A fundamental quantum uncertainty relation reveals an unavoidable trade-off between the reliabilities of the charging power and the work deposited during the charging and discharging of quantum batteries, establishing essential design limits for future quantum energy storage.

[PRX Quantum 7, 033057] Published Tue Sep 15, 2026

The observation of a binary pulsar system characterized by low neutron star masses with short orbital period enables tests of relativity, and may enable a measurement of Lens-Thirring precession with future observations.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 121401] Published Tue Sep 15, 2026

Oxygen defects suppress superconductivity in the bilayer nickelate La${}_3$Ni${}_2$O${}_{7+\delta }$ via a dual mechanism, revealed through density functional theory, dynamical mean-field theory, and functional renormalization group analysis.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 126002] Published Tue Sep 15, 2026

Berry curvature in twisted molybdenum ditelluride drives the oppositely charged particles in an exciton in opposite transverse directions, producing a dipole moment of approximately 150 Debye.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 126602] Published Tue Sep 15, 2026

Deploying $N$ Brownian searchers reduces the mean search time for an immobile target merely by a factor $1/\ln N$. We show that this conclusion is highly sensitive to the short-time dynamics of individual searchers. Based on the telegrapher’s equation we demonstrate that the classical logarithmic scaling …

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 127102] Published Tue Sep 15, 2026

When in dense suspensions, active phoretic disks with physicochemical hydrodynamic interactions remain caged and perform local vibrations, mirroring the weak turbulence of bending waves in vibrating elastic plates.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 128301] Published Tue Sep 15, 2026

Here, the author develops a symmetry-based framework that explains why certain centrosymmetric antiferromagnets exhibit a finite anomalous Hall effect (AHE). In antipolarly distorted lattices, the inversional invariance of the spin-orbit interaction allows the antiferromagnetic state to be represented as an effective ferromagnet in a suitable local frame. This mapping naturally accounts for the emergence of conventionally ferromagnetic responses, including the AHE and a net orbital magnetization, even though the spin magnetization vanishes globally.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, 154413] Published Tue Sep 15, 2026

Three-dimensional topological insulators exhibit a quantized magnetoelectric effect described by a topological response theory. This hallmark result raises the question whether magnetoelectric effects rooted in topology also exist in lower dimensions. Here, the authors demonstrate a (quasi)topological magnetoelectric response in a class of two-dimensional antiferromagnets, which is similarly described by a topological response theory, yet in two dimensions and derived from topological semimetals. As such, the effect ultimately originates from a crystalline topological index in one dimension.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, 154414] Published Tue Sep 15, 2026

In trilayer transition metal dichalcogenides, strong quantum fluctuations stabilize quadrupolar excitons. This study reveals how this state breaks down due to strong correlations at high exciton densities. Attractive interactions drive antiparallel dipolar correlations, explaining the redshift to blueshift transition observed in recent experiments. Furthermore, the authors predict novel correlation driven quantum phases, specifically an exciton droplet and a staggered dipolar crystal, and detail their distinct experimental signatures to guide future experimental explorations.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, 185116] Published Tue Sep 15, 2026

We usually understand a critical point as occurring at a phase transition separating two distinct phases. Certain quantum many-body systems host unusual critical points that are entirely contained in a single phase of matter but are nonetheless protected for topological reasons. Here, the authors give general conditions when such “diabolical” critical points should exist and explore new types of classical phase transitions in which they might occur.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, 185119] Published Tue Sep 15, 2026

New simulations of spinor Bose-Einstein condensates reveal that spin interactions fundamentally alter how solitary waves interact, causing otherwise stable bound states to break apart. This escape dynamics is driven by continuous particle exchange between hyperfine states, a phenomenon successfully mapped by a newly proposed classical Lagrangian model.

[APS Open Sci. 1, 000134] Published Tue Sep 15, 2026

The authors have successfully induced and characterized a channel-like deformation mechanism in pure tungsten, providing a new experimental pathway to evaluate irradiation damage in future nuclear fusion reactors. While this phenomenon, where atomic layers slide rigidly like a solid cylinder being forced through a tight tube, is known to occur as a destructive byproduct of intense radiation inside fusion environments, it has previously been highly difficult to isolate and study in a controlled manner. In this work, they overcame this challenge by precisely pressing a microscopic tip into a specifically oriented tungsten single-crystal. Using advanced electron microscopy techniques, they studied the resulting atomic displacements and determined the channel-like deformation for the first time in this crystal structure. This opens a new avenue to study defect formation and propagation, critical for understanding fundamental plastic yielding and analyzing structurally identical irradiation-induced defects.

