Fractionalization is a ubiquitous phenomenon in topological states of matter. In this work, we study the collective behavior of fractionalized topological charges and their instabilities, through the $J_1\text{−}{J}_2\text{−}{J}_3$ Ising model on a kagome lattice. This model can be mapped onto a Hamiltonian of interacting topological charges under the constraint of Gauss’ law. We find that the recombination of topological charges gives rise to a yet unexplored classical spin liquid. This spin liquid is characterized by an extensive residual entropy, as well as the formation of hexamers of same-sign topological charges. The emergence of hexamers is reflected by a half-moon signal in the magnetic structure factor, which provides a signature of this new spin liquid in elastic neutron-scattering experiments. To study this phase, a worm algorithm has been developed which does not require the usual divergence-free condition.

The strongly spin-momentum coupled electronic states in topological insulators (TI) have been extensively pursued to realize efficient magnetic switching. However, previous studies show a large discrepancy of the charge-spin conversion efficiency. Moreover, current-induced magnetic switching with TI can only be observed at cryogenic temperatures. We report spin-orbit torque switching in a TI-ferrimagnet heterostructure with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy at room temperature. The obtained effective spin Hall angle of TI is substantially larger than the previously studied heavy metals. Our results demonstrate robust charge-spin conversion in TI and provide a direct avenue towards applicable TI-based spintronic devices.

The capture of CO, a standard lung function test, results from diffusion-reaction processes of CO with hemoglobin inside red blood cells (RBCs). In its current understanding, suggested by Roughton and Forster in 1957, the capture is represented by two independent resistances in series, one for diffusion from the gas to the RBC periphery, the second for internal diffusion reaction. Numerical studies in 3D model structures described here contradict the independence hypothesis. This results from two different theoretical reasons: (i) The RBC peripheries are not equi-concentrations; (ii) diffusion times in series are not additive.

The existence of ${}^{26}\mathrm{Al}$ ($t_{1/2}=7.17\times {10}^5\mathrm{yr}$) in the interstellar medium provides a direct confirmation of ongoing nucleosynthesis in the Galaxy. The presence of a low-lying $0^{+}$ isomer (${{}^{26}\mathrm{Al}}^m$), however, severely complicates the astrophysical calculations. We present for the first time a study of the ${{}^{26}\mathrm{Al}}^m(d,p){}^{27}\mathrm{Al}$ reaction using an isomeric ${}^{26}\mathrm{Al}$ beam. The selectivity of this reaction allowed the study of $\ell =0$ transfers to $T=1/2$, and $T=3/2$ states in ${}^{27}\mathrm{Al}$. Mirror symmetry arguments were then used to constrain the ${{}^{26}\mathrm{Al}}^m(p,\gamma ){}^{27}\mathrm{Si}$ reaction rate and provide an experimentally determined upper limit of the rate for the destruction of isomeric ${}^{26}\mathrm{Al}$ via radiative proton capture reactions, which is expected to dominate the destruction path of ${{}^{26}\mathrm{Al}}^m$ in asymptotic giant branch stars, classical novae, and core collapse supernovae.

We investigate the effect of large curvature and dipolar energy in thin ferromagnetic films with periodically modulated top and bottom surfaces on magnetization behavior. We predict that the dipolar interaction and surface curvature can produce perpendicular anisotropy which can be controlled by engineering special types of periodic surface structures. Similar effects can be achieved by a significant surface roughness in the film. We demonstrate that, in general, the anisotropy can point in an arbitrary direction depending on the surface curvature. Furthermore, we provide simple examples of these periodic surface structures to show how to engineer particular anisotropies in thin films.

Motivated by a recent experimental demonstration of a chiral edge mode in an array of spinning gyroscopes, we theoretically study the coupled gyration modes of topological magnetic solitons, vortices and magnetic bubbles, arranged as a honeycomb lattice. The soliton lattice under suitable conditions is shown to support a chiral edge mode like its mechanical analogue, the existence of which can be understood by mapping the system to the Haldane model for an electronic system. The direction of the chiral edge mode is associated with the topological charge of the constituent solitons, which can be manipulated by an external field or by an electric-current pulse. The direction can also be controlled by distorting the honeycomb lattice. Our results indicate that the lattices of magnetic solitons can serve as reprogrammable topological metamaterials.

Magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) microscopy measurements of magnetic bubble domains demonstrate that ${\mathrm{Ar}}^{+}$ irradiation around 100 eV can tune the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) in $\mathrm{Pt}/\mathrm{Co}/\mathrm{Pt}$ trilayers. Varying the irradiation energy and dose changes the DMI sign and magnitude separately from the magnetic anisotropy, allowing tuning of the DMI while holding the coercive field constant. This simultaneous control emphasizes the different physical origins of these effects. To accurately measure the DMI, we propose and apply a physical model for a poorly understood peak in domain wall velocity at zero in-plane field. The ability to tune the DMI with the spatial resolution of the ${\mathrm{Ar}}^{+}$ irradiation enables new fundamental investigations and technological applications of chiral nanomagnetics.

We demonstrate simultaneous deceleration and trapping of a cold atomic and molecular mixture. This is the first step towards studies of cold atom-molecule collisions at low temperatures as well as application of sympathetic cooling. Both atoms and molecules are cooled in a supersonic expansion and are loaded into a moving magnetic trap that brings them to rest via the Zeeman interaction from an initial velocity of $375\mathrm{m}/\mathrm{s}$. We use a beam seeded with molecular oxygen, and entrain it with lithium atoms by laser ablation prior to deceleration. The deceleration ends with loading of the mixture into a static quadrupole trap, which is generated by two permanent magnets. We estimate $10^9$ trapped ${\mathrm{O}}_2$ molecules and $10^5$ Li atoms with background pressure limited lifetime on the order of 1 sec. With further improvements to lithium entrainment we expect that sympathetic cooling of molecules is within reach.

Any quantum-confined electronic system coupled to the electromagnetic continuum is subject to radiative decay and renormalization of its energy levels. When coupled to a cavity, these quantities can be strongly modified with respect to their values in vacuum. Generally, this modification can be accurately captured by including only the closest resonant mode of the cavity. In the circuit quantum electrodynamics architecture, it is, however, found that the radiative decay rates are strongly influenced by far off-resonant modes. A multimode calculation accounting for the infinite set of cavity modes leads to divergences unless a cutoff is imposed. It has so far not been identified what the source of divergence is. We show here that unless gauge invariance is respected, any attempt at the calculation of circuit QED quantities is bound to diverge. We then present a theoretical approach to the calculation of a finite spontaneous emission rate and the Lamb shift that is free of cutoff.

The interpretation of x-ray spectra emerging from x-ray binaries and active galactic nuclei accreted plasmas relies on complex physical models for radiation generation and transport in photoionized plasmas. These models have not been sufficiently experimentally validated. We have developed a highly reproducible benchmark experiment to study spectrum formation from a photoionized silicon plasma in a regime comparable to astrophysical plasmas. Ionization predictions are higher than inferred from measured absorption spectra. Self-emission measured at adjustable column densities tests radiation transport effects, demonstrating that the resonant Auger destruction assumption used to interpret black hole accretion spectra is inaccurate.

A nonlinear absorber in which the excited state absorption is larger than the ground state can undergo a process called reverse saturable absorption. It is a well-known phenomenon in laser physics in the optical regime, but is more difficult to generate in the x-ray regime, where fast nonradiative core electron transitions typically dominate the population kinetics during light matter interactions. Here, we report the first observation of decreasing x-ray transmission in a solid target pumped by intense x-ray free electron laser pulses. The measurement has been made below the $K$-absorption edge of aluminum, and the x-ray intensity ranges are ${10}^{16}–{10}^{17}\mathrm{W}/{\mathrm{cm}}^2$. It has been confirmed by collisional radiative population kinetic calculations, underscoring the fast spectral modulation of the x-ray pulses and charge states relevant to the absorption and transmission of x-ray photons. The processes shown through detailed simulations are consistent with reverse saturable absorption, which would be the first observation of this phenomena in the x-ray regime. These light matter interactions provide a unique opportunity to investigate optical transport properties in the extreme state of matters, as well as affording the potential to regulate ultrafast x-ray free-electron laser pulses.

