CMP Journal 2025-10-20
Statistics
Nature: 3
Nature Materials: 2
Nature Nanotechnology: 1
Nature Physics: 1
arXiv: 62
Nature
Selective Methylene Oxidation in α,β-Unsaturated Carbonyl Natural Products
Original Paper | Catalysis | 2025-10-19 20:00 EDT
Chiyoung Ahn, Alexander Gomez, Marc A. Hartmann, M. Christina White
α,β-Unsaturated carbonyl functionality- those with connected carbon-carbon and carbon-oxygen double bonds- are commonly found in bioactive compounds. Late-stage functionalization of these compounds could involve oxidation of methylene (2°) C–H bonds while leaving the C–C double bonds that are important for biological activity intact1-3. Catalytic systems have been developed for selective oxidation of methylenes in the presence aromatics4 and N-heterocycles5, however olefins remain an unsolved problem. Here we show that replacing the carboxylic acid with a H-bond donor solvent in sterically hindered manganese PDP catalysts changes the active oxidant to one that accelerates electron rich methylene oxidation and significantly slows epoxidation of electron deficient olefins (kC-H[O]/kepox = 38.5). Chemoselective methylene oxidation is demonstrated in forty-five molecules housing α,β-unsaturated carbonyl functionality where all previous methods afforded allylic oxidation or epoxidation. Mechanistic studies support that the new oxidant proceeds via a more charged pathway that disfavors electron deficient bonds, demonstrating that highly reactive metal oxidants can be tuned to achieve chemoselectivity. These discoveries enable the first late-stage oxidations in complex natural products and derivatives housing these pharmacophoric substructures to furnish novel analogues and known metabolites.
Catalysis, Chemical biology, Chemical synthesis
Parity and lactation induce T cell mediated breast cancer protection
Original Paper | Cancer | 2025-10-19 20:00 EDT
Balaji Virassamy, Franco Caramia, Peter Savas, Michael A. Harris, Jia-Wern Pan, Jianan Wang, Emmaline Brown, Megan M. R. O’Malley, Courtney T. van Geelen, Michael Hun, Thomas N. Burn, Sneha Sant, Jamieson D. Ballan, Jasmine Kay, Luis E. Lara Gonzalez, Kylie Clarke, Han Xian Aw Yeang, Rejhan Idrizi, Metta Jana, Damon J. Challice, Roberto Salgado, Heather Thorne, David Amor, Lesley Andrews, Yoland Antill, Rosemary Balleine, Jonathan Beesley, Ian Bennett, Michael Bogwitz, Simon Bodek, Leon Botes, Meagan Brennan, Melissa Brown, Michael Buckley, Jo Burke, Phyllis Butow, Liz Caldon, Ian Campbell, Michelle Cao, Anannya Chakrabarti, Deepa Chauhan, Manisha Chauhan, Georgia Chenevix-Trench, Alice Christian, Paul Cohen, Alison Colley, Ashley Crook, James Cui, Eliza Courtney, Margaret Cummings, Sarah-Jane Dawson, Anna deFazio, Martin Delatycki, Rebecca Dickson, Joanne Dixon, Stacey Edwards, Gelareh Farshid, Andrew Fellows, Georgina Fenton, Michael Field, James Flanagan, Peter Fong, Laura Forrest, Stephen Fox, Juliet French, Michael Friedlander, Clara Gaff, Mike Gattas, Peter George, Sian Greening, Marion Harris, Stewart Hart, Philip Harraka, Nick Hayward, John Hopper, Cass Hoskins, Clare Hunt, Paul James, Mark Jenkins, Alexa Kidd, Judy Kirk, Jessica Koehler, James Kollias, Sunil Lakhani, Mitchell Lawrence, Jason Lee, Shuai Li, Geoff Lindeman, Jocelyn Lippey, Lara Lipton, Liz Lobb, Sherene Loi, Graham Mann, Deborah Marsh, Sue-Anne McLachlan, Bettina Meiser, Roger Milne, Shona O’Connell, Sarah O’Sullivan, David Gallego-Ortega, Nick Pachter, Jia-Min Pang, Gargi Pathak, Briony Patterson, Amy Pearn, Kelly Phillips, Ellen Pieper, Susan Ramus, Edwina Rickard, Abi Ragunathan, Bridget Robinson, Mona Saleh, Anita Skandarajah, Elizabeth Salisbury, Christobel Saunders, Jodi Saunus, Peter Savas, Rodney Scott, Clare Scott, Adrienne Sexton, Joanne Shaw, Andrew Shelling, Shweta Srinivasa, Peter Simpson, Melissa Southey, Amanda Spurdle, Jessica Taylor, Renea Taylor, Heather Thorne, Alison Trainer, Kathy Tucker, Jane Visvader, Logan Walker, Rachael Williams, Ingrid Winship, Mary-Ann Young, Milita Zaheed, Cathie Poliness, Sophie Nightingale, Soo-Hwang Teo, Terence P. Speed, Jane Visvader, Paul J. Neeson, Phillip K. Darcy, Laura K. Mackay, Sherene Loi
Parity and breastfeeding reduce the risk of breast cancer, particularly triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)1,2, yet the immunological mechanisms underlying this protection remain unclear. Here, we show that parity induces an accumulation of CD8+ T cells, including cells with a tissue-resident memory (TRM)-like phenotype within human normal breast tissue. In murine models, pregnancy followed by lactation and involution drove the accumulation of CD8⁺ T cells in the mammary gland, coinciding with reduced tumour growth and increased intratumoural immune cell infiltration, effects that were abrogated by CD8⁺ T cell depletion. Importantly, this CD8+ T cell dependent tumour control was only observed following a complete cycle of lactation and involution. Consistent with this, primary TNBCs from parous women exhibited greater T cell infiltration and improved clinical outcomes. Together these findings, spanning preclinical models and over 1000 patient samples, provide new insight into how reproductive history shapes breast immunity, positioning CD8⁺ T cells as key mediators of parity-associated protection and informing novel strategies for both prevention and treatment of breast cancer.
Cancer, Medical research
Neoadjuvant immunotherapy in mismatch-repair-proficient colon cancers
Original Paper | Cancer immunotherapy | 2025-10-19 20:00 EDT
Pedro B. Tan, Yara L. Verschoor, José G. van den Berg, Sara Balduzzi, Niels F. M. Kok, Marieke E. Ijsselsteijn, Kat Moore, Adham Jurdi, Antony Tin, Paulien Kaptein, Monique E. van Leerdam, John B. A. G. Haanen, Emile E. Voest, Noel F. C. C. de Miranda, Ton N. Schumacher, Lodewyk F. A. Wessels, Myriam Chalabi
Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) has led to paradigm shifts in the treatment of various tumour types1-4, yet limited efficacy has been observed in patients with metastatic mismatch-repair proficient (pMMR) colorectal cancer5. Here we report clinical results and in-depth analysis of patients with early-stage pMMR colon cancer from the phase II NICHE study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03026140). A total of 31 patients received neoadjuvant treatment of nivolumab plus ipilimumab followed by surgery. The response rate was 26% and included six patients with a major pathological response (≤10% residual viable tumour). One patient with an ongoing clinical complete response did not undergo surgery. Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) was positive in 26/31 patients at baseline, and clearance was observed in 5/6 responders prior to surgery, while 19/20 non-responders remained ctDNA+. Responses were observed despite a low tumour mutational burden in all tumours, while chromosomal genomic instability scores were significantly higher in responders compared to non-responders. Furthermore, responding tumours had significantly higher baseline expression of proliferation signatures and TCF1, and imaging mass cytometry revealed a higher percentage of Ki-67+ cancer and Ki-67+ CD8+ T cells in responders compared to non-responders. These results provide a comprehensive analysis of response to neoadjuvant ICB in early-stage pMMR colon cancers and identify potential biomarkers for patient selection.
Cancer immunotherapy, Cancer microenvironment, Colon cancer, Predictive markers, Translational research
Nature Materials
Drawing boundaries between feasible and unfeasible zeolite intergrowths using high-throughput computational screening with synthesis validation
Original Paper | Atomistic models | 2025-10-19 20:00 EDT
Kota Oishi, Koki Muraoka, Satoko Toyama, Takeshi Iwata, Takehito Seki, Naoya Shibata, Kenta Iyoki, Toru Wakihara, Tatsuya Okubo, Akira Nakayama
Zeolites are a class of porous crystalline silicate-based materials with applications such as catalysis and separation. Zeolite intergrowths can have superior performance compared with conventional single-phase zeolites in these applications. This study develops a computational workflow to evaluate ~1.03 trillion atomistic structures to identify promising zeolite intergrowths through geometrical analysis and atomistic simulations. We find that interfacial energy is an excellent descriptor to distinguish hydrothermally synthesized zeolite intergrowths from the others, showing almost-perfect classification performance (area under the curve of 0.995). Computational screening workflow saves 100% of hydrothermally synthesized zeolite pairs and successfully rejects 99.3% of hypothetical pairs. Network analyses reveal that hypothetical pairs comparable to experimentally proven ones show substantial topological and chemical similarities, although such information is not directly used in the screening workflow. One of the hypothetical candidates that passed the criteria is experimentally realized by direct and seed-assisted hydrothermal syntheses, thereby broadening the applicable scope of zeolite intergrowths to zincosilicates with three and nine rings.
Atomistic models, Porous materials
High-performance graphene-based carbon fibres prepared at room temperature via domain folding
Original Paper | Mechanical and structural properties and devices | 2025-10-19 20:00 EDT
Peng Li, Ziqiu Wang, Gangfeng Cai, Yingjie Zhao, Zihao Deng, Bo Wang, Zheng Li, Xin Ming, Weiwei Gao, Zhen Xu, Zhiping Xu, Yingjun Liu, Chao Gao
The assembly of strong graphene into high-performance macroscopic materials has attracted great interest and sustained attention. Thermal treatment has proven effective in improving the performance by restoring pristine graphene lattice from defective graphene oxide. However, the mechanical performance of graphene fibres remains inferior to that of single-layer pristine graphene, primarily due to assembly-induced defects such as microvoids that form during the folding process of two-dimensional sheets to fibre structures. Here we report the room-temperature fabrication of ultrastrong and stiff graphene fibres, which exhibit an average tensile strength of 5.19 GPa and Young’s modulus of 529 GPa. We propose a domain-folding strategy to construct highly folded yet densely packed nanotexture, resulting in a tenfold reduction in microvoid volume. The stress distribution within the fibres is homogenized, leading to enhanced mechanical properties. These findings advance the fabrication of carbon fibres and other macroscopic materials assembled from two-dimensional nanosheets, enabling high material quality with reduced energy consumption.
Mechanical and structural properties and devices
Nature Nanotechnology
Reversible metamorphosis of hierarchical DNA-inorganic crystals
Original Paper | Organic-inorganic nanostructures | 2025-10-19 20:00 EDT
Yuan Gao, Wenzheng Shi, Stephen J. Klawa, Margaret L. Daly, Edward T. Samulski, Ehssan Nazockdast, Ronit Freeman
Living systems transform their shapes via reversible formation of macromolecular structural complexes, leading to deformations at localized sites. Here we report DNA-inorganic flower-shaped crystals with inscribed deformation modes that enable flowers to shrink and bend reversibly. Template-independent DNA polymerization of pH-responsive and inert blocks tune the hierarchical assembly and spatial localization of DNA within flowers. Experiments and simulations demonstrate that reversible, pH-triggered folding of intraflower DNA strands drives reconfiguration of flowers. By contrast, the subflower localization of these contractile DNA motifs dictates the mode of shape change. As microscale flowers close and open, their nanoscale crystal organization changes reversibly, suggesting that mechanical metamorphosis of flowers is transduced across multiple organizational length scales. The adaptability of flowers to environmental changes activates cascaded biocatalytic reactions and reveals gel-encrypted information. Further variation of the DNA polymer sequence, its subcrystal localization and its reversible folding advances a new class of organic-inorganic shape-shifters.
