We demonstrate that short-period stars orbiting around the supermassive black hole in our Galactic center can successfully be used to probe the gravitational theory in a strong regime. We use 19 years of observations of the two best measured short-period stars orbiting our Galactic center to constrain a hypothetical fifth force that arises in various scenarios motivated by the development of a unification theory or in some models of dark matter and dark energy. No deviation from general relativity is reported and the fifth force strength is restricted to an upper 95% confidence limit of $|\alpha |<0.016$ at a length scale of $\lambda =150$ astronomical units. We also derive a 95% confidence upper limit on a linear drift of the argument of periastron of the short-period star S0-2 of $|{\dot{\omega }}_{\text{S0-2}}|<1.6\times {10}^{-3}\mathrm{rad}/\mathrm{yr}$, which can be used to constrain various gravitational and astrophysical theories. This analysis provides the first fully self-consistent test of the gravitational theory using orbital dynamic in a strong gravitational regime, that of a supermassive black hole. A sensitivity analysis for future measurements is also presented.

The realization of quantum networks and quantum repeaters remains an outstanding challenge in quantum communication. These rely on the entanglement of remote matter systems, which in turn requires the creation of quantum correlations between a single photon and a matter system. A practical way to establish such correlations is via spontaneous Raman scattering in atomic ensembles, known as the Duan-Lukin-Cirac-Zoller (DLCZ) scheme. However, time multiplexing is inherently difficult using this method, which leads to low communication rates even in theory. Moreover, it is desirable to find solid-state ensembles where such matter-photon correlations could be generated. Here we demonstrate quantum correlations between a single photon and a spin excitation in up to 12 temporal modes, in a ${{}^{151}\mathrm{Eu}}^{3+}$-doped ${\mathrm{Y}}_2{\mathrm{SiO}}_5$ crystal, using a novel DLCZ approach that is inherently multimode. After a storage time of 1 ms, the spin excitation is converted into a second photon. The quantum correlation of the generated photon pair is verified by violating a Cauchy-Schwarz inequality. Our results show that solid-state rare-earth-ion-doped crystals could be used to generate remote multimode entanglement, an important resource for future quantum networks.

The generation and distribution of quantum correlations between photonic qubits is a key resource in quantum information science. For applications in quantum networks and quantum repeaters, it is required that these quantum correlations be stored in a quantum memory. In 2001, Duan, Lukin, Cirac, and Zoller (DLCZ) proposed a scheme combining a correlated photon-pair source and a quantum memory in atomic gases, which has enabled fast progress towards elementary quantum networks. In this Letter, we demonstrate a solid-state source of correlated photon pairs with embedded spin-wave quantum memory, using a rare-earth-ion-doped crystal. We show strong quantum correlations between the photons, high enough for performing quantum communication. Unlike the original DLCZ proposal, our scheme is inherently multimode thanks to a built-in rephasing mechanism, allowing us to demonstrate storage of 11 temporal modes. These results represent an important step towards the realization of complex quantum networks architectures using solid-state resources.

When a thin tube is dipped into water, the water will ascend to a certain height, against the action of gravity. While this effect, termed capillarity, is well known, recent experiments have shown that agitated granular matter reveals a similar behavior. Namely, when a vertical tube is inserted into a container filled with granular material and is then set into vertical vibration, the particles rise up along the tube. In the present Letter, we investigate the effect of granular capillarity by means of numerical simulations and show that the effect is caused by convection of the granular material in the container. Moreover, we identify two regimes of behavior for the capillary height $H_c^{\infty }$ depending on the tube-to-particle-diameter ratio, $D/d$. For large $D/d$, a scaling of $H_c^{\infty }$ with the inverse of the tube diameter, which is reminiscent of liquids, is observed. However, when $D/d$ decreases down to values smaller than a few particle sizes, a uniquely granular behavior is observed where $H_c^{\infty }$ increases linearly with the tube diameter.

Despite rapidly growing interest in harnessing machine learning in the study of quantum many-body systems, training neural networks to identify quantum phases is a nontrivial challenge. The key challenge is in efficiently extracting essential information from the many-body Hamiltonian or wave function and turning the information into an image that can be fed into a neural network. When targeting topological phases, this task becomes particularly challenging as topological phases are defined in terms of nonlocal properties. Here, we introduce quantum loop topography (QLT): a procedure of constructing a multidimensional image from the “sample” Hamiltonian or wave function by evaluating two-point operators that form loops at independent Monte Carlo steps. The loop configuration is guided by the characteristic response for defining the phase, which is Hall conductivity for the cases at hand. Feeding QLT to a fully connected neural network with a single hidden layer, we demonstrate that the architecture can be effectively trained to distinguish the Chern insulator and the fractional Chern insulator from trivial insulators with high fidelity. In addition to establishing the first case of obtaining a phase diagram with a topological quantum phase transition with machine learning, the perspective of bridging traditional condensed matter theory with machine learning will be broadly valuable.

