Physics Magazine@PhysicsMagazine
Nov 5
Using a quantum-gas magnifier, researchers captured snapshots of the particle density in circular slices of ultracold potassium atoms and found direct evidence of Vinen, or “ultraquantum,” turbulence.

Learn more about the experiments: go.aps.org/4kzh53E
Illustration of an experiment that shows a vessel of supercooled potassium atoms on the left, a snapshot being taken at one time point in the center, and the resulting photograph on the right.
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Physics Magazine@PhysicsMagazine
Nov 4
While metals typically rely on electrons to transport heat, researchers have now identified a specific crystal form of tantalum nitride that conducts heat efficiently through both electrons and phonons.

Read more: go.aps.org/4zxS4uC
Illustration of a specific crystal form of tantalum nitride.
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Physics Magazine@PhysicsMagazine
Nov 4
Researchers have created a resonant cavity for matter waves by corralling ultracold atoms between two sheets of light — an experimental platform that could be used to study exotic phenomena like black hole event horizons.

Read more in the Focus: go.aps.org/3Ub77Lm
An image shows the evolution of matter waves created in a resonant cavity by confining ultracold atoms between two sheets of light — nine rows of blue horizontal zig-zag patterns colored blue against a black backdrop. The matter waves initially fill the whole cavity, but moving one of the light barriers at relativistic speeds causes the waves to become concentrated into a single moving pulse — similar to what is observed for light propagating near a black hole.
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Physics Magazine@PhysicsMagazine
Nov 3
How do you calculate a conventional superconductor’s characterizing quantities when first-principles calculations are computationally impractical? Researchers detail a new formalism that could make it easier to identify new superconductors.

Learn more: go.aps.org/4AaIde3
A molecular lattice with rainbow coloring overlaid on top against a gray background.
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Physics Magazine@PhysicsMagazine
Nov 2
Did black holes start massive, grow massive, or build up through mergers? Researchers used rapidly spinning neutron stars to place the first direct gravitational-wave limits on supermassive black hole growth at the dawn of galaxy formation.

Read more: go.aps.org/4kv9bIA
The Murriyang Parkes Radio Telescope at dusk with a crescent moon above.
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Physics Magazine@PhysicsMagazine
Oct 30
Researchers coupled a microwave cavity to a superconducting qubit and demonstrated how millimeter-wave photons can be used to accurately read a transmon qubit without altering their state.

Learn more about the study: go.aps.org/4BCh4lJ
A close-up of a superconducting qubit.
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Physics Magazine@PhysicsMagazine
Oct 29
Experiments with bilayer graphene reveal a potentially useful odd-even dichotomy in the material’s nonlinear Hall response — an effect that could be used to probe the interplay between symmetry breaking and a material’s electronic properties.

Learn more: go.aps.org/3WUuBFa
On the left is a rendering of a 3D layered device connected to voltage sources and ground. To the right is a Hall bar device geometry with gold contact pads, measuring instruments, and ground connections.
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Physics Magazine@PhysicsMagazine
Oct 28
In applications that use transition radiation, disorder in target structures can degrade coherence, spectral purity, and directionality. Now, researchers propose a way to harness structural disorder to generate coherent, directional light.

Learn more: go.aps.org/48kqWmF
An illustration of three charged particles arranged in a single column with sets of blue arrows pointing up and to the left and right from each particle, forming three V shapes.
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Physics Magazine@PhysicsMagazine
Oct 27
Using experiments and theory, researchers found a new mechanism for how microtubules — strands of essential protein polymers — bundle together via condensate-mediated capillary forces alone.

Read the focus article: go.aps.org/4kdnhyc
Fluorescence microscopy image of two dividing cells, with blue nuclei, orange microtubule filaments, and green cytoskeletal structures against a black background.
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Physics Magazine@PhysicsMagazine
Oct 26
When a molecular “lock” evolves, does its “key” still work? Researchers show how “promiscuous” interactions — having many keys that can open the same lock — allow an evolving molecular network to reorganize but retain its function.

Read the viewpoint: go.aps.org/4if8DUr
A photograph of purple and red flowers in a pot on an outdoor patio.
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Physics Magazine@PhysicsMagazine
Oct 23
By measuring repeated collisions between a pair of levitated particles, researchers found that triboelectric charging follows a universal pattern over longer times — insights that could improve models of charging in real-world phenomena.

