Holographic dualities that relate type II strings on near-horizon $\mathrm{D}p$ brane geometries to super Yang-Mills theories with sixteen supercharges in $p+1$ dimensions provide nonconformal generalizations of the famous AdS/CFT correspondence. For the extremal case $p=-1$, this suggests a holographic duality for the Ishibashi-Kawai-Kitazawa-Tsuchiya (IKKT) matrix model—super Yang-Mills theory reduced to zero dimensions. Despite intriguing and highly nontrivial results in the IKKT model, this duality has remained largely unexplored so far. In this Letter, we consider the lowest supermultiplet of gauge invariant operators of the model and identify its states with the lowest Kaluza-Klein fluctuations of (Euclidean) IIB supergravity on the $\mathrm{D}(-1)$ instanton background. We construct its holographic bulk realization as a one-dimensional maximal supergravity with 32 supercharges and local SO(10) invariance, capturing the full nonlinear dynamics. Analyzing the bulk Killing spinor equations, we construct the most general half-supersymmetric solutions, which typically break SO(10). We present their uplifts to IIB supergravity, and furthermore to $pp$ waves in twelve dimensions. These results provide the minimal setup for conducting precision tests of holography involving Einstein gravity.

The entanglement entropy of a free field in de Sitter space is enhanced by the squeezing of its modes. We show analytically that the expansion induces a term in the entanglement entropy that depends logarithmically on the size of the overall system, which may extend beyond the horizon. In cosmology the size of the system can be identified with the size of a spatially finite universe or with the wavelength of the first mode that exited the horizon in the beginning of inflation.

Using $20.3{\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}$ of $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ collision data collected at a center-of-mass energy of $E_{\mathrm{c}\mathrm{.}\mathrm{m}\mathrm{.}}=3.773\mathrm{GeV}$ with the BESIII detector operating at the BEPCII collider, we determine the branching fraction of the leptonic decay $D^{+}\to {\mu }^{+}{\nu }_{\mu }$ to be $(4.034\pm 0.080_{\mathrm{stat}}\pm 0.040_{\mathrm{syst}})\times {10}^{-4}$. Interpreting our measurement with knowledge of the Fermi coupling constant $G_F$, the masses of the $D^{+}$ and ${\mu }^{+}$ as well as the lifetime of the $D^{+}$, we determine $f_{D^{+}}|V_{cd}|=(48.02\pm 0.48_{\mathrm{stat}}\pm 0.24_{\mathrm{syst}}\pm 0.12_{\text{input}}\pm 0.15_{\mathrm{EM}})\mathrm{MeV}$ after taking into account necessary radiative corrections. This result is a factor of 2.3 more precise than the previous best measurement. Using the value of the magnitude of the $c\to d$ Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix element $|V_{cd}|$ given by the global standard model fit, we obtain the $D^{+}$ decay constant $f_{D^{+}}=(213.5\pm {2.1}_{\mathrm{stat}}\pm {1.1}_{\mathrm{syst}}\pm {0.8}_{\text{input}}\pm {0.7}_{\mathrm{EM}})\mathrm{MeV}$. Alternatively, using the value of $f_{D^{+}}$ from a precise lattice quantum chromodynamics calculation, we extract $|V_{cd}|=0.2265\pm 0.0023_{\mathrm{stat}}\pm 0.0011_{\mathrm{syst}}\pm 0.0009_{\text{input}}\pm 0.0007_{\mathrm{EM}}$.

Understanding electron neutrino interactions is crucial for measurements of neutrino oscillations and searches for new physics in neutrino experiments. We present the first measurement of the flux-averaged ${\nu }_e+{\overline{\nu }}_e$ charged-current single charged-pion production cross section on argon using the MicroBooNE detector and data from the NuMI neutrino beam. The total cross section is measured to be $[0.93\pm 0.13(\mathrm{stat})\pm 0.27(\mathrm{syst})]\times {10}^{-39}{\mathrm{cm}}^2/\mathrm{nucleon}$ at a mean ${\nu }_e+{\overline{\nu }}_e$ energy of 730 MeV. Differential cross sections are also reported in electron energy, electron and pion angles, and electron-pion opening angle.

