At ambient conditions ${\mathrm{SrAl}}_4$ adopts the ${\mathrm{BaAl}}_4$ structure type with space group $I4/mmm$. It undergoes a charge-density-wave (CDW) transition at $T_{\mathrm{CDW}}=243$ K, followed by a structural transition at $T_S=87$ K. Temperature-dependent single-crystal x-ray diffraction (SXRD) leads to the observation of incommensurate superlattice reflections at $\mathbf{q}=\sigma {\mathbf{c}}^{*}$ with $\sigma =0.1116$ at 200 K. The CDW has orthorhombic symmetry with the noncentrosymmetric superspace group $F222\left(00\sigma \right)00s$, where $F222$ is a subgroup of $Fmmm$ as well as of $I4/mmm$. Atomic displacements mainly represent a transverse wave, with displacements that are 90 deg out of phase between the two diagonal directions of the $I$-centered unit cell, resulting in a helical wave. Small longitudinal displacements are provided by the second harmonic modulation. The orthorhombic phase realized in ${\mathrm{SrAl}}_4$ is similar to that found in ${\mathrm{EuAl}}_4$, except that no second harmonic could be determined for the latter compound. Electronic structure calculations and phonon calculations by density functional theory (DFT) have failed to reveal the mechanism of CDW formation. No clear Fermi surface nesting, electron-phonon coupling, or involvement of Dirac points could be established. However, DFT reveals that Al atoms dominate the density of states near the Fermi level, thus corroborating the SXRD measurements. ${\mathrm{SrAl}}_4$ remains incommensurately modulated at the structural transition, where the symmetry lowers from orthorhombic to $\mathbf{b}$-unique monoclinic. The present work draws a comparison on the modulated structures of nonmagnetic ${\mathrm{SrAl}}_4$ and magnetic ${\mathrm{EuAl}}_4$ elucidating their similarities and differences, and firmly establishing that although substitution of Eu to Sr plays little to no role in the structure, the transition temperatures are affected by the atomic sizes. We have identified a simple criterion that correlates the presence of a phase transition with the interatomic distances. Only those compounds $X{\mathrm{Al}}_{4-x}{\mathrm{Ga}}_x$ $(X=\mathrm{Ba}, \mathrm{Eu}, \mathrm{Sr}, \mathrm{Ca}; 0<x<4)$ undergo phase transitions, for which the ratio $c/a$ falls within the narrow range $2.51<c/a<2.54$.

The interaction of quantum objects lies at the heart of fundamental quantum physics and is key to a wide range of quantum information technologies. Photon-quantum-emitter interactions are among the most widely studied. Two-qubit interactions are generally simplified into two quantum objects in static well-defined states. In this work we explore a fundamentally new dynamic type of spin-photon interaction. We demonstrate the modulation of a coherent narrowband laser by a coherently evolving spin in the ground state of a quantum dot. What results is a quantum modulation of the output phase (either 0 or $\pi$ but no values in between), and a new quantum state of light that cannot be described classically.

The Lévy flight foraging hypothesis asserts that biological organisms have evolved to employ (truncated) Lévy flight searches due to such strategies being more efficient than those based on Brownian motion. However, we provide here a concrete two-dimensional counterexample in which Brownian search is more efficient. In fact, we show that the efficiency of Lévy searches worsens the farther the Lévy flight tail index deviates from the Brownian limit. Our counterexample is based on the framework of the classic narrow capture problem in which a random search is performed for a small target within a confined search domain. Our results are obtained via three avenues: Monte Carlo simulations of the discrete search processes, finite-difference solutions, and a matched asymptotic analysis of the elliptic (pseudo)differential equations of the corresponding continuum limits. Asymptotic analysis of the Lévy search yields an expression for the average search time accurate to $\mathcal{O}\left(1\right)$, providing insights into how the latter is impacted by various features of the target and search domain.

In classical Hermitian continuous media, the spectral-flow index of topological modes is linked to the bulk topology via index theorem. However, the interface between two bulks is usually non-Hermitian due to the inhomogeneities of system parameters. We show that the connection between topological modes and bulk topology still exists despite the non-Hermiticity at the interface if the system is endowed with PT symmetry. The theoretical framework developed is applied to the Hall magnetohydrodynamic model to identify a topological mode called topological Alfvén sound wave in magnetized plasmas.

Artificial monopoles have been engineered in various systems, yet there has been no systematic study of the singular vector potentials associated with the monopole field. We show that the Dirac string, the line singularity of the vector potential, can be engineered, manipulated, and made manifest in a spinor atomic condensate. We elucidate the connection among spin, orbital degrees of freedom, and the artificial gauge, and show that there exists a mapping between the vortex filament and the Dirac string. We also devise a proposal where preparing initial spin states with relevant symmetries can result in different vortex patterns, revealing an underlying correspondence between the internal spin states and the spherical vortex structures. Such a mapping also leads to a new way of constructing spherical Landau levels, and monopole harmonics. Our observation provides insights into the behavior of quantum matter possessing internal symmetries in curved spaces.