[Phys. Rev. Materials 10, L090601] Published Mon Sep 14, 2026

Disorder-driven fluctuations enhance repulsive Coulomb interaction and form a superconducting dome in ionic-liquid-gated few-layer transition metal dichalcogenides.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 126001] Published Mon Sep 14, 2026

A Peierls-like interlayer instability establishes stacking as a tuning parameter for hidden, metastable phases in van der Waals quantum materials.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 126501] Published Mon Sep 14, 2026

Optical second harmonic generation detects ferroic octupolar order in altermagnetic CoF${}_2$, establishing nonlinear interactions as signatures of altermagnetism in experiments.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 126902] Published Mon Sep 14, 2026

A new model shows how cells could optimize biochemical sensing by balancing information gained against energy spent.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 127101] Published Mon Sep 14, 2026

Helimagnets naturally host odd-parity spin splitting — spin locked antisymmetrically to momentum — but their theoretical description is hindered by large, sometimes incommensurate magnetic supercells. Here, the authors show that the generalized Bloch theorem removes this barrier: bands, spin polarization, and wavefunctions of any single-$q$ helimagnet can be obtained in the primitive cell and downfolded in reciprocal space. From first principles for MnI${}_2$, NiI${}_2$, and MnTe${}_2$, the authors find splitting maximized for $p$-orbital bands, and band spin texture that directly encodes the magnetic ordering vector.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, 144414] Published Mon Sep 14, 2026

Here, the authors propose a new concept of nonlinear pure spin current rooted in quantum geometry. A pure spin current carries electron spin sideways without a net charge current in the same direction, making it attractive for low-power devices. They predict a unique property that flipping the built-in electric polarization of a nonmagnetic material can reverse the pure spin current. This flipping behavior is absent in the conventional spin Hall effect, which has impeded potential applications of the spin Hall effect in spintronics for a long time. The systematic survey here identifies five crystal symmetry classes that allow this behavior, and quantum mechanical calculations predict it in five atomically thin ferroelectrics, paving the way for experimental detection and device application. The authors also propose an optical second-harmonic Kerr microscopy test with an estimated measurable signal, providing a practical route to verify electrically programmable, low-dissipation spin transport without magnetic order.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, L171108] Published Mon Sep 14, 2026

Wigner’s friend thought experiments have long challenged whether measurement outcomes can be absolute; here, the author examines whether even the “free choices” observers make in setting up an experiment can be absolute. By combining the Wigner’s friend scenario with the Pusey–Barrett–Rudolph theorem on the reality of the quantum state, the author derives a no-go result suggesting that any resolution to extended Wigner’s friend paradoxes that abandons absoluteness must also incorporate a relational nature for free choices.

[Phys. Rev. A 114, 032431] Published Mon Sep 14, 2026

First measurements of quantum entanglement between two massive vector bosons at the electroweak scale link quantum information concepts with precision measurements.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 111804] Published Fri Sep 11, 2026

An ultrafast x-ray diffraction measurement establishes a unified model for $B1-B2$ transition in KCl which can be generalized to other materials.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 116102] Published Fri Sep 11, 2026

A simple conductance asymmetry metric helps disentangle coexisting spin, vibrational, and orbital excitations within a single cobaltocene molecule, unlocking new pathways for single-molecule quantum computing.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 116403] Published Fri Sep 11, 2026

In the study the authors use network analysis to reveal that artificial intelligence systems sustain significantly higher and longer-lasting strategic tension in chess compared to human grandmasters. This finding highlights a fundamental difference in competitive decision-making, where AI maintains dense tactical complexities while human players systematically simplify the board.

[APS Open Sci. 1, 000131] Published Fri Sep 11, 2026

Researchers develop a theoretical framework showing that quantum systems permanently retain a memory of their initial state and early dynamics, in defiance of classical expectations.

[Phys. Rev. X 16, 031063] Published Thu Sep 10, 2026

How fast Arctic ice spreads out and how quickly the floes travel from coarsely resolved environmental data can be predicted by simulating sea ice as a granular medium driven by stochastic winds and using measurements of the local wind and ice properties as input parameters.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 114201] Published Thu Sep 10, 2026

A coplanar superconducting resonator makes possible the direct observation of the real-time entry of individual Abrikosov vortices.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 116001] Published Thu Sep 10, 2026

A nanomechanical resonator provides a simple way to directly measure the torque generated by electron vortices.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 116302] Published Thu Sep 10, 2026

A crystal with special geometric properties can be optically driven to produce an output beam with any desired polarization.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 116905] Published Thu Sep 10, 2026

A minimal model of population dynamics provides an organic pathway to hyperuniformity that relies on natural competition rather than fine-tuned dynamics and rigid conservation laws.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 117401] Published Thu Sep 10, 2026

High-precision measurements of nuclear decay energies can reveal rare low-Q transitions with enhanced sensitivity to the absolute neutrino mass. Using the JYFLTRAP double Penning trap and the PI-ICR technique, the electron-capture Q value of ${}^{113}$Sn was determined with an eightfold improvement in precision over the previous evaluation. Combining the new mass result with known excited states in ${}^{113}$In identifies two energetically allowed low-Q electron-capture branches. In particular, an allowed transition to the 1029.650-keV state has $Q{*}_{EC}=9.60(20)$ keV and lies close to the L-shell binding energies. Atomic and nuclear calculations show enhanced spectral sensitivity near the endpoint, making this decay an interesting complementary system for future direct neutrino-mass studies.

