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arXiv is a free distribution service and an open-access archive for nearly 2.4 million scholarly articles in the fields of physics, mathematics, computer science, quantitative biology, quantitative finance, statistics, electrical engineering and systems science, and economics. Materials on this site are not peer-reviewed by arXiv.

arXiv is a free distribution service and an open-access archive for scholarly articles in the fields of physics, mathematics, computer science, quantitative biology, quantitative finance, statistics, electrical engineering and systems science, and economics. Materials on this site are not peer-reviewed by arXiv.

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Colloquium : topologically protected transport in engineered mechanical systems, tirth shah, christian brendel, vittorio peano, and florian marquardt, rev. mod. phys. 96 , 021002 (2024) – published 18 april 2024.

Artificially engineered mechanical systems, sometimes called metamaterials, offer many promising applications on length scales ranging from macroscopic systems to the nanoscale. A topic of particular interest is the existence of topologically protected phononic edge states in such systems that are analogous to the electronic edge states that give rise to the quantum Hall effect. This Colloquium gives an introduction to topologically protected transport in metamaterials and its applications for controlling acoustic transport.

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Colloquium : magnetotactic bacteria: from flagellar motor to collective effects, m. marmol, e. gachon, and d. faivre, rev. mod. phys. 96 , 021001 (2024) – published 4 april 2024.

Magnetotactic bacteria have a built-in compass, in the form of a magnetosome chain made up of magnetic biominerals, that allows them to passively align along terrestrial magnetic field lines. They also sense oxygen gradients and swim using at least one flagellum. Hence, these bacteria are self-propelled active matter capable of displaying flocking behavior. This Colloquium explains the physics behind these various capabilities, as well as their interactions and biological significance.

The standard model effective field theory at work

Gino isidori, felix wilsch, and daniel wyler, rev. mod. phys. 96 , 015006 (2024) – published 19 march 2024.

The standard model is successful at describing most of the data at the electroweak scale, but there are indications that new physics should exist at a higher energy scale. To identify, quantify, and elucidate the new physics, one can use the framework of the standard model effective field theory. This article reviews the construction and theoretical tools provided by the effective field theory for analyzing the present and future experimental data, as well as theoretical ideas for new physics.

Electrical control of magnetism by electric field and current-induced torques

Albert fert, ramamoorthy ramesh, vincent garcia, fèlix casanova, and manuel bibes, rev. mod. phys. 96 , 015005 (2024) – published 13 march 2024.

Electronic devices that incorporate magnetism, called spintronic devices, can increase the functionality of electronic circuits and lead to increases in efficiency. Such devices are useful if the magnetization can be manipulated electrically rather than by magnetic fields. This review covers the materials, underlying physics, and applications involved in such manipulation, focusing on two control mechanisms. The first is control by manipulating the magnetization through its coupling to ferroelectric order and the second is control by spin-polarized currents manipulating the magnetization through the angular momentum flowing into it.

Spontaneous scalarization

Daniela d. doneva, fethi m. ramazanoğlu, hector o. silva, thomas p. sotiriou, and stoytcho s. yazadjiev, rev. mod. phys. 96 , 015004 (2024) – published 7 march 2024.

Recent observations of compact astrophysical objects have opened the possibility to probe the nature of gravity in its strong-field regime. Such observations could reveal deviations from general relativity or the standard model. Spontaneous scalarization, which is controlled by scalar-field couplings to gravity, leads to a behavior that resembles a phase transition: the scalar induces measurable effects in the strong-field regime while remaining undetectable in weak-field gravitational experiments. This review presents the spontaneous scalarization mechanism, several scalarization models considered in the literature, and their astrophysical implications for neutron stars and black holes. It also discusses the generalization of such models to other types of fields and instabilities.

Time-resolved ARPES studies of quantum materials

Fabio boschini, marta zonno, and andrea damascelli, rev. mod. phys. 96 , 015003 (2024) – published 27 february 2024.

Time-resolved angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy provides access to light-induced changes in the electronic band structure and interactions of solids, and to the out-of-equilibrium electron dynamics. This article reviews the history and future prospects for the development of the technique, and offers an overview of recent achievements in studying unoccupied and light-driven states, photoinduced phase transitions, electron-phonon scattering, and electron dynamics in quantum materials, including topological insulators, unconventional superconductors, traditional and novel semiconductors, excitonic insulators, and spin-textured systems.

Erratum: Optical diagnostics of laser-produced plasmas [Rev. Mod. Phys. 94 , 035002 (2022)]

S. s. harilal, m. c. phillips, d. h. froula, k. k. anoop, r. c. issac, and f. n. beg, rev. mod. phys. 96 , 019901 (2024) – published 21 february 2024, 11 citations, controlling mass and energy diffusion with metamaterials, fubao yang, zeren zhang, liujun xu, zhoufei liu, peng jin, pengfei zhuang, min lei, jinrong liu, jian-hua jiang, xiaoping ouyang, fabio marchesoni, and jiping huang, rev. mod. phys. 96 , 015002 (2024) – published 14 february 2024.

