The Pauli exclusion principle is one of the most fundamental manifestations of quantum statistics. Here, we report on its local observation in a spin-polarized degenerate gas of fermions in an optical lattice. We probe the gas with single-site resolution using a new generation quantum gas microscope avoiding the common problem of light induced losses. In the band insulating regime, we measure a strong local suppression of particle number fluctuations and a low local entropy per atom. Our work opens a new avenue for studying quantum correlations in fermionic quantum matter both in and out of equilibrium.

We report on the experimental observation of a strongly interacting gas of ultracold two-electron fermions with an orbital degree of freedom and magnetically tunable interactions. This realization has been enabled by the demonstration of a novel kind of Feshbach resonance occurring in the scattering of two ${}^{173}\mathrm{Yb}$ atoms in different nuclear and electronic states. The strongly interacting regime at resonance is evidenced by the observation of anisotropic hydrodynamic expansion of the two-orbital Fermi gas. These results pave the way towards the realization of new quantum states of matter with strongly correlated fermions with an orbital degree of freedom.

We report on the experimental observation of a novel interorbital Feshbach resonance in ultracold ${}^{173}\mathrm{Yb}$ atoms. This opens up the possibility of tuning the interactions between the ${}^1{S}_0$ and ${}^3{P}_0$ metastable state, both possessing zero total electronic angular momentum. The resonance is observed at experimentally accessible magnetic field strengths and occurs universally for all hyperfine state combinations. We characterize the resonance in the bulk via interorbital cross thermalization as well as in a three-dimensional lattice using high-resolution clock-line spectroscopy. Our measurements are well described by a generalized two-channel model of the orbital-exchange interactions.

We examine the role of intrinsic chain susceptibility anisotropy in magnetic field directed self-assembly of a block copolymer using in situ x-ray scattering. Alignment of a lamellar mesophase is observed on cooling across the disorder-order transition with the resulting orientational order inversely proportional to the cooling rate. We discuss the origin of the susceptibility anisotropy, $\mathrm{\Delta }\chi$, that drives alignment and calculate its magnitude using coarse-grained molecular dynamics to sample conformations of surface-tethered chains, finding $\mathrm{\Delta }\chi \approx 2\times 10^{-8}$. From field-dependent scattering data, we estimate that grains of $\approx 1.2\mu \mathrm{m}$ are present during alignment. These results demonstrate that intrinsic anisotropy is sufficient to support strong field-induced mesophase alignment and suggest a versatile strategy for field control of orientational order in block copolymers.

Local realism is the worldview in which physical properties of objects exist independently of measurement and where physical influences cannot travel faster than the speed of light. Bell’s theorem states that this worldview is incompatible with the predictions of quantum mechanics, as is expressed in Bell’s inequalities. Previous experiments convincingly supported the quantum predictions. Yet, every experiment requires assumptions that provide loopholes for a local realist explanation. Here, we report a Bell test that closes the most significant of these loopholes simultaneously. Using a well-optimized source of entangled photons, rapid setting generation, and highly efficient superconducting detectors, we observe a violation of a Bell inequality with high statistical significance. The purely statistical probability of our results to occur under local realism does not exceed $3.74\times {10}^{-31}$, corresponding to an 11.5 standard deviation effect.

We present a loophole-free violation of local realism using entangled photon pairs. We ensure that all relevant events in our Bell test are spacelike separated by placing the parties far enough apart and by using fast random number generators and high-speed polarization measurements. A high-quality polarization-entangled source of photons, combined with high-efficiency, low-noise, single-photon detectors, allows us to make measurements without requiring any fair-sampling assumptions. Using a hypothesis test, we compute $p$ values as small as $5.9\times {10}^{-9}$ for our Bell violation while maintaining the spacelike separation of our events. We estimate the degree to which a local realistic system could predict our measurement choices. Accounting for this predictability, our smallest adjusted $p$ value is $2.3\times {10}^{-7}$. We therefore reject the hypothesis that local realism governs our experiment.

We demonstrate extraction of randomness from spontaneous-emission events less than 36 ns in the past, giving output bits with excess predictability below $10^{-5}$ and strong metrological randomness assurances. This randomness generation strategy satisfies the stringent requirements for unpredictable basis choices in current “loophole-free Bell tests” of local realism [Hensen et al., Nature (London) 526, 682 (2015); Giustina et al., this issue, Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 250401 (2015); Shalm et al., preceding Letter, Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 250402 (2015)].

