The neutron-rich nucleus ${}^{144}\mathrm{Ba}$ ($t_{1/2}=11.5\mathrm{s}$) is expected to exhibit some of the strongest octupole correlations among nuclei with mass numbers $A$ less than 200. Until now, indirect evidence for such strong correlations has been inferred from observations such as enhanced $E1$ transitions and interleaving positive- and negative-parity levels in the ground-state band. In this experiment, the octupole strength was measured directly by sub-barrier, multistep Coulomb excitation of a post-accelerated 650-MeV ${}^{144}\mathrm{Ba}$ beam on a $1.0\text{−}\mathrm{mg}/{\mathrm{cm}}^2$ ${}^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$ target. The measured value of the matrix element, $⟨{3_1}^{-}\parallel \mathcal{M}(E3)\parallel {0_1}^{+}⟩=0.65\left(\genfrac{}{}{0ex}{}{+17}{-23}\right)$ $e{b}^{3/2}$, corresponds to a reduced $B(E3)$ transition probability of $48\left(\genfrac{}{}{0ex}{}{+25}{-34}\right)\mathrm{W}.\mathrm{u}.$ This result represents an unambiguous determination of the octupole collectivity, is larger than any available theoretical prediction, and is consistent with octupole deformation.

We demonstrate improved operation of exchange-coupled semiconductor quantum dots by substantially reducing the sensitivity of exchange operations to charge noise. The method involves biasing a double dot symmetrically between the charge-state anticrossings, where the derivative of the exchange energy with respect to gate voltages is minimized. Exchange remains highly tunable by adjusting the tunnel coupling. We find that this method reduces the dephasing effect of charge noise by more than a factor of 5 in comparison to operation near a charge-state anticrossing, increasing the number of observable exchange oscillations in our qubit by a similar factor. Performance also improves with exchange rate, favoring fast quantum operations.

We demonstrate a substantial improvement in the spin-exchange gate using symmetric control instead of conventional detuning in GaAs spin qubits, up to a factor of six increase in the quality factor of the gate. For symmetric operation, nanosecond voltage pulses are applied to the barrier that controls the interdot potential between quantum dots, modulating the exchange interaction while maintaining symmetry between the dots. Excellent agreement is found with a model that separately includes electrical and nuclear noise sources for both detuning and symmetric gating schemes. Unlike exchange control via detuning, the decoherence of symmetric exchange rotations is dominated by rotation-axis fluctuations due to nuclear field noise rather than direct exchange noise.

Topological states of electrons present new avenues to explore the rich phenomenology of correlated quantum matter. Topological insulators (TIs) in particular offer an experimental setting to study novel quantum critical points (QCPs) of massless Dirac fermions, which exist on the sample’s surface. Here, we obtain exact results for the zero- and finite-temperature optical conductivity at the semimetal-superconductor QCP for these topological surface states. This strongly interacting QCP is described by a scale invariant theory with emergent supersymmetry, which is a unique symmetry mixing bosons and fermions. We show that supersymmetry implies exact relations between the optical conductivity and two otherwise unrelated properties: the shear viscosity and the entanglement entropy. We discuss experimental considerations for the observation of these signatures in TIs.

The problem of finding a marked node in a graph can be solved by the spatial search algorithm based on continuous-time quantum walks (CTQW). However, this algorithm is known to run in optimal time only for a handful of graphs. In this work, we prove that for Erdös-Renyi random graphs, i.e., graphs of $n$ vertices where each edge exists with probability $p$, search by CTQW is almost surely optimal as long as $p\ge {\log }^{3/2}(n)/n$. Consequently, we show that quantum spatial search is in fact optimal for almost all graphs, meaning that the fraction of graphs of $n$ vertices for which this optimality holds tends to one in the asymptotic limit. We obtain this result by proving that search is optimal on graphs where the ratio between the second largest and the largest eigenvalue is bounded by a constant smaller than 1. Finally, we show that we can extend our results on search to establish high fidelity quantum communication between two arbitrary nodes of a random network of interacting qubits, namely, to perform quantum state transfer, as well as entanglement generation. Our work shows that quantum information tasks typically designed for structured systems retain performance in very disordered structures.