Metamaterials are artificially patterned structures designed to behave as artificial materials with novel properties. A popular application is controlling electromagnetic waves with subwavelength patterning, leading to properties like negative indices of refraction. Metamaterials can also control diffusion processes, which are different from wave propagation. This review describes metamaterials in diffusive systems in terms of their underlying physics, the theory used to describe them, and their potential applications in areas such as heat management, drug transport, and particle separation.

Colloquium : Sliding and pinning in structurally lubric 2D material interfaces

Jin wang, ali khosravi, andrea vanossi, and erio tosatti, rev. mod. phys. 96 , 011002 (2024) – published 7 february 2024.

Friction at highly lubric interfaces of two-dimensional materials is important yet incompletely characterized. This Colloquium discusses sliding and pinning between two-dimensional layers, using simulations of twisted graphene interfaces as a prototypical system. The resulting insights are of potential relevance for a larger category of bilayer and multilayer systems as well.

Comprehensive theory of the Lamb shift in light muonic atoms

K. pachucki, v. lensky, f. hagelstein, s. s. li muli, s. bacca, and r. pohl, rev. mod. phys. 96 , 015001 (2024) – published 24 january 2024.

This article reviews recent literature and presents new calculations of the Lamb shift in light muonic atoms. Point-nucleus QED and nuclear structure effects are treated consistently among all muonic and electronic atoms to allow for improved determination of nuclear charge radii and fundamental constants.

6 citations

Colloquium : fracton matter, andrey gromov and leo radzihovsky, rev. mod. phys. 96 , 011001 (2024) – published 5 january 2024.

Fractons are exotic excitations originally conceived as platforms for reliable quantum memories. They are characterized by highly restricted mobilities. In the continuum, they are described by tensor fields with higher gauge symmetries. In this Colloquium, the focus is on a class of duality mappings between fracton models and elasticity theory, building the reader’s intuition and understanding in a more familiar setting.

Proton imaging of high-energy-density laboratory plasmas

Derek b. schaeffer, archie f. a. bott, marco borghesi, kirk a. flippo, william fox, julien fuchs, chikang li, fredrick h. séguin, hye-sook park, petros tzeferacos, and louise willingale, rev. mod. phys. 95 , 045007 (2023) – published 28 december 2023.

Probing of electromagnetic fields in high-energy-density experiments is key to understanding questions in fusion processes such as how the fields are compressed, diffuse through the plasma, and can seed instabilities. Many kinetic processes studied, including collisionless shocks, filamentary instabilities, jets, magnetic reconnection, and turbulence, all depend on the field structure. In this review, an overview of experimental techniques and the underpinning theoretical principles and modeling of proton-based imaging is presented, followed by a review of experiments and an outlook for future frontiers in the technique.

Colloquium : Gravitational form factors of the proton

V. d. burkert, l. elouadrhiri, f. x. girod, c. lorcé, p. schweitzer, and p. e. shanahan, rev. mod. phys. 95 , 041002 (2023) – published 22 december 2023.

The gravitational form factors encode fundamental particle properties including mass, spin, and D -term. Their physical interpretation promises, for composed particles, insights on spatial distributions of energy, angular momentum, and internal forces. This Colloquium reviews the theoretical and recent experimental advances in this field with focus on the quark-gluon structure of the proton in QCD.

Colloquium : Miniature insect flight

Rev. mod. phys. 95 , 041001 (2023) – published 21 december 2023.

The flight of the bumblebee has long been a source of fascination, in part because the lift requirements cannot be explained by conventional steady fluid dynamics, and unsteady aerodynamic mechanisms must be invoked. In addition, viscous effects are important for the majority of flying insects, which are an order of magnitude smaller than bumblebees. This leads to different wingbeat patterns and aerodynamic mechanisms. In this Colloquium, recent advances in the study of the mechanics of flight in these miniature insects are reviewed.

5 citations

Quantum repeaters: from quantum networks to the quantum internet, koji azuma, sophia e. economou, david elkouss, paul hilaire, liang jiang, hoi-kwong lo, and ilan tzitrin, rev. mod. phys. 95 , 045006 (2023) – published 20 december 2023.

Quantum technology is now at a point where practical work can begin on creating the quantum internet. However, numerous challenges must be overcome before this vision becomes a reality. A global-scale quantum internet requires the development of the quantum repeater, a device that stores and manipulates qubits while interacting with or emitting entangled photons. This review examines different approaches to quantum repeaters and networks, covering their conceptual frameworks, architectures, and current progress in experimental implementation.

21 citations

Quantum error mitigation, zhenyu cai, ryan babbush, simon c. benjamin, suguru endo, william j. huggins, ying li, jarrod r. mcclean, and thomas e. o’brien, rev. mod. phys. 95 , 045005 (2023) – published 13 december 2023.

In most of physics it is normal to obtain information by analysis of noisy data. The paradigm of quantum computing has been a simplified version of this – one measurement of a two-level system gives one bit of reliable information about the result of a computation. But real-world quantum computers do not work this way: the noisiness of quantum evolution also requires good strategies for extracting information. This review covers many error-mitigation strategies used in present-day quantum processors. These strategies make it much more feasible to obtain useful results before fault tolerance is achieved.

