Decaying atoms are described by non-Hermitian models. Researchers show that non-Hermitian systems of atomic spins exhibit frustration.

Cells move based on the contraction of actin filaments and myosin motors. A mathematical model shows how actin deformation explains contractility.

Electromagnetic resonators can be used to probe the quantum properties of mechanical objects. Scientists show that an imbalance between phonon absorption and emission—a distinct quantum signature—can be traced back to quantum fluctuations of either mechanical or microwave fields, depending on the measurement details.

Some tests of cosmological models rely on accurate measurements of redshift. A numerical model shows how the gravitational wave signatures of merging neutron stars might provide these crucial measurements.

Forecasting epidemic outbreaks has long been the goal of health researchers. By modeling the interactions of two diseases occurring simultaneously, scientists show that specific parameters control the thresholds of epidemics.

The dynamics of incompressible fluids is profoundly affected by the presence of pressure. Numerical simulations show that unexpected energy redistribution occurs in three-dimensional turbulent flows, under the action of pressure.

Majorana zero modes can be probed by suddenly connecting them to a normal metallic lead. This “quantum quench,” a rapid change in the parameters of a quantum system, leads to universal signatures in the evolution of the many-electron wave function that may be accessible in experiments.

Tracing the propagation of trends and innovations throughout society is critical for fields ranging from education to medicine to marketing. A study of physicians at a hospital in Chicago shows how adoption of a new medical technique is spread.

Few quantitative studies of historic human migration exist because of a dearth of data. Now, using geographical information from Korean family books, scientists develop a physics-based analyses of clan migration.

Futuristic communication networks may be based on quantum information processing. New results show how photon pulses that are symmetric in time, which are crucial for connecting nodes in quantum networks, can be generated.

Understanding how complex fluids flow has applications in physics, biology, and engineering. A new simulation scheme traces transport in fluids on multiple scales.

Networks composed of multiple parts are ubiquitous in nature and society. A technique for detecting such subnetworks in quantum systems is presented.

Researchers propose a new “many-interacting-worlds” theory that could explain quantum mechanics in all its strangeness. Numerical simulations reproduce wave behavior in double-slit experiments assuming as few as 40 worlds.

A design for a photonic crystal made with so-called hyperbolic metamaterials could provide unprecedented control of light waves confined to the surface.

A statistical-physics model provides an accurate description of how animals communicate via pheromones in a turbulent atmospheric environment.

Previous studies have focused on investigating how dipolar systems order at small magnetic ion concentrations, but they were hindered by long equilibrium time scales. New results show that a spin-glass state persists even for extremely low ion concentrations.

Noise is inherent in all biological systems. New results reveal how mathematical frameworks describe bounds on noise in stochastic enzymatic reactions.

Determining the equilibrium configurations of biological molecules can be prohibitively computationally expensive. A new analysis method for computing equilibrium configurations significantly outperforms previous analysis tools.

Futuristic electronic devices will rely on high electron speeds in graphene. A new investigation shows that random strain in the carbon honeycomb lattice limits the speed of electrons.

The percolation properties of networks are strongly affected by their topological features. A new study shows that percolation can proceed at different rates in the core and periphery of a complex, clustered network.

A small quantum computer with a limited number of qubits seems feasible in the coming years. By emulating quantum simulation on such a computer, researchers show that it can be used to resolve long-standing questions about disordered interacting electrons.

Fabry-Pérot interference, measured as conductance oscillations, can be used to search for anyons such as Majorana bound states. The first observation of Fabry-Pérot interference in a topological insulator has now been reported.

The growing field of spintronics is partially propelled by the spin Seebeck effect, in which a spin current results from a temperature gradient. Researchers report temperature-dependent measurements of the spin Seebeck effect in a previously unexplored temperature regime.

Gauge theories have applications in fundamental interactions and superconductivity. Researchers use tensor networks to describe gauge theories, avoiding some of the drawbacks of Monte Carlo simulations.

Quantum metrology is focused on making exquisitely precise measurements. New results show that different techniques are optimal for noise detection and noise characterization.

Many complex systems can be represented as networks of interacting elements. A new theoretical method identifies characteristics of the connectivity patterns of networks.

Quantum criticality in conducting materials has been studied since the 1970s. New renormalization group results show that a unique critical point occurs in a family of iridium pyrochlores.

