A hierarchical model of high-dimensional data reveals how deep neural networks leverage their multiple layers to reduce the data dimensionality and learn from a finite set of examples.

The use of Raman sideband cooling to cool trapped polar molecules to their motional ground state sets the stage for engineering the dipole-dipole interactions of such molecules to process quantum information.

A quantum error-correcting code known as the XY surface code loses some of its ability to tolerate errors when states are prepared and measured. A new method of preparation and measurement mitigates this loss.

A technique for trapping atoms on a nanophotonic microring circuit paves the way for interfacing cold atoms with integrated nanophotonics, enabling further explorations of atom-light interactions.

The creation and exploration of incredibly complex mazes on infinitely large irregular structures that describe quasicrystals could lead to efficiency boosts in industrial processes, among many other applications.

A new numerical method provides upper and lower bounds on arbitrary ground-state observables for many-body quantum systems.

Observations of unique excitons in a kind of 2D magnet reveal their origin—magnetic nickel ions—and their diffusive nature, suggesting a novel mechanism for controlling exciton properties.

As originally conceived, flocking emerges through alignment interactions among self-propelled agents. New experiments and theory reveal that flocking can also emerge through interactions that turn agents away from each other.

A machine-learning framework predicts when a complex system, such as an ecosystem or a power grid, will undergo a critical transition.

Analysis of some open quantum systems can lead to negative measurement probabilities. A new method for remedying this issue avoids the limitations of existing techniques.

A new theory that accounts for disorder in a protein’s structure sheds light on the development inside a cell of tiny droplets that are vital to a cell’s function.

Molecular dynamics simulations show that the dynamics of a cooling glass are very different from those of a heating glass, implying the lack of a phase transition between poorly and well-annealed glass.

Measurements uncover the precise magnetic structures in EuIn${}_2$As${}_2$, a key step toward manipulating the material to host sought-after topological states.

A framework for comparing ensemble properties of eigenstates in local quantum systems with those of pure random states captures correlations not encoded by the standard random-matrix-theory description of quantum chaos.

Previous work suggested the superconductor CsV${}_3$Sb${}_5$ may host a rare type of nematicity, or breaking of its crystalline rotational symmetry. New comprehensive measurements of its elastoresistivity and elastocaloric effect show this is probably not the case.

New protocols for manipulating bosonic quantum bits offer a promising avenue toward scalable and robust quantum computation with such qubits.

A control framework for systems of interacting “qudits”—the multilevel equivalent of a qubit—demonstrates an order-of-magnitude improvement in qudit coherence times over the state of the art.

Measurements of Landau level gaps as a function of magnetic field and carrier density provide a new framework for understanding exchange interactions and their density dependence.

In recent years, many anomalous spherical protein shells have been made or discovered. An analysis of structures in the Protein Data Bank uncovers common principles governing their assembly.

A determination of the structure of corrections to diffusive transport provides a deeper theoretical understanding of diffusion that could assist future experiments, theory, and simulations.

A new method of detecting criticality from time-series data outperforms conventional metrics in the presence of variable noise levels for both simulated systems and real neural recordings.

A demonstration of the first electrically controlled polariton-based circuit elements offers a way forward on the development of integrated photonics.

Innovations that provide new limits on the axion-photon coupling strength open the way to a much more extensive search for the elusive dark matter candidate over the next five years.

Adding a third terminal to a hybrid Josephson junction leads to a large energy difference between spin-up and spin-down levels and zero-energy level crossings, suggesting a basis for encoding and processing quantum information.

A combined theory and experimental study of excitons in Van der Waals materials challenges the long-standing dipolar paradigm used to describe exciton interactions and shows the key role of quantum-mechanical contributions.

A new analysis identifies a specific molecular recognition process that allows B cells in the human immune system to produce a potent, specific, and fast response during acute infections.

Broadly distributed plant movements serve as “functional noise.” This new insight provides a framework for studying plant navigation based on task oriented processes, optimization, and active sensing.

