We investigate the implications of the baryon acoustic oscillations measurement released by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument for interacting dark energy (IDE) models characterized by an energy-momentum flow from dark matter to dark energy. By combining Planck-2018 and Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument data, we observe a preference for interactions, leading to a nonvanishing interaction rate $\xi =-0.32_{-0.14}^{+0.18}$, which results in a present-day expansion rate $H_0={70.8}_{-1.7}^{+1.4}\mathrm{km}/\mathrm{s}/\mathrm{Mpc}$, reducing the tension with the value provided by the SH0ES Collaboration to less than $\sim 1.3\sigma$. The preference for interactions remains robust when including measurements of the expansion rate $H(z)$ obtained from the relative ages of massive, early-time, and passively evolving galaxies, as well as when considering distance moduli measurements from Type Ia supernovae sourced from the Pantheon-plus catalog using the SH0ES Cepheid host distances as calibrators. Overall, the IDE framework provides an equally good, or better, explanation of both high- and low-redshift background observations compared to the lambda cold dark matter model, while also yielding higher $H_0$ values that align more closely with the local distance ladder estimates. However, a limitation of the IDE model is that it predicts lower ${\mathrm{\Omega }}_m$ and higher ${\sigma }_8$ values, which may not be fully consistent with large-scale structure data at the perturbation level.

We revisit supernova (SN) bounds on a hidden sector consisting of millicharged particles $\chi$ and a massless dark photon. Unless the self-coupling is fine-tuned to be small, rather than exiting the SN core as a gas, the particles form a relativistic fluid and subsequent dark QED fireball, streaming out against the drag due to the interaction with matter. Novel bounds due to excessive energy deposition in the mantle of low-energy supernovae can be obtained. The cooling bounds from SN 1987A are unexpectedly not affected in the free-streaming regime. The inclusion of $\chi \overline{\chi }\to \text{standard}$ model substantially modifies the constraints in the trapping regime, which can only be treated hydrodynamically. Our results can be adapted to generic sub-GeV self-interacting dark sectors.

High-energy extensions to general relativity modify the Einstein-Hilbert action with higher-order curvature corrections and theory-specific coupling constants. The order of these corrections imprints a universal curvature dependence on observations while the coupling constant controls the deviation strength. In this Letter, we leverage the theory-independent expectation that modifications to the action of a given order in spacetime curvature (Riemann tensor and contractions) lead to observational deviations that scale with the system length scale to a corresponding power. For gravitational-wave observations, the relevant scale is the binary total mass, and deviations scale as a power of mass $p$ related to the action order. For example, $p=4$, 6 arise in effective field theory for cubic and quartic theories, respectively. We incorporate this insight into the inspiral phase test of general relativity with current gravitational-wave observations, and directly infer the curvature scaling without compromising the agnostic nature of the test. This introduces a flexible yet highly interpretable new paradigm for tests of general relativity spanning many length scales.

Many experimental platforms for quantum science depend on state control via laser fields. Frequently, however, the control fidelity is limited by optical phase noise. This is exacerbated in stabilized laser systems where high-frequency phase noise is an unavoidable consequence of feedback. Here we implement an optical feedforward technique to suppress laser phase noise in the stimulated Raman adiabatic passage state transfer of ultracold RbCs molecules, across 114 THz, from a weakly bound Feshbach state to the rovibrational ground state. By performing over 100 state transfers on single molecules, we measure a significantly enhanced transfer efficiency of 98.7(1)% limited only by available laser intensity.

Nanobubbles wield a significant influence over the electronic properties of 2D materials, showing diverse applications ranging from flexible devices to strain sensors. Here, we reveal that a strongly correlated phenomenon, i.e., Kondo resonance, naturally takes place as an intrinsic property of graphene nanobubbles. The localized strain within the nanobubbles engenders pseudomagnetic fields, driving pseudo Landau levels with degenerate Landau orbits. Under the Coulomb repulsion, the Landau orbits form an effective $\mathrm{SU}(N)$ pseudospin coupled to the bath via exchange interaction. This results in a new flavor screening mechanism that drives an exotic flavor-frozen Kondo effect, which is absent in conventional Kondo systems. The resonance here also exhibits an unparalleled tunability via strain engineering, establishing a versatile new platform to simulate novel correlated phenomena based on pseudo Landau levels.