We accomplish for the first time the next-to-leading-order QCD computations of the leading-twist contributions to the Dirac nucleon form factors by applying the hard-collinear factorization theorem rigorously. Our predictions for these baryon form factors indicate that the one-loop perturbative corrections to the hard-gluon-exchange contributions are numerically substantial for a wide range of momentum transfers. Including further the soft nonfactorizable contributions, we then perform the state-of-the-art analysis of the Dirac nucleon form factors, allowing for the most robust determinations of the nucleon distribution amplitudes from the comparison with the experimental data.

Chiral symmetry is broken by typical interactions in lattice models, but the statistical interactions embodied in the anyon-Hubbard model are an exception. This is an example for a correlated hopping model where chiral symmetry protects a degenerate zero-energy subspace. Complementary to the traditional approach of anyon braiding in real space, we adiabatically evolve the statistical parameter and find nontrivial Berry phases and holonomies in this chiral subspace. The corresponding states possess stationary checkerboard patterns in their $N$-particle densities that are preserved under adiabatic manipulation. We give an explicit protocol for how these chirally protected zero-energy states can be prepared, observed, validated, and controlled.

Ising machines show promise as ultrafast hardware for optimizations encoded in Ising Hamiltonians but fall short in terms of success rate and performance scaling. Here, we propose a novel Ising machine that exploits the three-dimensional nature of nonlinear polarization oscillators to counteract these limitations. Based on the evolution of the optical polarization in third-order nonlinear media, the high-dimensional machine reaches the Ising ground state by the mechanism of “dimensional collapse”: the dynamics on the Poincaré sphere undergoes a self-induced collapse into polarization fixed points mapping an Ising spin. Collapse from a spherical to a binary spin occurs when the polarization oscillator experiences iterative loss and anisotropic feedback. The photonic setup consists of polarization modulated pulses in a ${\chi }^{(3)}$ crystal subject to measurement and feedback. We numerically demonstrate the polarization machine achieves enhanced success probability on benchmark graphs and an exponential improvement in performance scaling with respect to coherent Ising machines due to its high-dimensional operation. The proposed Ising machine paves the way for a new class of Ising solvers with enhanced computing capabilities.

Ferroelectrics under suitable electric boundary conditions can present a negative capacitance response, whereby the total voltage drop across the ferroelectric opposes the externally applied bias. When the ferroelectric is in a heterostructure, this behavior yields a voltage amplification in the other elements, an effect that could be leveraged in low-power electronic devices. Interestingly, the mentioned voltage amplification should have an accompanying elastic effect. Specifically, in the typical case in which the materials in contact with the ferroelectric are nonpolar dielectrics, those should present an enhanced electrostrictive response. Here, we use atomistic simulations—of model ${\mathrm{PbTiO}}_3/{\text{SrTiO}}_3$ ferroelectric/dielectric superlattices displaying negative capacitance—to show that this is indeed the case: we reveal the enhanced elastic response of the dielectric layer and show that it is clearly linked to the voltage amplification. We argue that this “elastic amplification” could serve as a convenient experimental fingerprint for negative capacitance. Further, we propose that it may be of interest on its own, e.g., for the development of low-power electromechanical actuators.

The intervalley coherent (IVC) phase in graphene systems arises from the coherent superposition of wave functions of opposite valleys, whose direct microscopic visualization provides pivotal insight into the emergent physics. Here, we successfully visualize the IVC phase in a heterostructure of monolayer ${\mathrm{PtSe}}_2$ and bilayer-graphene (BLG) on graphite. Using spectroscopic imaging scanning tunneling microscopy, we observe a $\sqrt{3}\times \sqrt{3}$ modulation pattern superimposed on the higher-order moiré superlattice of the heterostructure, which correlates with a gap-opening feature around the Fermi level and displays an antiphase real-space conductance distribution of the two gap edges. Such modulation pattern and small gap vanish on the heterostructure of monolayer ${\mathrm{PtSe}}_2$ on BLG-covered SiC substrate, due to the increased carrier density in the BLG. We provide a theoretical mechanism that the $\sqrt{3}\times \sqrt{3}$ modulation pattern originates from the IVC phase of BLG, which is magnified by the higher-order moiré superlattice. Our work achieves visualization of the IVC phase, and develops an avenue for its generation and amplification via a moiré interface.