An extension of a magnetic imaging technique with soft X-rays provides access to samples much thicker than previously possible, with potential impacts across a wide variety of fundamental and applied research efforts.

Joint correlations between small numbers of eigenstates in a many-body quantum system can capture many aspects of quantum dynamics not captured by the current standard framework of the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis.

Penning traps enable the preparation of clean bilayer crystals of hundreds of ions, thus going beyond 1D and 2D crystals and opening new avenues in trapped-ion quantum information processing.

A field theory for filaments interacting through the action of motor proteins, leading to alignment and sliding, shows the emergence of structures that are nonequilibrium counterparts to those formed by lipids.

New models of social systems as directed hypergraphs reveal how group dynamics play a crucial role in shaping social systems across various domains like politics, epidemiology, and economics.

A study of generalized global symmetries provides novel, realistic theories of particle physics beyond the standard model, including a natural description of why neutrino masses are so much smaller than those of charged leptons.

A method for computing Feynman diagrams describing quantum many-body interactions offers a promising new solver for quantum impurity models.

A new strategy for measuring bipartite entanglement in a quantum many-body system does so with very few measurements, extending previous studies to systems much larger than what is currently feasible.

Magnetic manipulation of electron spin in a diamond tin-vacancy center is more straightforward in strained diamonds, an insight that could be used to advance the field of quantum computing and communication.

A comprehensive classification of spin space groups, a hidden symmetry of magnetic materials, paves the way for a more complete understanding of magnetic phases and the design of novel materials.

A systematic study of over 100 000 spin space groups provides a foundational theory for symmetry in magnetic ordered materials that opens new paths for the fundamental comprehension and the exploration of emergent phenomena in such systems.

An extensive database of over 157 000 spin space groups provides researchers with a searchable tool for exploring the symmetries of a wide variety of magnetic materials.

The observation of quantum modifications to a well-known chemical law could lead to performance improvements for quantum information storage.

A new model of epidemics describes infections as part of a feedback loop—an approach that might one day help optimize interventions such as social distancing and lockdowns.

A theoretical analysis of the complex electric field around DNA uncovers the origin of oscillating field patterns and sheds light on the role of the solvent that surrounds the DNA.

A new method for solving notoriously difficult problems of delayed quantum feedback provides a handle for solving a new class of problems arising in the study of complex quantum networks.

Real-space normalization group methods provide a new way to study phases of matter of quantum many-body mixed states.

New large-scale simulations of magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene explore how electron correlations and symmetry-breaking phase transitions affect the system’s phase diagram.

In an ideal optical fiber, rotating the input cleanly rotates the output. That’s not the case in real fibers, thanks to imperfections. Characterization of this effect, however, leads to new practical applications.

Millimeter-sized droplets on a vibrating fluid surface can localize in disordered environments much like electrons do, showcasing a unique system for exploring the boundary between classical and quantum realms.

The eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH) is key to understanding statistical mechanics in nonequilibrium quantum systems but doesn’t apply when many quantities are conserved. A new analysis explores what takes the place of ETH in such systems.

Active fluids host dynamic, chaotic flows that are difficult to control. Depositing an active fluid on an ellipsoidal droplet provides a means for regulating those flows.

A simple statistical model capturing only pairwise interactions between brain regions is sufficient to reproduce key features of whole-brain dynamics.

Momentum correlations between deuterons and either kaons or protons in Large Hadron Collider data provide a window into studying the dynamics and forces of three-body nuclear systems with precision.

A simulation of pump-probe experiments out to several picoseconds provides insight into previously observed lattice vibration behaviors in a system where those vibrations interact with electrons.

Theoretical work confirms that multimode excitation of optical fibers is an effective way to suppress stimulated Brillouin scattering, an often-unwanted loss mechanism in both active and passive fibers.

A theoretical analysis of a type of optical oscillator network sheds light on how unconventional computing architectures go about finding the best solution to a complex problem among many possibilities.

Entangled photons with an extreme separation in energy provide a means for engineering a quantum interconnect between light and superconducting microwave devices.