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Symmetry breaking by ultrashort light pulses opens new quantum pathways for coherent phonons

Researchers at Max Born Institute find that ultrafast mid-infrared excitation of electrons in bismuth reduces crystal symmetry, opening new quantum pathways for coherent phonon excitation. This leads to bidirectional atomic motions and oscillations with a frequency different from low-excitation levels.

SourceMax Born Institute for Nonlinear Optics and Short Pulse Spectroscopy (MBI)·JournalPhysical Review B·TypeExperimental study·DateMay 30, 2023

Effective as a collective: Researchers investigate the swarming behavior of microrobots

A team of researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz studied the collective behavior of small robots and found that they can solve tasks that a single machine cannot. The study uses statistical physics to analyze how the robots interact and move, revealing potential applications in medical and pharmaceutical applications.

SourceJohannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz·JournalScience Advances·DateMay 26, 2023

Fabrication and applications of van der Waals heterostructures

The article discusses the fabrication and applications of van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs), which have unique properties and potential for exploring condensed matter physics. Various strategies for fabricating vdWHs were developed in the past decade, leading to promising functionalities in diverse fields.

SourceInternational Journal of Extreme Manufacturing·JournalInternational Journal of Extreme Manufacturing·DateApr 25, 2023

New era of two-dimensional ferroelectrics

Researchers review emerging field of 2D ferroelectric materials with layered van-der-Waals crystal structures, offering new properties and functionalities not found in conventional materials. These materials show easily stackable nature, making them attractive as building blocks for post-Moore's law electronics.

SourceARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies·JournalNature Reviews Materials·TypeLiterature review·DateOct 27, 2022

Trapping polaritons in an engineered quantum box

Australian researchers have engineered a quantum box for polaritons in a two-dimensional material, achieving large polariton densities and a partially 'coherent' quantum state. The novel technique allows researchers to access striking collective quantum phenomena and enable ultra-energy-efficient technologies.

SourceARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies·JournalPhysical Review Letters·TypeExperimental study·DateOct 19, 2022

Manipulating interlayer magnetic coupling for future spintronics

The study observes electric gate-controlled exchange-bias effect in van der Waals heterostructures, enabling scalable energy-efficient spin-orbit logic. The team successfully tunes the blocking temperature of the EB effect via an electric gate, allowing for the EB field to be turned 'ON' and 'OFF'.

Novel multi-proton carrier complex as efficient proton conductor at high temperatures

A team of researchers from Tokyo University of Science has developed a novel multi-proton carrier complex that shows efficient proton conductivity even at high temperatures. The resulting starburst-type metal complex acts as a proton transmitter, making it 6 times more potent than individual imidazole molecules.

SourceTokyo University of Science·JournalChemistry - A European Journal·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 18, 2022

Surfaces at realistic conditions

The Replica Exchange Grand Canonical (REGC) method describes how surfaces change in contact with reactive gas phases under different temperature and pressure conditions. The approach identifies 25 thermodynamically stable surface phases and predicts stability phase diagrams for real systems.

SourceMax-Planck-Gesellschaft·JournalPhysical Review Letters·TypeExperimental study·DateJul 8, 2022

Complexity of crystallization amazes physicists

Researchers discovered that certain liquid crystals form multiple chiral smectic phases and exhibit complex crystallization processes. Slow cooling can lead to crystallization, while fast cooling promotes vitrification. Cold crystallization occurs when the sample is heated, and its kinetics are controlled by diffusion rates.

Making dark semiconductors shine

Researchers successfully manipulated energy levels in tungsten diselenide to induce luminescence, a breakthrough for controlling matter through light fields. The discovery could enhance optical properties of organic semiconductors, leading to innovative LED and solar cell applications.

SourceUniversity of Oldenburg·JournalNature Communications·TypeExperimental study·DateJun 27, 2022

All-optical switching on a nanometer scale

Scientists at Max Born Institute demonstrate ultrafast emergence of all-optical switching by generating a nanometer-scale grating through interference of two pulses in the extreme ultraviolet spectral range. The researchers identify an intensity ratio as a fingerprint observable for AOS in diffraction experiments.