[Phys. Rev. C 114, 035501] Published Thu Sep 10, 2026

Here, the authors use inelastic neutron scattering to investigate gapped Dirac magnons in the van der Waals ferromagnet CrI${}_3$. With high-quality single crystals, they directly resolve the characteristic winding of magnon spectral weight around the $K$ point of the hexagonal Brillouin zone, which provides a key signature of Dirac magnons. The authors further show that the magnon energies exhibit an approximately T${}^2$ thermal renormalization, consistent with magnon-magnon interactions.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, 134413] Published Thu Sep 10, 2026

Recent numerical advances have renewed interest in the two-dimensional quantum $J_1$-$J_3$ Heisenberg antiferromagnet, but a detailed analytical theory has remained lacking. Here, the authors apply a semiclassical effective field theory and large-$N$ analysis. They show that previously overlooked interactions stabilize a quantum vestigial nematic phase at zero temperature, where discrete rotational symmetry is spontaneously broken despite the loss of long-range antiferromagnetic spiral order. This phase continues the known finite-temperature nematic phase, reflecting enhanced quantum fluctuations near the classical Lifshitz point.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, 134414] Published Thu Sep 10, 2026

Van der Waals materials can be exfoliated into ultrathin sheets, suggesting that their magnetism should also be two-dimensional. Using resonant x-ray scattering, the authors reveal here a different picture in the Kitaev magnet RuBr${}_3$: zigzag magnetic correlations exhibit spectral weight redistribution along the interlayer direction. Bromine’s spatially extended 4$p$ orbitals strengthen interlayer magnetic interactions. The results demonstrate that an exfoliable crystal can host three-dimensional magnetism, challenging a common assumption about layered quantum materials and showing how ligand chemistry controls magnetic dimensionality.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, L140404] Published Thu Sep 10, 2026

The authors present a combined theoretical and experimental advance showing that $d$+1 projective measurement bases suffice for complete quantum-state tomography in any finite dimension, without relying on mutually unbiased bases. They demonstrate the scheme on a silicon photonic chip, achieving fidelities above 0.96.

[Phys. Rev. A 114, 032428] Published Thu Sep 10, 2026

The authors systematically map the four-dimensional parameter space of double microwave shielding using universal dimensionless calculations to identify operating regimes free of field-linked bound states. By incorporating realistic experimental field constraints, they demonstrate that heavy, strongly dipolar molecules achieve strong two-body loss suppression alongside broad tunability of effective dipolar interactions.

[Phys. Rev. A 114, 033315] Published Thu Sep 10, 2026

Researchers crushed and heated ice between diamond anvils to confirm the existence of a phase of ice that could be present in the warm mantles of ice giants.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 114101] Published Wed Sep 09, 2026

Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy measurements on twisted bilayer and double-bilayer MoTe₂, combined with theory, reveal remote electronic bands that follow twist-induced lattice relaxation, establishing a direct link between atomic reconstruction and electronic structure in moiré semiconductors.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 116401] Published Wed Sep 09, 2026

A universal scaling exponent $\kappa \approx 0.42$ corresponds to a dynamic exponent $z=1$ in the integer quantum Hall regime in a bilayer GaAs quantum well device.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 116501] Published Wed Sep 09, 2026

The circular photogalvanic effect in topological heterostructures offers a controllable route to enhanced, field-free terahertz emission, distinct from conventional spin-to-charge conversion.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 116904] Published Wed Sep 09, 2026

The theoretical understanding of pattern formation in active systems remains a central problem of interest. Heterogeneous flocks made up of multiple species can exhibit a remarkable diversity of collective states that cannot be obtained from single-species models. In this paper, we derive a kinetic …

[Phys. Rev. E 114, 034117] Published Wed Sep 09, 2026

Topological protection is weakened at armchair interfaces in quantum valley Hall systems because the two valleys mix and open a gap in the interface states. Here, the authors demonstrate that an adiabatic mass domain wall suppresses intervalley mixing, restoring robust propagation of topological interface modes throughout the bulk band gap. Experiments on silicon MEMS waveguides confirm efficient transmission through 90°, 120°, and 150° bends, establishing adiabatic geometry as a general strategy for designing versatile topological waveguides.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, 144103] Published Wed Sep 09, 2026

