Glassy systems reveal a wide variety of generic behaviors, which lack a unified theoretical description. Here, we study a mean-field model recently shown to reproduce the universal nonphononic vibrational spectra of glasses under oscillatory driving forces. The driven mean-field model, featuring a disordered Hamiltonian structure, naturally predicts the salient dynamical phenomena in cyclically deformed glasses. Specifically, it features an oscillatory yielding transition characterized by an absorbing-to-diffusive transition in the system’s microscopic trajectories and large-scale hysteresis. The model also reveals dynamic slowing down from both sides of the transition, as well as mechanical and thermal annealing effects that mirror their glass counterparts. Finally, we demonstrate a nonequilibrium ensemble equivalence between the driven postyielding dynamics at fixed quenched disorder and quenched disorder averages of the nondriven system along with memory formation.

Spectral degeneracies in Liouvillian generators of dissipative dynamics generically occur as exceptional points, where the corresponding non-Hermitian operator becomes nondiagonalizable. Steady states, i.e., zero modes of Liouvillians, are considered a fundamental exception to this rule since a no-go theorem excludes nondiagonalizable degeneracies there. Here, we demonstrate that the crucial issue of diverging timescales in dissipative state preparation is largely tantamount to an asymptotic approach toward the forbidden scenario of an exceptional steady state in the thermodynamic limit. With case studies ranging from NP-complete satisfiability problems encoded in a quantum master equation to the dissipative preparation of a symmetry protected topological phase, we reveal the close relation between the computational complexity of the problem at hand, and the finite size scaling toward the exceptional steady state, exemplifying both exponential and polynomial scaling. Formally treating the weight $W$ of quantum jumps in the Lindblad master equation as a parameter, we show that exceptional steady states at the physical value $W=1$ may be understood as a critical point hallmarking the onset of dynamical instability.

Rydberg atom arrays with van der Waals interactions provide a controllable path to quantum simulate the locally connected transverse-field Ising model (TFIM), a prototypical model in statistical mechanics. Remotely operating the publicly accessible Aquila Rydberg atom array, we experimentally investigate the physics of TFIM far from equilibrium and uncover significant deviations from the theoretical predictions. Rather than the expected ballistic spread of correlations, the Rydberg simulator exhibits a sub-ballistic spread, along with a logarithmic scaling of entanglement entropy in time all while the system mostly retains its initial magnetization. By modeling the atom motion, we trace these effects to an emergent disorder in Rydberg atom arrays, which we characterize with a minimal random spin model. We further experimentally explore the different dynamical regimes hosted in the system by varying the lattice spacing and the Rabi frequency. Our findings highlight the crucial role of atom motion in the many-body dynamics of Rydberg atom arrays at the TFIM limit, and propose simple benchmark measurements to test for its presence in future experiments.

Existing protocols for quantum communication networks usually assume an initial allocation of quantum entanglement resources, which are then manipulated through local operations and classical communication to establish high-fidelity entanglement between distant parties. It is generally held that the resulting fidelity would increase monotonically with the entanglement budget. Here, we show that for noncooperative protocols, the resulting fidelity may decrease as more entanglement is added to a network with nonpure states. This effect results from a quantum analog of selfish routing and constitutes a potential obstacle to the optimal use of resources in large quantum networks.

Top quark interactions offer a window into possible new high scale physics and many models of new physics predict that the top quark interactions will deviate significantly from those predicted by the standard model. We present an analysis of the experimental restrictions on anomalous 4-fermion $e^{+}{e}^{-}t\overline{t}$ operators that is accurate to next-to-leading order (NLO) in both the electroweak and QCD interactions within the standard model effective field theory framework. At NLO, there is sensitivity to an extended set of anomalous interactions beyond those probed at leading order. A comparison of current limits from electroweak precision observables, along with expected future limits from Drell-Yan and $t\overline{t}{e}^{+}{e}^{-}$ production at the high luminosity LHC, from deep inelastic scattering at the EIC, and from projected sensitivities at the future FCC-ee and CEPC machines demonstrates that each of these programs extends the precision understanding of the interactions of top quarks.

Muons decay in vacuum mainly via the leptonic channel to an electron, a muon neutrino and an electron antineutrino. Previous investigations have concluded that muon decay can be significantly altered only in a strong electromagnetic field when the muonic strong-field parameter is of order unity, which is far beyond the reach of lab-based experiments at current and planned facilities. In this Letter, an alternative mechanism is presented in which a laser pulse affects the vacuum decay rate of a muon outside the pulse. Quantum interference between the muon decaying with or without interacting with the pulse generates fringes in the electron momentum spectra and can increase the muon lifetime by up to a factor 2. The required parameters to observe this effect are available in experiments today.