Negative capacitance (NC) effects in ferroelectrics can potentially break fundamental limits of power dissipation known as “Boltzmann tyranny.” However, the origin of transient NC of ferroelectrics, which is attributed to two different mechanisms involving free-energy landscape and nucleation, is under intense debate. Here, we report the coexistence of transient NC and an S-shaped anomaly during the switching of ferroelectric hexagonal ferrites capacitor in an RC circuit. The early-stage NC arises from the nucleation process, while the late-stage S-shaped anomaly corresponds to a nascent NC associated with the free-energy landscape. The entire waveform can be reproduced using a hybrid model that simultaneously incorporates these two mechanisms. These results highlight the multivariable free-energy landscape of hexagonal ferrites that enables an abrupt change of the internal field and demonstrate that the two mechanisms are not mutually exclusive, resolving the long-standing debate. The behavior of the S-shaped anomaly also provides a pathway to extract parameters of free-energy landscape and switching dynamics.

The random-energy model (REM), a solvable spin-glass model, has impacted an incredibly diverse set of problems, from protein folding to combinatorial optimization, to many-body localization. Here, we explore a new connection to secret sharing. We derive an analytic expression for the mutual information between any two disjoint thermodynamic subsystems of the REM. Our analyses reveal that the correlations in the REM exhibit extreme synergy, equivalent to that in a secure secret-sharing scheme. We formulate a secret-sharing scheme based on the REM and determine the ranges of temperatures and secret lengths over which the REM satisfies the requirement of secure secret sharing. We show further that a special point in the phase diagram exists at which the REM-based scheme is physically optimal in its information encoding. Our results for the thermodynamic limit are in good qualitative agreement with numerical simulations of finite systems, for which the strict security requirement is replaced by a tradeoff between secrecy and recoverability. Our work offers a new language to characterize synergistic correlations in many-body systems and a further example of information theory as a unifying concept, connecting problems in statistical physics to those in computation.

Heterogeneity is ubiquitous in biological and synthetic active matter systems that are inherently out of equilibrium. Typically, such active mixtures involve not only conservative interactions between the constituents but also nonreciprocal couplings, whose full consequences for the collective behavior still remain elusive. Here, we study a minimal active nonreciprocal mixture with both symmetric isotropic and nonreciprocal polar interactions. By combining a hydrodynamic theory derived from microscopic equations and particle-based simulations, we provide a scale-bridging view on the rich dynamics that occur even in absence of oscillatory instabilities. We show, in particular, that nonreciprocal alignment alone induces asymmetrical clustering at otherwise fully symmetric parameters. These density inhomogeneities go beyond the typical band formation in Vicsek-like systems. Within the asymmetric clustering state, single-species clusters chase more dilute accumulations of the other species.

Chemically driven micromotors exhibit a pronounced affinity for nearby surfaces, yet the quantification of this motor-wall interaction strength remains unexplored in experiments. Here, we apply an external force to a self-electrophoretic micromotor which slides along a wall and measures the force necessary to disengage the motor from the wall. Our experiments unveil that the required disengaging force increases with the strength of chemical driving, often surpassing both the motor’s effective gravity and its propulsive thrust. Experimental results are reproduced by an electrokinetic numerical model that incorporates fully resolved double layers. The model delineates that the attractive force emerges from the accumulation of excessive protons between the motor and the wall, thereby exposing a nonequilibrium mechanism that engenders attractive interactions between objects of like charge.

The phase estimation algorithm is crucial for computing the ground-state energy of a molecular electronic Hamiltonian on a quantum computer. Its efficiency depends on the overlap between the Hamiltonian’s ground state and an initial state, which tends to decay exponentially with system size. We showcase a practical orbital optimization scheme to alleviate this issue. Applying our method to four iron-sulfur molecules, we achieve a notable enhancement, up to 2 orders of magnitude, compared to localized orbitals. Furthermore, our approach yields improved overlaps in cytochrome P450 enzyme models.