Spin-spin interactions of itinerant charge carriers in semiconductors are weak and rarely accessible for quantitative measurement. Here, the authors detect electron spin precession in a wide quantum well in an in-plane magnetic field through the spin Kerr effect at the exciton resonance of a narrow tunnel-coupled quantum well. Through theoretical modeling, they show that this effect is due to interwell electron-electron exchange. The narrow well exciton exchange splitting of only tens of microelectronvolts is measured from the Kerr signal.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, 185412] Published Wed Sep 09, 2026

The interaction between surface acoustic waves and spin waves may open new routes for compact and efficient passive microwave devices. The design of such devices requires understanding of the magnetoacoustic phenomena. Here, the authors use phase-resolved micro-optical imaging to detect and discriminate both types of waves in their micropatterned device. By tuning the magnetic field, the authors directly image the resonant magnetoacoustic coupling and provide experimental evidence for the coherent excitation of spin waves by the traveling acoustic wave.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, L140403] Published Wed Sep 09, 2026

Characterizing living systems far from the thermodynamic limit can yield insight into the physics of nonreciprocity and biological self-organization.

[Phys. Rev. X 16, 031061] Published Tue Sep 08, 2026

Symbolic regression tools like SISSO can model materials properties as compact analytical formulas depending on key physical parameters. In this contribution, a derivative-based sensitivity analysis is used to quantify how strongly each selected physical parameter drives a SISSO model’s predictions. Applied to the equilibrium lattice constant of perovskites, this approach pinpoints valence orbital radii, nuclear charges, and their products as the most important governing quantities. The partial-effects method offers a computationally efficient, physically intuitive alternative to techniques like SHAP for interpreting symbolic-regression models.

[Phys. Rev. Materials 10, 093601] Published Tue Sep 08, 2026

We investigate the spin Hall effect (SHE) in a van der Waals (vdW) ferromagnet Fe5GeTe2 (FGT) with a Curie temperature TC of 310 K utilizing the spin-torque ferromagnetic resonance method. The effective spin Hall conductivity is clearly enhanced with decreasing temperature, unlike the anomalous Hall conductivity, reflecting the variation in the band structure accompanied by the complicated magnetic ordering of the FGT. The results provide a deep understanding of the SHE in magnetic materials to open a new route for novel functionalities in vdW materials-based spintronic devices.

[Phys. Rev. Materials 10, 094002] Published Tue Sep 08, 2026

Why do relaxor ferroelectrics exhibit giant dielectric and piezoelectric responses over such a broad temperature range? By combining rapid-cooling synchrotron x-ray diffraction with neutron scattering, this work shows that phase transitions in PMN-xPT are remarkably sluggish and can even be bypassed by fast cooling. At the same time, the polar nanoregions display scale-free critical correlations in both space and time over the temperature range where the giant response appears. These results suggest that slow phase-transition kinetics sustain an extended critical state, providing a new physical picture for the origin of giant relaxor responses.

[Phys. Rev. Materials 10, L091402] Published Tue Sep 08, 2026

Two intermingled species of active matter can exhibit coherent rotation or disorderly scrambling depending on their mutual interactions.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 118301] Published Tue Sep 08, 2026

Two intermingled species of active matter can exhibit coherent rotation or disorderly scrambling depending on their mutual interactions.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 118302] Published Tue Sep 08, 2026

Two intermingled species of active matter can exhibit coherent rotation or disorderly scrambling depending on their mutual interactions.

[Phys. Rev. E 114, 034115] Published Tue Sep 08, 2026

In neurons, postsynaptic domains are critical protein clusters that trap neurotransmitter receptors to regulate synaptic strength during learning and memory. By reducing a complex reaction-diffusion model to a lower-dimensional system, this study directly links the radii of these interacting clusters to bulk protein concentrations. This mathematical reduction reveals the conditions required for multicluster stability.

#BiophysicsSpotlight #TechnicalAdvancement

[Phys. Rev. E 114, 034402] Published Tue Sep 08, 2026

Active nematic models typically assume fixed layer thickness. A long-wavelength theory shows that evolving thickness couples active stresses to curvature, explaining how internal forces drive tissue invagination.

#BiophysicsSpotlight #TechnicalAdvancement

[Phys. Rev. E 114, 034403] Published Tue Sep 08, 2026

This paper proposes an optimal control strategy to cool an antiproton plasma in a time much shorter than that required by an adiabatic process. The authors examine the length and stability of the plasma, in addition to its duration. The work suggests that optimal control techniques may be useful for experiments with plasmas, in particular with antimatter plasmas, which need to be confined and cooled before significant losses and annihilation occur.

#TimelyTopic #TechnicalAdvancement #ClearMotivation

[Phys. Rev. E 114, 035208] Published Tue Sep 08, 2026

Photons and dileptons produced in high energy nuclear collisions contain undistorted information about the conditions at their point of emission, such as the local temperature, flow velocity, and chemical potential. Using state of the art modeling of the collision dynamics, which reproduce hadronic spectra, the authors find good agreement with measurements by the STAR Collaboration at the Relativistic Heavy Collider, but differ from measurements by the PHENIX Collaboration in terms of magnitude but not shape. This work shows that the multimessenger approach to heavy-ion collisions previously used at higher energy is amenable to baryon-rich environments at lower temperatures, and paves the way for more comprehensive studies of the QCD phase diagram.