2 citations

Kinematic variables and feature engineering for particle phenomenology, roberto franceschini, doojin kim, kyoungchul kong, konstantin t. matchev, myeonghun park, and prasanth shyamsundar, rev. mod. phys. 95 , 045004 (2023) – published 21 november 2023.

Kinematic variables are important tools for analyzing collider experiments. This article reviews a variety of such tools, which were designed primarily for the experiments at the Large Hadron Collider, but which have potential uses in other experiments. The article also discusses the interconnection and mutual complementarity of kinematic variables and modern machine-learning techniques.

9 citations

Light in correlated disordered media, kevin vynck, romain pierrat, rémi carminati, luis s. froufe-pérez, frank scheffold, riccardo sapienza, silvia vignolini, and juan josé sáenz, rev. mod. phys. 95 , 045003 (2023) – published 15 november 2023.

The study of optics in correlated disordered media combines wave physics, complex media, and nanophotonics. Investigations have shown how subwavelength structural correlations control light scattering, transport, and localization. This article reviews the formalism behind light scattering in disordered media, experimental techniques, and achievements in studying light interaction with correlated disorder. It explores phenomena like optical transparency, superdiffusive transport, and photonic gaps, offering new perspectives for applications. The research covers systems from photonic liquids to hyperuniform disordered photonic materials, and addresses mesoscopic phenomena and disorder engineering for light-energy management.

3 citations

Atmospheric nanoparticle growth, dominik stolzenburg, runlong cai, sara m. blichner, jenni kontkanen, putian zhou, risto makkonen, veli-matti kerminen, markku kulmala, ilona riipinen, and juha kangasluoma, rev. mod. phys. 95 , 045002 (2023) – published 9 november 2023.

Atmospheric nanoparticles can serve as nuclei for cloud droplets, thereby inducing significant but uncertain effects on the radiative forcing of the climate system. This article focuses on the physicochemical processes that govern the growth of these particles from formation of molecular clusters until the particles reach sizes where they can act as cloud condensation nuclei. The review describes the latest developments in measurement and modeling of these processes and connects these domains to the large-scale simulations such as Earth system models. The authors recommend closer coordination among laboratory studies, atmospheric measurements, and large-scale modeling to understand the importance of nanoparticles in the climate system.

Featured in Physics 11 citations

Respiratory aerosols and droplets in the transmission of infectious diseases, mira l. pöhlker, christopher pöhlker, ovid o. krüger, jan-david förster, thomas berkemeier, wolfgang elbert, janine fröhlich-nowoisky, ulrich pöschl, gholamhossein bagheri, eberhard bodenschatz, j. alex huffman, simone scheithauer, and eugene mikhailov, rev. mod. phys. 95 , 045001 (2023) – published 12 october 2023, : linking a respiratory drop’s size to its origin.

The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 has led to a renewed focus on the physicochemical properties of the droplets and aerosol particles that are exhaled during breathing, speaking, singing, coughing, and sneezing. In this article, the properties of respiratory particles, including their number concentrations and size distributions, as well as their formation mechanisms at different sites in the respiratory system, are reviewed. The data in the literature are synthesized via a parametrization of the particle size distribution data using log-normal modes related to the different origin sites.

Atom counting with accelerator mass spectrometry

Walter kutschera, a. j. timothy jull, michael paul, and anton wallner, rev. mod. phys. 95 , 035006 (2023) – published 28 september 2023.

Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is a mass-spectrometric method using entire accelerator systems to measure ultralow traces of long-lived radioisotopes. AMS spectrometers produce an ion beam from a sample of interest and separate ions according to their magnetic, electric, and atomic characteristics. It is thus possible to identify both the mass number and the atomic number of a very rare radioisotope, and count it atom by atom. The review describes the 45-year history since the discovery of AMS, detailed technical aspects, and a wide range of research fields.

4 citations

Colloquium : anomalous statistics of laser-cooled atoms in dissipative optical lattices, gadi afek, nir davidson, david a. kessler, and eli barkai, rev. mod. phys. 95 , 031003 (2023) – published 27 september 2023.

The standard central limit theorem does not apply to sums of many random variables with heavy-tailed probability distributions. The anomalous statistics for such sums have exotic properties and they are applied phenomenologically across the natural sciences, economics, and the social sciences. This Colloquium reviews how anomalous statistics can be derived from first principles and how they govern the observed diffusive motion of ultracold atoms in laser fields.

19 citations

The physics of fast radio bursts, rev. mod. phys. 95 , 035005 (2023) – published 25 september 2023.

Fast radio bursts, milliseconds-duration radio bursts predominantly originating from cosmological distances, figure among the unsolved puzzles of contemporary astrophysics. The rapid accumulation of observational data has generated an equally intense theoretical activity toward the understanding of the physical processes at the origin of these events. This review presents a thorough survey of the current knowledge about fast radio bursts, starting with the generic constraints that can be placed on theoretical models based on current observations and plasma physics considerations, then moving to a critical discussion of coherent radiation mechanisms and source models currently debated in the scientific community.