We discovered a new transmodal Fabry-Pérot resonance where one elastic-wave mode is maximally transmitted to another. It occurs when the phase difference of two dissimilar modes through an anisotropic layer becomes odd multiples of $\pi$ under the reflection-free and weak mode-coupling assumptions. Unlike the well-established Fabry-Pérot resonance, the transmodal resonance must involve two coupled elastic waves between longitudinal and shear modes. The investigation into the origin of wiggly transmodal transmission spectra suggests that efficient broadband mode conversion can be achieved if the media satisfy the structural stability condition to some degree. The new resonance mechanism, also experimentally characterized, opens up new possibilities for manipulating elastic wave modes as an effective alternative to generating shear-mode ultrasound.

We present transport measurements on a lateral $p\text{−}n$ junction in an inverted $\mathrm{InAs}/\mathrm{GaSb}$ double quantum well at zero and nonzero perpendicular magnetic fields. At a zero magnetic field, the junction exhibits diodelike behavior in accordance with the presence of a hybridization gap. With an increasing magnetic field, we explore the quantum Hall regime where spin-polarized edge states with the same chirality are either reflected or transmitted at the junction, whereas those of opposite chirality undergo a mixing process, leading to full equilibration along the width of the junction independent of spin. These results lay the foundations for using $p\text{−}n$ junctions in $\mathrm{InAs}/\mathrm{GaSb}$ double quantum wells to probe the transition between the topological quantum spin Hall and quantum Hall states.

The chiral magnet ${\mathrm{Cu}}_2{\mathrm{OSeO}}_3$ hosts a Skyrmion lattice that may be equivalently described as a superposition of plane waves or a lattice of particlelike topological objects. A thermal gradient may break up the Skyrmion lattice and induce rotating domains, raising the question of which of these scenarios better describes the violent dynamics at the domain boundaries. Here, we show that in an inhomogeneous temperature gradient caused by illumination in a Lorentz transmission electron microscope different parts of the Skyrmion lattice can be set into motion with different angular velocities. Tracking the time dependence, we show that the constant rearrangement of domain walls is governed by dynamic 5–7 defects arranging into lines. An analysis of the associated defect density is described by Frank’s equation and agrees well with classical 2D Monte Carlo simulations. Fluctuations of boundaries show a surgelike rearrangement of Skyrmion clusters driven by defect rearrangement consistent with simulations treating Skyrmions as point particles. Our findings underline the particle character of the Skyrmion.

Wet granular aggregates are common precursors of construction materials, food, and health care products. The physical mechanisms involved in the mixing of dry grains with a wet substrate are not well understood and difficult to control. Here, we study experimentally the accretion of dry grains on a wet granular substrate by measuring the growth dynamics of the wet aggregate. We show that this aggregate is fully saturated and its cohesion is ensured by the capillary depression at the air-liquid interface. The growth dynamics is controlled by the liquid fraction at the surface of the aggregate and exhibits two regimes. In the viscous regime, the growth dynamics is limited by the capillary-driven flow of liquid through the granular packing to the surface of the aggregate. In the capture regime, the capture probability depends on the availability of the liquid at the saturated interface, which is controlled by the hydrostatic depression in the material. We propose a model that rationalizes our observations and captures both dynamics based on the evolution of the capture probability with the hydrostatic depression.

We show that the quantum Zeno effect gives rise to the Hall effect by tailoring the Hilbert space of a two-dimensional lattice system into a single Bloch band with a nontrivial Berry curvature. Consequently, a wave packet undergoes transverse motion in response to a potential gradient—a phenomenon we call the Zeno Hall effect to highlight its quantum Zeno origin. The Zeno Hall effect leads to retroreflection at the edge of the system due to an interplay between the band flatness and the nontrivial Berry curvature. We propose an experimental implementation of this effect with ultracold atoms in an optical lattice.

We demonstrate experimentally, numerically, and analytically that soft architected materials can support the propagation of elastic vector solitons. More specifically, we focus on structures comprising a network of squares connected by thin and highly deformable ligaments and investigate the propagation of planar nonlinear elastic waves. We find that for sufficiently large amplitudes two components—one translational and one rotational—are coupled together and copropagate without dispersion. Our results not only show that soft architected materials offer a new and rich platform to study the propagation of nonlinear waves, but also open avenues for the design of a new generation of smart systems that take advantage of nonlinearities to control and manipulate the propagation of large amplitude vibrations.

The advent of high-flux-polarized $\gamma$-ray sources makes possible the nearly isolated precise measurement of the vacuum contribution, Delbrück scattering, to the elastic scattering of these photons off nuclei. Because of the fact that the elastic scattering of the photons is a coherent summation of four processes and that up to now unpolarized sources have been used, the isolated measurement of Delbrück scattering has not been performed. We show that for the appropriate choice of scattering angles, photon polarization, and energies this scattering can be measured nearly independently of other scattering processes. This makes possible the precise measurement of the vacuum contribution to scattering and the possibility of the detection of new physics.

