The accelerated expansion of the universe motivates a wide class of scalar field theories that modify general relativity (GR) on large scales. Such theories require a screening mechanism to suppress the new force in regions where the weak field limit of GR has been experimentally tested. We have used atom interferometry to measure the acceleration of an atom toward a macroscopic test mass inside a high vacuum chamber, where new forces can be unscreened. Our measurement shows no evidence of new forces, a result that places stringent bounds on chameleon and symmetron theories of modified gravity.

Gravitational potentials that change in time induce fluctuations in the observed cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature. Cosmological structure moving transverse to our line of sight provides a specific example known as the moving lens effect. Here, we explore how the observed CMB temperature fluctuations, combined with the observed matter overdensity, can be used to infer the transverse velocity of cosmological structures on large scales. We show that near-future CMB surveys and galaxy surveys will have the statistical power to make a first detection of the moving lens effect, and we discuss applications for the reconstructed transverse velocity.

We present an experimental scheme that combines the well-established method of velocity-map imaging with a cold trapped metastable neon target. The device is used for obtaining the branching ratios and recoil-ion energy distributions for the penning ionization process in optical collisions of ultracold metastable neon. The potential depth of the highly excited dimer potential is extracted and compared with theoretical calculations. The simplicity to construct, characterize, and apply such a device makes it a unique tool for the low-energy nuclear physics community, enabling opportunities for precision measurements in nuclear decays of cold, trapped, short-lived radioactive isotopes.

Dissipation can usually induce detrimental decoherence in a quantum system. However, engineered dissipation can be used to prepare and stabilize coherent quantum many-body states. Here, we show that, by engineering dissipators containing photon pair operators, one can stabilize an exotic dark state, which is a condensate of photon pairs with a phase-nematic order. In this system, the usual superfluid order parameter, i.e., single-photon correlation, is absent, while the photon pair correlation exhibits long-range order. Although the dark state is not unique due to multiple parity sectors, we devise an additional type of dissipators to stabilize the dark state in a particular parity sector via a diffusive annihilation process which obeys Glauber dynamics in an Ising model. Furthermore, we propose an implementation of these photon pair dissipators in circuit-QED architecture.

Using highly resolved 3D radiation-hydrodynamic simulations, we identify a novel mechanism by which the deleterious impact of laser imprinting is mitigated in direct-drive inertial confinement fusion. Unsupported shocks and associated rarefaction flows, commonly produced with short laser bursts, are found to reduce imprint modulations prior to target acceleration. Optimization through the choice of laser pulse with picket(s) and target dimensions may improve the stability of lower-adiabat designs, thus providing the necessary margin for ignition-relevant implosions.

We experimentally demonstrate the observation of thermally excited microscopic acoustic wave turbulence at the discrete level in quasi-two-dimensional cold dusty plasma liquids. Through multidimensional empirical mode decomposition of individual dust particle motions over a large area, the turbulence is decomposed into multiscale traveling wave modes, sharing self-similar dynamics. All modes exhibit intermittent excitation, propagation, scattering, and annihilation of coherent waves, in the form of clusters in the $xyt$ space, with cluster sizes exhibiting self-similar power law distribution. The poor particle interlocking in the region with poor structural order is the key origin of the easier excitations of the large amplitude slow modes. The sudden phase synchronization of slow wave modes switches particle motion from cage rattling to cooperative hopping.

We created hexagonal rings on a semiconductor surface by atom manipulation in a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Our measurements reveal the generic level structure of a quantum ring, including its single ground state and doubly degenerate excited states. The ring shape leads to a periodic potential modulation and thereby a perturbation of the level structure that can be understood in analogy to band gap formation in a one-dimensional periodic potential. The modulation can be enhanced or inverted by further adding or removing atoms with the STM tip. Our results demonstrate the possibility of designing and controlling electron dynamics in a tunable periodic potential, holding promise for the construction of two-dimensional artificial lattices on a semiconductor surface.

Acoustic signatures of the single-site quadrupolar Kondo effect in ${\mathrm{Y}}_{0.966}{\mathrm{Pr}}_{0.034}{\mathrm{Ir}}_2{\mathrm{Zn}}_{20}$ are presented. The elastic constant $(C_{11}-C_{12})/2$, corresponding to the ${\mathrm{\Gamma }}_3(E)$-symmetry electric-quadrupolar response, reveals a logarithmic temperature dependence of the quadrupolar susceptibility in the low-magnetic-field region below $\sim 0.3\mathrm{K}$. Furthermore, the Curie-type divergence of the elastic constant down to $\sim 1\mathrm{K}$ indicates that the Pr ions in this diluted system have a non-Kramers ground-state doublet. These observations evidence the single-site quadrupolar Kondo effect, as previously suggested based on specific-heat and electrical-resistivity data.