[Phys. Rev. C 114, 034902] Published Tue Sep 08, 2026

Here, the authors reveal contrasting magnetoelastic effects in the metallic frustrated magnet CrB${}_2$: softening associated with Fermi surface nesting in compressive modes and spin-Jahn-Teller fluctuations in the shear mode. These results highlight the distinct roles of longitudinal and transverse magnetoelastic couplings in frustrated metallic magnetism.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, 144409] Published Tue Sep 08, 2026

The authors analyze here the competition and coexistence of magnetic, charge, and $d$-wave superconducting orders in the two-dimensional Hubbard model using renormalization-group-improved Hartree–Fock calculations. The resulting phase diagram reveals superconductivity coexisting with Néel order on the electron-doped side and with spiral or stripe order on the hole-doped side. In the stripe phase, the superconducting gap is spatially modulated together with the charge order.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, 185107] Published Tue Sep 08, 2026

Here, the authors revisit the question of the logarithmic renormalization of the Fermi velocity in graphene. Using large-scale Quantum Monte Carlo simulations of lattices with up to $2\times {10}^4$ interacting electrons, they directly connect experimental data with unbiased, nonperturbative calculations starting from a microscopic Hamiltonian. Their results reveal that even random-phase approximation corrections are quantitatively insufficient at realistic interaction strengths for suspended graphene, while continuum perturbation theory misses important lattice-scale effects. Remarkably, the optical conductivity still remains constant pointing to exact cancellation of different corrections.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, 185110] Published Tue Sep 08, 2026

Far from equilibrium, heat flux profiles can exhibit complex and rapidly evolving shapes, hindering the formulation of macroscopic heat transport equations for energy currents in nanostructured semiconductors. Here, the authors address this challenge by decomposing the phonon distribution into a smooth component that captures its slowly evolving features and an arbitrarily complex component that accounts for higher-order corrections. Combined with the Boltzmann transport equation, this decomposition enables the prediction of heat transport under extreme confinement by modeling the slowly evolving component deterministically using the finite element method, while capturing the rapidly evolving component stochastically through a Monte Carlo scheme.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, L171301] Published Tue Sep 08, 2026

The authors demonstrate here that the charge value of transport mechanisms impacts the validity of thermodynamic uncertainty relations (TURs) in the context of quantum transport in nanoscale junctions. They show that the recently established quantum TUR can be violated by the presence of transport processes that carry more than one charge, like Andreev reflection processes. To adequately address thermodynamic constraints in systems containing higher-order charge transport mechanisms, the authors propose a modified quantum TUR suitable for noninteracting electronic transport.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, L171401] Published Tue Sep 08, 2026

Because ideal Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill (GKP) states are invariant under stabilizers, researchers often assume that measuring a state’s stabilizers directly quantifies its closeness to an ideal GKP state. In fact, the author shows that high stabilizer expectation values only provide an upper bound on proximity, and that states far from an ideal GKP state can still yield excellent stabilizer expectation values.

[Phys. Rev. A 114, 032413] Published Tue Sep 08, 2026

The authors develop an instantaneous-mode description for dispersive laser cavities by exploiting the separation of timescales between fast cavity fields and slow carrier dynamics. By deriving low-dimensional rate equations parametrized directly by the effective mirror reflectivity, the approach accurately reproduces full-model self-pulsing dynamics in Fano lasers and simplifies the stability analysis of dispersive instabilities.

[Phys. Rev. A 114, 033507] Published Tue Sep 08, 2026

The authors show how quantum coherence fluctuations of light can serve as a degree of freedom for squeezing. They demonstrate that squeezing these fluctuations leads to squeezing of the magnitude and/or position of interference fringes for both bright and single-photon light.

[Phys. Rev. A 114, L031701] Published Tue Sep 08, 2026

The dendritic microstructure that develops during solidification of metallic alloys plays a significant role in defining the characteristics of the material. The shape of dendrite tips directly influences the overall dendritic pattern, but in situ characterization of dendrite tips in bulk systems du…

[Phys. Rev. Materials 10, 093401] Published Fri Sep 04, 2026

Machine-learning interatomic potentials now model complex alloys with near $ab$ $initio$ precision, but two challenges persist. Researchers must generate training data tailored to the physical process of interest, and they need validation metrics that go beyond simple statistical errors. Here the authors introduce a crystal-symmetry-based enumeration scheme for structural phase transformations in multicomponent alloys and a semi-grand-canonical Kendall-τ that quantifies thermodynamic accuracy across composition. These tools yield a general-purpose Mg-Nd potential. Simulations reveal a subtle interplay between chemical ordering and structural rearrangement and elucidate the continuous hcp-to-bcc transition underlying precipitation in this alloy.

