Physics articles within Nature Communications

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    | Open Access

    Can many-body systems be beneficial to designing quantum technologies? We address this question by examining quantum engines, where recent studies indicate potential benefits through the harnessing of many-body effects, such as divergences close to phase transitions. However, open questions remain regarding their real-world applications.

    • Victor Mukherjee
    •  & Uma Divakaran

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Photosynthesis in biological systems occurs in a noisy environment that reduces the lifetime of coherences in the excitation energy transfer. Here the author demonstrate that long-lasting coherences are protected by quantum phase synchronization, realized in dimers by exciton-vibrational coupling where energy dissipation occurs predominantly in resonant anti-symmetric collective modes.

    • Ruidan Zhu
    • , Wenjun Li
    •  & Yuxiang Weng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bernal-stacked bilayer graphene (BLG) has been extensively studied due to its tunable band gap and emerging electronic properties, but its low-energy band structure remains debated. Here, the authors report magnetotransport measurements of Bernal BLG, showing evidence of four Dirac cones and electrically induced topological transitions.

    • Anna M. Seiler
    • , Nils Jacobsen
    •  & R. Thomas Weitz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Superconductors with hexagonal symmetry are expected to be isotropic particularly near the critical temperature Tc, a property called emergent rotational symmetry (ERS). Here, the authors use calorimetry to study the hexagonal kagome superconductor CsV3Sb5 and find a violation of the expected ERS, hinting at realization of exotic superconductivity.

    • Kazumi Fukushima
    • , Keito Obata
    •  & Shingo Yonezawa

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Collective cooperation is found across many social and biological systems. Here, the authors find that infrequent hub updates promote the emergence of collective cooperation and develop an algorithm that optimises collective cooperation with update rates.

    • Yao Meng
    • , Sean P. Cornelius
    •  & Aming Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Entangled local states can be made capable of violating Bell inequalities via nonlocality activation. Typical theoretical approaches require processing many copies of the original state and performing joint measurements on the ensemble. Here, instead, the authors experimentally demonstrate how to do so using a single copy of the state, broadcasting it to two spatially separated parties within a three-node network.

    • Luis Villegas-Aguilar
    • , Emanuele Polino
    •  & Geoff J. Pryde

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Collective behavior of nonlinear soft valves forming fluid flow networks is not well understood. The authors reveal the mechanisms underlying the collective behavior of soft flow networks with negative differential resistance elements.

    • Alejandro Martínez-Calvo
    • , Matthew D. Biviano
    •  & Miguel Ruiz-García

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The frequency scaling exponent of low-frequency vibrational excitations in glasses remains controversial in the literature. Here, Schirmacher et al. show that the exponent depends on the statistics of the small values of the local stresses, which is governed by the detail of interaction potential.

    • Walter Schirmacher
    • , Matteo Paoluzzi
    •  & Giancarlo Ruocco

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Luo et al. report a self-driven hemispherical retinomorphic eye that employs ionogel heterojunctions as photoreceptors. This photoreceptor exhibits broadband photosynapse, high conformability, retinal transplantation, and visual restoration for re-time optical imaging and motion tracking.

    • Xu Luo
    • , Chen Chen
    •  & Wei Huang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, the authors perform Faraday rotation spectroscopy around the excitonic transitions in hBN-encapsulated WSe2 and MoSe2 monolayers, and interlayer excitons in MoS2 bilayers. They measure a large Verdet constant - 1.9 × 107 deg T−¹cm−¹ for monolayers, and attribute it to the giant oscillator strength and high g-factor of the excitons.

    • Benjamin Carey
    • , Nils Kolja Wessling
    •  & Ashish Arora

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Interesting non-Hermitian quantum dynamics can be accessed in analogue quantum simulators consisting of Hermitian bosonic systems with squeezing and antisqueezing terms. Here, the authors use a coplanar waveguide resonator connected to a SQUID to simulate the bosonic version of the Kitaev chain.

