Experiments selectively excite and probe specific core electrons in CH${}_2$I${}_2$ to follow the molecule’s internal dynamics and also pave the way toward site-selective control of chemical reactions.

The distribution of particle displacements in certain diffusive systems takes on an unusual non-Gaussian behavior. New simulations explore how the evolution of such dynamics depends on the system’s details.

A new analysis of black hole vibrational spectra identifies which frequencies are stable to perturbations—information pertinent for gravitational-wave analysis and quantum gravity modeling.

Sessile droplet shapes offer a common way to measure solid-surface properties. A new approach to this provides much greater accuracy on soft solids.

A lattice of highly excited atoms can exhibit a topological phase, a new theoretical study shows.

Layered and onionlike structures emerge solely from structural differences among competing crystalline growths in a liquid melt, according to a new deep neural network analysis.

A new computational analysis of the Hubbard model, believed to capture essential electronic properties of cuprate superconductors, reveals intriguing changes in electron behavior when cooled toward zero temperature.

A dc voltage across a quantum tunneling barrier between two superconductors, in series with two microwave resonators, provides a new way to create entangled photon pairs.

A real-world demonstration of a distributed quantum sensing network exhibits sensitivity that, for the first time, surpasses the shot-noise limit, thereby boosting the practical application of such networks.

A generalization of the “optical memory effect” through an opaque medium opens the door to diverse applications in imaging, metrology, and communications.

Experiments reveal details of the electron pairing mechanism in a typical high-temperature cuprate superconductor.

Researchers have demonstrated a faster way to turn light transmission on and off in a liquid crystal.

A framework for calculating contributions of correlated electronic behavior to x-ray spectra expands the application of resonant inelastic x-ray scattering to the wide class of strongly correlated metals.

A new approach to inferring the network of interactions among dynamic individuals trains an artificial neural network to do so in the case of delayed interactions and noisy dynamics.

A type of topological protection can arise in biological systems, where simple random microscopic processes can give rise to robust macroscopic oscillations reminiscent of dynamics within a cell.

A certain class of quantum systems with long-range interactions can exhibit nonlocal behavior and transfer quantum information at the maximum rates allowed by quantum mechanics.

Two-dimensional materials with flat energy bands give rise to many exotic behaviors, but strain engineering may offer a way to bring these effects to 3D systems.

A new approach to open quantum many-body systems sheds light on what kinds of collective phenomena can arise from the competition between quantum dynamics and dissipation due to an external environment.

An analysis of random quantum circuits reveals a class of systems in which quantum entanglement spreads at the fastest possible rate and does so in a series of stages.

A new model of three-body interactions provides a statistical prediction of the outcome of a close triple approach that is then applied to an analysis of a close pair of stars interacting with a third.

Nanophotonic devices based on tin-vacancy qubits in diamond show promise as building blocks of quantum repeaters, an important step toward the realization of long-range quantum networks.

A protocol for extracting ratios of trajectory probabilities for a single Brownian particle provides a long-missing link for experimentally addressing questions in stochastic dynamics.

A previously noted rate at which particles spread “superdiffusively”—a regime between diffusive and ballistic motion—holds universally for integrable models with certain symmetries.

In a class of quantum critical phases of matter, heat diffusion competes with another process for heat conduction, an insight that may offer clues as to how diffusion arises from microscopic dynamics.

A new model connects a living cell’s internal biochemical cycle to the physical forces that arise among collections of cells, providing a framework for exploring how the cell cycle influences colony dynamics.

Scanning tunneling microscopy of a kagome superconductor—an unusual metal with a triangular lattice of atoms—confirms a number of previously hinted at electronic states.

A suspended carbon nanotube coupled to a double quantum dot makes a mechanical oscillator that serves as a qubit.

Analysis of the thickness of living epithelial tissue allows for the validation of differential surface tensions and apical line tension as the ingredients of a minimal model that accounts for the shape of epithelial cells.

The self-patterning and growth of epithelial tissue depends on the stiffness of the extracellular matrix, an insight that could help researchers understand emergent pathologies in living tissue.

Electrons flow like a viscous fluid through a 2D channel with perfectly smooth sidewalls, offering a new platform to test solid-state and fluid dynamics theories.

Ultrafast optical pulses induce picosecond-scale changes in the ferroelectric polarization within nanoscale polarization stripe domains in ferroelectric-dielectric superlattices.

While “ideal” Weyl states have been realized in bosonic systems, their existence in fermionic systems has been elusive. New experiments provide long-sought evidence for such a state.

Experiments identify the origin of interlayer exciton light emission in a two-layer stack of transition-metal dichalcogenides, shedding light on the nature of quantum emitters in these materials.

New machine-learning methods show evidence of a quantum spin liquid in a 2D model, offering a guide to search for materials hosting this exotic state, in which electrons splinter into spinons, with potential use in quantum devices.

A theoretical analysis reveals a direct link between a specific nonlinear response in a type of spin liquid to its dynamics, thus showing the power and promise of nonlinear spectroscopy in diagnosing material properties.