[Phys. Rev. Materials 10, 093802] Published Fri Sep 04, 2026

Using high-power lasers to drive highly magnetized plasmas, researchers have probed the stellar processes that control coronal mass ejections.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 105201] Published Fri Sep 04, 2026

The electronic properties of materials exhibiting giant thermopower with a thermopower that exceeds 2000 μV/K, such as EuCd${}_2$P${}_2$, are strongly temperature dependent.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 106302] Published Fri Sep 04, 2026

This paper studies dark matter in a spontaneously broken hidden U(1). The initial overabundant dark matter density is generated through the freeze-out mechanism. Because the subsequent first order phase transition becomes supercooled, the vacuum transition generates entropy, diluting the DM density to its current value. The MeV–GeV transition also produces nano-Hz gravitational waves potentially detectable by pulsar timing arrays such as NANOGrav.

[Phys. Rev. D 114, 055004] Published Fri Sep 04, 2026

Four- or higher-order fermionic condensates can form in non-BCS multicomponent superconductors. Here, the authors present spectroscopic evidence for pairing correlations that appear well above the superconducting critical temperature in the highly overdoped Ba${}_{1-x}$K${}_x$Fe${}_2$As${}_2$ system with broken time-reversal symmetry (BTRS). The NMR and $\mu$SR findings show that multicomponent superconductivity appears homogeneously throughout the entire sample volume and that the BTRS state is unrelated to conventional spin magnetism.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, 134504] Published Fri Sep 04, 2026

An asymmetric platinum interface enables noncollinear spin-orbit filtering, breaking bulk symmetry constraints to generate out-of-plane spin currents for field-free magnetization switching.

[Phys. Rev. X 16, 031060] Published Thu Sep 03, 2026

The layered honeycomb antiferromagnets CrCl₃ and $\alpha$-RuCl₃ undergo similar first-order, temperature-driven layer-stacking rearrangements, yet respond remarkably differently to thermal cycling. CrCl₃ evolves smoothly through the transition and remains largely reversible, whereas $\alpha$-RuCl₃ shows an abrupt in-plane lattice discontinuity and accumulates structural disorder upon repeated cycling. Their magnetic correlations are also distinct, with diffuse magnetic scattering in CrCl₃ persisting to ~40 K, well above its ordering temperature, while no comparable quasi-static correlations are observed in $\alpha$-RuCl₃. These contrasts point to markedly different coupling between layer stacking, strain, and magnetism.

[Phys. Rev. Materials 10, 094001] Published Thu Sep 03, 2026

The first search for production of a Higgs boson along with a pair of vector bosons yields constraints on Higgs self-coupling constants.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 101806] Published Thu Sep 03, 2026

Strain-gradient engineering provides a doping-free route to modulate broadband optical emission in microfabricated diamond.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 106201] Published Thu Sep 03, 2026

A direct spectroscopic probe of the 4$f$ states across a pressure-induced phase transition in EuO reveals the absence of spectral changes, confirming the stability of the Eu valence in agreement with the DFT calculations.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 106401] Published Thu Sep 03, 2026

An enhanced Full-Potential Linear Augmented Plane Wave (FLAPW) method is introduced which incorporates the small Dirac components of valence states—specifically the 6p1/2 semicore states—in actinide solids such as Ac, Th, ThO${}_2$, and UO${}_2$. By accounting for these small components, it is demonstrated that the valence electron density at the nucleus increases by a factor of 2.4 to 4.3, correcting standard approximations in computational physics that omit significant valence electron density near the atomic nucleus. These refined relativistic Dirac calculations offer improved theoretical precision for nuclear phenomena such as internal conversion, Mossbauer spectroscopy, and electron bridge effects, providing foundational electronic structure insights relevant to technologies like ${}^{229}$Th-based solid-state nuclear clocks.

[Phys. Rev. C 114, 034601] Published Thu Sep 03, 2026

We have demonstrated a new way to reveal the electrical ‘fingerprint’ left by a single nuclear decay. When a radioactive atom implanted just beneath a surface decays, its products can eject a shower of secondary electrons from the surrounding material. Often undetected by conventional laboratory instruments, these electrons can create a substantial background in experiments that rely on precise electron counting. To study this process, we use a microscopic glass sphere suspended by laser light as a highly isolated charge detector with sub-electron charge sensitivity. We pair the sphere with a conventional scintillation detector that records the emitted radiation. By matching the timing of the two signals, we can link each charge change to a specific decay. We found that one alpha decay can knock more than 100 electrons from a material’s surface, while beta decays release far fewer. Measuring these electrical fingerprints one decay at a time could help experiments searching for rare events, including future sterile neutrino searches, to distinguish genuine signals from electrons released by radioactive impurities near detector surfaces.

