce${}_3$MgBi${}_5$ as a promising system for studying the interplay between geometric frustration, anisotropic exchange interactions, and Kondo hybridization in Ce-based correlated electron materials.

As a material that undergoes a metal-insulator transition inside the altermagnetic phase, NiS${}_{2-x}$Se${}_x$ provides an ideal framework to elucidate the interplay between electronic correlations and altermagnetism. This work disentangles the impact of static and dynamic correlations on altermagnetic properties by systematically comparing DFT, DFT+$U$, and DFT+DMFT calculations on NiS${}_{2-x}$Se${}_x$. The key result is that dynamical correlations not only modify the magnitude of the spin splitting but also promote a sharp asymmetry in the lifetimes of spin-up and spin-down quasiparticles, which is further amplified by multi-orbital Hund’s correlation effects.

The $S=3/2$ compound Cs${}_2$CoI${}_4$ is a new member of the celebrated family of frustrated magnets Cs${}_2$MX${}_4$ ($M$ = transition metal ion; $X$ = halogen or oxygen). Thermodynamic and neutron scattering measurements reveal a complex magnetic phase diagram and excitation spectrum markedly different from related compounds. A structural phase transition is central to understanding this behavior. Based on the solved low-temperature crystal structure, a spin Hamiltonian is constructed that captures the observed spin dynamics and provides a qualitative understanding of the phase diagram.

A century after the discovery of superconductivity, the search for new superconductors still relies largely on trial and error, challenging researchers to identify the universal design principles that govern why certain materials superconduct at higher temperatures. Here, the authors introduce an interpretable, data-driven approach that pairs Random Forest screening with SISSO symbolic regression to reveal fundamental “material genes” governing Tc in conventional BCS superconductors. Unlike black-box predictors, this study reveals physically meaningful relationships that provide actionable guideline for high Tc: a near half-filled d-orbital per atom combined with moderate heterogeneity in unfilled orbitals.