https://phys.org/physics-news/materials en-us The latest news on Physics, Materials, Science and Technology Superconductivity is the phenomenon by which, at sufficiently low temperatures, electric current can flow in a metal with no resistance. While certain metals are excellent superconductors, other metals cannot superconduct at all. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-noble-metals-superconductors.html Condensed Matter Superconductivity Thu, 07 Nov 2024 13:30:01 EST news650208198 Electrons typically travel at high speeds, zipping through matter unbound. In the 1930s, physicist Eugene Wigner predicted that electrons could be coaxed into stillness at low densities and cold temperatures, forming an electron ice that would later be called the Wigner crystal. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-scientists-capture-images-quantum-phase.html Condensed Matter Quantum Physics Thu, 07 Nov 2024 12:05:03 EST news650203501 The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) has, for the first time in the world, generated and controlled skyrmions at room temperature in two-dimensional (2D) materials. This achievement reduces power consumption compared to traditional three-dimensional (3D) systems while maximizing quantum effects, making it a core technology for the development of room-temperature quantum computers and AI semiconductors. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-skyrmions-room-temperature-2d-topological.html Condensed Matter Quantum Physics Wed, 06 Nov 2024 12:04:03 EST news650117042 Supersolids are a new form of quantum matter that has only recently been demonstrated. The state of matter can be produced artificially in ultracold, dipolar quantum gases. A team led by Innsbruck physicist Francesca Ferlaino has now demonstrated a missing hallmark of superfluidity, namely the existence of quantized vortices as a system's response to rotation. They have observed tiny quantum vortices in the supersolid, which also behave differently than previously assumed. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-quantum-vortices-superfluidity-supersolid.html Condensed Matter Quantum Physics Wed, 06 Nov 2024 11:00:01 EST news650107556 Using muon spin rotation at the Swiss Muon Source SmS, researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) have discovered that a quantum phenomenon known as time-reversal symmetry breaking occurs at the surface of the Kagome superconductor RbV3Sb5 at temperatures as high as 175 K. This sets a new record for the temperature at which time-reversal symmetry breaking is observed among Kagome systems. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-kagome-superconductor-temperatures.html Condensed Matter Superconductivity Wed, 06 Nov 2024 04:35:37 EST news650090130 New materials designed by a University of Illinois Chicago graduate student may help scientists meet one of today's biggest challenges: building superconductors that operate at normal temperatures and pressures. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-multicomponent-hydride-advance-science-superconducting.html Condensed Matter Superconductivity Tue, 05 Nov 2024 10:13:02 EST news650023979 Researchers are developing new ideas about the best ways to make lab-grown diamonds while minimizing other forms of carbon, such as soot. These diamonds aren't destined for rings and necklaces, though. These are the kinds that are needed for the computers, optics and sensors of the future. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-bright-future-diamond-electronics-sensors.html Condensed Matter Plasma Physics Tue, 05 Nov 2024 09:13:06 EST news650020381 Researchers from Skoltech, the University of Warsaw, and the University of Iceland have demonstrated that by optical means it is possible to excite and stir an exciton-polariton condensate, which emits a linearly polarized light with a polarization axis following the stirring direction. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-scientists-optical-nuclear-magnetic-resonance.html Condensed Matter Optics & Photonics Tue, 05 Nov 2024 07:02:05 EST news650012521 Graphene is a simple material containing only a single layer of carbon atoms, but when two sheets of it are stacked together and offset at a slight angle, this twisted bilayer material produces numerous intriguing effects, notably superconductivity. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-revealing-superconducting-limit-bilayer-graphene.html Condensed Matter Superconductivity Mon, 04 Nov 2024 12:48:04 EST news649946882 A discovery by Rice University physicists and collaborators is unlocking a new understanding of magnetism and electronic interactions in cutting-edge materials, potentially revolutionizing technology fields such as quantum computing and high-temperature superconductors. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-discovery-theories-magnetism-kagome-metals.html Condensed Matter Quantum Physics Wed, 30 Oct 2024 17:08:06 EDT news649526881 Quantum computers hold the promise to emulate complex materials, helping researchers better understand the physical properties that arise from interacting atoms and electrons. This may one day lead to the discovery or design of better semiconductors, insulators, or superconductors that could be used to make ever faster, more powerful, and more energy-efficient electronics. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-quantum-simulator-uncover-materials-high.html Condensed Matter Quantum Physics Wed, 30 Oct 2024 15:49:04 EDT news649522141 Electrons spin even without an electric charge and this motion in condensed matter constitutes spin current, which is attracting a great deal of attention for next-generation technology such as memory devices. An Osaka Metropolitan University-led research group has been able to gain further insight into this important topic in the field of spintronics. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-polymer-gain-spintronic-insights.html Condensed Matter Wed, 30 Oct 2024 14:42:03 EDT news649518121 Two systems exist in thermal equilibrium if no heat passes between them. Computers, which consume energy and give off heat as they process information, operate far from thermal equilibrium. Were they to stop consuming energy—say you let your laptop discharge completely—they would stop functioning. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-stochastic-thermodynamics-key-energy.html General Physics Condensed Matter Wed, 30 Oct 2024 09:41:56 EDT news649500113 Earlier this year, researchers at the Flatiron Institute's Center for Computational Quantum Physics (CCQ) announced that they had successfully used a classical computer and sophisticated mathematical models to thoroughly outperform a quantum computer on a task that some thought only quantum computers could solve. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-classical-quantum-game.html Condensed Matter Quantum Physics Tue, 29 Oct 2024 15:53:04 EDT news649435981 In a recent paper in Nature Physics, an international research collaboration used world-class instrumentation at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) to study the exotic nuclide, or rare isotope, chromium-62. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-chromium-islands-inversion.html General Physics Condensed Matter Tue, 29 Oct 2024 15:28:04 EDT news649434482 Researchers Tomohito Amano and Shinji Tsuneyuki of the University of Tokyo with Tamio Yamazaki of CURIE (JSR-UTokyo Collaboration Hub) have developed a new machine learning model to predict the dielectric function of materials, rather than calculating from first-principles. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-machine-quickly-accurately-dielectric-function.html Condensed Matter Fri, 25 Oct 2024 12:29:03 EDT news649078141 A team of researchers, led by scientist Lin Zhou of Ames National Laboratory, has made important progress towards understanding the role of surface oxides in improving quantum computing circuits performance. Surface oxides are a primary cause of decoherence, or loss of quantum properties in quantum circuits. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-scientists-gain-insight-material-defects.html Condensed Matter Quantum Physics Fri, 25 Oct 2024 10:30:03 EDT news649071001 An old physical phenomenon known as the Hall effect has revealed some new tricks, according to a team co-led by researchers at Penn State and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). They have reported their findings, which they said have potential implications for understanding the fundamental physics of quantum materials and developing applied technologies such as quantum communication and harvesting energy via radio frequencies in Nature Materials. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-room-temperature-nonreciprocal-hall-effect.html Condensed Matter Quantum Physics Thu, 24 Oct 2024 14:22:03 EDT news648998522 High-temperature superconductivity is one of the great mysteries of modern physics: Some materials conduct electrical current without any resistance—but only at very low temperatures. Finding a material that remains superconducting even at room temperature would spark a technological revolution. People all over the world are therefore working on a better, more comprehensive understanding of such materials. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-superconductivity-mystery-fermi-arcs.html Condensed Matter Superconductivity Thu, 24 Oct 2024 10:35:03 EDT news648984901 Researchers at Monash University have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model that significantly improves the accuracy of four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D STEM) images. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-ai-4d-stem-imaging-delicate.html Condensed Matter Optics & Photonics Wed, 23 Oct 2024 11:26:06 EDT news648901563 A research team has made a breakthrough in significantly enhancing the commercial viability of spin wave harnessing technology. This innovation is being heralded as a next-generation technological solution to the persistent issue of heat generation in electronic devices. The research findings were published on September 26 in the online edition of Matter. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-gold-electronics-overheating-problem.html Condensed Matter Tue, 22 Oct 2024 13:16:04 EDT news648821762 A difficult-to-describe nanoscale object called the magnetic skyrmion might one day yield new microelectronic devices that can do much more—for example, massive data storage—all while consuming much less power. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-succeed-3d-ray-images-skyrmion.html Condensed Matter Tue, 22 Oct 2024 12:36:04 EDT news648819358 The bulk photovoltaic (BPV) effect is an uncommon phenomenon that may enable certain materials to outperform the conventional p–n junctions used in solar cells. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-solar-cells-exploring-anomalous-phenomenon.html Condensed Matter Tue, 22 Oct 2024 10:56:04 EDT news648813362 Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune and the CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) Pune have shown that the macroscopic deformation of amorphous solids is controlled by structural defects within the material. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-key-role-defects-amorphous-solid.html Condensed Matter Soft Matter Fri, 18 Oct 2024 10:20:05 EDT news648465594 Physicists at RIKEN have demonstrated how ultrafast, low-power-consumption memory devices could be realized by replacing conventional magnetic materials with novel ones. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-magnetic-octupoles-problems-antiferromagnets.html Condensed Matter Thu, 17 Oct 2024 13:07:04 EDT news648389221 A research team has successfully achieved an atomically controlled insulator-to-metal transition in iridate/manganate heterostructures. Their findings were recently published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-insulator-metal-transition-iridatemanganate-heterostructures.html Condensed Matter Thu, 17 Oct 2024 12:40:01 EDT news648387372 Moiré superlattices are materials consisting of two layers stacked on top of each other with either a small rotational misalignment or a lattice mismatch between them. The Kondo lattice model, on the other hand, describes systems in which conduction electrons interact with localized magnetic impurities, which changes the systems' electrical and magnetic properties. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-physicists-emergence-ferromagnetism-onset-kondo.html Condensed Matter Thu, 17 Oct 2024 06:40:01 EDT news648127967 Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, have developed a method to control the direction of heat flow in crystals. This miniature device could eventually be used to create advanced thermal-management systems in electronic devices to prevent overheating. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-tesla-method-graphite-crystals.html Condensed Matter Wed, 16 Oct 2024 11:00:02 EDT news648292696 By combining comprehensive high-pressure measurements and first-principles calculations, a research group has discovered the pressure-induced unusual evolution of superconductivity (SC) and exotic interplay between SC and charge-density-wave (CDW) order in a natural bulk van der Waals heterostructure. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-unveil-pressure-tuned-superconductivity-natural.html Condensed Matter Superconductivity Tue, 15 Oct 2024 14:57:03 EDT news648223022 Reservoir computing (RC) has a few benefits over other artificial neural networks, including the reservoir that gives this technique its name. The reservoir functions mainly to nonlinearly transform input data more quickly and efficiently. Spin waves, propagating wave-like disturbances arising from magnetic interactions, can traverse through a material. These excitations are driven by the spin of electrons. https://phys.org/news/2024-10-reservoir-chips-edge.html Condensed Matter Tue, 15 Oct 2024 12:42:11 EDT news648214928