We derive a complete expression for the neutrino-mediated quantum force beyond the four-Fermi approximation within the standard model. Using this new result, we study the effect of atomic parity violation caused by neutrinos. We find that the neutrino effect is sizable compared to the current experimental sensitivity and can also significantly affect the value of the Weinberg angle measured in atomic systems. This offers a promising method for detecting the neutrino force in the future and facilitates the application of precision atomic physics as a probe for neutrino physics and the electroweak sector of the standard model.

Anyons emerge as elementary excitations in low-dimensional quantum systems and exhibit behavior distinct from bosons or fermions. In one dimension, anyons can arise from unconventional scattering processes or density-dependent hopping on a lattice. Here, we introduce a novel framework for realizing anyonic correlations using the internal degrees of freedom of a spinor quantum gas. We propose a “swap” model, which assigns a complex phase factor to the swapping processes between two different species, referred to as “host particles” and “impurities.” The anyonic characteristics are demonstrated through the one-body correlator of the impurity, using a spin-charge separation analysis. The impurity plays the role of both creating and directly probing the anyonic correlations in a quantum many-body system, which are not accessible in the conventional anyon-Hubbard model. For a single impurity, our framework can be effectively implemented by applying tilt potentials in a strongly interacting quantum gas [Dhar et al., Observing anyonization of bosons in a quantum gas, Nature (London) 642, 53 (2025).]. We further explore the dynamical properties of anyonic correlations and extend our analysis to the case of multiple impurities. Our Letter provides new avenues for engineering many-body anyonic behavior in quantum simulation platforms.

Optical tweezers are a powerful tool for the precise positioning of a variety of small objects, including single neutral atoms. Once trapped, atoms can be cooled to the motional ground state of the tweezers. For a more advanced control of their spatial wave function, we report here a simple method to squeeze their motion, and the protocol to measure the squeezing factor based on momentum spreading estimation. We explore the limitations set by the technical imperfections of the tweezers, as well as the more fundamental limit set by their anharmonicity, and finally demonstrate a squeezing of 5.4 dB. The implementation of motional squeezing allows us to push back the limit set by the position quantum noise and thus to explore more extreme situations requiring atoms positioned with nanometric precision.

In strongly correlated electron systems, superconductivity and charge density waves often coexist in close proximity, suggesting a deeper relationship between these competing phases. Recent research indicates that these orders can intertwine, with the superconducting order parameter coupling to modulations in the electronic density. To elucidate this interplay, we study a two-dimensional XY model with a periodic modulation of the coupling strength in one spatial direction. Using a combination of tensor network methods and Monte Carlo simulations, we reveal a nonmonotonic, domelike dependence of $T_c$ on the modulation wavelength, with the peak $T_c$ shifting to longer wavelengths as the modulation strength grows. The origin of this phenomenon is traced back to an effective pinning of vortices in the valleys of the modulation, confirmed by a comparison to modulated $q$-state clock models. These findings shed new light on the phase behavior of intertwined superconducting and charge-ordered states, offering a deeper understanding of their complex interactions.

Using nuclear inelastic scattering on ${}^{161}\mathrm{Dy}$, we determined the Dy-partial phonon density of states of epitaxial ${\mathrm{DySi}}_2$ in bulk and self-organized nanoislands and nanowires (NWs) on vicinal Si(001) surface. Compared to the bulk, the nanoislands exhibit softening of the crystal lattice, which is further enhanced in the NWs and significantly affects their thermodynamic and elastic properties. Our ab initio calculations reveal that the origin of this effect is the vibrations of Dy atoms located at the surfaces of the nanoislands and the NWs as well as forming a ($2\times 4$) reconstruction on the Si(001) surface between the NWs. The results demonstrate that, opposite to the widely accepted anisotropic lattice mismatch model, the NWs form with their length along the [0001] direction of the strained hexagonal unit cell with lattice parameters close to the Si(001) surface.