Recently, a new mechanism to generate a naturally small electroweak scale has been proposed. It exploits the coupling of the Higgs boson to an axionlike field and a long era in the early Universe where the axion unchains a dynamical screening of the Higgs mass. We present a new realization of this idea with the new feature that it leaves no sign of new physics at the electroweak scale, and up to a rather large scale, ${10}^9\mathrm{GeV}$, except for two very light and weakly coupled axionlike states. One of the scalars can be a viable dark matter candidate. Such a cosmological Higgs-axion interplay could be tested with a number of experimental strategies.

In this Letter, we report on the design and experimental characterization of a broadband acoustic hyperbolic metamaterial. The proposed metamaterial consists of multiple arrays of clamped thin plates facing the $y$ direction and is shown to yield opposite signs of effective density in the $x$ and $y$ directions below a certain cutoff frequency, therefore, yielding a hyperbolic dispersion. Partial focusing and subwavelength imaging are experimentally demonstrated at frequencies between 1.0 and 2.5 kHz. The proposed metamaterial could open up new possibilities for acoustic wave manipulation and may find usage in medical imaging and nondestructive testing.

The ${}^{22}\mathrm{Ne}(p,\gamma ){}^{23}\mathrm{Na}$ reaction takes part in the neon-sodium cycle of hydrogen burning. This cycle affects the synthesis of the elements between ${}^{20}\mathrm{Ne}$ and ${}^{27}\mathrm{Al}$ in asymptotic giant branch stars and novae. The ${}^{22}\mathrm{Ne}(p,\gamma ){}^{23}\mathrm{Na}$ reaction rate is very uncertain because of a large number of unobserved resonances lying in the Gamow window. At proton energies below 400 keV, only upper limits exist in the literature for the resonance strengths. Previous reaction rate evaluations differ by large factors. In the present work, the first direct observations of the ${}^{22}\mathrm{Ne}(p,\gamma ){}^{23}\mathrm{Na}$ resonances at 156.2, 189.5, and 259.7 keV are reported. Their resonance strengths are derived with 2%–7% uncertainty. In addition, upper limits for three other resonances are greatly reduced. Data are taken using a windowless ${}^{22}\mathrm{Ne}$ gas target and high-purity germanium detectors at the Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics in the Gran Sasso laboratory of the National Institute for Nuclear Physics, Italy, taking advantage of the ultralow background observed deep underground. The new reaction rate is a factor of 20 higher than the recent evaluation at a temperature of 0.1 GK, relevant to nucleosynthesis in asymptotic giant branch stars.

Transition metal dichalcogenides in the class $M{X}_2$ ($M=\mathrm{Mo}$, W; $X=\mathrm{S}$, Se) have been identified as direct-gap semiconductors in the monolayer limit. Here, we examine light emission of monolayer ${\mathrm{WSe}}_2$ using temperature-dependent photoluminescence and time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. We present experimental evidence for the existence of an optically forbidden dark state of the band-gap exciton that lies tens of meV below the optically bright state. The presence of the dark state is manifest in the strong quenching of light emission observed at reduced temperatures. The experimental findings are consistent with theoretical predictions of spin-polarized conduction and valence bands at the $K$ point of the Brillouin zone, with the minimum gap occurring between bands of opposite electron spin.

Despite great interest in the quantum anomalous Hall phase and its analogs, all experimental studies in electronic and bosonic systems have been limited to a Chern number of one. Here, we perform microwave transmission measurements in the bulk and at the edge of ferrimagnetic photonic crystals. Band gaps with large Chern numbers of 2, 3, and 4 are present in the experimental results, which show excellent agreement with theory. We measure the mode profiles and Fourier transform them to produce dispersion relations of the edge modes, whose number and direction match our Chern number calculations.

Using high-resolution data from the Galactic Arecibo L-Band Feed Array HI (GALFA-Hi) survey, we show that linear structure in Galactic neutral hydrogen (Hi) correlates with the magnetic field orientation implied by Planck 353 GHz polarized dust emission. The structure of the neutral interstellar medium is more tightly coupled to the magnetic field than previously known. At high Galactic latitudes, where the Planck data are noise dominated, the Hi data provide an independent constraint on the Galactic magnetic field orientation, and hence the local dust polarization angle. We detect strong cross-correlations between template maps constructed from estimates of dust intensity combined with either Hi-derived angles, starlight polarization angles, or Planck 353 GHz angles. The Hi data thus provide a new tool in the search for inflationary gravitational wave $B$-mode polarization in the cosmic microwave background, which is currently limited by dust foreground contamination.

We characterize the spatiotemporal deformation of an elastic film during the radial drainage of fluid from a narrowing gap. Elastic deformation of the film takes the form of a dimple and prevents full contact to be reached. With a thinner elastic film the stress becomes increasingly supported by the underlying rigid substrate and the dimple formation is suppressed, which allows the surfaces to reach full contact. We highlight the lag due to viscoelasticity on the surface profiles, and that for a given fluid film thickness deformation leads to stronger hydrodynamic forces than for rigid surfaces.