[Phys. Rev. C 114, 034602] Published Thu Sep 03, 2026

In single-crystal trigonal Te, the low-temperature Fano line shape of the Raman-active $A_1$ mode reflects interference between the phonon and an electronic continuum, whereas four-phonon scattering substantially shortens the lifetimes of low-frequency heat-carrying phonons and lowers the lattice thermal conductivity.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, 134301] Published Thu Sep 03, 2026

The authors present here results from electrical magnetotransport measurements on microstructures of altermagnetic CrSb in pulsed fields up to 68 T. They study the temperature and field-orientation dependence of magnetic quantum oscillations in combination with first-principles calculations. The observed frequency spectrum agrees well with density functional theory calculations that take spin-orbit coupling into account, without invoking significant $ad$ $hoc$ band shifts. The findings validate the predicted electronic band structure of CrSb hosting multiple semimetallic bands and a locally alternating spin polarization.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, 185104] Published Thu Sep 03, 2026

Large-eddy simulations reveal that low-lying clouds accelerate offshore wind farm wake recovery through increased turbulence induced by cloud-top radiative cooling, boosting the performance of downstream wind farms.

[PRX Energy 5, 033014] Published Wed Sep 02, 2026

Two studies find that fundamental quantum constraints rule out a previously proposed neutrino-laser scheme.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 101804] Published Wed Sep 02, 2026

Two studies find that fundamental quantum constraints rule out a previously proposed neutrino-laser scheme.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 101805] Published Wed Sep 02, 2026

Tuning the electronic structure of the excitonic insulator candidate Ta${}_2$NiSe${}_5$ via sulfur substitution reveals that its highly directional phonon transport anomaly is directly driven by electronic fluctuations, suggesting that electronic interactions and lattice effects cooperatively contribute to its phase transition.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 106503] Published Wed Sep 02, 2026

Exact diagonalization provides strong numerical evidence that the Higgs transition between a Kalmeyer-Laughlin chiral spin liquid and a trivially gapped phase is continuous and governed by a conformal field theory.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 106504] Published Wed Sep 02, 2026

Matching the cavity resonance lifetime to the driving laser pulse yields significantly greater near-field enhancement in ultrafast nanophotonics than maximizing the cavity quality factor alone.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 106902] Published Wed Sep 02, 2026

This paper presents a predictive framework to scale granular flow from Earth to other gravitational environments, and shows that low gravity dramatically increases the probability of clogging. These findings explain previous contradictory results and establish a foundation for predicting and controlling granular flow in space.

#UniversalBehavior #ClearMotivation

[Phys. Rev. E 114, 035405] Published Wed Sep 02, 2026

Here, optical spin angular momentum is extended to nonmonochromatic electromagnetic fields, revealing that specific polychromatic configurations exhibit photonic spin precession governed by a Landau–Lifshitz-like equation. A precessing magnetic dipole realizes source-driven spin dynamics in the near field, while bichromatic two-wave interference additionally produces nutation. A generalized spin-continuity equation shows how sources act on optical spin through torque, establishing a direct link between photonic spin and magnetization dynamics.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, 154403] Published Wed Sep 02, 2026

Here, the authors build a symmetry-based framework for rare-earth upconversion luminescence via deterministic polarization correlations among sequential absorption steps, previously assumed to be uncorrelated. Using polarization-resolved spectroscopy and crystal field modeling, they assign full Stark levels and irreducible representations for Er${}^{3+}$ in β-NaYF${}_4$ microrods and identify an approximate $C_3$ site symmetry. Since excited-state absorption inherits ground-state polarization constraints, both downshifting and upconversion luminescence exhibit excitation-wavelength-tunable, region-selective orthogonal excitation polarization responses.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, 165403] Published Wed Sep 02, 2026

The spin quantum Hall effect is the superconducting counterpart of the integer quantum Hall effect. Here, the authors derive the long-distance nonlinear sigma model for a quantum network with random tunneling between chiral links carrying $N$ channels. Strong even–odd tunneling asymmetry breaks the saddle point down. Also, the triplet sector stays coupled to the singlet one and can turn anomalously soft. The longitudinal and spin Hall conductances can be tuned independently, giving a flexible platform for class-$C$ localization.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, 185405] Published Wed Sep 02, 2026

What happens when a photon is absorbed by a superconductor? Although vortex-antivortex pairs have long been suspected to play a central role in superconducting photon detection, their dynamics following photon absorption have eluded direct observation. By monitoring quantized voltage signals generated by photon-induced vortices, the authors reveal their generation statistics and demonstrate photon-number resolution. This work provides a rare microscopic view of photon detection in superconductors, and opens a route toward fast superconducting photon-number-resolving detectors.