We study the orbital Hall effect (OHE) in the AC regime using bilayer graphene (BLG) as a prototypical material platform. While the unbiased BLG has gapless electronic spectra, applying a perpendicular electric field creates an energy band gap that can be continuously tuned from zero to high values. By exploiting this flexibility, we demonstrate the ability to control the behavior of AC orbital Hall conductivity. Particularly, we demonstrate that the orbital Hall conductivity at the neutrality point changes its signal at a critical frequency, the value of which is proportional to the perpendicular electric field. For BLG with narrow band gaps, the active frequency region for the AC OHE may extend to a few terahertz, which is experimentally accessible with current technologies. We also consider the introduction of a perpendicular magnetic field in the weak-coupling regime using first-order perturbation theory to illustrate how the breaking of time-reversal symmetry enables the emergence of the AC charge Hall effect in the charge-doped situation and modifies the AC orbital Hall conductivity. Our calculations suggest that BLG with narrow band gaps is a practical candidate for investigating time-dependent orbital angular momentum transport.

We present a standard form of master equations (MEs) for general one-dimensional non-Markovian (history-dependent) jump processes, complemented by an asymptotic solution derived from an expanded system-size approach. The ME is obtained by developing a general Markovian embedding using a suitable set of auxiliary field variables. This Markovian embedding uses a Laplace-convolution operation applied to the velocity trajectory. We introduce an asymptotic method tailored for this ME standard, generalizing the system-size expansion for these jump processes. Under specific stability conditions tied to a single noise source, upon coarse graining, the generalized Langevin equation (GLE) emerges as a universal approximate model for point processes in the weak-coupling limit. This methodology offers a unified analytical tool set for general non-Markovian processes, reinforcing the universal applicability of the GLE founded in microdynamics and the principles of statistical physics.

We investigate the quench dynamics in the dipolar Bose-Hubbard model (DBHM) in one dimension. The boson hopping is constrained by dipole conservation and shows fractonic dynamics. The ground states at large Hubbard interaction $U$ are Mott insulators at integer filling and a period-2 charge density wave (CDW) at half-integer filling. We focus on Mott-to-Mott and CDW-to-CDW quenches and find that dipole correlation spreading shows the light-cone behavior with the Lieb-Robinson (LR) velocity proportional to the dipole kinetic energy $J$ and the square of the density in the case of Mott quench at integer filling. An effective model for postquench dynamics is constructed under the dilute-dipole approximation and fits the numerical results well. For the CDW quench, we observe a much reduced LR velocity of order $J^2/U$ and additional periodic features in the time direction. The emergence of a CDW ground state and the reduced LR velocity at half-integer filling can both be understood by careful application of the second-order perturbation theory. The oscillatory behavior arises from quantum scars in the quadrupole sector of the spectrum and is captured by a PXP-like model that we derive by projecting the DBHM to the quadrupolar sector of the Hilbert space.

Ion acceleration from gaseous targets driven by relativistic-intensity lasers was demonstrated as early as the late 1990s, yet most of the experiments conducted to date have involved picosecond-duration, Nd:glass lasers operating at low repetition rate. Here, we present measurements on the interaction of ultraintense $(\approx {10}^{20}\mathrm{W}{\mathrm{cm}}^{-2}, 1 \mathrm{PW})$, ultrashort $(\approx 70\mathrm{fs})$ Ti:Sa laser pulses with near-critical $(\approx {10}^{20}{\mathrm{cm}}^{-3})$ helium gas jets, a debris-free targetry with the potential for future compatibility with high $(\approx 1 \mathrm{Hz})$ repetition rate operation. We provide evidence of $\alpha$ particles being forward accelerated up to $\approx 2.7\text{−}\mathrm{MeV}$ energy with a total flux of $\approx {10}^{11}{\mathrm{sr}}^{-1}$ as integrated over $>0.1\text{−}\mathrm{MeV}$ energies and detected within a $0.5\text{−}\mathrm{mrad}$ solid angle. We also report on on-axis emission of relativistic electrons with an exponentially decaying spectrum characterized by a $\approx 10\text{−}\mathrm{MeV}$ slope, i.e., five times larger than the standard ponderomotive scaling. The total charge of these electrons with energy above 2 MeV is estimated to be of $\approx 1\mathrm{nC}$, corresponding to $\approx 0.1\%$ of the laser drive energy. In addition, we observe the formation of a plasma channel, extending longitudinally across the gas density maximum and expanding radially with time. These results are well captured by large-scale particle-in-cell simulations, which reveal that the detected fast ions most likely originate from reflection off the rapidly expanding channel walls. The latter process is predicted to yield ion energies in the MeV range, which compare well with the measurements. Finally, direct laser acceleration is shown to be the dominant mechanism behind the observed electron energization.