Many of the properties of graphene are tied to its lattice structure, allowing for tuning of charge carrier dynamics through mechanical strain. The graphene electromechanical coupling yields very large pseudomagnetic fields for small strain fields, up to hundreds of Tesla, which offer new scientific opportunities unattainable with ordinary laboratory magnets. Significant challenges exist in investigation of pseudomagnetic fields, limited by the nonplanar graphene geometries in existing demonstrations and the lack of a viable approach to controlling the distribution and intensity of the pseudomagnetic field. Here we reveal a facile and effective mechanism to achieve programmable extreme pseudomagnetic fields with uniform distributions in a planar graphene sheet over a large area by a simple uniaxial stretch. We achieve this by patterning the planar graphene geometry and graphene-based heterostructures with a shape function to engineer a desired strain gradient. Our method is geometrical, opening up new fertile opportunities of strain engineering of electronic properties of 2D materials in general.

A pair of conjugate observables, such as the quadrature amplitudes of harmonic motion, have fundamental fluctuations that are bound by the Heisenberg uncertainty relation. However, in a squeezed quantum state, fluctuations of a quantity can be reduced below the standard quantum limit, at the cost of increased fluctuations of the conjugate variable. Here we prepare a nearly macroscopic moving body, realized as a micromechanical resonator, in a squeezed quantum state. We obtain squeezing of one quadrature amplitude $1.1\pm 0.4\mathrm{dB}$ below the standard quantum limit, thus achieving a long-standing goal of obtaining motional squeezing in a macroscopic object.

Germanium is a widely used material for electronic and optoelectronic devices and recently it has become an important material for spintronics and quantum computing applications. Donor spins in silicon have been shown to support very long coherence times ($T_2$) when the host material is isotopically enriched to remove any magnetic nuclei. Germanium also has nonmagnetic isotopes so it is expected to support long $T_2$’s while offering some new properties. Compared to Si, Ge has a strong spin-orbit coupling, large electron wave function, high mobility, and highly anisotropic conduction band valleys which will all give rise to new physics. In this Letter, the first pulsed electron spin resonance measurements of $T_2$ and the spin-lattice relaxation ($T_1$) times for ${}^{75}\mathrm{As}$ and ${}^{31}\mathrm{P}$ donors in natural and isotopically enriched germanium are presented. We compare samples with various levels of isotopic enrichment and find that spectral diffusion due to ${}^{73}\mathrm{Ge}$ nuclear spins limits the coherence in samples with significant amounts of ${}^{73}\mathrm{Ge}$. For the most highly enriched samples, we find that $T_1$ limits $T_2$ to $T_2=2T_1$. We report an anisotropy in $T_1$ and the ensemble linewidths for magnetic fields oriented along different crystal axes but do not resolve any angular dependence to the spectral-diffusion-limited $T_2$ in samples with ${}^{73}\mathrm{Ge}$.

For many optimization algorithms the time to solution depends not only on the problem size but also on the specific problem instance and may vary by many orders of magnitude. It is then necessary to investigate the full distribution and especially its tail. Here, we analyze the distributions of annealing times for simulated annealing and simulated quantum annealing (by path integral quantum Monte Carlo simulation) for random Ising spin glass instances. We find power-law distributions with very heavy tails, corresponding to extremely hard instances, but far broader distributions—and thus worse performance for hard instances—for simulated quantum annealing than for simulated annealing. Fast, nonadiabatic, annealing schedules can improve the performance of simulated quantum annealing for very hard instances by many orders of magnitude.

We report high-precision calculations of the nuclear recoil effect to the Lamb shift of hydrogenlike atoms to the first order in the electron-nucleus mass ratio and to all orders in the nuclear binding strength parameter $Z\alpha$. The results are in excellent agreement with the known terms of the $Z\alpha$ expansion and allow an accurate identification of the nonperturbative higher-order remainder. For hydrogen, the higher-order remainder was found to be much larger than anticipated. This result resolves the long-standing disagreement between the numerical all-order and analytical $Z\alpha$-expansion approaches to the recoil effect and completely removes the second-largest theoretical uncertainty in the hydrogen Lamb shift of the $1S$ and $2S$ states.

Borexino is a liquid scintillation detector located deep underground at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS, Italy). Thanks to the unmatched radio purity of the scintillator, and to the well understood detector response at low energy, a new limit on the stability of the electron for decay into a neutrino and a single monoenergetic photon was obtained. This new bound, $\tau \ge 6.6\times {10}^{28}\mathrm{yr}$ at 90% C.L., is 2 orders of magnitude better than the previous limit.