Incorporating microscopic nuclear-structure information into the discussion of bulk properties of astronomical objects such as neutron stars has always been a challenging issue in interdisciplinary nuclear astrophysics. Using the $rp$-process nucleosynthesis as an example, we studied the effective stellar ${\beta }^{+}$ and electron capture (EC) rates as well as the corresponding neutrino energy-loss rates of eight waiting-point (WP) nuclei with realistic stellar conditions and presence of strong magnetic fields. The relevant nuclear transition strengths are provided by the projected shell model. We have found that, on average, due to the magnetic field effect, the stellar weak rates can increase by more than an order of magnitude for all combinations of density and temperature, as well as in each of the WPs studied. We relate the onset field strength, at which the weak rates begin to increase, to nuclear structure quantities, $Q$ value or electronic chemical potential ${\mu }_e$. The enhanced weak rates may change considerably over the lifetime of WPs, thereby modifying the current understanding of the $rp$ process.

The emission of point sources is a cornerstone of wave-based physics, underpinning applications in optics and acoustics. While optical theories for point sources near interfaces are well established, a unified acoustic framework, modeled after its optical counterpart to provide cohesive insights into emission behaviors, remains underdeveloped. In this Letter, we extend the optical framework to acoustics, focusing on point sources near solid-fluid interfaces. Our theory predicts far-field patterns with richer features than their optical analogs, including multiple peaks and nonmonotonic supercritical emission dependence on source depth. For circularly polarized sources, we uncover depth-dependent transverse spin angular momentum in leaky Rayleigh waves, revealing opposite directions for distinct peaks. These findings shed new light on polarization related phenomena in acoustic near fields, bridging optics and acoustics while advancing the understanding of wave-matter interactions.

In transition-metal compounds, the transition-metal $d$ electrons play an important role in their physical properties; however, the effects of the electron correlation between the ligand $p$ electrons have not been clear yet. In this Letter, the $\mathrm{Ru}4d$ and $\mathrm{O}2p$ partial density of states (PDOS) in transition-metal oxide ${\mathrm{SrRuO}}_3$ involving Weyl fermions are investigated by resonant photoemission spectroscopy. The observations demonstrate that the $\mathrm{O}2p$ PDOS is distorted from that predicted by first-principles calculations than the $\mathrm{Ru}4d$ PDOS. The results indicate that the electron correlation in the ligand orbitals will be important to understand the electronic structure of the $p\text{−}d$ hybridized state in strongly correlated electron systems, even with topological states.

Achieving effective manipulation of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy within the coupling of ferroelectricity remains an intricate challenge, yet it is crucial in the electric-field control of the excitation and propagation of magnonic spin-polarization currents. Perpendicularly magnetized structures are normally inhibited to varying degrees in a polarization switching path due to the intrinsic chemical incompatibility of electronic mechanisms for single-phase multiferroics. Here, we demonstrate a geometrically coupling strategy of oxygen octahedral distortions to regulate hybrid improper ferroelectricity and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy coupled in double-perovskite superlattice films. The geometrical ferroic mechanisms lead to a coexistence of strong ferromagnetism and room-temperature ferroelectricity, particularly with a perpendicularly magnetized structure. Based on the perturbation theory and Arrott-Noakes equation, it is revealed that such magnetic anisotropy originates from spin-orbit coupling and is regulated by the crystal-field splitting from Jahn-Teller distortion in a stable mean-field exchange model, compatible with polarization changes. Our Letter provides a geometrical route to design and regulate the coupling ferroic orders of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and ferroelectricity.

The essence of the Mpemba effect is that nonequilibrium systems may relax faster the further they are from their equilibrium configuration. In the quantum realm, this phenomenon arises in closed systems dynamics and is witnessed by features of symmetry and entanglement. Here, we study the quantum Mpemba effect in charge-preserving random circuits, combining extensive numerical simulations and analytical arguments. We show that the more asymmetric certain classes of initial states (tilted ferromagnets) are, the faster they restore symmetry and reach the grand-canonical ensemble. Conversely, other classes of states (tilted antiferromagnets) do not show the Mpemba effect. We provide a simple and general mechanism underlying the effect, based on the spreading of nonconserved operators in terms of conserved densities. Grounded only in locality, unitarity, and symmetry, our analysis clarifies the emergence of Mpemba physics in chaotic quantum systems.