[Phys. Rev. Applied 26, 034005] Published Wed Sep 02, 2026

Magnetism sensitive only to the outermost atomic layer of a material is difficult to detect by x-rays. This is demonstrated using synchrotron x-ray scanning tunneling microscopy in spectroscopic mode, which simultaneously measures ensemble-averaged and surface-atomic-layer magnetism in an ultrathin Ni film. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism reveals an enhancement of orbital and spin magnetic moments in the outermost layer relative to the film average. This work opens a new experimental route for quantitative, element-specific magnetometry with atomic-layer sensitivity.

[Phys. Rev. Materials 10, L091401] Published Tue Sep 01, 2026

Nonlinear stability in magnetically confined plasmas is governed not only by local linear growth, but is fundamentally a connectivity property of the flux surface, governed by a topological percolation threshold.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 105101] Published Tue Sep 01, 2026

Within the self-consistent Hartree-Fock approximation, the orbital magnetization for interacting electrons takes a form similar to the noninteracting case, while the orbital magnetic susceptibility acquires an additional interaction-dependent term.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 106703] Published Tue Sep 01, 2026

Why does LaSc${}_2$H${}_{24}$ exhibit superior superconductivity compared with LaH${}_{10}$? Here, the authors indicate that scandium not only distorts the hydrogen cage structure but also creates MgB${}_2$-like Sc-H states at the Fermi level. This synergy enhances electron-phonon coupling, unifies strongly coupled H-H states with widely distributed Sc-H states on the Fermi surface, and leads to isotropic single-gap superconductivity with a higher superconductivity.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, 154501] Published Tue Sep 01, 2026

Here, the authors map the temperature-pressure evolution of the bilayer nickelate La${}_3$Ni${}_2$O${}_7$ and reveal that the suppression of tilts in oxygen octahedra is accompanied by a pronounced crossover toward a higher-carrier-density metallic state. By establishing the structural phase boundary over a broad temperature-pressure range, their results highlight the intimate interplay between lattice structure and electronic properties in this novel high-T${}_c$ superconductor.

[Phys. Rev. B 114, L140102] Published Tue Sep 01, 2026

Atomic interferometers offer extraordinary inertial sensitivity, yet their intrinsically periodic response has long prevented continuous operation over a wide dynamic range. The authors demonstrate a dual-channel closed-loop atomic beam interferometer, enabling simultaneous quantum feedback for rotation and acceleration. By converting periodic matter-wave interference into continuously tracked control parameters, the scheme overcomes the conventional half-fringe limitation while preserving precision. This advance brings practical quantum inertial navigation a significant step closer.

[Phys. Rev. Applied 26, 034003] Published Tue Sep 01, 2026

The authors realize a new dipolar mixture of Bose-Einstein condensates of Dy isotopes. The mixture features a broad interspecies Feshbach resonance, which allows the authors to control a miscible-immiscible transition in the binary mixture.

[Phys. Rev. A 114, L031301] Published Tue Sep 01, 2026

Counter examples to the commonly accepted proof that collinear magnets always have an inversion symmetric band structure along with a symmetry analysis when the proof breaks down challenges the existing classification of collinear magnets.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 106701] Published Mon Aug 31, 2026

A study of the counter-Nagaoka problem of a single hole in an infinite-$U$ Hubbard model on the kagome lattice reveals a new type of polaron, a resonating-valence-bond polaron that morphs into semiclassical order as polarization is reduced.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 106702] Published Mon Aug 31, 2026

In dense colloidal suspensions composed of particles sensitive to Brownian motion, a gravitational Peclet number governs an intermediate angle of repose where gravity and thermal agitation strike a balance.

[Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 108201] Published Mon Aug 31, 2026

Vortex reconnections are fundamental to quantum fluids. They are reconnections of quantum vortices defined by a topological change and irreversible energy transfer given by universal scaling laws, leading to quantum turbulence. We generalize this mechanism by studying reconnections of extra-dimensional quantum vortices. We find a new range of vortex interactions depending on their initial orientation – a four-dimensional generalization to the known three-dimensional case; vortex interactions with no reconnections; and a new class reconnection that keeps the same scaling law with no energy transfer, suggesting a form of reversible reconnection not allowed in three-dimensional systems.

[Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 084701] Published Mon Aug 31, 2026

Nuclear effective field theories (EFTs) have had enormous impact on ab initio nuclear physics, yet many open questions remain regarding their development and application. This work studies Chiral EFT in a strictly RG-invariant formulation and applies it to the process of deuteron electrodisintegration, extending the reach of such calculations from static properties to breakup processes that probe a larger range of physics. To achieve this, the Lorentz Integral Transform (LIT) method is extended such that all subleading corrections, including those to the electromagnetic current operator, are included in perturbation theory, reaching second order in the EFT expansion. Finding good agreement with available data, this perturbative LIT framework paves the way for similar studies involving heavier nuclei.

[Phys. Rev. C 114, 024004] Published Mon Aug 31, 2026