    • Jamal H. Busnaina
    • , Zheng Shi
    •  & Christopher M. Wilson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The techniques we typically employ to study spin-waves in magnetic materials, such as Brillouin Light Scattering, are two-dimensional. Spin waves, however, are manifestly three-dimensional. Here, Girardi et al. succeed in such three-dimensional imaging of spin waves in a synthetic antiferromagnet using Time-Resolved Soft X-ray Laminography.

    • Davide Girardi
    • , Simone Finizio
    •  & Edoardo Albisetti

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Parity detection is essential in quantum error correction. Here, authors propose a reliable joint parity measurement (JPM) scheme inspired by stimulated emission and experimentally implement the weight-2(4) JPM scheme in a tunable coupling superconducting circuit, which shows comparable performance to the standard CNOT-gate based scheme.

    • Sainan Huai
    • , Kunliang Bu
    •  & Yicong Zheng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Achieving a wide angular response in single layer acoustic metalenses is challenging. By leveraging perfect acoustic symmetry conversion, the authors realize an aberration free metalens with a wide field-of-hearing, up to 140 degrees.

    • Dongwoo Lee
    • , Beomseok Oh
    •  & Junsuk Rho

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here the authors demonstrate a broadband nonlinear optical diode effect and its electric control in the magnetic Weyl semimetal CeAlSi. Their findings advance ongoing research to identify novel optical phenomena in topological materials.

    • Christian Tzschaschel
    • , Jian-Xiang Qiu
    •  & Su-Yang Xu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Current desalination technologies are energy intensive and suffer from membrane degradation and fouling. Here, authors propose and explore the potential of thermodiffusion as a means of membrane-free, single-phase thermal desalination. A pathway towards a feasible thermodiffusive desalination is provided.

    • Shuqi Xu
    • , Alice J. Hutchinson
    •  & Juan F. Torres

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The authors demonstrate that the band structure of graphene nanoribbons is modulated by cove edges, brightening the luminescence 4-fold via emission from otherwise dark twilight states. High spectral resolution of the optical response reveals strong vibron-electron coupling

    • Bernd K. Sturdza
    • , Fanmiao Kong
    •  & Robin J. Nicholas

  • Article
    | Open Access

    High-contrast ultrasonic imaging holds significant importance in biomedical and engineering applications. Here, the authors present a compact spatial differentiator tailored for underwater isotropic edge-enhanced imaging, facilitating the realization of high-contrast ultrasonic imaging.

    • Yurou Jia
    • , Suying Zhang
    •  & Xiaojun Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Kekulé vortices in hexagonal lattices can host fractionalized charges at zero magnetic field, but have remained out of experimental reach. Here, the authors report a Kekulé vortex in the local density states of graphene around a chemisorbed hydrogen adatom.

    • Yifei Guan
    • , Clement Dutreix
    •  & Vincent T. Renard

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Band engineering in optics allows the design of unconventional forms of light with potential optoelectronic applications. Here, the authors realize slow-light intercavity polaritons in an array of coupled cavities, the photonic architecture enables the spatial segregation of photons and excitons

    • Yesenia A. García Jomaso
    • , Brenda Vargas
    •  & Giuseppe Pirruccio

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Aqueous batteries have a short lifespan due to Al current collector corrosion and Li loss from side reactions on the anode. Here, the authors propose a prototype of self-prolonging aqueous Li-ion batteries by introducing hydrolyzation-type anodic additives to regulate Al corrosion-passivation.

    • Binghang Liu
    • , Tianshi Lv
    •  & Liumin Suo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Previous understanding of the coupling between ferroelectric structure and magnetic texture in BiFeO3 has relied on mesoscale measurements. Here, the authors image coupling directly, showing a complex spin cycloid controlled with electric field.

    • Peter Meisenheimer
    • , Guy Moore
    •  & Ramamoorthy Ramesh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Exchange bias occurs in a variety of magnetic materials and heterostructures. The quintessential example occurs in antiferromagnetic/ferromagnetic heterostructures and has been employed extensively in magnetic memory devices. Here, via a specific field training protocol, the authors demonstrate an exchange bias of up to 400mT in odd layered MnBi2Te4.