Quantum simulators pave the way for quantum computers, which promise to be smaller and faster than current classical machines. Researchers show that Majorana edge states can result in genuinely quantum long-range correlations, which are a fundamental property of quantum machines.

Deciding whether to conduct a measurement is a fundamental tenant of quantum physics. A new analysis finds situations in the linear regime where measurement-based feedback control of a quantum system has no merit.

The Boltzmann equation fundamentally connects macroscopic descriptions with particle microphysics. Researchers investigate numerical solutions to the Boltzmann equation describing active gases.

Future systems for quantum information processing will rely on coherent quantum phenomena, such as the coupling between light and matter. Using a quantum well within a capacitor to study how atomic physics and condensed matter physics are linked, researchers suggest a device architecture for semiconductor-based quantum processing.

Irradiating superconductors with charged particles has been shown to alter the superconducting transition temperature $T_c$. New results show that using electrons as the bombarding particles on an Fe-based superconductor reduces $T_c$ by significantly more than in previous studies.

Medical techniques such as transcranial ultrasound beam focusing suffer from energy losses and distorted acoustic fields. Researchers show how metamaterials can be used to enhance acoustic transmission.

Spintronics, which exploits both an electron’s spin and magnetic moment, may help revolutionize new memory-storage techniques. Scientists show how the anisotropic magnetoresistance of Sr${}_2$IrO${}_4$ changes with magnetic field strength, shedding light on the properties of antiferromagnetic oxides.

Topological qubits can process and store quantum information. A new theory proposes that topological qubits can be synthesized in experimentally well-established conventional bilayer fractional quantum Hall states.

An automated analysis of the words in 117 years worth of the Physical Review selects scientific memes—significant ideas that emerge and spread through the literature.

Quantum ice, an archetype of frustrated systems, exhibits links between spin physics and electromagnetism. A numerical investigation show how quantum ice dynamics can be realized in ensembles of ultracold Rydberg atoms in optical lattice potentials.

Quantum communications rely on transmitting quantum states, which are susceptible to transmission loss. Researchers have experimentally compensated for the transmission loss of two-qubit entangled states over a 5-km-long fiber configured as a distributed amplifier.

Quantum computing is susceptible to noise, which can require parallel measurements of many individual particles to correct. A new “measurement-free” scheme is proposed to protect quantum information in a topological way.

The FERMI facility in Trieste, Italy, is ideal for generating and measuring light characterized by tunable polarization states in the vacuum ultraviolet spectral range. New results reveal a high degree of polarization (>0.9) over 26–55 nanometers.

Achieving quantum computation has been a long-standing goal of physicists and engineers. Researchers conduct numerical simulations of a quantum computer to show that a “clock speed” of kilohertz is possible with today’s systems.

Surfaces that offer arbitrary control of reflected light have enormous implications in the field of nanophotonics. New metasurfaces consisting of gold nanorods are used to fully control the reflective properties of electromagnetic radiation.

Quantum qubits and quantum gates have some basis in topological phases. Researchers explain how to couple two-dimensional Abelian sheets to produce three-dimensional topological structures.

For wave propagation in a lossy optical medium, the total optical power is commonly expected to decay with propagation distance. Using methods of non-normal operator theory, researchers challenge this notion and show that overall lossy optical materials with a small amount of distributed gain can amplify certain input signals by orders of magnitude.

New experimental results show that HgTe functions as a superb three-dimensional topological insulator over a range of applied gate voltages and that the screening of the Dirac surface states stabilizes surface conduction.

High-temperature superconductivity may arise from competing or cooperating mechanisms. Researchers show that Raman light scattering can be used to characterize competing superconducting channels in the iron-based compound Ba${}_{0.6}$K${}_{0.4}$Fe${}_2$As${}_2$.

The creation of quantum-correlated photon pairs is a necessary step toward realizing quantum simulation and ultimately quantum computing. Using a millimeter-scale silicon-on-insulator chip, scientists successfully separate correlated photon pairs from background pump photons, where the latter are more numerous by a factor exceeding 10 billion.

The periodic input of energy into systems—driving—can have profound effects. Scientists studying driven interacting quantum systems find that a lattice model displays three different regimes as a function of driving period.

Researchers investigate bosonic topological insulators, characterized by exotic surface states, using Monte Carlo simulations.

Fractional quantum Hall states are topological quantum fluids observed in two-dimensional electron gases in strong magnetic fields. Researchers show that these electron gases can also harbor a quantum phase transition to an electronic nematic state inside the topological state.