By taking advantage of how strain gradients affect spin energy levels, experiments provide a spatial map of spin coherence times of donor atoms in silicon—necessary information for many quantum-based applications.

A new model of how single strands of DNA fold into themselves shows promise in helping enrich understanding of how molecules in cells contort to perform various biological functions.

A new platform for routing surface electromagnetic waves does so efficiently across a planar surface while maintaining control of polarization, key steps toward the realization of flat optical devices.

A new approach to implementing quantum error correcting codes reduces their physical resource overhead and improves their tolerance to noise from the environment.

Scanning tunneling microscopy reveals for the first time the true electronic structure of magnetic vortices in a high-temperature superconductor, matching a 25-year-old prediction.

A new theory of many-body quantum systems shows that the complementarity principle between interference and which-path information is present not only among single particles but also among many partially distinguishable particles.

Experiments provide clear signs of a weak topological insulator (TI) state, in which select surfaces conduct while the interior insulates, as well as hints of a higher-order TI state, where conduction is confined to hinges.

An infinite family of novel quantum critical states may exist that cannot be described by renormalizable quantum field theories, suggesting a new landscape of quantum states to explore.

A new artificial-intelligence-based algorithm can provide conceptual understanding when presented with unsolved problems, an ability demonstrated on open questions in quantum optics design.

By using qubit frequencies to encode information, an experiment demonstrates an approach to quantum measurement that replaces sequential observations with simultaneous ones, greatly improving measurement time.

The timescale for crystalline disordering when a nanoparticle is hit with an intense laser pulse scales as the inverse of the speed of ions ejected from the ensuing nanoplasma.

Neutron-scattering experiments reveal the microscopic origin of an antiferromagnetic order seen in thin layers of the van der Waals magnetic material CrI${}_3$.

A new experimental technique uses an x-ray free-electron laser to reveal charge dynamics within a molecule following removal of an electron, paving the way for a broader understanding of molecular charge transfer.

A technique for verifying that a quantum computation is correct checks one device against another, a method that does not rely on classical computers and could be used on next-generation quantum devices.

New experiments explore a previously reported charge-density wave in a kagome metal and reveal its electronic excitations and interactions with the underlying lattice motions.

Physical contact among simple robots with undulatory gaits leads to rich collective dynamics including synchronization, thus showing how some populations in nature sync their movements when in close proximity.

A novel protocol for applying feedback when pulling on a folded DNA strand minimizes dissipation, a demonstration of how feedback can be used to reduce dissipation in small out-of-equilibrium systems.

New experiments reveal all the ways that light impacts mechanics in cavity magnomechanics, where photons, phonons, and magnons couple in a versatile platform for exploring proposals quantum applications.

A quantum-inspired model explains why objects moving in a fluid experience drag even at high speeds where viscosity should be negligible.

Competition of timescales in RNA self-assembly leads to two distinct length scales, one of which may act as building blocks for strands that grow into functional catalyzers, a key insight for origins-of-life research.

Matter-wave diffraction can put chiral molecules into superpositions of left- and right-handed forms, enabling new studies of how the two states interact with their environment

A new scheme could offer a technologically viable solution for remedying computational errors in near-term quantum devices.

A game-theoretical model of a rigged economy predicts the emergence of cartels followed by a risk of instability as the economy becomes more complex.

A new theory of linear deep neural networks allows for the first statistical study of their “weight space,” providing insight into the features that allow such networks to generalize so well.

A new technique to probe turbulence overcomes many limitations of traditional methods by relying on rigid fibers of various lengths, rather than tracer particles, suspended in a fluid.

The use of optical tweezers to create an NaCs molecule from its constituent atoms demonstrates a flexible platform for building molecular species one atom at a time.

Locating quantum phase transitions is key to understanding drastic changes in the behavior of low-temperature matter. A new nonequilibrium protocol promises an easier way to do so.

The motion of an ensemble of self-propelled swimmers has three fates—turbulent, noisy but ordered, and coordinated—depending on how their speed relates to the growth of viscous instabilities in the group.

A new general thermodynamic theory of electronic circuits provides tools to construct practical circuits that make the most of thermal fluctuations.

The energy spectrum of an active liquid-crystal film exhibits three scaling regimes with universal exponents—two predicted and one new—verifying long-held analogies of active turbulence to classical turbulence.

Quantum error-correction codes generated by random circuits can offer robust performance with low circuit depth, suggesting that practical error correction is within reach on near-term quantum devices.

An analysis of the response of adhering cells to changes in membrane rigidity and external forces reveals collective effects relevant for tissue remodeling, cancer metastasis, and immune response.

A metallic, hole-doped, cuprate superconductor shows thermodynamic, magnetic, and spectral evidence for Cooper pairs of electrons persisting well above the superconducting transition temperature.

New experimental and theoretical work solves the problem of how initially disordered ensembles of moving bodies can self-organize into coordinated flocks.

A new machine-learning-based approach to controlling quantum many-body systems provides a fast and efficient way to prepare many-body ground states on quantum simulators.