Editorial: To Review Is to Be

Randall d. kamien, rev. mod. phys. 95 , 030001 (2023) – published 25 september 2023, colloquium : unconventional fully gapped superconductivity in the heavy-fermion metal cecu 2 si 2, michael smidman, oliver stockert, emilian m. nica, yang liu, huiqiu yuan, qimiao si, and frank steglich, rev. mod. phys. 95 , 031002 (2023) – published 15 september 2023.

The heavy-fermion compound CeCu 2 Si 2 has long been known to be an unconventional superconductor with d -wave symmetry. Ordinarily, this would imply that the gap function has nodes on the Fermi surface. This Colloquium explains that recent experiments have shown that the gap is nonzero everywhere, if small where a single-band wave gap would vanish. The Colloquium discusses theoretical scenarios to explain these observations, as well as the implications for other unconventional superconductors.

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Physics April 21, 2024

Spintronics Breakthrough: Unlocking the Power of Radial Vortices

A team at HZB has investigated a new, simple method at BESSY II that can be used to create stable radial magnetic vortices in magnetic…

Mystery Solved: Scientists Uncover Origins of Enigmatic Swirling Movements in Some of Nature’s Largest Cells

Light Waves Like Never Before: Scientists Unveil Groundbreaking Optical Quantum Detection

Precision Spectroscopy Now Possible Under Starved-Light Conditions

A Groundbreaking New Principle – Korean Researchers Uncover Revolutionary Phenomenon in Liquid Crystals

Field-Free Future: The Rise of Quantum Precision in Electronics

Ghost Particles: Neutrinos Challenge Everything We Know About Physics

Graphene’s Light-Speed Electrons Promise Revolution in Nanoscale Transistors

New Physics at Play: Physicists Discover a New Force Acting on Water Droplets Moving Over Superhydrophobic Surfaces

Physics April 17, 2024

Powerful New Tool Ushers In New Era of Quantum Materials Research

Professor Fabio Boschini and his team at QMI-UBC have highlighted the TR-ARPES photoemission technique. Research into quantum materials is leading to revolutionary breakthroughs and is…

Discovery of a New Subatomic Particle: The X(1880) Resonance

The BESIII collaboration’s recent discovery of an anomalous decay pattern points to the possible existence of a proton-antiproton bound state, supported by evidence from historical…

CERN Pays Tribute to Peter Higgs – “God Particle” Physicist Passes Away at 94

Peter Higgs, pivotal in the discovery of the “God Particle,” has died at the age of 94. His groundbreaking work, for which he received a…

Physics April 16, 2024

How a Quantum Drum Could Change Everything About the Internet

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen’s Niels Bohr Institute have developed a new way to create quantum memory: A small drum can store data sent…

Quantum Leap: Rice Physicists Unlock Flash-Like Memory for Future Qubits

Rice find could hasten development of nonvolatile quantum memory. Rice University physicists have discovered a phase-changing quantum material — and a method for finding more…

Physics April 15, 2024

Guaranteeing Security and Privacy: New Quantum Breakthrough Could Benefit Millions of People

A recent breakthrough guaranteeing security and privacy by Oxford University physicists could enable millions of people and businesses to tap into the capabilities of next-generation…

Scientists Use Lasers to Induce Magnetism at Room Temperature, Defying Conventional Quantum Limits

The potential of quantum technology is huge but is today largely limited to the extremely cold environments of laboratories. Now, researchers at Stockholm University, at…

Physics April 14, 2024

Frozen Electrons Come to Life in Groundbreaking Princeton Study

Princeton University researchers detect a strange form of matter that has eluded direct detection for some 90 years. Electrons—these infinitesimally small particles that are known…

Physics April 13, 2024

Quantum Scrambling: Chemical Reactions Rivaling Black Holes

Research from Rice University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has shown that molecules can scramble quantum information as effectively as black holes, with implications…

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Open all abstracts , in this tab

Roger Bach et al 2013 New J. Phys. 15 033018

Double-slit diffraction is a corner stone of quantum mechanics. It illustrates key features of quantum mechanics: interference and the particle-wave duality of matter. In 1965, Richard Feynman presented a thought experiment to show these features. Here we demonstrate the full realization of his famous thought experiment. By placing a movable mask in front of a double-slit to control the transmission through the individual slits, probability distributions for single- and double-slit arrangements were observed. Also, by recording single electron detection events diffracting through a double-slit, a diffraction pattern was built up from individual events.

Caroline Cohen et al 2015 New J. Phys. 17 063001

The conical shape of a shuttlecock allows it to flip on impact. As a light and extended particle, it flies with a pure drag trajectory. We first study the flip phenomenon and the dynamics of the flight and then discuss the implications on the game. Lastly, a possible classification of different shots is proposed.

Ran Finkelstein et al 2023 New J. Phys. 25 035001

This tutorial introduces the theoretical and experimental basics of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in thermal alkali vapors. We first give a brief phenomenological description of EIT in simple three-level systems of stationary atoms and derive analytical expressions for optical absorption and dispersion under EIT conditions. Then we focus on how the thermal motion of atoms affects various parameters of the EIT system. Specifically, we analyze the Doppler broadening of optical transitions, ballistic versus diffusive atomic motion in a limited-volume interaction region, and collisional depopulation and decoherence. Finally, we discuss the common trade-offs important for optimizing an EIT experiment and give a brief 'walk-through' of a typical EIT experimental setup. We conclude with a brief overview of current and potential EIT applications.