We report a high-resolution terahertz spectroscopic study of quantum spin dynamics in the antiferromagnetic Heisenberg-Ising spin-chain compound ${\mathrm{BaCo}}_2{\mathrm{V}}_2{\mathrm{O}}_8$ as a function of temperature and longitudinal magnetic field. Confined spinon excitations are observed in an antiferromagnetic phase below $T_N\simeq 5.5\mathrm{K}$. In a field-induced gapless phase above $B_c=3.8\mathrm{T}$, we identify many-body string excitations as well as low-energy fractional psinon or antipsinon excitations by comparing to Bethe ansatz calculations. In the vicinity of $B_c$, the high-energy string excitations are found to have a dominant contribution to the spin dynamics as compared with the fractional excitations.

The fundamental semiconductor concept of doping has recently been transplanted to photonics in the platform of epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) media. By doping nonmagnetic impurities, ENZ media can exhibit almost arbitrary magnetism. However, this original photonic doping approach results only in isotropic media and thus cannot achieve impedance matching for all incident angles. We extend the photonic doping approach of ENZ media by adding anisotropy, which enables full transparency with omnidirectional impedance matching. More importantly, such anisotropically doped ENZ media preserve their material parameters under arbitrary coordinate transformations, thereby providing a powerful platform to construct various ideal transformation optical devices. As an example, a full-parameter omnidirectional invisibility cloak is demonstrated to hide objects from a wide range of incident angles. The transformation-invariant material proposed not only supplements and extends the rising technologies of ENZ media but also constitutes a significant step towards the practical implementation of ideal transformation optical devices.

A collection of self-propelled particles with volume exclusion interactions can exhibit the phenomenology of a gas-liquid phase separation, known as motility-induced phase separation (MIPS). The nonequilibrium nature of the system is fundamental to the phase transition; however, it is unclear whether MIPS at criticality contributes a novel universality class to nonequilibrium physics. We demonstrate here that this is not the case by showing that a generic critical MIPS belongs to the Ising universality class with conservative dynamics.

We consider a population of individuals living in an uncertain environment. Individuals are able to make noisy observations of the environment and communicate using signals. We show that the model shows an order-disorder transition from an ordered phase in low communication noise in which a consensus about the environmental state is formed to a disordered phase in high communication noise in which no consensus is formed. There are different consensus states: informed consensus in which consensus on the correct belief about the environmental state is formed, and misinformed consensus in which consensus on a wrong belief is formed. Based on the consensus state reached, the ordered phase is decomposed into multistable states separated by first order transitions. We show that the inference capability of the population in a changing environment is maximized on the edge of bistability: on the border between an informed consensus phase and a bistable phase in which both informed and misinformed consensuses are stable. In addition, we show that an optimal level of noise in communication increases the responsiveness of the population to environmental changes in a resonancelike phenomenon. Furthermore, the beneficial effect of noise is the most crucial in a fast changing environment.

We present an operator-based factorization formula for the transverse energy-energy correlator (TEEC) hadron collider event shape in the back-to-back (dijet) limit. This factorization formula exhibits a remarkably symmetric form, being a projection onto a scattering plane of a more standard transverse momentum dependent factorization. Soft radiation is incorporated through a dijet soft function, which can be elegantly obtained to next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) due to the symmetries of the problem. We present numerical results for the TEEC resummed to next-to-next-to-leading logarithm (NNLL) matched to fixed order at the LHC. Our results constitute the first NNLL resummation for a dijet event shape observable at a hadron collider, and the first analytic result for a hadron collider dijet soft function at NNLO. We anticipate that the theoretical simplicity of the TEEC observable will make it indispensable for precision studies of QCD at the LHC, and as a playground for theoretical studies of factorization and its violation.

We report on the realization and verification of quantum entanglement between a nitrogen-vacancy electron spin qubit and a telecom-band photonic qubit. First we generate entanglement between the spin qubit and a 637 nm photonic time-bin qubit, followed by photonic quantum frequency conversion that transfers the entanglement to a 1588 nm photon. We characterize the resulting state by correlation measurements in different bases and find a lower bound to the Bell state fidelity of $\ge 0.77\pm 0.03$. This result presents an important step towards extending quantum networks via optical fiber infrastructure.

Nontrivial low-energy excitations of crystalline solids have insightfully strengthened understanding of elementary particles in quantum field theory. Usually, topological quasiparticles are mainly focused on fermions in topological semimetals. We alternatively show by first-principles calculations and symmetry analysis that ideal type-II Weyl phonons are present in zinc-blende cadmium telluride, a well-known II-VI semiconductor. Importantly, these type-II Weyl phonons originate from the inversion between the longitudinal acoustic and transverse optical branches. Symmetry guarantees that the type-II Weyl points lie along the high-symmetry lines at the boundaries of the Brillouin zone even with a breaking of inversion symmetry, exhibiting the robustness of protected phonon features. The nontrivial phonon surface states and surface arcs projected on the semifinite (001) and (111) surfaces are investigated. The phonon surface arcs connecting the Weyl points with opposite chirality, guaranteed to be very long, are clearly visible. We not only offer a promising candidate for studying type-II Weyl phonons but also provide a route to realize symmetry-protected nontrivial phonons and related applications in realistic materials.