We bootstrap the first-order correction in the curvature expansion of the Virasoro-Shapiro amplitude in AdS spacetime, for arbitrary Kaluza-Klein charges of external operators. By constructing a universal ansatz based on single-valued multiple polylogarithms as well as an $\mathrm{AdS}\times \mathrm{S}$ formalism, and matching it with the low-lying result, we derive a unified formula in terms of world-sheet integrals. Our result predicts an infinite number of Wilson coefficients that were not available in previous literature.

We present the first global analysis of fragmentation functions for light charged hadrons (${\pi }^{\pm }$, $K^{\pm }$) at full next-to-next-to-leading order in quantum chromodynamics, incorporating world data from both single-inclusive electron-positron annihilation and semi-inclusive deep-inelastic scattering. The collinear factorization has been tested with low-momentum-transfer data and has demonstrated success at high hadron momenta. Additionally, we study the impact of current global data on hadron production to the parton distribution functions (PDFs), and find they favor a reduced asymmetry in the strange (anti)quark PDFs, as compared to the asymmetry predicted by state-of-the-art PDFs derived from inclusive data.

We report on a precision measurement of the differential static scalar polarizability $\mathrm{\Delta }{\alpha }_0$ of the ${{}^{2}S}_{1/2}\to {{}^{2}D}_{5/2}$ optical clock transition in the ${}^{88}{\mathrm{Sr}}^{+}$ ion. The polarizability was determined from the “magic” ion-trap drive frequency where the micromotion-induced second-order Doppler and quadratic Stark shifts cancel, using a single clock in an interleaved scheme by switching between minimized and large micromotion. By measuring at different Mathieu $q_z$ parameters, $\mathrm{\Delta }{\alpha }_0$ can be obtained without prior knowledge of the angle between the rf electric field and the trap axis, which would otherwise dominate the systematic uncertainty. For validation, measurements were carried out at different micromotion levels and by displacing the ion in opposite directions. The results show excellent consistency and our value, $\mathrm{\Delta }{\alpha }_0=-4.8314(20)\times {10}^{-40}\mathrm{J}{\mathrm{m}}^2/{\mathrm{V}}^2=-29.303(12)\mathrm{au}$, reduces the uncertainty by a factor of 3.5 compared to a previous measurement, while showing a discrepancy of $5\sigma$. Our measurement reduces the polarizability-related uncertainty of the ${}^{88}{\mathrm{Sr}}^{+}$ clock to $2.2\times {10}^{-19}$ for a blackbody radiation temperature of 295 K—a significant step towards total uncertainties $<$$1\times {10}^{-18}$. Using existing polarizability transfer schemes, the result can reduce the uncertainty also for other ion species.

The strong-field induced generation of nonclassical states of light is not only a subject of fundamental research but also has potential usage in quantum information science and technology. The emerging field of strong-field quantum optics has developed ways of generating nonclassical states of light from the process of high-harmonic generation (HHG) at much wider frequency ranges and intensities than is typical for quantum optics. Here, we study the response from an exciton in a Mott-insulating system, using the extended Hubbard model. We find that the exciton plays a key role in the nonclassical response and generates squeezing at the exciton energy, showing a clear mapping between the quantum nature of the electronic system and the quantum nature of emitted radiation. We relate this nonclassical response to the nonvanishing time correlations of the current operator in the system. Our work defines a direction for experimental work to search for squeezed light from HHG in a spectrally confined region defined by the exciton energy.

Transient plasma evolution with spin polarization dynamics in radiation reaction dominated magnetic reconnection is investigated using particle-in-cell simulations. We identify a condensation of plasmoids accumulated into multiple tiny islands within the reconnection layer, where electrons are strongly polarized while emitting energetic $\gamma$-ray photons to undergo radiative spin flips. Nonlinear analyses elucidate that the condensation is caused by a spiral attractor appearing in the electron’s phase space due to radiation reaction. The spiral rotation and contraction of the attractor leads to the electrons’ polarization being almost instantaneously parallel with respect to the magnetic field, which results in a $\gamma$-ray emission with an anomalous linear polarization perpendicular to the electron’s moving plane. Our studies with around ${10}^{10}\mathrm{G}$ magnetic fields demonstrate that spin-polarized condensed plasmoids may be realized in extreme power laser facilities and intrinsically exist in extreme astrophysical reconnection scenarios, potentially explaining atypical polarization features in observed high-energy cosmic radiation.