Compression of turbulent plasma can amplify the turbulent kinetic energy, if the compression is fast compared to the viscous dissipation time of the turbulent eddies. A sudden viscous dissipation mechanism is demonstrated, whereby this amplified turbulent kinetic energy is rapidly converted into thermal energy, suggesting a new paradigm for fast ignition inertial fusion.

The standard model could be self-consistent up to the Planck scale according to the present measurements of the Higgs boson mass and top quark Yukawa coupling. It is therefore possible that new physics is only coupled to the standard model through Planck suppressed higher dimensional operators. In this case the weakly interacting massive particle miracle is a mirage, and instead minimality as dictated by Occam’s razor would indicate that dark matter is related to the Planck scale, where quantum gravity is anyway expected to manifest itself. Assuming within this framework that dark matter is a Planckian interacting massive particle, we show that the most natural mass larger than $0.01M_p$ is already ruled out by the absence of tensor modes in the cosmic microwave background (CMB). This also indicates that we expect tensor modes in the CMB to be observed soon for this type of minimal dark matter model. Finally, we touch upon the Kaluza-Klein graviton mode as a possible realization of this scenario within UV complete models, as well as further potential signatures and peculiar properties of this type of dark matter candidate. This paradigm therefore leads to a subtle connection between quantum gravity, the physics of primordial inflation, and the nature of dark matter.

We observe the effect of the Aharonov-Casher (AC) interference on the spectrum of a superconducting system containing a symmetric Cooper pair box (CPB) and a large inductance. By varying the charge $n_g$ induced on the CPB island, we observe oscillations of the device spectrum with the period $\mathrm{\Delta }{n}_g=2e$. These oscillations are attributed to the charge-controlled AC interference between the fluxon tunneling processes in the CPB Josephson junctions. The measured phase and charge dependences of the frequencies of the $|0⟩\to |1⟩$ and $|0⟩\to |2⟩$ transitions are in good agreement with our numerical simulations. Almost complete suppression of the single fluxon tunneling due to destructive interference is observed for the charge $n_g=e(2n+1)$. The CPB in this regime enables fluxon pairing, which can be used for the development of parity-protected superconducting qubits.

Turbulence in dynamical systems is one of the most intriguing phenomena of modern science. Integrable systems offer the possibility to understand, to some extent, turbulence. Recent numerical and experimental data suggest that the probability of the appearance of rogue waves in a chaotic wave state in such systems increases when the initial state is a random function of sufficiently high amplitude. We provide explanations for this effect.

We consider a three-dimensional network of aqueous droplets joined by single lipid bilayers to form a cohesive, tissuelike material. The droplets in these networks can be programed to have distinct osmolarities so that osmotic gradients generate internal stresses via local fluid flows to cause the network to change shape. We discover, using molecular dynamics simulations, a reversible folding-unfolding process by adding an osmotic interaction with the surrounding environment which necessarily evolves dynamically as the shape of the network changes. This discovery is the next important step towards osmotic robotics in this system. We also explore analytically and numerically how the networks become faceted via buckling and how quasi-one-dimensional networks become three dimensional.