We investigate the phase diagram of lithium at temperatures of 200 to 400 K, to pressures over 100 GPa using x-ray diffraction in diamond anvil cells, covering the region in which the melting curve is disputed. To overcome degradation of the diamond anvils by dense lithium we utilize a rapid compression scheme taking advantage of the high flux available at modern synchrotrons. Our results show the $hR1$ and $cI16$ phases to be stable to higher temperature than previously reported. The melting minima of lithium is found to be close to room temperature between 40 and 60 GPa, below which the solid is crystalline. Analysis of the stability fields of the $cI16$ and $oC88$ phases suggest the existence of a triple point between these and an undetermined solid phase at 60 GPa between 220 and 255 K.

Understanding the role of core-electron excitation in liquid water under proton irradiation has become important due to the growing use of proton beams in radiation oncology. Using a first-principles, nonequilibrium simulation approach based on real-time, time-dependent density functional theory, we determine the electronic stopping power, the velocity-dependent energy transfer rate from irradiating ions to electrons. The electronic stopping power curve agrees quantitatively with experimental data over the velocity range available. At the same time, significant differences are observed between our first-principles result and commonly used perturbation theoretic models. Excitations of the water molecules’ oxygen core electrons are a crucial factor in determining the electronic stopping power curve beyond its maximum. The core-electron contribution is responsible for as much as one third of the stopping power at the high proton velocity of 8.0 a.u. (1.6 MeV). $K$-shell core-electron excitations not only provide an additional channel for the energy transfer—they also significantly influence the valence electron excitations. In the excitation process, generated holes remain highly localized within a few angstroms around the irradiating proton path, whereas electrons are excited away from the path. In spite of their great contribution to the stopping power, $K$-shell electrons play a rather minor role in terms of the excitation density; only 1% of the hole population composes $K$-shell holes, even at the high proton velocity of 8.0 a.u. The excitation behavior revealed is distinctly different from that of photon-based ionizing radiation such as x or $\gamma$ rays.

Optical properties of atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides are controlled by robust excitons characterized by a very large oscillator strengths. Encapsulation of monolayers such as ${\mathrm{MoSe}}_2$ in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) yields narrow optical transitions approaching the homogenous exciton linewidth. We demonstrate that the exciton radiative rate in these van der Waals heterostructures can be tailored by a simple change of the hBN encapsulation layer thickness as a consequence of the Purcell effect. The time-resolved photoluminescence measurements show that the neutral exciton spontaneous emission time can be tuned by one order of magnitude depending on the thickness of the surrounding hBN layers. The inhibition of the radiative recombination can yield spontaneous emission time up to 10 ps. These results are in very good agreement with the calculated recombination rate in the weak exciton-photon coupling regime. The analysis shows that we are also able to observe a sizable enhancement of the exciton radiative decay rate. Understanding the role of these electrodynamical effects allows us to elucidate the complex dynamics of relaxation and recombination for both neutral and charged excitons.

We perform an extensive computational study on the phase behavior of hard banana-shaped particles, and show that biaxial, twist-bend, and splay-bend nematic phases are metastable with respect to a smectic phase for a system of hard bent spherocylinders. However, if the smectic phase is destabilized—either by polydispersity in the particle length or by curvature in the particle shape—stable biaxial, twist-bend, and splay-bend nematic phases are obtained. This provides a unified and consistent picture on the subtle role of particle shape on the phase behavior of bent rods.

We consider simulating an $n$-qubit Hamiltonian with nearest-neighbor interactions evolving for time $t$ on a quantum computer. We show that this simulation has gate complexity $(nt{)}^{1+o(1)}$ using product formulas, a straightforward approach that has been demonstrated by several experimental groups. While it is reasonable to expect this complexity—in particular, this was claimed without rigorous justification by Jordan, Lee, and Preskill—we are not aware of a straightforward proof. Our approach is based on an analysis of the local error structure of product formulas, as introduced by Descombes and Thalhammer and significantly simplified here. We prove error bounds for canonical product formulas, which include well-known constructions such as the Lie-Trotter-Suzuki formulas. We also develop a local error representation for time-dependent Hamiltonian simulation, and we discuss generalizations to periodic boundary conditions, constant-range interactions, and higher dimensions. Combined with a previous lower bound, our result implies that product formulas can simulate lattice Hamiltonians with nearly optimal gate complexity.