Despite sharing a common lattice structure, monolayer ${\mathrm{M}}_2{\mathrm{X}}_2$ compounds realize quantum anomalous Hall phases with distinct Chern numbers, a striking phenomenon that has not been fully explored. Combining first-principles calculations with symmetry analysis and tight-binding models, we identify two generic band-inversion mechanisms governed by the orbital composition and symmetry representations of $3d$ states near the Fermi level. When $d_{xz}$ and $d_{yz}$ orbitals dominate, a doubly degenerate $\mathrm{\Gamma }$-point inversion yields $C=1$; otherwise, inversions occur along $\mathrm{\Gamma }\text{−}\mathrm{X}$ and $\mathrm{\Gamma }\text{−}\mathrm{Y}$ at four $C_4$-related momenta, whose Berry-curvature contributions add to give $C=2$, distinct from scenarios relying on multiple band inversions at a single $\mathbf{k}$ point. The same mechanism consistently explains related two-dimensional systems, including LiFeSe, KTiSb, MgFeP, and Janus ${\mathrm{M}}_2{\mathrm{X}}_2$ derivatives. The mechanism provides practical guidance for screening and engineering tunable high-Chern-number insulators.

Kohn anomalies are kinks or dips in phonon dispersions which are pronounced in low-dimensional materials. We investigate the effects of nonadiabatic phonon self-energy on Kohn anomalies in one-dimensional metals by developing a model that analyzes how the adiabatic phonon frequency, electron effective mass, and electron-phonon coupling strength influence phonon mode renormalization. We introduce an electron-phonon coupling strength threshold for low-temperature system instability, providing experimentalists with a tool to predict them. Finally, we validate the predictions of our model against first-principles calculations on a 4 Å-diameter carbon nanotube.

We study how Berry phase affects the Wigner crystal (WC) state of a two-dimensional electron system. We consider first a model of Bernal bilayer graphene with a perpendicular displacement field, and we show that Berry curvature leads to a new kind of WC state in which the electrons acquire a spontaneous orbital angular momentum when the displacement field exceeds a critical value. We determine the phase boundary of the WC state in terms of electron density and displacement field at low temperature. We then derive the effective Hamiltonian governing the ordering of the physical electron spin. We show that this Hamiltonian contains a chiral term capable of driving the system into chiral spin-density wave or spin liquid phases. The phenomena we discuss are relevant for the valley-polarized Wigner crystal phases observed in multilayer graphene.

We present a comprehensive study on the frustrated $J_1\text{−}{J}_2$ classical $q$-state clock model with even $q>4$ on a two-dimensional square lattice, revealing a rich ensemble of phases driven by competing interactions. In the unfrustrated regime ($J_1>2J_2$), the model reproduces the standard clock model phenomenology: a low-temperature ${\mathbb{Z}}_q$-broken ferromagnet, an intermediate XY-like critical quasi-long-range-ordered phase with emergent U(1) symmetry, and a high-temperature paramagnet. For $J_1<2J_2$, frustration stabilizes five distinct regimes: the disordered paramagnet, a stripe-ordered phase breaking ${\mathbb{Z}}_q\times {\mathbb{Z}}_2$ symmetry, two ${\mathbb{Z}}_2$-broken nematic phases (one with and one without quasi-long-range order), and an exotic stripe phase with emergent discrete ${\mathbb{Z}}_q$ spin degrees of freedom prohibited in the microscopic Hamiltonian. Remarkably, this seemingly forbidden ${\mathbb{Z}}_q$ order emerges via a relevant operator in the infrared long-wavelength limit, rather than from an irrelevant perturbation, highlighting a nonstandard route to emergence. Using large-scale corner transfer matrix renormalization group calculations, complemented by classical Monte Carlo simulations, we map the complete phase diagram and identify Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless, Ising, first-order, and unconventional Landau-incompatible transitions between different phases. Finally, we propose an effective field-theoretic framework that encompasses these emergent orders and their interwoven transitions.

Magnetic or electrical manipulation of electronic spin is elementary for spin-based logic, computing, and memory, where the latter is a low-power manipulation scheme. Rashba-like spin splittings stemming from spin-orbit interaction (SOI) enable electric-field manipulation of spin, but the relativistic SOI causes spin relaxations and yields dissipative transport of spin-encoded information. Recent works suggest the occurrence of electric-field switchable nonrelativistic Zeeman spin splittings (NRZSSs) in collinear antiferromagnets—allowing for electrical manipulation of spin in the nonrelativistic regime, yet a theory elucidating the mechanisms for these NRZSSs and guiding the materials discovery remains missing. Here, we develop such a theory by analyzing the symmetries of spin point groups. We highlight the linear magnetoelectric and bilinear piezomagnetoelectric mechanisms for NRZSSs that depend linearly on electric field and are electrically switchable. First-principles calculations further confirm that FeOOH and NaMnP showcase such NRZSSs. Our theory provides guidelines for discovering light-element collinear antiferromagnets with electrically switchable NRZSSs, which are promising for the design of high-performance spin-based devices.