Jarrod R McClean et al 2016 New J. Phys. 18 023023

Many quantum algorithms have daunting resource requirements when compared to what is available today. To address this discrepancy, a quantum-classical hybrid optimization scheme known as 'the quantum variational eigensolver' was developed (Peruzzo et al 2014 Nat. Commun. 5 4213 ) with the philosophy that even minimal quantum resources could be made useful when used in conjunction with classical routines. In this work we extend the general theory of this algorithm and suggest algorithmic improvements for practical implementations. Specifically, we develop a variational adiabatic ansatz and explore unitary coupled cluster where we establish a connection from second order unitary coupled cluster to universal gate sets through a relaxation of exponential operator splitting. We introduce the concept of quantum variational error suppression that allows some errors to be suppressed naturally in this algorithm on a pre-threshold quantum device. Additionally, we analyze truncation and correlated sampling in Hamiltonian averaging as ways to reduce the cost of this procedure. Finally, we show how the use of modern derivative free optimization techniques can offer dramatic computational savings of up to three orders of magnitude over previously used optimization techniques.

J E Avron et al 2015 New J. Phys. 17 043009

We construct Lindbladians associated with controlled stochastic Hamiltonians in the weak coupling regime. This construction allows us to determine the power spectrum of the noise from measurements of dephasing rates. Moreover, by studying the derived equation it is possible to optimize the control as well as to test numerical algorithms that solve controlled stochastic Schrödinger equations. A few examples are worked out in detail.

Dominic Horsman et al 2012 New J. Phys. 14 123011

In recent years, surface codes have become a leading method for quantum error correction in theoretical large-scale computational and communications architecture designs. Their comparatively high fault-tolerant thresholds and their natural two-dimensional nearest-neighbour (2DNN) structure make them an obvious choice for large scale designs in experimentally realistic systems. While fundamentally based on the toric code of Kitaev, there are many variants, two of which are the planar- and defect-based codes. Planar codes require fewer qubits to implement (for the same strength of error correction), but are restricted to encoding a single qubit of information. Interactions between encoded qubits are achieved via transversal operations, thus destroying the inherent 2DNN nature of the code. In this paper we introduce a new technique enabling the coupling of two planar codes without transversal operations, maintaining the 2DNN of the encoded computer. Our lattice surgery technique comprises splitting and merging planar code surfaces, and enables us to perform universal quantum computation (including magic state injection) while removing the need for braided logic in a strictly 2DNN design, and hence reduces the overall qubit resources for logic operations. Those resources are further reduced by the use of a rotated lattice for the planar encoding. We show how lattice surgery allows us to distribute encoded GHZ states in a more direct (and overhead friendly) manner, and how a demonstration of an encoded CNOT between two distance-3 logical states is possible with 53 physical qubits, half of that required in any other known construction in 2D.

Xuan Zuo et al 2024 New J. Phys. 26 031201

Hybrid quantum systems based on magnons in magnetic materials have made significant progress in the past decade. They are built based on the couplings of magnons with microwave photons, optical photons, vibration phonons, and superconducting qubits. In particular, the interactions among magnons, microwave cavity photons, and vibration phonons form the system of cavity magnomechanics (CMM), which lies in the interdisciplinary field of cavity QED, magnonics, quantum optics, and quantum information. Here, we review the experimental and theoretical progress of this emerging field. We first introduce the underlying theories of the magnomechanical coupling, and then some representative classical phenomena that have been experimentally observed, including magnomechanically induced transparency, magnomechanical dynamical backaction, magnon-phonon cross-Kerr nonlinearity, etc. We also discuss a number of theoretical proposals, which show the potential of the CMM system for preparing different kinds of quantum states of magnons, phonons, and photons, and hybrid systems combining magnomechanics and optomechanics and relevant quantum protocols based on them. Finally, we summarize this review and provide an outlook for the future research directions in this field.

L S Liebovitch et al 2019 New J. Phys. 21 073022

Peace is not merely the absence of war and violence, rather 'positive peace' is the political, economic, and social systems that generate and sustain peaceful societies. Our international and multidisciplinary group is using physics inspired complex systems analysis methods to understand the factors and their interactions that together support and maintain peace. We developed causal loop diagrams and from them ordinary differential equation models of the system needed for sustainable peace. We then used that mathematical model to determine the attractors in the system, the dynamics of the approach to those attractors, and the factors and connections that play the most important role in determining the final state of the system. We used data science ('big data') methods to measure quantitative values of the peace factors from structured and unstructured (social media) data. We also developed a graphical user interface for the mathematical model so that social scientists or policy makers, can by themselves, explore the effects of changing the variables and parameters in these systems. These results demonstrate that complex systems analysis methods, previously developed and applied to physical and biological systems, can also be productively applied to analyze social systems such as those needed for sustainable peace.