German Research Foundation approves funding for excellent research in JGU’s core research areas

The German Research Foundation has granted funding to Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and its strategic alliance partners for four years. Researchers in materials sciences, biophysics, and medicine are working on three collaborative projects with a total funding volume of EUR 35 million. The focus is on developing multiscale ...

Computational sleuthing confirms first 3D quantum spin liquid

Researchers use computational detective work to verify the existence of a 3D quantum spin liquid in cerium zirconium pyrochlore, overcoming decades-long challenge. The material exhibits fractionalized spin excitations, where electrons do not arrange their spins in relation to neighbors.

SourceRice University·Journalnpj Quantum Materials·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateMay 10, 2022

Glimpse inside a graphene sandwich

Researchers studied twisted trilayer graphene, discovering a phase diagram that decouples into product states of graphene and bilayer graphene. The system exhibits unique insulating and semi-metallic phases in the presence of an electric field.

SourceUniversity of Innsbruck·JournalPhysical Review X·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateApr 27, 2022

Making a ‘sandwich’ out of magnets and topological insulators, potential for lossless electronics

Researchers create a quantum anomalous Hall insulator by stacking a ferromagnetic material between two 2D topological insulators, enabling room-temperature lossless transport. The new architecture could lead to ultra-low energy future electronics or topological photovoltaics.

SourceARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies·JournalAdvanced Materials·TypeExperimental study·DateApr 2, 2022

Persistent swinging of electrons between atomic sites in crystals

Researchers have observed persistent swinging of electrons between atomic sites in crystals using ultrafast X-ray diffraction. The study reveals relocation of valence charge on the length scale of interatomic distances, paving the way for future studies of functional materials.

SourceMax Born Institute for Nonlinear Optics and Short Pulse Spectroscopy (MBI)·JournalPhysical Review Letters·TypeExperimental study·DateMar 30, 2022

Revealing new states in 2D materials

Researchers from the University of Würzburg have discovered new states in 2D materials by exploring their interactions with phonons. This breakthrough enables the creation of hybridized exciton-photon-phonon states, which could lead to room-temperature Bose-Einstein condensation and polariton lasing.

SourceUniversity of Würzburg·JournalPhysical Review Letters·TypeExperimental study·DateFeb 24, 2022

Time crystals leave the lab

Researchers at University of California - Riverside observe time crystals in a system not isolated from its environment, achieving a major breakthrough. The all-optical time crystal uses a disk-shaped magnesium fluoride glass resonator and has potential applications in accurate measurements and precision timekeeping.

SourceUniversity of California - Riverside·JournalNature Communications·TypeExperimental study·DateFeb 14, 2022

New insight into unconventional superconductivity

Researchers at PSI's Laboratory for Muon Spin Spectroscopy have discovered strong evidence of exotic charge order and orbital currents in a correlated kagome superconductor. The findings provide a new insight into unconventional superconductivity and its relationship with the quantum anomalous Hall effect.

SourcePaul Scherrer Institute·JournalNature·TypeExperimental study·DateFeb 9, 2022

Negative capacitance in topological transistors could reduce computing’s unsustainable energy load

Researchers have discovered that negative capacitance in topological transistors can switch at lower voltage, potentially reducing energy losses. This new design could help alleviate the unsustainable energy load of computing, which consumes about 8% of global electricity supply.

Time crystal in a quantum computer

Scientists from Stanford University and Google Quantum AI have successfully created a time crystal, a new phase of matter that repeats in time without energy input. The achievement opens up opportunities to explore new regimes in condensed matter physics, providing insight into non-equilibrium quantum systems.

SourceStanford University·JournalNature·DateNov 30, 2021

Having your cake and eating it too: double-dosing induces magnetism while strengthening topological insulator

A University of Wollongong team has combined two doping elements to achieve new efficiencies in the topological insulator Bi2Se3. The resulting crystals show clear ferromagnetic ordering, a large band gap, high electronic mobility, and the opening of a surface state gap.

SourceARC Centre of Excellence in Future Low-Energy Electronics Technologies·JournalPhysical Review B·TypeExperimental study·DateNov 12, 2021