We propose the development of a high-contrast imaging technique enabling the simultaneous and selective nulling of several light sources. This is done by realizing a reconfigurable multiple-vortex phase mask made of a liquid crystal thin film on which local topological features can be addressed electro-optically. The method is illustrated by reporting on a triple-star optical vortex coronagraphy laboratory demonstration, which can be easily extended to higher multiplicity. These results allow considering the direct observation and analysis of worlds with multiple suns and more complex extrasolar planetary systems.

We present a nonperturbative analysis of the power spectrum of energy level fluctuations in fully chaotic quantum structures. Focusing on systems with broken time-reversal symmetry, we employ a finite-$N$ random matrix theory to derive an exact multidimensional integral representation of the power spectrum. The $N\to \infty$ limit of the exact solution furnishes the main result of this study—a universal, parameter-free prediction for the power spectrum expressed in terms of a fifth Painlevé transcendent. Extensive numerics lends further support to our theory which, as discussed at length, invalidates a traditional assumption that the power spectrum is merely determined by the spectral form factor of a quantum system.

We argue that many features of the structure of nuclei emerge from a strictly perturbative expansion around the unitarity limit, where the two-nucleon $S$ waves have bound states at zero energy. In this limit, the gross features of states in the nuclear chart are correlated to only one dimensionful parameter, which is related to the breaking of scale invariance to a discrete scaling symmetry and set by the triton binding energy. Observables are moved to their physical values by small perturbative corrections, much like in descriptions of the fine structure of atomic spectra. We provide evidence in favor of the conjecture that light, and possibly heavier, nuclei are bound weakly enough to be insensitive to the details of the interactions but strongly enough to be insensitive to the exact size of the two-nucleon system.

Using a 3D fully kinetic approach, we disentangle and explain the ion and electron dynamics of the solar wind interaction with a weakly outgassing comet. We show that, to first order, the dynamical interaction is representative of a four-fluid coupled system. We self-consistently simulate and identify the origin of the warm and suprathermal electron distributions observed by ESA’s Rosetta mission to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and conclude that a detailed kinetic treatment of the electron dynamics is critical to fully capture the complex physics of mass-loading plasmas.

Through first-principles calculations and crystal structure prediction techniques, we identify a new layered oxysulfide LiAlSO in orthorhombic structure as a novel lithium superionic conductor. Two kinds of stacking sequences of layers of ${\mathrm{AlS}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_2$ are found in different temperature ranges. Phonon and molecular dynamics simulations verify their dynamic stabilities, and wide band gaps up to 5.6 eV are found by electronic structure calculations. The lithium migration energy barrier simulations reveal the collective interstitial-host ion “kick-off” hopping mode with barriers lower than 50 meV as the dominating conduction mechanism for LiAlSO, indicating it to be a promising solid-state electrolyte in lithium secondary batteries with fast ionic conductivity and a wide electrochemical window. This is a first attempt in which the lithium superionic conductors are designed by the crystal structure prediction method and may help explore other mixed-anion battery materials.

The theory of homogeneously driven granular gases of hard particles predicts that the stationary state is characterized by a velocity distribution function with overpopulated high-energy tails as compared to the exponential decay valid for molecular gases. While this fundamental theoretical result was confirmed by numerous numerical simulations, an experimental confirmation is still missing. Using self-rotating active granular particles, we find a power-law decay of the velocity distribution whose exponent agrees well with the theoretic prediction.

A search for the rare decays $B_s^0\to {\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$ and $B^0\to {\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$ is performed at the LHCb experiment using data collected in $pp$ collisions corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of $4.4{\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}$. An excess of $B_s^0\to {\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$ decays is observed with a significance of 7.8 standard deviations, representing the first observation of this decay in a single experiment. The branching fraction is measured to be $\mathcal{B}(B_s^0\to {\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-})=(3.0\pm 0.6_{-0.2}^{+0.3})\times {10}^{-9}$, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second systematic. The first measurement of the $B_s^0\to {\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$ effective lifetime, $\tau (B_s^0\to {\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-})=2.04\pm 0.44\pm 0.05\mathrm{ps}$, is reported. No significant excess of $B^0\to {\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$ decays is found, and a 95% confidence level upper limit, $\mathcal{B}(B^0\to {\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-})<3.4\times {10}^{-10}$, is determined. All results are in agreement with the standard model expectations.

We examine the shape of droplets atop deformable thin elastomeric films prepared with an anisotropic tension. As the droplets generate a deformation in the taut film through capillary forces, they assume a shape that is elongated along the high tension direction. By measuring the contact line profile, the tension in the membrane can be completely determined. Minimal theoretical arguments lead to predictions for the droplet shape and membrane deformation that are in excellent agreement with the data. On the whole, the results demonstrate that droplets can be used as probes to map out the stress field in a membrane.