Organic-inorganic nanostructures, Organizing materials with DNA
Nature Physics
Cavity electrodynamics of van der Waals heterostructures
Original Paper | Electronic properties and materials | 2025-10-19 20:00 EDT
Gunda Kipp, Hope M. Bretscher, Benedikt Schulte, Dorothee Herrmann, Kateryna Kusyak, Matthew W. Day, Sivasruthi Kesavan, Toru Matsuyama, Xinyu Li, Sara Maria Langner, Jesse Hagelstein, Felix Sturm, Alexander M. Potts, Christian J. Eckhardt, Yunfei Huang, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, Angel Rubio, Dante M. Kennes, Michael A. Sentef, Emmanuel Baudin, Guido Meier, Marios H. Michael, James W. McIver
Van der Waals heterostructures host many-body quantum phenomena that are tunable in situ using electrostatic gates. Their constituent two-dimensional materials and gates can naturally form plasmonic self-cavities, confining light in standing waves of current density due to finite-size effects. The plasmonic resonances of typical graphite gates fall in the gigahertz to terahertz range, corresponding to the same microelectronvolt to millielectronvolt energy scale as the phenomena in van der Waals heterostructures that they electrically control. This raises the possibility that the built-in cavity modes of graphite gates are relevant for shaping the low-energy physics of these heterostructures. However, probing these cavity-coupled electrodynamics is challenging as devices are notably smaller than the diffraction limit at the relevant wavelengths. Here we report on the intrinsic cavity conductivity of gate-tunable graphene heterostructures. As the carrier density is tuned, we observe coupling and spectral weight transfer between graphene and graphite plasmonic cavity modes in the ultrastrong coupling regime. We present an analytical model to describe the results and provide general principles for cavity design. Our findings show that intrinsic cavity effects are important for understanding the low-energy electrodynamics of van der Waals heterostructures and open a pathway for useful functionality through cavity control.
Electronic properties and materials, Nanophotonics and plasmonics, Optical properties and devices
arXiv
Incorporating Si into Sb2Se3: Tailoring Optical Phase Change Materials via Nanocomposites
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Chih-Yu Lee, Yi-Siou Huang, Felix Adams, Chuanyu Lian, Hongyi Sun, Jie Zhao, Zichao Ye, Nathan Youngblood, Juejun Hu, Leslie H Allen, Yifei Mo, Ichiro Takeuchi, Carlos A Rios Ocampo
Chalcogenide-based optical phase change materials (OPCMs) exhibit a large contrast in refractive index when reversibly switched between their stable amorphous and crystalline states. OPCMs have rapidly gained attention due to their versatility as nonvolatile amplitude or phase modulators in various photonic devices. However, open challenges remain, such as achieving reliable response and transparency spanning into the visible spectrum, a combination of properties in which current broadband OPCMs (e.g., Ge2Sb2Se4Te1, Sb2Se3, or Sb2S3) fall short. Discovering novel materials or engineering existing ones is, therefore, crucial in extending the application scope of OPCMs. Here, we use magnetron co-sputtering to study the effects of Si doping into Sb2Se3. We employ ellipsometry, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy to investigate the effects of Si doping on the optical properties and crystal structure and compare these results with those from first principles calculations. Moreover, we study the crystallization and melt-quenching of thin films via nano-differential scanning calorimetry (NanoDSC). Our experiments demonstrate that 20% Si doping increases the transparency window in both states, specifically to 800 nm (1.55 eV) in the amorphous phase, while reducing power consumption by lowering the melting temperature. However, this reduction comes at the cost of reducing the refractive index contrast between states and slowing the kinetics of the phase transition.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci), Applied Physics (physics.app-ph)
5 Figures, 2 tables, 17 pages
Topological Order Without Band Topology in Moiré Graphene
New Submission | Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Hui Liu, Raul Perea-Causin, Zhao Liu, Emil J. Bergholtz
The discovery of zero-field fractional Chern insulators (FCIs) in moiré materials has attracted intense interest in the interplay between topology and correlations. Here, we demonstrate that fractionalized topological order can emerge under realistic conditions even within a topologically trivial moiré band. By projecting long-range Coulomb interactions into a trivial band of twisted multilayer graphene, we identify a set of incompressible FCI ground states exhibiting fractional quantized Hall conductance. Their Laughlin-like behavior is further confirmed through the particle-cut entanglement spectrum. We trace the origin of this phase to the strongly inhomogeneous distribution of quantum geometry within the moiré Brillouin zone, which reshapes interaction effects independently of the band topology. Extending this heuristic quantum geometric mechanism, we demonstrate that similarly unexpected Laughlin-like FCIs can also be stabilized in higher-Chern-number moiré bands under experimentally accessible conditions. Our results establish realistic scenarios under which many-body topological order can emerge independently of single-particle band topology.
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall), Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
Reconstructing Spin Hamiltonians of 2D Gutzwiller-Projected Wavefunctions
New Submission | Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
We apply the correlation matrix Hamiltonian reconstruction technique to the two-dimensional Gutzwiller-projected Fermi sea and {\pi}-flux states on finite-sized square and triangular lattices. Our results indicate no spin Hamiltonian with simple local interaction terms stabilizes such states for finite system sizes. We develop a quantitative assessment of the importance of local interactions to the stabilization of these liquid states. Lastly, we systematically assess arguments for the origin of local terms driving a Gutzwiller-projected ground state.
Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el), Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci), Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
12 pages, 7 figures, 1 table
Entanglement Entropy from Correlation Functions of Scalar Fields in and out of Equilibrium
New Submission | Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Mrinal Kanti Sarkar, Saranyo Moitra, Rajdeep Sensarma
We show that odd order Rényi entropies $ S^{(2q+1)}$ of a system of interacting scalar fields can be calculated as the free energy of $ 2q+1$ replicas of the system with additional quadratic inter-replica couplings in the subsystem at the time of measurement of the entropy. These couplings replace boundary field matching conditions. This formalism works both in and out of thermal equilibrium, for closed as well as open quantum systems, and provides a general dictionary between measurable correlation functions and entanglement entropy. $ S^{(2q+1)}$ can be analytically continued to calculate the von Neumann entropy $ S^{\mathrm{vN}}$ . We provide an exact formula relating $ S^{(2q+1)}$ and $ S^{\mathrm{vN}}$ with correlation functions in a non-interacting theory. For interacting theories, we provide rules for constructing all possible Feynman diagrams for $ S^{(2q+1)}$ . We show that the boundary matching conditions cannot be completely eliminated while calculating Rényi entropies of even order due to presence of zero modes in replica space.
Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech), Other Condensed Matter (cond-mat.other), Quantum Gases (cond-mat.quant-gas), High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th), Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
11 + 8 pages, 4 + 1 Figures
Superconductivity suppression and bilayer decoupling in Pr substituted YBa$_2$Cu$3$O${7-δ}$
New Submission | Superconductivity (cond-mat.supr-con) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Jinming Yang, Zheting Jin, Siqi Wang, Camilla Moir, Mingyu Xu, Brandon Gunn, Xian Du, Zhibo Kang, Keke Feng, Makoto Hashimoto, Donghui Lu, Jessica McChesney, Shize Yang, Wei-Wei Xie, Alex Frano, M. Brian Maple, Sohrab Ismail-Beigi, Yu He
The mechanism behind superconductivity suppression induced by Pr substitutions in YBa$ _2$ Cu$ _3$ O$ _{7-\delta}$ (YBCO) has been a mystery since its discovery: in spite of being isovalent to Y$ ^{3+}$ with a small magnetic moment, it is the only rare-earth element that has a dramatic impact on YBCO’s superconducting properties. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and DFT+$ U$ calculations, we uncover how Pr substitution modifies the low-energy electronic structure of YBCO. Contrary to the prevailing Fehrenbacher-Rice (FR) and Liechtenstein-Mazin (LM) models, the low energy electronic structure contains no signature of any $ f$ -electron hybridization or new states. Yet, strong electron doping is observed primarily on the antibonding Fermi surface. Meanwhile, we reveal major electronic structure modifications to Cu-derived states with increasing Pr substitution: a pronounced CuO$ _2$ bilayer decoupling and an enhanced CuO chain hopping, implying indirect electron-release pathways beyond simple 4$ f$ state ionization. Our results challenge the long-standing FR/LM mechanism and establish Pr substituted YBCO as a potential platform for exploring correlation-driven phenomena in coupled 1D-2D systems.
Superconductivity (cond-mat.supr-con), Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
Robust Orbital-Selective Flat Bands in Transition-Metal Oxychlorides
New Submission | Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Xiangyu Luo, Ludovica Zullo, Sahaj Patel, Dongjin Oh, Qian Song, Asish K. Kundu, Anil Rajapitamahuni, Elio Vescovo, Natalia Olszowska, Rafal Kurleto, Dawid Wutke, Giorgio Sangiovanni, Riccardo Comin
Flat electronic bands, which amplify electron correlations by quenching kinetic energy, provide an ideal foundation for exotic quantum phases. However, prevailing strategies – including geometrically frustrated lattices, moire superlattices and heavy-fermion physics – suffer from inherent trade-offs among robustness, tunability and orbital selectivity, limiting their broad applicability. Here, we unveil an intrinsic orbital-selective flat-band mechanism in the van der Waals materials NbOCl2 and TaOCl2, directly observed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and understood through density functional theory (DFT) and Wannier analysis. Crucially, we experimentally demonstrate that this momentum-independent flat band exhibits remarkable robustness, surviving from the bulk crystal down to the few-layer limit at room temperature. Our theoretical analysis traces its origin to the hybridization between Nb-dz2 orbital chains and the Lieb-like dx2-y2 sublattice, which is further reinforced by Peierls dimerization. Our findings not only establish transition-metal oxychlorides as a robust and tunable platform for flat-band-driven correlated phases under ambient conditions, but also uncover a new orbital-selective design principle for realizing flat bands in quantum materials.
Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el), Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
Unusual dependence on the angle of magnetic field for the spin Hall magnetoresistance of monodomain epitaxial BiFeO3 thin films
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Yongjian Tang, Pratap Pal, Matthew Roddy, Jon Schad, Ruofan Li, Joongwon Lee, Farhan Rana, Tianxiang Nan, Chang-Beom Eom, Daniel C. Ralph
Spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR) measurements provide a way to probe the surface spin structure of insulating magnetic materials. Such measurements produce resistance signals of the form {$ \Delta$ }R {$ \propto$ } cos[2($ \alpha$ -$ \alpha$ _0$ )], where $ \alpha$ is the angle between the current and the external in-plane magnetic field. Previous experiments on a wide range of materials have found $ \alpha$ _0$ = 0$ °$ for ferromagnets and $ \alpha$ _0$ = 90$ °$ for antiferromagnets. Here we investigate SMR in bilayers of Pt with monodomain BiFeO$ _3$ multiferroic epitaxial thin films. We observe signals of the form {$ \Delta$ }R {$ \propto$ } cos[2($ \alpha$ -$ \alpha$ _0$ )] but surprisingly the angle $ \alpha$ _0$ can take values very different from 90$ °$ or 0$ °$ , with large variations from sample to sample. The aim of the paper is to report this striking departure from the expected magnetic field dependence of SMR and to encourage consideration of possible microscopic mechanisms.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
34 pages, 12 figures
Active Ionic Fluxes Induce Symmetry Breaking in Charge-Patterned Nanochannels
New Submission | Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Sergi G. Leyva, Ahis Shresta, Monica Olvera de la Cruz
Biological systems rely on autonomous modes of charge transport to transmit signals, whereas conventional artificial systems typically depend on external fields, such as voltage or pressure gradients, limiting their adaptability. Here we investigate nanochannels in which an electrolyte is confined by symmetric boundary configurations combining patterned surface charge with active ionic fluxes. We show that the interplay between diffusive, electrostatic and hydrodynamic interactions in such active-charged nanosystems can trigger a symmetry breaking as the activity increases. Our results suggest that active-charged nanochannels could amplify directed flows up to the order of meters per second, opening pathways toward adaptable iontronic devices and neuromorphic architectures.
Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft), Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
Unusual critical points between atomic insulating phases
New Submission | Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
We study a class of quantum phase transitions between featureless bosonic atomic insulators in $ (2+1)$ dimensions, where each phase exhibits neither topological order nor protected edge modes. Despite their lack of topology, these insulators may be ``obstructed’’ in the sense that their Wannier centers are not pinned to the physical atomic sites. These insulators represent distinct phases, as no symmetry-preserving adiabatic path connects them. Surprisingly, we find that the critical point between these insulators can host a conformally invariant state described by quantum electrodynamics in $ (2+1)$ dimensions (QED$ _3$ ). The emergent electrodynamics at the critical point can be stabilized if the embedding of the microscopic lattice symmetries suppresses the proliferation of monopoles, suggesting that even transitions between trivial phases can harbor rich and unexpected physics. We analyze the mechanism behind this phenomenon, discuss its stability against perturbations, and explore the embedding of lattice symmetries into the continuum through anomaly matching. In all the models we analyze, we confirm that the QED$ _3$ is indeed emergeable, in the sense that it is realizable from a local lattice Hamiltonian.
Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el), High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th)
27 pages, 10 figures
Cluster percolation and dynamical scaling in the Baxter–Wu model
New Submission | Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Alexandros Vasilopoulos, Michail Akritidis, Nikolaos G. Fytas, Martin Weigel
We investigate the percolation behavior of Fortuin-Kasteleyn–type clusters in the spin-$ 1/2$ Baxter–Wu model with three-spin interactions on a triangular lattice. The considered clusters are constructed by randomly freezing one of the three sublattices, resulting in effective pairwise interactions among the remaining spins. Using Monte Carlo simulations combined with a finite-size scaling analysis, we determine the percolation temperature of these stochastic clusters and show that it coincides with the exact thermal critical point of the model. The critical exponents derived from cluster observables are consistent with those of the underlying thermal phase transition. Finally, we analyze the dynamical scaling of the multi-cluster and single-cluster algorithms resulting from the cluster construction, highlighting their efficiency and scaling behavior with system size.
Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech), Computational Physics (physics.comp-ph)
10 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, REVTeX4.2
Morphotropic Phase Boundary (MPB) Induced Enhancement of Ferroelectric and Piezoelectric Properties in Li and Ta modified K0.5Na0.5NbO3
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Satyaranjan Sahoo, Dhiren K. Pradhan, Shalini Kumari, Abhisikta Sahu, Koyal Suman Samantaray, Vikas N. Thakur, Anupam Mishra, M. M. Rahaman, Ashok Kumar, Reji Thomas, Philip D. Rack, Dillip K. Pradhan
Lead-free (K0.48Na0.48Li0.04)(Nb1-xTax)O3 (KNLNT-x) ceramics were synthesized to study the effects of Li and Ta substitution on phase transition behavior, microstructure, and ferroelectric, dielectric, and piezoelectric properties. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy show that compositions with x < 0.10 exhibit a single orthorhombic (Amm2) phase, while 0.10 <= x <= 0.20 show coexistence of orthorhombic and tetragonal (Amm2 + P4mm) phases. For x > 0.20, a single tetragonal (P4mm) phase is obtained. Microstructural analysis shows a dense ceramic with decreasing grain size as Ta concentration increases. Temperature-dependent dielectric studies reveal two transitions: orthorhombic-tetragonal (TO-T) and tetragonal-cubic (TC). Both transition temperatures decrease systematically with increasing Ta, and TO-T shifts below room temperature for x > 0.15. The composition KNLNT-0.20 exhibits the highest dielectric constant (Er = 556) and piezoelectric coefficient (d33 = 159 pC/N). The enhanced piezoelectric response is attributed to a morphotropic phase boundary rather than a shift of the polymorphic phase boundary temperature. A composition-temperature phase diagram was constructed based on XRD, Raman, and dielectric data.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci), Disordered Systems and Neural Networks (cond-mat.dis-nn)
45 Pages, 7 main Figures
Four-Spin Interactions as a Route to Multiple-Q Topological Magnetic Order
New Submission | Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
We investigate the role of four-spin interactions in stabilizing exotic multiple-$ Q$ topological spin textures and demonstrate their ability to realize a skyrmion crystal. While such higher-order interactions are known to be important, their intricate nature makes systematic model construction significantly challenging. To address this issue, we develop a theoretical framework that connects microscopic real-space four-spin couplings to their effective interactions in momentum space, providing a clear route to engineer target magnetic phases. Applying this framework to a frustrated Heisenberg model with designed four-spin interactions, we identify the stabilization of the zero-field skyrmion crystal with a topological number of two via simulated annealing. Furthermore, our momentum-space analysis reveals the intrinsic mechanism by which the well-known ring-exchange interaction also favors the skyrmion crystal. Our findings not only present a concrete model for a higher-order skyrmion crystal but also offer a general methodology for understanding and designing a wide range of complex multiple-$ Q$ magnetic orders driven by multi-spin interactions.
Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
14 pages, 9 figures
Three Types of Non-Fermi-Liquid Fixed Point for a Triplet Quantum Impurity in a Cubic Metal
New Submission | Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
In cubic metals, a local, magnetic moment with a triplet ground state coupled to $ \Gamma_8$ conduction electrons can give rise to various non-Fermi liquid (NFL) quantum critical behaviors. To date, only those exchange couplings have been studied that are spherically symmetric already in the high-temperature, local moment regime. Namely, only the effects of potential scattering, spin exchange and quadrupolar exchange couplings were considered, and two types of NFL fixed points have been identified. However, in cubic symmetry, six independent exchange couplings can be present in the Hamiltonian: in addition to the spherically symmetric potential scattering and spin exchange, there is a spherical symmetry breaking, dipolar exchange interaction, and three spherical symmetry breaking, quadrupolar terms. While all of them flow to fixed points where rotational invariance is recovered, we found that one of the quadrupolar couplings flows to a so far unidentified NFL fixed point. We derive the cubic symmetry allowed exchanged couplings, solve them with the numerical renormalization group, and present three types of NFL excitation, one of which is novel, at least in the context of a quantum impurity with a triplet ground state.
Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
14 pages, 3 figures
Advancing AI-Driven Analysis in X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy: Spectral Domain Mapping and Universal Models
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Nina Cao, Pavan Ravindra, Shubha R. Kharel, Chuntian Cao, Boyang Li, Xuance Jiang, Matthew R. Carbone, Xiaohui Qu, Deyu Lu
In recent years, rapid progress has been made in developing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) methods for x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) analysis. Compared to traditional XAS analysis methods, AI/ML approaches offer dramatic improvements in efficiency and help eliminate human bias. To advance this field, we advocate an AI-driven XAS analysis pipeline that features several inter-connected key building blocks: benchmarks, workflows, databases, and AI/ML models. Specifically, we present two case studies for XAS ML. In the first study, we demonstrate the importance of reconciling the discrepancies between simulation and experiment using spectral domain mapping (SDM). Our ML model, which is trained solely on simulated spectra, predicts an incorrect oxidation state trend for Ti atoms in a combinatorial zinc titanate film. After transforming the experimental spectra into a simulation-like representation using SDM, the same model successfully recovers the correct oxidation state trend. In the second study, we explore the development of universal XAS ML models that are trained on the entire periodic table, which enables them to leverage common trends across elements. Looking ahead, we envision that an AI-driven pipeline can unlock the potential of real-time XAS analysis to accelerate scientific discovery.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
Development and Validation of 2NN-MEAM Interatomic Potential for Sc and Al-Sc Alloys Thermodynamics Solidification and Intermetallic Ordering
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
We present a second-nearest-neighbor Modified Embedded Atom Method (2NN–MEAM) potential for Scandium (Sc) and Aluminum-Scandium (Al–Sc) alloys that unifies cohesive, thermodynamic, and solidification behavior within a single transferable framework. The Sc component accurately reproduces cohesive energy, lattice constants, defect energetics, and the experimental melting point obtained from two-phase coexistence, demonstrating reliable description of both hcp and liquid phases. The Al–Sc binary interaction parameters were fitted using the L1$ _2$ –Al$ _3$ Sc reference and benchmarked against first-principles and calorimetric data. The potential reproduces the strong negative formation enthalpy of Al$ _3$ Sc (–0.45eVatom$ ^{-1}$ ), correct relative stability of competing phases, and realistic elastic properties. Mixing enthalpies of the liquid alloy agree with ideal-associated-solution and CALPHAD models, confirming that the potential captures exothermic Al–Sc association in the melt. Molecular-dynamics simulations of solidification reveal the expected temperature and composition dependence of homogeneous nucleation. Pure Al crystallizes readily, while Al–1at.%Sc exhibits a longer incubation and slower growth at the same absolute temperature due to reduced undercooling and solute drag. Within the alloy, ordered Al$ _3$ Sc-type L1$ _2$ embryos appear spontaneously, with Sc atoms occupying cube-corner (B) sites surrounded by twelve Al neighbors. Energy–volume trajectories confirm that the potential links thermodynamics to microstructural evolution. Overall, the developed 2NN–MEAM potential provides a quantitatively grounded basis for modeling melting, solidification, and intermetallic ordering in Sc and Al–Sc systems, enabling future multicomponent alloy design and large-scale nucleation studies.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
Dynamic destruction of magnetic order in a quantum Ising chain with oscillating transverse field
New Submission | Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
We study the dynamic response of magnetic domain walls in low-lying excited states of an Ising chain to an oscillating transverse field. Based on the exact instantaneous eigenstates, we find that when the frequency of the external field is in off-resonant regions, the domain wall exhibits Bloch oscillation, maintaining the magnetic order. However, the magnetic order is destroyed when the field is at resonant frequency. Numerical simulations of the dynamics of magnetization and entanglement entropy for initial states with single and double domain walls accord with the predictions. These findings reveal the nontrivial effect of a monochromatic electromagnetic field on quantum spin dynamics.
Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
Finite-frequency fluctuation-response inequality
New Submission | Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
We derive an inequality relating the finite-frequency linear response and fluctuations of an observable in a physical system. The relation holds for arbitrary observables and perturbations in general Markovian dynamics, including over- and underdamped Langevin systems and jump processes, both in and out of equilibrium. As a consequence, we obtain a universal upper bound on the broad-band signal-to-noise ratio of noisy dynamics, which only depends on the damping constant and temperature. We further show that the inequality reduces to an equality for appropriately chosen observables or perturbations in linear systems, both overdamped and underdamped and both in and out of equilibrium.
Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech)
21 pages, 4 figures
Enhanced magnetic, electrical, and magnetostrictive properties of La-doped SrCoO3 synthesized by microwave heating
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
L.A. Longchar, M. Manikandan, R. Mahendiran
We report microwave-assisted synthesis and physical properties of La-doped SrCoO3-{\delta}. The Sr0.8La0.2CoO3-{\delta} synthesized via microwave heating (MWH) exhibits superior physical properties compared to a nominally identical composition obtained by conventional heating (CH) in an electrical furnace. The MWH sample exhibits an enhanced ferromagnetic Curie temperature (158 K in CH and 176 K in MWH samples) and higher saturation magnetization but smaller coercive field and magnetoresistance at 10 K compared to the CH sample. While the dc resistivity increases substantially below 120 K in the CH sample, it is metallic from 350 to 10 K in the MWH sample. Further, the longitudinal magnetostriction of the MWH sample ({\lambda}par = 247 ppm for H = 50 kOe) at 10 K is also higher than that of the CH sample ({\lambda}par = 128 ppm). The observed enhanced properties of the MWH sample can not be attributed to grain size and grain boundaries but are likely to arise from lesser oxygen defects and partial oxidation of Co3+ into Co4+, however, the exact mechanism is not fully understood at present.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
14 pages, 4 Figures
Does Moire Matter? Critical Moire Dependence with Quantum Fluctuations in Graphene Based Integer and Fractional Chern Insulators
New Submission | Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Zihao Huo, Wenxuan Wang, Jian Xie, Yves H. Kwan, Jonah Herzog-Arbeitman, Zaizhe Zhang, Qiu Yang, Min Wu, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, Kaihui Liu, Nicolas Regnault, B. Andrei Bernevig, Xiaobo Lu
Rhombohedral multilayer graphene has emerged as a powerful platform for investigating flat-band-driven correlated phenomena, yet most aspects remain not understood. In this work, we systematically study the moire-dependent band topology in rhombohedral hexalayer graphene. For the first time we demonstrate that the moire twist angle plays a crucial role in the formation of the moire Chern insulators in rhombohedral hexalayer graphene/hexagonal boron nitride (RHG/hBN) moire superlattices. In the moire-distant regime at filling factor v = 1, only systems with a twist angle {\theta} < 1.1° exhibit an integer moire Chern insulator, while the fractional Chern insulator at v = 2/3 requires smaller twist angle to be stabilized. Our theoretical modelling, which includes quantum fluctuations and exact diagonalization results, suggests that mean-field theory, which has been widely adopted, does not explain the twist-angle dependence of the v = 1 phase diagram, and that correlation effects are crucial. Moreover, we realize two distinct stacking configurations ( /Xi=0 and /Xi=1) between graphene and hBN, and find that both cases can yield a Chern insulator at v = 1. Our experimental work upends the current mean-field paradigm, illuminates how quantum fluctuations and moiré effects shape the RHG/hBN phase diagram, and paves the way for future understanding and engineering of topological correlated states in rhombohedral graphene moire systems.
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall), Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
Magnetic fluctuations and anisotropy in UTe2: a multi-orbital study based on GGA+U and RPA
New Submission | Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Makoto Shimizu, Youichi Yanase
Pressure-induced changes in the magnetic and superconducting properties of a spin-triplet superconductor candidate UTe2 have attracted considerable interest, underscoring the need for microscopic theoretical insight. In this paper, we investigate magnetic fluctuations and their anisotropy at ambient pressure and under pressure using density functional theory (DFT) combined with the random phase approximation (RPA). For each pressure, we perform DFT+U calculations for several values of the Coulomb interaction U, construct a 72-orbital periodic Anderson model, and calculate magnetic susceptibilities with use of the RPA. For U = 2 eV, the Fermi surfaces have a quasi-two-dimensional shape, antiferromagnetic fluctuations develop with the wave vector along the a\ast axis, and the magnetic anisotropy follows $ \chi^b > \chi^a > \chi^c$ . The antiferromagnetic fluctuations are suppressed under pressure because of a reduced density of states at the Fermi level, while the magnetic anisotropy is weakened. In contrast, for U = 1 eV, where Fermi surfaces are more three-dimensional, antiferromagnetic fluctuations with Q2 = 0.22 b\ast appear, accompanied by anisotropy $ \chi^a > \chi^c > \chi^b$ , consistent with experiments. Under pressure, antiferromagnetic fluctuations around Q2 are enhanced, the magnetic wave vector tilts slightly toward the a\ast direction due to Fermi-surface distortion, and the magnetic anisotropy is suppressed. These results demonstrate that the pressure evolution of magnetism in UTe2 is governed by the momentum-space distribution of U-5f states and the density of states at the Fermi level, providing a microscopic basis for understanding the magnetic and superconducting properties of UTe2.
Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el), Superconductivity (cond-mat.supr-con)
Ab-initio study of structural, vibrational and non-linear optical properties of (TiO2)-(Tl2O)-(TeO2) glasses
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Raghvender Raghvender, Assil Bouzid, Evgenii M. Roginskii, David Hamani, Olivier Noguera, Philippe Thomas, Olivier Masson
This paper reports on a systematic first-principles molecular dynamics investigation of binary (TlO$ _{0.5}$ )$ _{y}$ -(TeO$ _2$ )$ _{1-y}$ and ternary $ (TiO$ _{2}$ )$ _{x}$ -(TlO$ _{0.5}$ )$ _{y}$ -(TeO$ 2$ ){1-x-y}$ tellurite glasses. The obtained structural models are validated against available measured X-ray pair distribution functions. In the binary system, increasing TlO$ _{0.5}$ content induces network depolymerization through the reduction of Te coordination number, the substitution of Te-O-Te linkages with Te=O$ ^{-}$ …Tl$ ^{+}$ units, and the proliferation of non-bridging oxygens. In addition, rings analysis demonstrates a loss of the network connectivity via the opening of small n-membered rings. In contrast, TiO$ _2$ acts as a network former in ternary glasses, preserving Te coordination number, and promoting a high fraction of bridging oxygens. Ti atoms induces a network repolymerization that manifests through the formation of smaller Ti-containing n-membered rings thereby balancing the strong effect of Tl$ _2$ O modifier. Beside the structural analysis, we also computed Raman spectra and non-linear optical properties on the obtained large periodic models. Our results reproduce experimental trends in Raman band shifts with composition, while nonlinear optical calculations show that <$ \chi^{(3)}$ > remains stable with TlO$ _{0.5}$ addition in binary glasses, consistent with experiment. In the case of ternary systems, we find that the inclusion of a small fraction of TiO$ _2$ preserves the high optical nonlinearity of the TeO$ _2$ network while maintaining the overall network connectivity. These results establish a predictive framework for tailoring the atomic structure and nonlinear optical response of tellurite glasses through the controlled interplay of modifiers nature and concentration.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
Altermagnetism induced surface Chern insulator
New Submission | Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Xuance Jiang, Sayed Ali Akbar Ghorashi, Deyu Lu, Jennifer Cano
We propose a new pathway to the quantized anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) by coupling an altermagnet to a topological crystalline insulator (TCI). The former gaps the topological surface states of the TCI, thereby realizing the QAHE in a robust and switchable platform with near- vanishing magnetization. We demonstrate the feasibility of this approach by studying a slab of the TCI SnTe coupled to an altermagnetic RuO2 layer. Our first-principles calculations reveal that the d-wave altermagnetism in RuO2 induces a 7 meV gap to the Dirac surface states on the (110) surface of SnTe, producing a finite anomalous Hall effect. Our approach generalizes to broader classes of altermagnetic materials and TCIs, thereby providing a family of topological altermagnetic heterostructures with small or vanishing magnetization that support nontrivial Chern numbers. Our results highlight a promising new topological platform with great tunability and applications to spintronics.
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall), Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
Dielectric Deposition Enhanced Crystallization in Atomic-Layer-Deposited Indium Oxide Transistors Achieving High Gated-Hall Mobility Exceeding 100 cm2/Vs at Room Temperature
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Chen Wang, Kai Jiang, Jinxiu Zhao, Ziheng Wang, Guilei Wang, Chao Zhao, Mengwei Si
In this work, we report high-performance atomic-layer-deposited indium oxide (In2O3) transistors with high gated-Hall mobility ({\mu}H) exceeding 100 cm2/Vs at room temperature (RT). It is found that the deposition of top hafnium oxide (HfO2) above the In2O3 channel significantly enhances its crystallization, leading to an average grain size of 97.2 nm in a 4.2-nm In2O3 channel. The ALD of In2O3 exhibits an epitaxy-like growth behavior, with its (222) planes aligning parallel to the (111) planes of both the top and bottom HfO2 dielectrics. As a result, bottom-gate In2O3 transistors with a high {\mu}H of 100.9 cm2/Vs and a decent subthreshold swing (SS) of 94 mV/dec are achieved by gated-Hall measurement at RT. Furthermore, the devices maintain excellent performance at low temperatures, achieving a {\mu}H of 162.2 cm2/Vs at 100 K. Our study reveals the critical role of dielectric deposition induced crystallization in enhancing carrier transport and offers a scalable pathway toward high-mobility devices.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
30 pages, 11 figures
Friction-controlled reentrant aging and fluidization in granular materials
New Submission | Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Ye Yuan, Walter Kob, Hajime Tanaka
Granular materials densify under repeated mechanical perturbations, a nonequilibrium dynamics that underlies many natural and industrial processes. Because granular relaxation is governed by frictional contacts and energy dissipation, this aging behavior fundamentally differs from that of thermal glasses despite their apparent similarities. Here, we uncover how friction controls the compaction dynamics of granular packings subjected to cyclic shear. Using discrete element simulations, we construct a dynamic state diagram as a function of strain amplitude and friction, revealing a rich interplay between jamming marginality, stabilization, and fluidization. We identify a friction-dependent crossover strain that separates aging and fluidized regimes, showing reentrant, non-monotonic behavior: Increasing friction first suppresses fluidization, then promotes it through smooth, creep-like rearrangements. This transition is marked by a shift from intermittent, avalanche-like rearrangements to continuous, diffusive motion. Our findings demonstrate that friction exerts a dual role in granular aging – both stabilizing and fluidizing – thereby uncovering the fundamental nonequilibrium mechanisms that govern compaction, rheology, and aging in athermal disordered systems. More broadly, our results reveal a general principle for how friction governs metastability and flow in athermal matter – from granular and frictional colloids to soils and seismic faults – linking microscopic contact mechanics to macroscopic dynamics.
Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft), Disordered Systems and Neural Networks (cond-mat.dis-nn), Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
Unravelling the Catalytic Activity of Dual-Metal Doped N6-Graphene for Sulfur Reduction via Machine Learning-Accelerated First-Principles Calculations
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Sahil Kumar, Adithya Maurya K R, Mudit Dixit
Understanding and optimizing polysulfide adsorption and conversion processes are critical to mitigating shuttle effects and sluggish redox kinetics in lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs). Here, we introduce a machine-learning-accelerated framework, Precise and Accurate Configuration Evaluation (PACE), that integrates Machine Learning Interatomic Potentials (MLIPs) with Density Functional Theory (DFT) to systematically explore adsorption configurations and energetics of a series of N6-coordinated dual-atom catalysts (DACs). Our results demonstrate that, compared with single-atom catalysts, DACs exhibit improved LiPS adsorption and redox conversion through cooperative metal-sulfur interactions and electronic coupling between adjacent metal centers. Among all DACs, Fe-Ni and Fe-Pt show optimal catalytic performance, due to their optimal adsorption energies (-1.0 to -2.3 eV), low free-energy barriers (<=0.4 eV) for the Li2S2 to Li2S conversion, and facile Li2S decomposition barriers (<=1.0 eV). To accelerate catalyst screening, we further developed a machine learning (ML) regression model trained on DFT-calculated data to predict the Gibbs free energy (\Delta G) of Li2Sn adsorption using physically interpretable descriptors. The Gradient Boosting Regression (GBR) model yields an R^2 of 0.85 and an MAE of 0.26 eV, enabling the rapid prediction of \Delta G for unexplored DACs. Electronic-structure analyses reveal that the superior performance originates from the optimal d-band alignment and S-S bond polarization induced by the cooperative effect of dual metal centres. This dual ML-DFT framework demonstrates a generalizable, data-driven design strategy for the rational discovery of efficient catalysts for next-generation LSBs.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
Coarsening kinetics in spin systems with long-range interactions: from voter to Ising
New Submission | Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Federico Corberi, Eugenio Lippiello, Paolo Politi, Luca Smaldone
In this paper, we start reviewing the main features of the one-dimensional Ising model with long-range interactions, where the spin-spin coupling decays as a power law, $ J(r) \propto r^{-\alpha}$ . We then discuss the key properties of the one-dimensional voter model, in which two agents (spins) at distance $ r$ interact with a power-law probability with the same form of $ J(r)$ . The two models are compared, and the so-called $ p$ -voter model is presented, which provides a framework to interpolate between them. Specifically, the $ p$ -voter model reduces to the voter model for $ p = 1$ and $ p = 2$ , while for $ p \ge 3$ it falls into the universality class of the Ising model.
Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech)
24 pages, 9 figures
Confinement-Induced Delay in Chiral Active Brownian Particles
New Submission | Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
We investigate the interplay between chirality and confinement in harmonically trapped active particles. The circular character of chiral motion combines with the radial symmetry of the potential to create distinctive non-equilibrium behavior. Chirality induces oscillatory cross-correlations between positional components that vanish in the absence of torque while the harmonic potential generates a finite delay between orientation and velocity - a signature of time-reversal symmetry breaking distinct from inertial delay mechanisms. The delay function exhibits characteristic temporal evolution with depth and persistence controlled by trap strength and rotational noise. The stationary probability distribution displays strongly non-Maxwellian characteristics, transitioning from broad annuli to compact localized peaks as confinement increases with the distribution radius governed by the competition between chiral propulsion and trap strength. These features emerge from the interplay between chiral swimming and the restoring force of the trap, revealing how confinement and activity jointly shape particle dynamics and transport properties in nonequilibrium steady states.
Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)
16 pages,9 figures
Antiphase boundaries in Ni-Mn-Ga single crystal - experiment and model
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
O. Heczko, F. Maca, V. Drchal, L. Fekete, L. Straka, J. Zemen
Thermally induced antiphase boundaries (APBs) in ferromagnetic, ordered Ni-Mn-Ga single crystal exhibit complex, irregular shapes and closed loops without any lattice plane preferences. The APBs were visualized on polished (100) surface using magnetic force microscopy (MFM) at the same location in parent cubic austenite and monoclinic martensite with uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. Based on ab-initio calculation we suggest that one APB curve with dark and light contrast consists of a pair of APB interfaces with narrow, only one-layer thick, core with structural partial B2’ order in contrast to full L21 order of bulk. Calculated magnetic contrast using magnetostatic continuum simulations agrees well with MFM observation.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
9 pages, 4 figures
Fractional Quantum Hall Wedding Cakes
New Submission | Quantum Gases (cond-mat.quant-gas) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Chloé Van Bastelaere, Felix A. Palm, Botao Wang, Nathan Goldman, Laurens Vanderstraeten
This work investigates the coexistence of distinct topologically ordered phases within a single setup. We demonstrate this concept through tensor network simulations of the Hofstadter-Bose-Hubbard model under a spatially modulated chemical potential. Focusing on cylindrical geometries, we realize regions exhibiting the Laughlin-1/2 phase and its particle-hole conjugate, and confirm their topological character via the local Středa’s response and Laughlin’s flux insertion protocol. Our approach offers a new pathway for experimentally and numerically charting entire phase diagrams within a single system, possibly eliminating the need for independent parameter scans.
Quantum Gases (cond-mat.quant-gas), Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall), Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
8 pages, 5 figures
Gate-tunable Josephson diodes in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene
New Submission | Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
A. Rothstein, R. J. Dolleman, L. Klebl, A. Achtermann, F. Volmer, K. Watanabe, T. Taniguchi, F. Hassler, L. Banszerus, B. Beschoten, C. Stampfer
We report low-temperature measurements of two adjacent, gate-defined Josephson junctions (JJs) in magic-angle twisted bilayer graphene (MATBG) at a moiré filling factor near $ \nu = -2$ . We show that both junctions exhibit a prominent, gate-tunable Josephson diode effect, which we explain by a combination of large kinetic inductance and non-uniform supercurrent distribution. Despite their proximity, the JJs display differences in their interference patterns and different diode behavior, underscoring that microscopic inhomogeneities such as twist angle variations shape the non-uniform supercurrent and drive the diode behavior. As a result, the nonreciprocal supercurrent can be tuned by gate voltage, enabling tuning of the diode efficiency and even reversing the polarity at fixed magnetic fields. Our findings offer potential routes for tailoring Josephson diode performance in superconducting quantum circuits.
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall), Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
22 pages, 13 figures
Synergistic modulation of band structure and phonon transport for higher thermoelectric performance of WSe2
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Mazhar Hussain Danish, Amil Aligayev, Zahir Muhammad, Tao Chen, Adil Mansoor, Zia Ur Rahman, F. J. Dominguez-Gutierrez, Di Li, Jian Zhang, Zhuang Hao Zheng, Xiaoying Qin
Tungsten diselenide (WSe2) emerges as a promising thermoelectric (TE) candidate due to its high thermopower (S), cost-effectiveness, and environmentally friendly characteristics. However, pristine WSe2 exhibits limited electrical conductivity (sigma), a low power factor (PF), and high lattice thermal conductivity (k_L), which restrict its overall TE performance. Here, we show that through co-doping of Nb for W and Te for Se in WSe2, its power factor increases 17-fold, reaching 8.91 microW cm^-1 K^-2 at 850 K. Simultaneously, its lattice thermal conductivity (k_L) decreases from 1.70 W m^-1 K^-1 to 0.48 W m^-1 K^-1. Experiments and density functional theory (DFT) analysis demonstrate that the enhancement of PF is linked to an increased density of states, higher effective mass (md\ast), improved mobility (mu), and elevated electrical conductivity (sigma) owing to the replacement of Se2- with Te2-; while the observed 72% reduction in k_L results primarily from phonon scattering at Te-Se and Nb-W defects. As a result, a remarkable ZT_max ~ 1 is obtained at 850 K for the sample W0.95Nb0.05Se2-yTey with y = 0.3, which is about a 30-fold increase compared to WSe2, proving that Nb and Te co-doping in WSe2 can significantly boost its TE performance.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
CoNi-MOF laccase-like nanozymes prepared by dielectric barrier discharge plasma for treatment of antibiotic pollution
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Chao Liu, Yi Cao, Qi Xia, Amil Aligayev, Qing Huang
Laccase is a natural green catalyst and utilized in pollution treatment. Nevertheless, its practical application is constrained by limitations including high cost, poor stability, and difficulties in recovery. Herein, with inspiration from catalytic mechanism of natural laccase, we designed and prepared a bimetallic metal-organic framework, namely, CoNi-MOF, using low-temperature plasma (LTP) technology. We employed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma to prepare CoNi-MOF, and by precisely modulating the N2/O2 gas ratio, we could modulate the distribution concentration of oxygen vacancies in CoNi-MOF. Experimental investigations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations elucidated that the critical role of the oxygen vacancies in enhancing the laccase-like activity, which promoted the activation of molecular oxygen (O2) for generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Compared to natural laccase, CoNi-MOF exhibited superior catalytic performance in the degradation of antibiotic tetracycline (TC), along with enhanced resistance to harsh environmental conditions, improved stability, and low biotoxicity. Notably, aeration increased the dissolved oxygen (DO) content, further improving the TC degradation efficiency. As such, this study not only proposes a facile and efficient low-temperature plasma technology for synthesizing high-performance laccase-like nanozymes but also provides a promising and environmentally friendly strategy for the remediation of antibiotic contamination in the environment.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
Topological Magnetic Phases and Magnon-Phonon Hybridization in the Presence of Strong Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction
New Submission | Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Weicen Dong, Haoxin Wang, Matteo Baggioli, Yi Liu
In recent years, the interplay between quantum magnetism and topology has attracted growing interest, both for its fundamental importance and its technological potential. Topological magnons, quantized spin excitations with nontrivial band topology, hold particular promise for spintronics, offering routes to robust, low-dissipation devices for next-generation information processing and storage. While topological magnons in honeycomb ferromagnets with weak next-nearest-neighbor Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions (DMI) have been extensively investigated, the strong-DMI regime remains largely unexplored. In this work, we examine topological magnetic phases and magnon-phonon hybridization in a two-dimensional magnetic system with strong DMI. We show that strong DMI drives a transition from a ferromagnetic ground state to a 120$ ^\circ$ noncollinear order. An additional Zeeman field further induces noncoplanar spin textures, giving rise to a diverse set of topological phases. We demonstrate that these topological phases can be directly probed through the anomalous thermal Hall effect. Finally, we find that the spin-spin interactions in the strong-$ D$ phase enable magnon-phonon coupling that yields hybridized topological bands, whereas such coupling vanishes in the weak-$ D$ phase.
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
12 pages, 8 figures
Diode effect in Shapiro steps in an asymmetric SQUID with a superconducting nanobridge
New Submission | Superconductivity (cond-mat.supr-con) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Dmitrii S. Kalashnikov, Gleb S. Seleznev, Andrei Kudriashov, Ian Babich, Denis Yu. Vodolazov, Yakov V. Fominov, Vasily S. Stolyarov
We investigate the Josephson diode effect in an asymmetric SQUID consisting of a sinusoidal Josephson junction formed by a Bi$ _2$ Te$ _2$ Se flake and a superconducting Nb nanobridge with a linear and multivalued current-phase relation (CPR). Current-voltage characteristics were measured both in the absence (dc regime) and presence (ac regime) of external microwave irradiation. Our dc measurements reveal only weak critical current asymmetry (i.e. weak Josephson diode effect), while confirming the multivalued behavior of the SQUID. At the same time, the key finding of this work is the observation of strong Shapiro step asymmetry (concerning the dc current direction) in the ac regime at finite magnetic flux. This peculiarity oscillates as a function of magnetic field with the SQUID’s periodicity and varies non-monotonically with the increase in microwave power. Our theoretical model shows that the pronounced Shapiro step asymmetry, despite the small diode effect in critical current, arises from the interplay between the sinusoidal and multivalued CPRs of the junctions.