Antonio Acín et al 2018 New J. Phys. 20 080201

Within the last two decades, quantum technologies (QT) have made tremendous progress, moving from Nobel Prize award-winning experiments on quantum physics (1997: Chu, Cohen-Tanoudji, Phillips; 2001: Cornell, Ketterle, Wieman; 2005: Hall, Hänsch-, Glauber; 2012: Haroche, Wineland) into a cross-disciplinary field of applied research. Technologies are being developed now that explicitly address individual quantum states and make use of the 'strange' quantum properties, such as superposition and entanglement. The field comprises four domains: quantum communication, where individual or entangled photons are used to transmit data in a provably secure way; quantum simulation, where well-controlled quantum systems are used to reproduce the behaviour of other, less accessible quantum systems; quantum computation, which employs quantum effects to dramatically speed up certain calculations, such as number factoring; and quantum sensing and metrology, where the high sensitivity of coherent quantum systems to external perturbations is exploited to enhance the performance of measurements of physical quantities. In Europe, the QT community has profited from several EC funded coordination projects, which, among other things, have coordinated the creation of a 150-page QT Roadmap ( http://qurope.eu/h2020/qtflagship/roadmap2016 ). This article presents an updated summary of this roadmap.

Shinsei Ryu et al 2010 New J. Phys. 12 065010

Latest articles

Francesca Fabiana Settembrini et al 2024 New J. Phys. 26 043017

In recent years, electro-optic sampling, which is based on Pockel's effect between an electromagnetic mode and a copropagating, phase-matched ultrashort probe, has been largely used for the investigation of broadband quantum states of light, especially in the mid-infrared and terahertz frequency range. The use of two mutually delayed femtosecond pulses at near-infrared frequencies allows the measurement of quantum electromagnetic radiation in different space-time points. Their correlation allows therefore direct access to the spectral content of a broadband quantum state at terahertz frequencies after Fourier transformation. In this work, we will prove experimentally and theoretically that when using strongly focused coherent ultrashort probes, the electro-optic sampling technique can be affected by the presence of a third-order nonlinear mixing of the probes' electric field at near-infrared frequencies. Moreover, we will show that these third-order nonlinear phenomena can also influence correlation measurements of the quantum electromagnetic radiation. We will prove that the four-wave mixing of the coherent probes' electric field with their own electromagnetic vacuum at near-infrared frequencies results in the generation of a higher-order nonlinear correlation term. The latter will be characterized experimentally, proving its local nature requiring the physical overlap of the two probes. The parameters regime where higher order nonlinear correlation results predominant with respect to electro-optic correlation of terahertz radiation is provided.

Shu-Min Wu et al 2024 New J. Phys. 26 043016

In this paper, we use the concepts of quantum entanglement and coherence to analyze the Unruh and anti-Unruh effects based on the model of Unruh–DeWitt detector. For the first time, we find that (i) the Unruh effect reduces quantum entanglement but enhances quantum coherence; (ii) the anti-Unruh effect enhances quantum entanglement but reduces quantum coherence. This surprising result refutes the notion that the Unruh effect can only destroy quantum entanglement and coherence simultaneously, and that the anti-Unruh can only protect quantum resources. Consequently, it opens up a new source for discovering experimental evidence supporting the existence of the Unruh and anti-Unruh effects.

Fan Yang et al 2024 New J. Phys. 26 043011

Eigensolvers have a wide range of applications in machine learning. Quantum eigensolvers have been developed for achieving quantum speedup. Here, we propose a parallel quantum eigensolver (PQE) for solving a set of machine learning problems, which is based on quantum multi-resonant transitions that simultaneously trigger multiple energy transitions in the systems on demand. PQE has a polylogarithmic cost in problem size under certain circumstances and is hardware efficient, such that it is implementable in near-term quantum computers. As a verification, we utilize it to construct a collaborative filtering quantum recommendation system and implement an experiment of the movie recommendation tasks on a nuclear spin quantum processor. As a result, our recommendation system accurately suggests movies to the user that he/she might be interested in. We further demonstrate the applications of PQE in classification and image completion. In the future, our work will shed light on more applications in quantum machine learning.

M N Notarnicola et al 2024 New J. Phys. 26 043015

Transmission losses through optical fibers are one of the main obstacles preventing both long-distance quantum communications and continuous-variable quantum key distribution. Optical amplification provides a tool to obtain, at least partially, signal restoration. In this work, we address a key distribution protocol over a multi-span link employing either phase-insensitive (PIA) or phase-sensitive (PSA) amplifiers, considering Gaussian modulation of coherent states followed by homodyne detection at the receiver's side. We perform the security analysis under both unconditional and conditional security frameworks by assuming in the latter case only a single span of the whole communication link to be untrusted. We compare the resulting key generation rate (KGR) for both kinds of amplified links with the no-amplifier protocol, identifying the enhancement introduced by optical amplification. We prove an increase in the KGR for the PSA link in the unconditional scenario and for both PSA and PIA in the conditional security setting depending on position of the attack and the measured quadrature.

