A numerical investigation has revealed a surprising correspondence between a lattice spin model and a quantum field theory.

A new model describes the population of black hole binaries without assumptions on the shape of their distribution—a capability that could boost the discovery potential of gravitational-wave observations.

A theoretical study of self-assembly finds that hexagon-shaped building blocks can form large structures faster than triangular or square blocks.

A new theoretical framework for plastic neural networks predicts dynamical regimes where synapses rather than neurons primarily drive the network’s behavior, leading to an alternative candidate mechanism for working memory in the brain.

Researchers have realized a recently proposed qubit in which the errors mostly involve erasure of the qubit state, an advance that could help simplify the architecture of fault-tolerant quantum computers.

The motions within the molecule provide a new way to compare the structures and functions of similar proteins.

Researchers have measured a zero-resistance state for the nickelate La${}_3$Ni${}_2$O${}_7$, which measurements suggest may superconduct at temperatures above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen.

Experiments demonstrate some of the unusual features of molecular reactions that occur in the deep cold of interstellar space.

Researchers have determined the amount of transverse orbital angular momentum that a type of optical vortex carries per photon, an important step for future applications.

New theoretical work establishes an analogy between systems that are dynamically frustrated, such as glasses, and thermodynamic systems whose members have conflicting goals, such as predator–prey ecosystems.

Collisions of heavy ions briefly produced a magnetic field 10${}^{18}$ times stronger than Earth’s, and it left observable effects.

Researchers have measured short-timescale fluctuations in metastable systems, uncovering information about failed attempts to cross the barriers that define the metastable state.

By monitoring a tiny worm’s embryonic cells, researchers have deduced that the availability of material for the membrane of a cell’s nucleus constrains the volume of the nucleus.

A technique that can determine the chirality of a molecule using that molecule’s own electrons could allow researchers to probe the dynamical behavior of chiral molecules on very short timescales.

A theoretical study finds that the most energy-efficient way to control an active-matter system is to drive it at finite speed—unlike passive-matter systems.

A new photon-number amplification scheme, which combines the advantages of a single-photon detector and a power meter, could lead to new photon-detection possibilities in quantum-sensing and quantum-computing applications.

Researchers have demonstrated an unprecedentedly low-frequency superconducting “fluxonium” qubit, which could facilitate experiments that probe macroscopic quantum phenomena.

Optical spectroscopy of a transition metal dichalcogenide moiré semiconductor in the quantum anomalous Hall state reveals a surprising valley-coherent state, suggesting the need for a new theoretical mechanism for this effect.

Using a soap bubble, researchers have created a laser that could act as a sensitive sensor for environmental parameters including atmospheric pressure.

The combined analysis of present and upcoming atmospheric-neutrino experiments may lead to the solution of outstanding puzzles in neutrino physics.

Disease contagion is suppressed when different social groups have a large overlap in membership.

A new model reproduces both the dynamical and steady-state behavior of a group of living organisms, a first for such systems.

Major technical improvements to a quantum computer based on trapped ions could bring a large-scale version closer to reality.

A proposed model unites quantum theory with classical gravity by assuming that states evolve in a probabilistic way, like a game of chance.

A first-principles model accounts for the wide range of critical temperatures ($T_c$’s) for four materials and suggests a parameter that determines $T_c$ in any high-temperature superconductor.