Superconductivity (cond-mat.supr-con)
Phys. Rev. B 112, 144504 (2025)
Facet Specific Electron Conduction in Pentavalent (W5+) WO3 Drives Superior Photocatalytic CO 2 Reduction in (002) Plane
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Muhammad Rizwan Kamal, Mohammad Z. Rahman, Amil Aligayev, Min Liu, Li Zhong, Pengfei Xia, Yueheng Li, Yue Ruan, Xia Xiang, Pir Muhammad Ismail, Qaisar Alam, Ahmed Ismail, Muhammad Zahid, Xiaoqiang Wu, Abdullah N. Alodhayb, Qing Huang, Raj Wali Khan, Fazal Raziq, Sharafat Ali, Liang Qiao
This article reports a concept of heat-induced topological modifications of non-layered WO 3 followed by successful synthesis of oxygen-vacant more-porous nanosheets with exposed active (002) facet. Experimental measurements and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations have revealed that the photoexcited electrons are found to accumulate preferentially on (002) facet to yield enhanced electron conduction, and consequently, strengthen the reduction potential as active catalytic sites for photocatalytic CO2 reduction. Owing to these beneficial properties, the more-porous nanosheets of WO 3 with (002) facet have exhibited superior performance than that of less-porous nanosheets of WO3 with (220) facet and bulk WO3 with (205) facet. This study therefore provides a new understanding of regulating physical, optical, and electronic properties through intricate atomic structure modulation of WO3, and may find widespread application in optoelectronics, sensors, and energy conversion.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
Emergent Topology in Kagome Ferromagnets
New Submission | Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
We investigate the emergence of a topological magnon phase in a two-dimensional kagome ferromagnet with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) and scalar spin chirality. By incorporating a chiral interaction term proportional to the scalar triple product chi_ijk = S_i (S_j x S_k), we examine how the interplay between DMI and the topological orbital coupling kappa_TO gives rise to geometric phase, nontrivial Berry curvature, and quantized Chern numbers in the magnon bands. Using a momentum-space representation and linear spin-wave theory, we compute the orbital texture, its vorticity, and the Berry curvature across the Brillouin zone. We show that noncoplanar spin textures, driven by finite DMI, form momentum-space skyrmions that act as sources of geometric curvature. Importantly, we demonstrate that DMI alone is insufficient to break time-reversal symmetry; only the presence of finite scalar chirality terms allows the system to develop a nonzero Berry phase and topological transport signatures. We further explore the effect of a global plaquette rotation, showing that while the band structure remains invariant under this unitary transformation, the Berry curvature and Chern number are modulated, highlighting the geometric sensitivity of the topological response. Our results establish a direct correspondence between the lattice geometry, chirality, and magnon topology, providing a route toward tunable topological phases in frustrated magnetic systems.
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
Growth and microwave properties of FeSe thin films and comparison with Fe(Se,Te)
New Submission | Superconductivity (cond-mat.supr-con) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Alessandro Magalotti, Andrea Alimenti, Valeria Braccini, Giuseppe Celentano, Matteo Cialone, Antonella Mancini, Andrea Masi, Nicola Pompeo, Enrico Silva, Giovanni Sotgiu, Kostiantyn Torokhtii, Pablo Vidal García, Angelo Vannozzi
In this work, we have grown $ \sim$ 100 nm thick pristine FeSe films by pulsed laser deposition. The films were structurally characterized with X-ray diffraction and their surface morphology checked through atomic force microscopy. Microwave measurements, performed with a dielectric loaded resonator tuned at the frequency of 8 GHz, allowed the characterization of the samples surface resistance, in view of potential applications in microwave haloscopes for dark matter search. Here, we report the comparison of the microwave properties of FeSe with Fe(Se,Te) thin films, as the temperature is swept from 4 K to 20 K. By applying a constant static magnetic field of 12 T, it was also possible to discern the magnetic field resilience of the two samples. FeSe showed a larger critical temperature drift as the field is applied, while the Fe(Se,Te) response broadens remarkably less. A preliminary analysis of vortex pinning shows margins for optimizing pinning in FeSe.
Superconductivity (cond-mat.supr-con)
Microwave surface resistance of Tl-1223 films in a dc magnetic field
New Submission | Superconductivity (cond-mat.supr-con) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Alessandro Magalotti, Andrea Alimenti, Emilio Bellingeri, Cristina Bernini, Sergio Calatroni, Alessandro Leveratto, Enrico Silva, Kostiantyn Torokhtii, Ruggero Vaglio, Pablo Vidal García, Nicola Pompeo
We present first preliminary surface impedance measurements on Tl-1223 films in dc magnetic fields, in view of potential applications for the next generation Future Circular Collider (FCC-hh) at CERN. The Tl-1223 samples were produced through laser ablation, with nominal thickness of 1 {\mu}m and grown on a thick LaAl2O3 substrate. The presence of Tl-1212 phase identified by XRD and BSE microscopy, could be avoided by changing the oxygen partial pressure during heat treatment. The high-frequency transport properties of the samples were characterized using microwave resonant devices, at fixed frequencies of 14.9 GHz, 24.2 GHz and 26.7 GHz, in the temperature range 40 K to 140 K. An external applied static magnetic field up to 12 T was applied. Samples from subsequent batches exhibited huge improvements in the microwave properties, confirming the progress in the deposition technique.
Superconductivity (cond-mat.supr-con)
Fluctuation-Response Theory of Non-Equilibrium Complex Fluids
New Submission | Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
A fundamental challenge in soft matter physics is to describe materials, such as the living cytoplasm and tissues, that are simultaneously active, chemically driven, and exhibit long-lasting memory of mechanical stresses. Here, we construct a generalized hydrodynamic framework at finite wavevectors and frequencies that can be applicable to non-equilibrium fluids with memory. Our approach is based on a non-equilibrium fluctuation-response relation in a steady state using correlation function identities. This approach provides a general formalism to derive hydrodynamic constitutive equations that is distinct from Mori-Zwanzig projection formalism. As a corollary, we obtain a generalized fluctuation-response relation in non-equilibrium steady states similar to the relation obtained by Harada-Sasa. Applying our theory to chemically driven active fluids reveals Active Viscoelastic Memory, whereby chemical reaction cycles renormalize the system’s viscous response. We find that this active viscoelastic memory can produce a negative storage modulus at finite frequency, behavior absent in ordinary viscoelastic fluids. Our first-principles framework provides a general basis for understanding memory-dependent dynamics across a wide range of biological and synthetic active systems.
Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft), Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech)
A finite-element Delta-Sternheimer approach for accurate all-electron RPA correlation energies of arbitrary molecules
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Hao Peng, Haochen Liu, Chuhao Li, Hehu Xie, Xinguo Ren
The incompleteness of single-particle basis sets has long cast a shadow over correlated electronic-structure methods, making it highly challenging to obtain numerically converged results. In this work, we compute the RPA correlation energies of general molecules using the finite element method, while ingeniously combining atomic orbital basis sets to accelerate the convergence of total energies. We report atomization energies for 50 molecules within the RPA framework, achieving accuracies on the order of meV per atom. The computational strategy that integrates real-space discretization techniques with atomic orbitals is expected to inspire the entire correlated electronic-structure community.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci), Chemical Physics (physics.chem-ph)
Visualizing anomalous exciton diffusion dynamics in TMDCs using transient scattering microscopy: the role of trap states and Auger recombination
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Enrique Arévalo Rodríguez, Marc Meléndez Schofield, Jorge Cuadra, Ferry Prins
Research on energy transport has advanced in recent years with the emergence of transient microscopy techniques that allow for imaging of carriers with high spatial and temporal resolution. In this context, transient scattering microscopy (TScM), has emerged as an alternative to traditional techniques. However, the sensitivity of TScM to different carriers can complicate the interpretation of results, highlighting the need to develop models tailored to TScM. Here, TScM is used to visualize exciton transport in bulk TMDCs. We show that exciton populations exhibit non-Gaussian profiles by analyzing the their excess kurtosis. Numerical simulations incorporating anomalous diffusion -such as Auger recombination and trap states- reproduce these experimental observations. Furthermore, by tuning the injected carrier density, we demonstrate that the temporal signature of the kurtosis is distinct for Auger-dominated and trap-dominated regimes. Additionally, we find that traditional Gaussian-fitting methods can yield inconsistent results for the extracted diffusivities. As an alternative, we implement a discrete variable calculation which yields robust, consistent diffusivity values. Our results establish kurtosis as a vital diagnostic parameter for identifying anomolous diffusion and demonstrate the necessity of moving beyond Gaussian approximations for accurate analysis of TScM data.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
Mapping the discrete folding landscape
New Submission | Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
João C. Neves, Bernardo R. Marques, Cristóvão S. Dias, Nuno A. M. Araújo
Folding is emerging as a promising manufacturing process to transform flat materials into functional structures, offering efficiency by reducing the need for welding, gluing, and molding, while minimizing waste and enabling automation. Designing target shapes requires not only to determine cuts and folds, but also folding pathways. Simple combinatorics is impractical as the possibilities grow factorially with the number of folds. To address this, we present a graph-based algorithm for polyhedral shapes. By representing the target shape as a graph, where nodes correspond to faces and edges represent adjacency, the algorithm identifies all possible fold sequences and maps the configuration space into a discrete set of intermediate configurations. This systematic mapping is critical for the design of optimized processes, the simplifying of folding operations, the reduction of failures, and the improvement of manufacturing reliability.
Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)
submitted to Communications Physics
Surface diffusion of phosphorus on Si(100) after PBr3 adsorption
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
T. V. Pavlova, V. M. Shevlyuga
Phosphorus diffusion on a Si(100) surface was studied using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at temperatures of 77 and 300 K. The phosphorus source utilized was the PBr$ _3$ molecule, which fully dissociates on the surface at 77 K. We observed diffusion of P atoms both along and across the rows of Si dimers. To support the observation of different diffusion pathways of phosphorus, activation energy calculations were performed using density functional theory. At 77 K, phosphorus diffusion started and (or) finished mostly in bridge positions. At 300 K, phosphorus diffuses predominantly between end-bridge positions, accompanied by bromine diffusion. The presence of Br near phosphorus significantly restricts its mobility. Additionally, phosphorus was found to diffuse to an oxygen atom that appeared on the surface as a result of water adsorption. This diffusion occurs because the P site near the oxidized dimer is more stable compared to that on the clean surface. The obtained results complement the knowledge about the interaction of phosphorus with the silicon surface, specifically the phosphorus diffusion pathways on the Si(100) surface.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci), Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
6 pages, 8 figures
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. (2025)
Chiral polariton transport enabled by optical spin Hall effect in perovskite waveguides
New Submission | Other Condensed Matter (cond-mat.other) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Mateusz Kędziora, Andrzej Opala, Maciej Zaremba, Helgi Sigurðsson, Barbara Piętka
Controlling the spin degree of freedom of light at the microscale is crucial for advancing photonic information processing. Spin polarized light propagation, combined with strong optical nonlinearities, unlocks new functionalities in compact photonic circuits and active spin optronic devices. Lead halide perovskite exciton polaritons uniquely combine room temperature operation, pronounced nonlinearities, and versatile microstructuring, making them a powerful platform for spin based photonic technologies. Here, we demonstrate polarized edge emission from polariton condensates in perovskite single crystals predesigned into a microwire, forming natural, DBR free cavity. Above threshold, we observe a distinct waveguiding optical spin Hall effect pattern in both real- and reciprocal-space emission, accompanied by pseudospin phase locking arising from coherence between opposite edges. Beyond static polarization textures, we achieve spin-resolved polariton edge lasing with chirality exceeding 80% and spin-polarized signal propagation over tens of micrometres. These results establish CsPbBr3 waveguides as a promising easy to fabricate platform for on chip spin coded information transport and nonlinear spin optoelectronics.