Makoto Tokoro Schreiber et al 2024 New J. Phys. 26 043012

We demonstrate theoretically and experimentally an electromagnetic lensing concept using the magnetic vector potential—in a region free of classical electromagnetic fields—via the Aharonov–Bohm (AB) effect. This toroid-shaped lens with poloidal current flow allows for electromagnetic lensing which can be tuned to be convex or concave with a spherical aberration coefficient of opposite polarity to its focal length. This field-free lens combines the advantages of traditional electromagnetic and electrostatic field-based lenses and opens up additional possibilities for the optical design of charged-particle systems. More generally, these results demonstrate that the AB effect can shape charged particle wavefronts beyond simple step shifts if topologies beyond simple flux lines are considered and further supports the physical significance of the magnetic vector potential.

Review articles

J Lambert and E S Sørensen 2023 New J. Phys. 25 081201

Recently, there has been considerable interest in the application of information geometry to quantum many body physics. This interest has been driven by three separate lines of research, which can all be understood as different facets of quantum information geometry. First, the study of topological phases of matter characterized by Chern number is rooted in the symplectic structure of the quantum state space, known in the physics literature as Berry curvature. Second, in the study of quantum phase transitions, the fidelity susceptibility has gained prominence as a universal probe of quantum criticality, even for systems that lack an obviously discernible order parameter. Finally, the study of quantum Fisher information in many body systems has seen a surge of interest due to its role as a witness of genuine multipartite entanglement and owing to its utility as a quantifier of quantum resources, in particular those useful in quantum sensing. Rather than a thorough review, our aim is to connect key results within a common conceptual framework that may serve as an introductory guide to the extensive breadth of applications, and deep mathematical roots, of quantum information geometry, with an intended audience of researchers in quantum many body and condensed matter physics.

Quentin Glorieux et al 2023 New J. Phys. 25 051201

Nonlinear optics has been a very dynamic field of research with spectacular phenomena discovered mainly after the invention of lasers. The combination of high intensity fields with resonant systems has further enhanced the nonlinearity with specific additional effects related to the resonances. In this paper we review a limited range of these effects which has been studied in the past decades using close-to-room-temperature atomic vapors as the nonlinear resonant medium. In particular we describe four-wave mixing and generation of nonclassical light in atomic vapors. One-and two-mode squeezing as well as photon correlations are discussed. Furthermore, we present some applications for optical and quantum memories based on hot atomic vapors. Finally, we present results on the recently developed field of quantum fluids of light using hot atomic vapors.

F Luoni et al 2021 New J. Phys. 23 101201

Realistic nuclear reaction cross-section models are an essential ingredient of reliable heavy-ion transport codes. Such codes are used for risk evaluation of manned space exploration missions as well as for ion-beam therapy dose calculations and treatment planning. Therefore, in this study, a collection of total nuclear reaction cross-section data has been generated within a GSI-ESA-NASA collaboration. The database includes the experimentally measured total nucleus–nucleus reaction cross-sections. The Tripathi, Kox, Shen, Kox–Shen, and Hybrid-Kurotama models are systematically compared with the collected data. Details about the implementation of the models are given. Literature gaps are pointed out and considerations are made about which models fit best the existing data for the most relevant systems to radiation protection in space and heavy-ion therapy.

S Al Kharusi et al 2021 New J. Phys. 23 031201

The next core-collapse supernova in the Milky Way or its satellites will represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to obtain detailed information about the explosion of a star and provide significant scientific insight for a variety of fields because of the extreme conditions found within. Supernovae in our galaxy are not only rare on a human timescale but also happen at unscheduled times, so it is crucial to be ready and use all available instruments to capture all possible information from the event. The first indication of a potential stellar explosion will be the arrival of a bright burst of neutrinos. Its observation by multiple detectors worldwide can provide an early warning for the subsequent electromagnetic fireworks, as well as signal to other detectors with significant backgrounds so they can store their recent data. The supernova early warning system (SNEWS) has been operating as a simple coincidence between neutrino experiments in automated mode since 2005. In the current era of multi-messenger astronomy there are new opportunities for SNEWS to optimize sensitivity to science from the next galactic supernova beyond the simple early alert. This document is the product of a workshop in June 2019 towards design of SNEWS 2.0, an upgraded SNEWS with enhanced capabilities exploiting the unique advantages of prompt neutrino detection to maximize the science gained from such a valuable event.

Accepted manuscripts

Mou et al 

Understanding the dynamics of spreading and diffusion on networks is of critical importance for a variety of processes in real life. However, predicting the temporal evolution of diffusion on networks remains challenging as the process is shaped by network topology, spreading non-linearities, and heterogeneous adaptation behavior. In this study, we propose the spindle vector, a new network topological feature, which shapes nodes according to the distance from the root node. The spindle vector captures the relative order of nodes in diffusion propagation, thus allowing us to approximate the spatiotemporal evolution of diffusion dynamics on networks. The approximation simplifies the detailed connections of node pairs by only focusing on the nodal count within individual layers and the interlayer connections, seeking a compromise between efficiency and complexity. Through experiments on various networks, we show that our method outperforms the state-of-the-art on BA networks with an average improvement of 38.6% on the Mean Absolute Error (MAE). Additionally, the predictive accuracy of our method exhibits a notable convergence with the Pairwise Approximation (PA)
approach with the increasing presence of quadrangles and pentagons in WS networks. The new metric provides a general and computationally efficient approach to predict network diffusion problems and is of potential for a large range of network applications.