We propose a macroscopic theory of optical phonons, Fröhlich polarons, and exciton polarons in two-dimensional (2D) polar crystalline monolayers. Our theory extends the classical macroscopic formulation of the electron-phonon problem in three-dimensional (3D) polar crystals to the new generation of 2D materials. Similarly to the 3D case, in our approach, the effective electron-phonon Hamiltonian is parametrized solely in terms of macroscopic experimentally accessible quantities—2D polarizabilities of the monolayer at low and high frequencies. We derive the dispersion of long wave length longitudinal optical (LO) phonons, which can be viewed as a 2D form of the Lyddane-Sachs-Teller relation, and study the formation of 2D Fröhlich polarons by adopting the intermediate coupling approximation. Finally, we apply this approach to excitons in polar 2D crystals and derive an effective potential of the electron-hole interaction dressed by LO phonons. Because of a specific dispersion of LO phonons, polarons and exciton polarons in 2D materials exhibit unique features not found in their 3D counterparts. As an illustration, the polaron and exciton polaron binding energies are computed for a representative set of 2D polar crystals, demonstrating the interplay between dimensionality, polarizability of materials, and electron-phonon coupling.

The dynamical phase transition of a system with two coexisting competing order parameters is studied using the time-dependent-Ginzburg-Landau framework. The dynamics are induced by parameters capturing the physics of driving the system with an ultrafast laser pulse. A remarkable enhancement of the order parameter with a smaller mean-field value following the pump and the emergence of an induced metastable state is investigated through analytical and numerical studies. The effect of order parameter fluctuations on the exploration of the nonequilibrium free energy landscape reveals important information about the impact of both thermal and nonthermal fluctuations on the dynamics of the metastable state. Our results provide an interpretation of previously unexplained ultrafast experiments on superconductors with competing charge density wave order. Our formalism is relevant across broad classes of out-of-equilibrium systems beyond the condensed matter context, such as the Kibble-Zurek cosmological model.

Twisting layers provide a rich ore for exotic physics in low dimensions. Despite the abundant discoveries of twistronics from the aspect of electronic structures, ferroic moiré textures are more plain and thus less concerned. Rigid lattice models are straightforward which can give a rough but intuitional description in most cases. However, taking ${\mathrm{CrI}}_3$ as a model system, here we will demonstrate that the interlayer stacking potential can spontaneously lead to structural relaxation, which plays a vital role to understand the ferroicity in the twisted superlattices. The magnetic ground state is sensitive to the stacking mode and twisting angles, which can be seriously affected by the structural relaxation. In particular, the expected magnetic bubbles are annihilated in its bilayer. In contrast, due to topological protection, the ferroelectric vortices are more robust to structural relaxation, as well as twisting angle and thickness. Because of the universal existence of spontaneous structural relaxation in twisted superlattices, our work may lead to a general revisitation of emerging physics of twistronics.

We propose a theoretical model for a colloidal heat engine driven by a feedback protocol that is able to fully convert the net heat absorbed by the hot bath into extracted work. The feedback protocol, inspired by gambling strategies, executes a sudden quench at zero work cost when the particle position satisfies a specific first-passage condition. As a result, the engine enhances both power and efficiency with respect to a standard Carnot cycle, surpassing Carnot’s efficiency at maximum power. Using first-passage and martingale theory, we derive analytical expressions for the power and efficiency far beyond the quasistatic limit and provide scaling arguments for their dependency with the cycle duration. Numerical simulations are in perfect agreement with our theoretical findings, and illustrate the impact of the data acquisition rate on the engine’s performance.