Other Condensed Matter (cond-mat.other)
Calculations of pathways of precise P incorporation into chlorinated Si(100) surface
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
The precise incorporation of a phosphorus atom into a silicon surface is essential for the fabrication of nanoelectronic devices in which the active area is formed from single impurities. The most accurate approach employs scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) lithography, which may be done with atomic precision. However, the accuracy decreases when phosphorus is incorporated into the surface because P substitutes one of two neighboring Si atoms with equal probability. Here, the P-Si exchange mechanism was studied theoretically on a chlorinated Si(100) surface with an asymmetric configuration of Cl vacancies surrounding the P atom. Density functional theory was used to estimate the activation barriers and exchange rates between a P atom and neighboring Si atoms on a Si(100)-2$ \times$ 1-Cl surface with three Cl vacancies. The calculation of various P-Si exchange pathways revealed that phosphorus has a higher probability of substituting one Si atom than the others due to the asymmetric configuration of Cl vacancies. Based on the theoretical study of the P-Si exchange mechanism and experimental results from previous works, a scheme for controlled P incorporation into the silicon surface without uncertainty is proposed.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
6 pages, 6 figures
J. Chem. Phys. 162, 194701 (2025)
Transitions between positive and negative charge states of dangling bonds on a halogenated Si(100) surface
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
T. V. Pavlova, V. M. Shevlyuga
Dangling bonds (DBs) are common defects in silicon that affect its electronic performance by trapping carriers at the in-gap levels. For probing the electrical properties of individual DBs, a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is an effective instrument. Here we study transitions between charge states of a single DB on chlorinated and brominated Si(100)-2$ \times$ 1 surfaces in an STM. We observed transitions between positively and negatively charged states of the DB, without the participation of the neutral state. We demonstrated that the $ (+/-)$ transition occurs when the DB and substrate states are out of equilibrium. This transition is related to the charge neutrality level (CNL), which indicates a change in the DB’s character from donor-like to acceptor-like. The STM voltage at which the $ (+/-)$ transition took place varied depending to the electrostatic environment of the DB. Our results complement the understanding of the electronic properties of the DBs, and they should be taken into account in applications that use charge manipulation on the DBs.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 26, 29640-29645 (2024)
Specimen preparation for atom probe tomography analysis of complex multifunctional nanoparticles and nanostructures: state-of-the-art and challenges
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Varatharaja Nallathambi, Se-Ho Kim, Nikita Polin, Natalia F. Shkodich, Sven Reichenberger, Stephan Barcikowski, Baptiste Gault
Atom probe tomography (APT) provides the three-dimensional composition of materials at near-atomic length scales, achieving detection limits in the range of tens of atomic parts-per-million regardless of element type. APT requires the specimen to be shaped as a needle with a tip radius of ~100 nm. The development of site-specific lift-out procedures using focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) has enabled APT analysis of multifunctional materials, advancing our understanding of their structure-composition-property relationships. Yet these approaches are not readily suitable for analyzing many nanomaterials. Co-electrodeposition of metallic films forms a composite containing the nanomaterials of interest, thereby facilitating APT specimen preparation and enabling analysis of nanowires, nanosheets, and nano- and microparticles, etc. In this perspective article, we showcase diverse examples from simple elementary to compositionally complex alloys of varying dimensionalities, from individual nanoparticles to aerogel structures. We emphasize the challenges encountered with specific material classes during co-electrodeposition procedures and provide recommendations for improving specimen preparation protocols to enhance measurement yield, thereby advancing APT analysis capabilities for optimizing the performance of functional nanomaterials.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
Atomic cluster expansion potential for the Si-H system
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Louise A. M. Rosset, Volker L. Deringer
The silicon-hydrogen system is of key interest for solar-cell devices, including both crystalline and amorphous modifications. Elemental amorphous Si is now well understood, but the atomic-scale effects of hydrogenating the silicon matrix remain to be fully explored. Here, we present a machine-learned interatomic potential model based on the atomic cluster expansion (ACE) framework that can describe a wide range of Si-H phases, from crystalline and amorphous bulk structures to surfaces and molecules. We perform numerical and physical validation across a range of hydrogen concentrations and compare our results to experimental findings. Our work constitutes an advancement toward the exploration of large structural models of a-Si:H at realistic device scales.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci), Computational Physics (physics.comp-ph)
Experimental and simulation study of resin infiltration in carbon fiber rovings
New Submission | Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Dominik Burr, Rudi Reichenbächer, Christina Scheffler, Konrad Steiner, Günter K. Auernhammer
Continuous-fiber-reinforced polymers are vital for lightweight structural applications, where fiber-matrix wetting critically influences composite performance. Understanding dynamic wetting behavior during resin infiltration remains challenging, especially under realistic processing conditions. Here we investigate the dynamic wetting of commercial carbon fiber rovings by a commonly used epoxy resin through combined optical experiments and two-phase flow simulations informed by microscale roving geometries. We measure velocity-dependent advancing contact angles and observe roving geometry changes during capillary-driven resin infiltration. Simulations using microscale-derived capillary pressure and permeability parameters quantitatively reproduce the time-dependent infiltration dynamics. Our findings demonstrate that while dynamic contact angles vary with velocity, the microscale roving structure predominantly governs resin impregnation behavior. This integrated experimental and modeling approach enhances insight into fiber-resin interactions, offering a pathway to optimize composite manufacturing processes and improve material quality.
Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)
39 pages, 16 figures Submitted to “Composites Science and Technology” at 17.10.2025
The impact of dimensionality on universality of 2D quantum Hall transitions
New Submission | Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Regardless of model and platform details, the critical phenomena exhibit universal behaviors that are remarkably consistent across various experiments and theories, resulting in a significant scientific success of condensed matter physics. One widely known and commonly used example is the 2D quantum Hall transition; yet, its universal exponents still somewhat conflict between experiments, theoretical models, and numerical ansatzes. We study critical behaviors of quasi-2D Weyl semimetal systems with a finite thickness $ L_z>1$ , disorder, and external magnetic field $ B_z$ . By analyzing the scaling behaviors of the localization lengths and local density of states using recursive methods, we find that the finite thickness yields a deviation from the 2D quantum Hall universality ($ L_z=1$ case) and a crossover toward the 3D Gaussian Unitary Ensemble ($ L_z\rightarrow \infty$ limit), potentially offering another cause of the discrepancy. Our work demonstrates the often-overlooked importance of auxiliary degrees of freedom, such as thickness, and that 3D quantum Hall physics is not merely a trivial finite-thickness extension of its 2D counterpart.
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall), Disordered Systems and Neural Networks (cond-mat.dis-nn)
9 pages,8 figures
Atomically-resolved exciton emission from single defects in MoS$_2$
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Lysander Huberich, Eve Ammerman, Gu Yu, Yining Ren, Sotirios Papadopoulos, Chengye Dong, Joshua A. Robinson, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, Oliver Gröning, Lukas Novotny, Tingxin Li, Shiyong Wang, Bruno Schuler
Understanding how atomic defects shape the nanoscale optical properties of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors is essential for advancing quantum technologies and optoelectronics. Using scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) and luminescence (STML), we correlate the atomic structure and optical fingerprints of individual defects in monolayer MoS$ _2$ . A bilayer of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) effectively decouples MoS$ _2$ from the graphene substrate, increasing its band gap and extending the defect charge state lifetime. This enables the observation of sharp STML emission lines from MoS$ _2$ excitons and trions exhibiting nanoscale sensitivity to local potential fluctuations. We identify the optical signatures of common point defects in MoS$ _2$ : sulfur vacancies (Vac$ _\text{S}^-$ ), oxygen substitutions (O$ _\text{S}$ ), and negatively charged carbon-hydrogen complexes (CH$ _\text{S}^-$ ). While Vac$ _\text{S}^-$ and O$ _\text{S}$ only suppress pristine excitonic emission, CH$ _\text{S}^-$ generate defect-bound exciton complexes ($ A^-X$ ) about 200,meV below the MoS$ _2$ exciton. Sub-nanometer-resolved STML maps reveal large spectral shifts near charged defects, concurrent with the local band bending expected for band-to-defect optical transitions. These results establish an atomically precise correlation between structure, electronic states, and optical response, enabling deterministic engineering of quantum emitters in 2D materials.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci), Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
Multiferrons: lattice excitations with finite polarization and magnetization
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Mike Pols, Carl P. Romao, Dominik M. Juraschek
Ferrons are a type of quasiparticle corresponding to elementary excitations of the ferroelectric order. Analogously to how magnons modulate and transport magnetization, ferrons modulate and transport electric polarization. Here, we introduce multiferrons as elementary excitations with both electric and magnetic character. Multiferrons lead to a tilt and elliptical precession of the polarization and at the same time create a magnetization through the mechanism of dynamical multiferroicity. Using first-principles calculations for LiNbO$ _3$ , we show that the electric polarization of multiferrons is perpendicular to the equilibrium ferroelectric polarization, whereas the magnetization is parallel to it. Our calculations further demonstrate that multiferrons carry net electric and magnetic quadrupole and octupole moments, which we term multipolons. These multipolons could couple to internal multipolar degrees of freedom, for example in altermagnets, or to external probes such as neutrons, leading to potentially experimentally observable phenomena following coherent or thermal excitation of multiferrons.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
7 pages, 4 figures
Modeling chiral active particles: from circular motion to odd interactions
New Submission | Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Lorenzo Caprini, Alessandro Petrini, Umberto Marini Bettolo Marconi
In this paper, we discuss microscopic models for chiral active particles, i.e., rotating active units that exhibit circular or spinning motion. While non-chiral active particles are typically governed by self-propulsion and conservative interactions, the rotating motion of chiral particles generates additional non-conservative forces that cannot be derived from a potential. These manifest as effective transverse forces, acting perpendicular to the line connecting the centres of two interacting particles, and are referred to as odd interactions, because they break the mirror symmetry of the system. Here, we demonstrate that odd interactions arise from a limiting case of a well-established model describing spinning granular objects. In addition, we show that these models for chiral active objects give rise to a novel collective phenomenon that emerges uniquely from transverse forces and, hence, chirality. Specifically, the system undergoes a transition from a homogeneous phase to an inhomogeneous one characterised by regions depleted of particles, referred to as bubbles. This collective behaviour, termed BIO (bubbles induced by odd interactions), is a general emergent phenomenon arising from chirality and odd interactions. In this work, we review theoretical approaches to this problem, including a scaling argument and predictions for spatial velocity correlations that account for the BIO phase. Finally, we outline perspectives and open challenges concerning this collective phenomenon.
Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft), Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech)
Real-Time Modeling of Skyrmion Dynamics in Arbitrary 2D Spatially Dependent Pinning Potential Landscapes
New Submission | Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Simon M. Fröhlich (1), Tobias Sparmann (1), Maarten A. Brems (1), Jan Rothörl (1), Fabian Kammerbauer (1), Klaus Raab (1), Sachin Krishnia (1), Mathias Kläui (1), Peter Virnau (1) ((1) Institute of Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55099 Mainz, Germany)
Non-flat energy landscapes leading to localized pinning of skyrmions pose an inherent and unavoidable challenge for studies of fundamental 2D spin structure dynamics as well as applications. Accounting for pinning is a key requirement for predictive modeling of skyrmion systems, as it impacts the systems’ dynamics and introduces randomizing effects. In this article, we use magneto-optical Kerr microscopy to image skyrmions in a magnetic thin film system in real time and analyze their hopping dynamics within the non-flat energy landscape. To achieve a fully quantitative model, we utilize skyrmion diffusion and dwell times at pinning sites to extrapolate the pinning energy landscape into regions that cannot be sampled on reasonable experimental time scales. For evaluation with a coarse-grained Thiele model, we perform long-time measurements of skyrmion diffusion and then develop a two-step procedure to determine simulation parameters by comparing them to experimentally accessible behavior. This provides a direct conversion between simulation and experimental units, which is the missing key step that has previously prevented quantitative quasiparticle modeling. We demonstrate the predictive power of our approach by measuring the experimentally unexplored density dependence of skyrmion diffusion and show that it is in excellent agreement with simulation predictions. Our technique thus enables quantitative skyrmion simulations on experimental time and length scales, allowing for predictive in-silico prototyping of skyrmion devices.
Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech)
31 pages, 6 figures
The Wishart–Rosenzweig–Porter random matrix ensemble
New Submission | Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Victor Delapalme, Leticia F. Cugliandolo, Grégory Schehr, Marco Tarzia, Davide Venturelli
In recent years the Rosenzweig–Porter (RP) ensemble, obtained by adding a diagonal matrix with independent and identically distributed elements to a Gaussian random matrix, has been widely used as a minimal model for the emergence of fractal eigenstates in complex many-body systems. A key open question concerns the robustness of its phase diagram when the assumption of independent and uncorrelated entries is relaxed – an assumption that simplifies its analysis, but is generally violated in realistic quantum systems. In this work, we take a first step in this direction by considering a deformed Wishart (rather than Gaussian) random matrix, which we dub the ``Wishart–RP’’ ensemble. Using perturbation theory, as well as the cavity and replica methods and the Dyson Brownian motion approach, we characterize its phase diagram and localization properties. Remarkably, we show that the level compressibility, which quantifies spectral correlations in the fractal phase, coincides with that of the Gaussian RP model, thereby extending the universality conjectured in [SciPost Phys. 14, 110 (2023)] beyond the fully uncorrelated setting. We confirm our results with numerical tests.
Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech), Disordered Systems and Neural Networks (cond-mat.dis-nn)
31+13 pages, 8 figures
Subdimensional entanglement entropy: from virtual response to mixed-state holography
New Submission | Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Entanglement entropy (EE) serves as a key diagnostic of quantum phases and phase transitions through bipartitions of the full system. However, recent studies on various topological phases of matter show that EE from bipartitions alone cannot effectively distinguish geometric from topological contributions. Motivated by this limitation, we introduce the \textit{subdimensional entanglement entropy} (SEE), defined for lower-dimensional \textit{subdimensional entanglement subsystems} (SESs), as a response theory characterizing many-body systems via \textit{virtual} deformations of SES geometry and topology. Analytical calculations for cluster states, discrete Abelian gauge theories, and fracton orders reveal distinct subleading SEE terms that sharply differentiate geometric and topological responses. Viewing the reduced density matrix on an SES as a mixed state, we establish a correspondence between stabilizers and mixed-state symmetries, identifying \textit{strong} and \textit{weak} classes. For SESs with nontrivial SEE, weak symmetries act as \textit{transparent patch operators} of the strong ones, forming robust \textit{transparent composite symmetries} (TCSs) that remain invariant under finite-depth quantum circuits and yield \textit{strong-to-weak spontaneous symmetry breaking} (SW-SSB). By bridging entanglement, mixed-state and categorical symmetries, holographic principles of topological order, and geometric-topological responses, SEE provides a unified framework that invites further theoretical and numerical exploration of correlated quantum matter.
Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el), Statistical Mechanics (cond-mat.stat-mech), High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th), Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
Self-Organization and Cyclic Positioning of Active Condensates
New Submission | Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Hossein Vahid, Jens-Uwe Sommer, Abhinav Sharma
Active transport of biomolecular condensates and cell migration in collectives are fundamental to development, homeostasis, and processes such as cancer progression, wound healing, and infection response. Yet how these assemblies are positioned, regulated, and driven through cycles of dissolution and reassembly is not fully understood. We address this using a model of attractive active Brownian particles (ABPs). Using Brownian dynamics simulations, we show that these particles undergo liquid-gas phase separation, and spatially varying activity fields induce striking emergent dynamics. Droplets migrate up activity gradients, and above a critical activity, they fragment into a gas phase. The gas then migrates down the gradient, and droplets reassemble, yielding robust positioning cycles. This emergent condensate cycle arises without biochemical feedback loops and relies only on the interplay of attractions, motility, and gradients. In binary mixtures of active-passive particles, differential cohesion leads to self-sorting of particles, where strongly-cohesive ABPs compact into dense cores surrounded by peripheries enriched with weakly-cohesive passive particles. The passive particles stabilize the dynamic clusters of ABPs, and they migrate toward high-activity regions. Our findings suggest a generic mechanism for spatial control and turnover of condensates in biology.
Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)
Interband-Pairing-Boosted Supercurrent Diode Effect in Multiband Superconductors
New Submission | Superconductivity (cond-mat.supr-con) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Jiong Mei, Shengshan Qin, Jiangping Hu
We unveil a mechanism that enables a robust supercurrent diode effect in Josephson junctions based on multiband superconductors. We predict that interband pairing can significantly amplifies this effect, even under weak spin-orbit coupling while intraband pairing alone would render it negligible. To illustrate this, we examine monolayer FeSe/STO, a system where recent experiments suggest interband pairing in either a nodeless $ d$ -wave or $ \eta$ pairing state. Using experimentally derived parameters, we predict that FeSe/STO can serve as a high-temperature platform for realizing a substantial supercurrent diode effect, with efficiencies reaching up to $ 30%$ for $ d$ -wave pairing and $ 12%$ for $ \eta$ pairing. These results demonstrate that measuring the supercurrent diode effect can provides a powerful probe of the pairing symmetry in monolayer FeSe/STO, offering critical insights into its superconducting state.
Superconductivity (cond-mat.supr-con), Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
6 pages, 3 figures
Measuring the magnetic anisotropy of the spin Hall effect and spin relaxation length in nickel and permalloy via electrical spin injection
New Submission | Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Eoin Dolan, Jone Mencos, Williams Savero Torres, Maxen Cosset-Chéneau, Jean-Philippe Attané, Laurent Vila, Luis E. Hueso, Fèlix Casanova
The spin Hall effect in ferromagnets is of great interest in the field of spintronics, and while the effect has been quantified in many materials, the dependence of the spin Hall angle on the relative orientation of spin polarization and the magnetization is less well studied. Of equal importance for the purpose of spin-charge interconversion in ferromagnets is the spin relaxation length, which is predicted to be highly anisotropic with respect to magnetization. Using a modified lateral spin valve geometry with a copper channel and permalloy spin injector, we measure the dependence of the spin Hall angle and spin relaxation length on magnetization orientation in permalloy and nickel, using two distinct device geometries. This allows us to disentangle the contributions of the spin relaxation length and spin Hall angle to the measured spin-charge interconversion voltage output. Our results indicate a large anisotropy in both the spin relaxation length and spin Hall angle in both permalloy and nickel, in agreement with theoretical calculations. The quantities change in opposite directions, with the spin relaxation length rising as the magnetization is moved parallel to the spin polarization and the spin Hall angle falling, leading to a near total cancellation of the spin-charge interconversion output.
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
8 pages, 5 figures, and 3 tables. Supplemental Material is included at the end
Phys. Rev. B 112, 134404 (2025)
Multiscale Modeling of Abnormal Grain Growth: Role of Solute Segregation and Grain Boundary Character
New Submission | Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Albert Linda, Rajdip Mukherjee, Somanth Bhowmick
Abnormal grain growth (AGG) influences the properties of polycrystalline materials; however, the underlying mechanisms, particularly the role of solute segregation at the grain boundary (GB), are difficult to quantify precisely. This study demonstrates a multiscale framework that integrates atomic-scale segregation energetics (using density functional theory) with mesoscale grain growth dynamics (using phase-field model) to investigate AGG, using $ \alpha$ -Fe as an example system. Multisite segregation energies are calculated for symmetric tilt grain boundaries (STGBs) along the $ \langle 110 \rangle$ axis for nine different solutes (Co, Cr, Mn, Mo, Nb, Ni, Ti, W, and V), encompassing three different types of coincident site lattice (CSL) boundaries: $ \sum 3 (11\bar{2})$ , $ \sum 9 (\bar{2}21)$ , and $ \sum 3 (\bar{1}11)$ . The model takes into account the effect of solute drag on GB mobility, estimated using a bulk solute concentration of 0.1 at%. The results demonstrate that AGG originates due to GB anisotropy, the extent of which largely depends on the type of solute atom present. Such a complex dependence necessitates using a multiscale model to understand AGG comprehensively. In general, low-energy $ \Sigma 3$ boundaries are found to have higher mobility and show preferential growth for most of the solutes, other than Co. The study reveals how the distribution of GB types significantly influences AGG. When 10-30% of the GBs are high-mobility type, crown-like morphologies are observed, leading to AGG. These findings underscore the critical role of GB chemistry and crystallography in governing AGG, and the model can be generalized to provide a predictive framework for controlling grain growth through strategic solute design in advanced alloys.
Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
Quantum geometry of common semiconductors
New Submission | Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
The quantum geometric properties of typical diamond-type (C, Si, Ge) and zincblende-type (GaAs, InP, etc) semiconductors are investigated by means of the $ sp^{3}s^{\ast}$ tight-binding model, which allows to calculate the quantum metric of the valence band states throughout the entire Brillouin zone. The global maximum of the metric is at the $ \Gamma$ point, but other differential geometric properties like Ricci scalar, Ricci tensor, and Einstein tensor are found to vary significantly in the momentum space, indicating a highly distorted momentum space manifold. The momentum integration of the quantum metric further yields the gauge-invariant part of the spread of valence band Wannier function, whose value agrees well with that experimentally extracted from an optical sum rule of the dielectric function. Furthermore, the dependence of these geometric properties on the energy gap offers a way to quantify the quantum criticality of these common semiconductors.
Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
7 pages, 3 figures
Latch, Spring and Release: The Efficiency of Power-Amplified Jumping
New Submission | Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft) | 2025-10-20 20:00 EDT
Marc Suñé, Lucas Selva, Cristóbal Arratia, John S. Wettlaufer, Dominic Vella
Many small animals, particularly insects, use power-amplification to generate rapid motions such as jumping, which would otherwise not be possible with the standard power density of muscle. A common framework for understanding this power amplification is Latch-Mediated, Spring Actuated (or LaMSA) jumping, in which a spring is slowly compressed, latched in its compressed state and the latch released to allow jumping. Motivated by the jumps of certain insect larvae, we consider a variant of this in which the latching occurs externally via adhesion to a substrate that is quickly released for jumping. We show that the rate at which this adhesion is lost is crucial in determining the efficiency of jumping and, indeed, whether jumping occurs at all. As well as showing how release rate should be chosen to facilitate optimal jumping, our analysis suggests that it is possible to control jumps even once the latch has been set.
Soft Condensed Matter (cond-mat.soft)
6 pages main text + Supplementary Information