We consider resonant wavelike dark matter conversion into low-frequency radio waves in the Earth’s ionosphere. Resonant conversion occurs when the dark matter mass and the plasma frequency coincide, defining a range $m_{\mathrm{DM}}\sim {10}^{-9}–{10}^{-8}\mathrm{eV}$ where this approach is best suited. Owing to the nonrelativistic nature of dark matter and the typical variational scale of the Earth’s ionosphere, the standard linearized approach to computing dark matter conversion is not suitable. We therefore solve a second-order boundary-value problem, effectively framing the ionosphere as a driven cavity filled with a positionally varying plasma. An electrically small dipole antenna targeting the generated radio waves can be orders of magnitude more sensitive to dark photon and axionlike particle dark matter in the relevant mass range. This Letter opens up a promising way of testing hitherto unexplored parameter space that could be further improved with a dedicated instrument.

We show that the Veneziano amplitude of string theory is the unique solution to an analytically solvable bootstrap problem. Uniqueness follows from two assumptions: faster than power-law falloff in high-energy scattering and the existence of some infinite sequence in momentum transfer at which higher-spin exchanges cancel. The string amplitude—including the mass spectrum—is an output of this bootstrap. If the amplitude merely vanishes at high energies, the solution is a three-parameter family containing the Veneziano, Coon, and hypergeometric amplitudes, and more.

We derive a refined version of the Affleck-Ludwig-Cardy formula for a $1+1\mathrm{D}$ conformal field theory, which controls the asymptotic density of high energy states on an interval transforming under a given representation of a noninvertible global symmetry. We use this to determine the universal leading and subleading contributions to the noninvertible symmetry-resolved entanglement entropy of a single interval. As a concrete example, we show that the ground state entanglement Hamiltonian for a single interval in the critical double Ising model enjoys a Kac-Paljutkin $H_8$ Hopf algebra symmetry when the boundary conditions at the entangling points are chosen to preserve the product of two Kramers-Wannier symmetries, and we present the corresponding symmetry-resolved entanglement entropies. Our analysis utilizes recent developments in symmetry topological field theories.

The CONUS experiment studies coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering in four 1 kg germanium spectrometers. Low ionization energy thresholds of 210 eV were achieved. The detectors were operated inside an optimized shield at the Brokdorf nuclear power plant which provided a reactor antineutrino flux of up to $2.3\times {10}^{13}{\mathrm{cm}}^{-2}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$. In the final phase of data collection at this site, the constraints on the neutrino interaction rate were improved by an order of magnitude as compared to the previous CONUS analysis. The new limit of less than 0.34 signal $\mathrm{events}{\mathrm{kg}}^{-1}{\mathrm{d}}^{-1}$ is within a factor 2 of the rate predicted by the standard model. This constraint is discussed in the context of conflicting measurements and results from another reactor neutrino experiment using similar technology.

We present a surface analog to a dripping faucet, where a viscous liquid slides down an immiscible meniscus. Periodic pinch-off of the dripping filament is observed, generating a succession of monodisperse floating lenses. We show that this interfacial dripping faucet can be described analogously to its single-phase counterpart, replacing surface tension by the spreading coefficient, and even undergoes a transition to a jetting regime. This liquid-liquid-gas system opens perspectives for the study of the dynamics of emulsions at interfaces.

Massive Dirac fermions, which are essential for realizing novel topological phenomena, are expected to be generated from massless Dirac fermions by breaking the related symmetry, such as time-reversal symmetry in topological insulators or crystal symmetry in topological crystalline insulators. Here, we report scanning tunneling microscopy and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy studies of $\alpha \text{−}{\mathrm{Bi}}_4{\mathrm{I}}_4$, which reveals the realization of massive Dirac fermions in the (100) surface states without breaking the time-reversal symmetry. Combined with first-principles calculations, our experimental results indicate that the spontaneous symmetry breaking engenders two nondegenerate edge states at the opposite sides of monolayer ${\mathrm{Bi}}_4{\mathrm{I}}_4$ after the structural phase transition, imparting mass to the Dirac fermions after taking the interlayer coupling into account. Our results not only demonstrate the formation of the massive Dirac fermions by spontaneous symmetry breaking, but also imply the potential for the engineering of Dirac fermions for device applications.