We study the diffusion of a particle with a time-dependent diffusion coefficient $D(t)$ that switches between random values drawn from a distribution $W(D)$ at a fixed rate $r$. Using a renewal approach, we compute exactly the moments of the position of the particle $⟨x^{2n}(t)⟩$ at any finite time $t$, and for any $W(D)$ with finite moments $⟨D^n⟩$. For $t\gg 1$, we demonstrate that the cumulants $⟨x^{2n}(t){⟩}_c$ grow linearly with $t$ and are proportional to the free cumulants of a random variable distributed according to $W(D)$. For specific forms of $W(D)$, we compute the large deviations of the position of the particle, uncovering rich behaviors and dynamical transitions of the rate function $I(y=x/t)$. Our analytical predictions are validated numerically with high precision, achieving accuracy up to ${10}^{-2000}$.

We show that a suspension of noninteracting deformable particles subjected to an oscillatory shear flow leads to development of nematic order that arises from the phenomenon of phase synchronization. The synchronized state corresponds to a unique, stable limit cycle confined in the toroidal state space. The limit cycle exists since, unlike rigid particles, deformable particles can modulate aspect ratio, adjust their tumbling rate, and thus achieve phase synchronization. These synchronized regions emerge as Arnold tongues in the parameter space of the driving amplitude and frequency. Considering the rheological implications of ordering dynamics in soft and active matter, our results motivate oscillatory shear flow experiments with deformable particles.

Common stochastic models of gene expression predict the gene-specific distribution of total mRNA per cell but lack subcellular resolution. Here, for a broad class of transcription initiation models, we derive an exact steady-state solution for the joint distribution of nuclear and cytoplasmic mRNA, and demonstrate that fitting this solution to spatially resolved mRNA data enhances parameter identifiability. By accounting for extrinsic noise, we use the model to precisely quantify bursty expression across thousands of human genes and link it to their biological functions.

We demonstrate that, starting with a simple fermion wave function, the steady mixed state of the evolution of a class of Lindbladians, and the ensemble created by strong local measurement of fermion density without postselection can be mapped to the “Gutzwiller projected” wave functions in the doubled Hilbert space—the representation of the density matrix through the Choi-Jamiołkowski isomorphism. A Gutzwiller projection is a broadly used approach of constructing spin liquid states. For example, if one starts with a gapless free Dirac fermion pure quantum state, the constructed mixed state corresponds to an algebraic spin liquid in the doubled Hilbert space. We also predict that for some initial fermion wave function, the mixed state created following the procedure described above is expected to have a spontaneous “strong-to-weak” U(1) symmetry breaking, which corresponds to the emergence of superconductivity in the doubled Hilbert space. We also design the experimental protocol to construct the desired physics of mixed states.

Distributed quantum sensing, which estimates a global parameter across distant nodes, has attracted significant interest for applications such as quantum imaging, sensor networks, and global-scale clock synchronization. $N00N$ states are regarded as one of the optimal quantum resources for quantum metrology, enabling the Heisenberg scaling. Recently, the concept of $N00N$ states has been extended to multimode $N00N$ states for quantum-enhanced multiple-parameter estimation. However, the application of multimode $N00N$ states in distributed quantum sensing remains unexplored. Here, we propose a distributed quantum sensing scheme that achieves the Heisenberg scaling using multimode $N00N$ states. We theoretically show that multimode $N00N$ states can reach the Heisenberg scaling by examining both the Cramér-Rao bound and the quantum Cramér-Rao bound. For experimental demonstration, we employ a four-mode 2002 state to estimate the average of two spatially distributed phases, achieving a 2.74 dB sensitivity enhancement over the standard quantum limit. We believe that utilizing multimode $N00N$ states for distributed quantum sensing offers a promising approach for developing entanglement-enhanced sensor networks.

Transfer learning allows a deep neural network (DNN) trained on one type of data to be adapted for new problems with limited information. We propose to use the transfer learning technique in physics. The DNN learns the details of one process, and after fine-tuning, it makes predictions for related processes. We consider the DNNs, trained on inclusive electron-carbon scattering data, and show that after fine-tuning, they accurately predict cross sections for electron interactions with nuclear targets ranging from helium-3 to iron.