We present an ab initio method of diffusion, relaxation, and dephasing processes of arbitrary observables and corresponding diffusion lengths and lifetimes in solids. The method is based on a linearized density-matrix master equation, with quantum treatment of electron scattering processes. It enables clear ab initio descriptions of long lifetimes and diffusion lengths using approximate formulas at different levels, such as Dyakonov-Perel and drift-diffusion relations for spin decay and those beyond with coupled dynamics. Our results of graphene–$h$-BN show that the coupling between dynamical processes can significantly affect spin diffusion and relaxation. Our method provides a transparent and powerful tool for predicting and understanding diffusion and relaxation.

To explore how anion substitution modifies the existing magnetism in strongly correlated oxides, we investigate local electronic states and magnetic ordering in nickel oxide (NiO) induced by substituting oxygen (O) with nitrogen (N). Each N introduces an additional N $2p$ hole and modifies the magnetic moment of a neighboring nickel (Ni) cation site, as the exchange interaction between this hole and the Ni $e_{\mathrm{g}}$ electrons exceeds the Ni-O-Ni superexchange interaction. This leads to the formation of Ni-N-Ni centers consisting of five spins, without perturbing the antiferromagnetic NiO lattice. These centers are studied using density functional theory and confirmed through high-resolution spectroscopy on N-substituted NiO thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy. This type of magnetic design may enable future advances in quantum technologies based on strongly correlated materials, such as quantum sensors and spin-based qubits.

In a liquid crystal, the nematic phase can coexist with the isotropic phase as a dispersion of microscopic droplets. At equilibrium, these droplets adopt a spindlelike shape, known as tactoids. We report the complex dynamic behavior of nematic tactoids externally energized by an acoustic field. When activated, these tactoids exhibit a wide range of phenomena, including stretching, bending, splitting, merging, spontaneous rotation, and locomotion. We further reveal that certain pulses of acoustic energy are able to trigger a topological transformation from a tactoid to a long-lived torus-shaped droplet with elevated elastic energy. Our findings provide insights into the behavior of acoustically energized active liquid crystals in the biphasic state and suggest an approach for the manipulation of nematic droplets.

Motivated by recent observations that mutation rates can be correlated with individual fitness, we analyze an evolutionary hill-climbing model with fitness-dependent mutation rates. Our results show that a mutation rate that decreases with increasing relative fitness can greatly accelerate the accumulation of beneficial mutations. Moreover, we show that a lower mutation rate for fitter individuals can prevent “mutational meltdown” of small populations by decreasing the probability of fixation of deleterious mutations. These findings suggest potential strategies for accelerating the adaptation of populations to environmental changes.

Rapidly growing capabilities of quantum simulators to probe quantum many-body phenomena require new methods to characterize increasingly complex states. We present a protocol that constrains quantum states using experimentally measured correlation functions. This method enables measurement of a quantum state’s entanglement structure, opening a new route to study entanglement-related phenomena. Our approach extends Gaussian state parameterizations by systematically incorporating higher-order correlations. We show the protocol’s usefulness in conjunction with current and forthcoming experimental capabilities, focusing on weakly interacting fermions as a proof of concept. Here, the lowest nontrivial expansion quantitatively predicts early time thermalization dynamics, including signaling the onset of quantum chaos indicated by the entanglement Hamiltonian.

Quantum instruments describe both the classical outcome and the updated state associated with a quantum measurement. We ask whether these processes can be simulated using only a natural subset of resources, namely projective measurements on the system and quantum processing of the postmeasurement states. We show that the simulability of instruments can be connected to an entanglement classification problem. This leads to a computationally efficient necessary condition for simulation of generic instruments and to a complete characterisation for qubits. We use this to address relevant quantum information tasks, namely (i) the noise tolerance of standard qubit unsharp measurements, (ii) nonprojective advantages in information-disturbance trade-offs, and (iii) increased sequential Bell inequality violations under projective measurements. Moreover, we consider also $d$-dimensional Lüders instruments that correspond to weak versions of standard basis measurements and show that for large $d$ these can permit scalable noise advantages over projective implementations.