The thermonuclear ${}^{30}\mathrm{P}(p,\gamma ){}^{31}\mathrm{S}$ reaction rate is critical for modeling the final elemental and isotopic abundances of ONe nova nucleosynthesis, which affect the calibration of proposed nova thermometers and the identification of presolar nova grains, respectively. Unfortunately, the rate of this reaction is essentially unconstrained experimentally, because the strengths of key ${}^{31}\mathrm{S}$ proton capture resonance states are not known, largely due to uncertainties in their spins and parities. Using the $\beta$ decay of ${}^{31}\mathrm{Cl}$, we have observed the $\beta$-delayed $\gamma$ decay of a ${}^{31}\mathrm{S}$ state at $E_x=6390.2(7)\mathrm{keV}$, with a ${}^{30}\mathrm{P}(p,\gamma ){}^{31}\mathrm{S}$ resonance energy of $E_r=259.3(8)\mathrm{keV}$, in the middle of the ${}^{30}\mathrm{P}(p,\gamma ){}^{31}\mathrm{S}$ Gamow window for peak nova temperatures. This state exhibits isospin mixing with the nearby isobaric analog state at $E_x=6279.0(6)\mathrm{keV}$, giving it an unambiguous spin and parity of $3/2^{+}$ and making it an important $l=0$ resonance for proton capture on ${}^{30}\mathrm{P}$.

Active regions (ARs) appearing on the surface of the Sun are classified into $\alpha$, $\beta$, $\gamma$, and $\delta$ by the rules of the Mount Wilson Observatory, California on the basis of their topological complexity. Amongst these, the $\delta$ sunspots are known to be superactive and produce the most x-ray flares. Here, we present results from a simulation of the Sun by mimicking the upper layers and the corona, but starting at a more primitive stage than any earlier treatment. We find that this initial state consisting of only a thin subphotospheric magnetic sheet breaks into multiple flux tubes which evolve into a colliding-merging system of spots of opposite polarity upon surface emergence, similar to those often seen on the Sun. The simulation goes on to produce many exotic $\delta$ sunspot associated phenomena: repeated flaring in the range of typical solar flare energy release and ejective helical flux ropes with embedded cool-dense plasma filaments resembling solar coronal mass ejections.

Quantum mechanics predicts a number of, at first sight, counterintuitive phenomena. It therefore remains a question whether our intuition is the best way to find new experiments. Here, we report the development of the computer algorithm Melvin which is able to find new experimental implementations for the creation and manipulation of complex quantum states. Indeed, the discovered experiments extensively use unfamiliar and asymmetric techniques which are challenging to understand intuitively. The results range from the first implementation of a high-dimensional Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger state, to a vast variety of experiments for asymmetrically entangled quantum states—a feature that can only exist when both the number of involved parties and dimensions is larger than 2. Additionally, new types of high-dimensional transformations are found that perform cyclic operations. Melvin autonomously learns from solutions for simpler systems, which significantly speeds up the discovery rate of more complex experiments. The ability to automate the design of a quantum experiment can be applied to many quantum systems and allows the physical realization of quantum states previously thought of only on paper.

Many eukaryotic cells chemotax, sensing and following chemical gradients. However, experiments show that even under conditions when single cells cannot chemotax, small clusters may still follow a gradient. This behavior is observed in neural crest cells, in lymphocytes, and during border cell migration in Drosophila, but its origin remains puzzling. Here, we propose a new mechanism underlying this “collective guidance,” and study a model based on this mechanism both analytically and computationally. Our approach posits that contact inhibition of locomotion, where cells polarize away from cell-cell contact, is regulated by the chemoattractant. Individual cells must measure the mean attractant value, but need not measure its gradient, to give rise to directional motility for a cell cluster. We present analytic formulas for how the cluster velocity and chemotactic index depend on the number and organization of cells in the cluster. The presence of strong orientation effects provides a simple test for our theory of collective guidance.

Recent theories predict that when a supercooled liquid approaches the glass transition, particle clusters with a special “amorphous order” nucleate within the liquid, which lead to static correlations dictating the dramatic slowdown of liquid relaxation. The prediction, however, has yet to be verified in 3D experiments. Here, we design a colloidal system, where particles are confined inside spherical cavities with an amorphous layer of particles pinned at the boundary. Using this novel system, we capture the amorphous-order particle clusters and demonstrate the development of a static correlation. Moreover, by investigating the dynamics of spherically confined samples, we reveal a profound influence of the static correlation on the relaxation of colloidal liquids. In analogy to glass-forming liquids with randomly pinned particles, we propose a simple relation for the change of the configurational entropy of confined colloidal liquids, which quantitatively explains our experimental findings and illustrates a divergent static length scale during the colloidal glass transition.