    • Su Kong Chong
    • , Yang Cheng
    •  & Kang L. Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Earlier research has shown that controlling activity in the active matter can lead to either a phase change or a laminar-turbulent transition in active fluids. Authors demonstrate that it is possible to control both the phase transitions between solid, liquid, and gas states and the laminar-to-turbulent transitions in fluid phases by adjusting the activity of a phoretic medium.

    • Qianhong Yang
    • , Maoqiang Jiang
    •  & Lailai Zhu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Magnetic fields can enhance electrocatalysis, yet its effect on mass transport has been overlooked. Here, the authors track the motion induced on the electrolyte ions, demonstrating that mass transport effects can double the catalyst activity with low reactant availability, as in oxygen reduction.

    • Priscila Vensaus
    • , Yunchang Liang
    •  & Magalí Lingenfelder

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The formation of C–H bonds via reaction of small inorganic molecules is of great interest for understanding the transition from inorganic to organic matter, but the detailed mechanisms remain elusive. Here, the authors demonstrate real-time visualization and coherent control of the ultrafast C–H bond formation dynamics in a light-induced bimolecular reaction from inorganic species.

    • Zhejun Jiang
    • , Hao Huang
    •  & Jian Wu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In contrast to the commonly studied optical frequency combs, here, the authors demonstrate a radio frequency system able to wirelessly and passively generate frequency combs as a battery-free solution for far-field ranging of unmanned vehicles in GPS-denied settings.

    • Hussein M. E. Hussein
    • , Seunghwi Kim
    •  & Cristian Cassella

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Evolution processes of complex networked systems in biology and social sciences, and their underlying mechanisms, still need better understanding. The authors propose a machine learning approach to reconstruct the evolution history of complex networks.

    • Junya Wang
    • , Yi-Jiao Zhang
    •  & Yanqing Hu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ultrafast demagnetization refers to the process where an intense optical drive can destroy the magnetic order in a magnetic material on a femto-second timescale. Here, Wu et al resolve a three-stage ultrafast demagnetization process in a monolayer of Fe3GeTe2.

    • Na Wu
    • , Shengjie Zhang
    •  & Sheng Meng

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It is hard to correlate force, torque and localization information. The authors report Combined Optical and Magnetic BIomolecule TWEEZers, COMBI-Tweez, that integrates optical trapping, time-resolved electromagnetic tweezers, and fluorescence microscopy: they demonstrate visualisation of higher order structural motifs in DNA.

    • Jack W. Shepherd
    • , Sebastien Guilbaud
    •  & Mark C. Leake

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Solving combinatorial optimization problems using quantum or quantum-inspired machine learning models would benefit from strategies able to work with arbitrary objective functions. Here, the authors use the power of generative models to realise such a black-box solver, and show promising performances on some portfolio optimization examples.

    • Javier Alcazar
    • , Mohammad Ghazi Vakili
    •  & Alejandro Perdomo-Ortiz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The microscopic structure of quantum defects in 2D materials is crucial to understand their optical properties and spin-photon interface. Here, the authors report the direct imaging of charge state-dependent symmetry breaking of sulfur vacancies and rhenium dopants in 2D MoS2, showing evidence of a Jahn-Teller effect.

    • Feifei Xiang
    • , Lysander Huberich
    •  & Bruno Schuler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The advent of isolated attosecond XUV pulse sources marks a new era in attosecond science, pivotal for the investigation of core electron dynamics. Here the authors discover that the coherent Raman coupling between the cation states leads to extra timedelay between different transition channels by applying the attosecond transient absorption spectroscopy on the investigation of complex dynamics of strong field ionization of Krypton.

    • Li Wang
    • , Guangru Bai
    •  & Zengxiu Zhao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Moiré patterns have been experimentally observed in heterostructures comprised of topological insulator films. Here, the authors propose that topological insulator-based moiré heterostructures could be a host of isolated topologically non-trivial moiré minibands for the study of the interplay between topology and correlation.

    • Kaijie Yang
    • , Zian Xu
    •  & Chao-Xing Liu

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