Read more: go.aps.org/4kery4l
A photograph of smoke emerging from the top of a volcano as seen from above.
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Physics Magazine@PhysicsMagazine
Oct 22
In an iron-based superconductor, researchers identified a plateau in conductance at zero voltage associated with edge currents in the material — a hint of topological superconductivity that could offer a new way to probe candidate materials.

Read more: go.aps.org/4juKP1f
A close-up illustration of a flake of iron chalcogenide connected to bright yellow electrodes against a dark yellow background.
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Physics Magazine@PhysicsMagazine
Oct 22
Researchers used ultrasound to perturb UTe2’s superconductivity and measure its mechanical properties. Under high pressure, a second superconducting phase had strong supercurrent fluctuations — a hallmark of unconventional superconductivity.

Learn more: go.aps.org/4hWOnYZ
Abstract image featuring a colorful array of dots in warm hues of red, orange, and yellow, with overlapping shapes in shades of blue.
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Physics Magazine@PhysicsMagazine
Oct 21
The first experimental demonstration of a one-positron quantum cyclotron — one that can store an individual positron while manipulating its quantized cyclotron and spin states — offers a step towards more precise tests of CPT symmetry.

Read more: go.aps.org/4zKw9zR
A rendering of three glowing 3D volumetric forms. From left to right, the shapes transition from cone-shaped to bell-shaped and from green to blue.
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Physics Magazine@PhysicsMagazine
Oct 21
Researchers have developed a method that allows quantum gas microscopes to simultaneously observe both an atom’s position and its momentum — creating snapshots that could reveal features invisible to position-only microscopes.

Read more: go.aps.org/4jyQVh4
A rendering of rays of pastel-colored light traveling through two rectangular prisms.
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Physics Magazine@PhysicsMagazine
Oct 20
Electrons in flat bands can theoretically manifest exotic, many-electron states. Now, with an artificial lattice of iron atoms on a substrate of silver, researchers provide a new way to realize these bands and make their physics more accessible.

More: go.aps.org/4dQCW2y
Two examples of rhombus-shaped 4-site atomic clusters on Lieb lattices on a blue background.
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Physics Magazine@PhysicsMagazine
Oct 17
⚛️ Using two cooling techniques, researchers trapped about 4,000 cesium atoms — 6 times more than the conventional method — beside an optical nanofiber and kept them there for 5 times longer.

Read the paper in PRX Quantum: go.aps.org/4hYMcCL
A graph of trapped atoms’ optical depth over 200 milliseconds. Red data points showing atoms loaded using the RPGC-molasses rise and level off near 20 during conventional cooling. When gray-molasses cooling begins at 50 milliseconds, blue points climb steeply and level off near 120. A small inset graph shows the effect peaking near zero when two lasers are tuned for this cooling method.
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Physics Magazine@PhysicsMagazine
Oct 15
By splitting a low-intensity laser in two and sending the beams into single-pixel detectors, researchers show how they can create an image of an object even after discarding all of the photons that interacted with it.

Read more: go.aps.org/4B9AVby
A grid of yellow squares with the letters JTU written in blue and green. An inset black image on the bottom shows JTU again written in white.
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Physics Magazine@PhysicsMagazine
Oct 14
Using an ultrafast optical method, researchers found that nanometer-scale polarized regions form before the macroscopic ferroelectric phase — offering new clues into the origin of bulk polarization in quantum ferroelectric materials.

Read more: go.aps.org/4s0T9b7
A grid of gray and white diamonds, with the gray diamonds featuring white arrows in the center that point in various directions. In the center of the grid is a red and a blue laser beam that meet and form a V shape. Around these lasers, the squares in the grid are tinted yellow and the arrows in the center of the gray diamond are colored black and all point to the right.
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Physics Magazine@PhysicsMagazine
Oct 13
By analyzing what happens when delayed IR pulse probes are prepared in a squeezed-vacuum state, researchers find that the statistics of quantum light can be imprinted on electrons — offering a sensitive way to probe them.

Read more: go.aps.org/4zvEYNJ
An illustration of red wavy beams of laser light on the left, a green atom surrounded by a single electron in the center, and an analog clock on the right against a yellow background.
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