We report on the experimental observation of spin-dependent thermoelectric currents in superconductor-ferromagnet tunnel junctions in high magnetic fields. The thermoelectric signals are due to a spin-dependent lifting of the particle-hole symmetry, and are found to be in excellent agreement with recent theoretical predictions. The maximum Seebeck coefficient inferred from the data is about $-100\mu \mathrm{V}/\mathrm{K}$, much larger than commonly found in metallic structures. Our results directly prove the coupling of spin and heat transport in high-field superconductors.

We report our experimental results on the no-disturbance principle, which imposes a fundamental monogamy relation on contextuality versus nonlocality. We employ a photonic qutrit-qubit hybrid to explore no-disturbance monogamy at the quantum boundary spanned by noncontextuality and locality inequalities. In particular, we realize the single point where the quantum boundary meets the no-disturbance boundary. Our results agree with quantum theory and satisfy the stringent monogamy relation thereby providing direct experimental evidence of a tradeoff between locally contextual correlations and spatially separated correlations. Thus, our experiment provides evidence that entanglement is a particular manifestation of a more fundamental quantum resource.

Although the existence of quasibound rotational levels of the $X^{+}{}^2{\mathrm{\Sigma }}_g^{+}$ ground state of ${\mathrm{H}}_2^{+}$ was predicted a long time ago, these states have never been observed. Calculated positions and widths of quasibound rotational levels located close to the top of the centrifugal barriers have not been reported either. Given the role that such states play in the recombination of $\mathrm{H}(1s)$ and ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$ to form ${\mathrm{H}}_2^{+}$, this lack of data may be regarded as one of the largest unknown aspects of this otherwise accurately known fundamental molecular cation. We present measurements of the positions and widths of the lowest-lying quasibound rotational levels of ${\mathrm{H}}_2^{+}$ and compare the experimental results with the positions and widths we calculate using a potential model for the $X^{+}$ state of ${\mathrm{H}}_2^{+}$ which includes adiabatic, nonadiabatic, relativistic, and radiative corrections to the Born-Oppenheimer approximation.

Valleytronics is quickly emerging as an exciting field in fundamental and applied research. In this Letter, we study the acoustic version of valley states in sonic crystals and reveal a vortex nature of such states. In addition to the selection rules established for exciting valley polarized states, a mimicked valley Hall effect of sound is proposed further. The extraordinary chirality of valley vortex states, detectable in experiments, may open a new possibility in sound manipulations. This is appealing to scalar acoustics that lacks a spin degree of freedom inherently. In addition, the valley selection enables a handy way to create vortex matter in acoustics, in which the vortex chirality can be controlled flexibly. Potential applications can be anticipated with the exotic interaction of acoustic vortices with matter, such as to trigger the rotation of the trapped microparticles without contact.

Superliquid repellency can be achieved by nano- and microstructuring surfaces in such a way that protrusions entrap air underneath the liquid. It is still not known how the three-phase contact line advances on such structured surfaces. In contrast to a smooth surface, where the contact line can advance continuously, on a superliquid-repellent surface, the contact line has to overcome an air gap between protrusions. Here, we apply laser scanning confocal microscopy to get the first microscopic videos of water drops advancing on a superhydrophobic array of micropillars. In contrast to common belief, the liquid surface gradually bends down until it touches the top face of the next micropillars. The apparent advancing contact angle is 180°. On the receding side, pinning to the top faces of the micropillars determines the apparent receding contact angle. Based on these observations, we propose that the apparent receding contact angle should be used for characterizing superliquid-repellent surfaces rather than the apparent advancing contact angle and hysteresis.