Many-body localization (MBL) is a phase of matter that is characterized by the absence of thermalization. Dynamical generation of a large number of local quantum numbers has been identified as one key characteristic of this phase, quite possibly the microscopic mechanism of breakdown of thermalization and the phase transition itself. We formulate a robust algorithm, based on Wegner-Wilson flow (WWF) renormalization, for computing these conserved quantities and their interactions. We present evidence for the existence of distinct fixed point distributions of the latter: a Gaussian white-noise-like distribution in the ergodic phase, a $1/f$ law inside the MBL phase, and scale-free distributions in the transition regime.

We provide a systematic comparison of the many-body localization (MBL) transition in spin chains with nonrandom quasiperiodic versus random fields. We find evidence suggesting that these belong to two separate universality classes: the first dominated by “intrinsic” intrasample randomness, and the second dominated by external intersample quenched randomness. We show that the effects of intersample quenched randomness are strongly growing, but not yet dominant, at the system sizes probed by exact-diagonalization studies on random models. Thus, the observed finite-size critical scaling collapses in such studies appear to be in a preasymptotic regime near the nonrandom universality class, but showing signs of the initial crossover towards the external-randomness-dominated universality class. Our results provide an explanation for why exact-diagonalization studies on random models see an apparent scaling near the transition while also obtaining finite-size scaling exponents that strongly violate Harris-Chayes bounds that apply to disorder-driven transitions. We also show that the MBL phase is more stable for the quasiperiodic model as compared to the random one, and the transition in the quasiperiodic model suffers less from certain finite-size effects.

We show that semiconducting graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) of different width, edge, and end termination (synthesizable from molecular precursors with atomic precision) belong to different electronic topological classes. The topological phase of GNRs is protected by spatial symmetries and dictated by the terminating unit cell. We have derived explicit formulas for their topological invariants and shown that localized junction states developed between two GNRs of distinct topology may be tuned by lateral junction geometry. The topology of a GNR can be further modified by dopants, such as a periodic array of boron atoms. In a superlattice consisting of segments of doped and pristine GNRs, the junction states are stable spin centers, forming a Heisenberg antiferromagnetic spin $1/2$ chain with tunable exchange interaction. The discoveries here not only are of scientific interest for studies of quasi-one-dimensional systems, but also open a new path for design principles of future GNR-based devices through their topological characters.

We investigate the excitation and propagation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) at a geometrically flat metal-dielectric interface with a parity-time ($\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$) symmetric modulation on the permittivity $ϵ(x)$ of the dielectric medium. We show that two striking effects can be simultaneously achieved thanks to the nonreciprocal nature of the Bloch modes in the system. First, SPPs can be unidirectionally excited when light is normally incident on the interface. Secondly, the backscattering of SPPs into the far field is suppressed, producing a radiative-loss-free effect on the unidirectional SPPs. As a result, the lifetime and propagation distance of SPPs can be significantly improved. These results show that $\mathcal{P}\mathcal{T}$ symmetry can be employed as a new approach to designing transformative nanoscale optical devices, such as low-loss plasmonic routers and isolators for efficient optical computation, communication, and information processing.

Using wide spectral range in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry with systematic ultrahigh vacuum annealing and in situ exposure to oxygen, we report the complex dielectric function of ${\mathrm{MoS}}_2$ isolating the environmental effects and revealing the crucial role of unpassivated and passivated sulphur vacancies. The spectral weights of the $A$ (1.92 eV) and $B$ (2.02 eV) exciton peaks in the dielectric function reduce significantly upon annealing, accompanied by spectral weight transfer in a broad energy range. Interestingly, the original spectral weights are recovered upon controlled oxygen exposure. This tunability of the excitonic effects is likely due to passivation and reemergence of the gap states in the band structure during oxygen adsorption and desorption, respectively, as indicated by ab initio density functional theory calculation results. This Letter unravels and emphasizes the important role of adsorbed oxygen in the optical spectra and many-body interactions of ${\mathrm{MoS}}_2$.

We demonstrate the existence of a novel quasiparticle, an exciton in a semiconductor doubly dressed with two photons of different wavelengths: a near infrared cavity photon and terahertz (THz) photon, with the THz coupling strength approaching the ultrastrong coupling regime. This quasiparticle is composed of three different bosons, being a mixture of a matter-light quasiparticle. Our observations are confirmed by a detailed theoretical analysis, treating quantum mechanically all three bosonic fields. The doubly dressed quasiparticles retain the bosonic nature of their constituents, but their internal quantum structure strongly depends on the intensity of the applied terahertz field.