Yang et al 

The existence and dynamics of stable quantized vortices is an important subject of quantum many-body physics. Spin-orbital-angular-momentum coupling (SOAMC), a special type of spin-orbit coupling, has been experimentally achieved to create vortices in atomic Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC). Here, we generalize the concept of SOAMC to a two-component polariton BEC and analyze the emergence and configuration of vortices under a finite-size circular pumping beam. We find that the regular configuration of vortex lattices induced by a finite-size circular pump is significantly distorted by the spatially dependent Raman coupling of SOAMC, even in the presence of a repulsive polariton interaction which can assist the forming of stable vortex configuration. Meanwhile, a pair of vortices induced by SOAMC located at the center of polariton cloud remains stable. When the Raman coupling is sufficiently strong and interaction is weak, the vortices spiraling in from the edge of polariton cloud will disrupt the polariton BEC.

Franz et al 

In this study, we delve into the crucial influence of and enhancement by chiral environments on the discriminatory capabilities of RET. 
Firstly, we scrutinize the impact of a macroscopic chiral medium enveloping the interacting molecules; secondly, we probe the effect of a chiral mediating molecule in close proximity to the system.
Importantly, our findings demonstrate that chiral environments not only modulate pre-existing discriminatory effects but also introduce novel mechanisms for discrimination. 
Central to our research is the application of an innovative model for chiral local-field corrections, which unveils a remarkable distance-dependent inversion of the discrimination dynamics. 
Our study extends beyond the confines of any specific molecular system, offering a comprehensive discussion of these diverse effects, 
thereby providing insights with broader implications.
Finally, we present a comparative analysis across all studied systems, illustrating our insights by employing 3-methyl-cyclopentanone as an example molecule.

K N et al 

Non-Hermitian quantum systems along with engineered metasurfaces enable a versatile podium for sensor designs from industrial to medical sectors. The singularity points known as Exceptional points (EP) can be realized in such non-Hermitian systems. EP demonstrates a square root topology on minute perturbations, hence promising to be a potential candidate to sense external parameters, such as temperature, thermal fluctuations, refractive index, and biomolecules. Hence, in this work, through numerical and analytical investigations, we explore the sensing capabilities in the vicinity of EP utilizing suitably designed terahertz metasurfaces. Here, we propose a non-Hermitian metasystem comprising two orthogonally twisted square split ring resonators coupled by near-field EM (Electromagnetic) interactions that can exhibit dark-bright modes. In such a system, the presence of an active (photo-doped) material in the split gap of one of the resonators opens up an effective avenue to introduce controllable asymmetric losses, ultimately leading to the emergence of exceptional points in the polarization space. Hence, thin film sensing at the proximity of the emerged exceptional point is investigated for different refractive indices by coating with an overlayer atop the metasurface. In such a configuration, the sensitivities of the eigenstates are calculated in terms of the Refractive Index Unit, which turns out to be - 0.044 THz/RIU and - 0.063 THz/RIU when the system is perturbed near EP. Our proposed metasurface-inspired EP-based sensing strategy can open up novel ways to sense the refractive index of unknown materials besides other physical parameters.

Khosravi et al 

Experimental observations of vacuum radiation and vacuum frictional torque are challenging due to their vanishingly small effects in practical systems. For example, a nanosphere rotating at 1 GHz in free space slows down due to friction from vacuum fluctuations with a stopping time around the age of the universe. Here, we show that a spinning yttrium iron garnet (YIG) nanosphere near aluminum or YIG slabs generates vacuum radiation with radiation power eight orders of magnitude larger than other metallic or dielectric spinning nanospheres. We achieve this giant enhancement by exploiting the large near-field magnetic local density of states in YIG systems, which occurs in the low-frequency GHz regime comparable to the rotation frequency. Furthermore, we propose a realistic experimental setup for observing the effects of this large vacuum radiation and frictional torque under experimentally accessible conditions.

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Physical sciences articles from across Nature Portfolio

Physical sciences are those academic disciplines that aim to uncover the underlying laws of nature - often written in the language of mathematics. It is a collective term for areas of study including astronomy, chemistry, materials science and physics.

Enhanced redox with hetero-halogens

Aqueous batteries have drawbacks related to their low energy densities. Now, highly concentrated hetero-halogen electrolytes can be used to enable fast multielectron transfer, leading to cost-effective, reversible and high-energy-density aqueous batteries.

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An analytical view of disinfectant degradation and disinfection by-product formation

Proton transfer time-of-flight mass spectrometry offers a new analytical tool to measure aqueous concentrations of volatile analytes in real time by the approach of headspace sampling, holding significant promise for advancing understanding of water chlorination chemistry.

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Maintaining spherical polarization in solar wind plasma

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Observation of Landau levels and chiral edge states in photonic crystals through pseudomagnetic fields induced by synthetic strain

Strain-engineered pseudomagnetic fields realized in two-dimensional photonic crystals induce flat-band Landau levels at discrete energies as well as chiral edge states. The high density of states and high degeneracy of the flat bands has implications for both on-chip and radiating light fields.

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