We present a thorough experimental investigation on single crystals of the rare-earth based frustrated quantum antiferromagnet ${\mathrm{Pr}}_3{\mathrm{BWO}}_9$, a purported spin-liquid candidate on the breathing kagome lattice. This material possesses a disordered ground state with an unusual excitation spectrum involving a coexistence of sharp spin waves and broad continuum excitations. Nevertheless, we show through a combination of thermodynamic, magnetometric, and spectroscopic probes with detailed theoretical modeling that it should be understood in a completely different framework. The crystal field splits the lowest quasidoublet states into two singlets moderately coupled through frustrated superexchange, resulting in a simple effective Hamiltonian of an Ising model in a transverse magnetic field. While our neutron spectroscopy data do point to significant correlations within the kagome planes, the dominant interactions are out-of-plane, forming frustrated triangular spin-tubes through two competing ferro-antiferromagnetic bonds. The resulting ground state is a simple quantum paramagnet, where the presence of strongly hyperfine-coupled nuclear moments and weak structural disorder causes significant modifications to both thermodynamic and dynamic properties.

Superfluidity—frictionless flow—has been observed in various physical systems such as liquid helium, cold atoms, and exciton polaritons. Superfluidity is usually realized by cooling and suppressing all dissipation. Here we challenge this paradigm by demonstrating signatures of superfluidity, enabled by dissipation, in the flow of light within a room-temperature oil-filled cavity. Dissipation in the oil mediates effective photon-photon interactions which are noninstantaneous and nonlocal. Such interactions were expected to severely limit the emergence of superfluidity in conservative photonic systems. Surprisingly, when launching a photon fluid with sufficiently high density and low velocity against an obstacle in our driven-dissipative cavity, we observe a record suppression of backscattering. Our experiments also reveal the reorganization dynamics of photons into a nonscattering steady state and a qualitatively changing behavior of the optical phase as light propagates around the obstacle. The phase is locked between the laser and the obstacle but evolves with the intensity in the wake of the obstacle where the density of the photon fluid and its mean-field interaction energy decrease. Using a generalized Gross–Pitaevskii equation for photons coupled to a thermal field, we model our experiments and elucidate how the noninstantaneous and nonlocal character of interactions influences the suppression of scattering associated with superfluidity. Beyond providing the first signatures of cavity photon superfluidity, and of any superfluid both at room temperature and in steady state, our results pave the way for probing photon hydrodynamics in arbitrary potential landscapes using structured mirrors.

Traditional disease transmission models assume that the infectious period is exponentially distributed with a recovery rate fixed in time and across individuals. This assumption provides analytical and computational advantages, however, it is often unrealistic when compared to empirical data. Current efforts in modeling nonexponentially distributed infectious periods are either limited to special cases or lead to unsolvable models. Also, the link between empirical data (the infectious period distribution) and the modeling needs (the definition of the corresponding recovery rates) lacks a clear understanding. Here we introduce a mapping of an arbitrary distribution of infectious periods into a distribution of recovery rates. Under the Markovian assumption to ensure analytical tractability, we show that the same infectious period distribution at the population level can be reproduced by two modeling schemes that we call host-based and population-based, depending on the individual response to the infection, and aggregated empirical data cannot easily discriminate the correct scheme. Besides being conceptually different, the two schemes also lead to different epidemic trajectories. Although sharing the same behavior close to the disease-free equilibrium, the host-based scheme deviates from the expected epidemic when reaching the endemic equilibrium of a susceptible-infectious-susceptible transmission model, while the population-based scheme turns out to be equivalent to assuming a homogeneous recovery rate. We show this through analytical computations and stochastic epidemic simulations on a contact network, using both generative network models and empirical contact data. It is therefore possible to reproduce heterogeneous infectious periods in network-based transmission models, however, the resulting prevalence is sensitive to the modeling choice for the interpretation of the empirically collected data on the length of the infectious period. In the absence of higher resolution data, studies should acknowledge such deviations in the epidemic predictions.

Circular Dyson Brownian motion describes the Brownian dynamics of particles on a circle (periodic boundary conditions), interacting through a logarithmic, long-range two-body potential. Within the log-gas picture of random matrix theory, it describes the level dynamics of unitary (“circular”) matrices. A common scenario is that one wants to know about an initial configuration evolved over a certain interval of time, without being interested in the intermediate dynamics. Numerical evaluation of this is computationally expensive as the time-evolution algorithm is accurate only on short time intervals because of an underlying perturbative approximation. This work proposes an efficient and easy-to-implement improved circular Dyson Brownian motion algorithm for the unitary class (Dyson index $\beta =2$, physically corresponding to broken time-reversal symmetry). The algorithm allows one to study time evolution over arbitrarily large intervals of time at a fixed computational cost, with no approximations being involved.

Simulating physical systems on quantum devices is one of the most promising applications of quantum technology. Current quantum approaches to simulating open quantum systems are still practically challenging on NISQ-era devices, because they typically require ancilla qubits and extensive controlled sequences. In this work, we propose a hybrid quantum-classical approach for simulating a class of open system dynamics called random-unitary channels. These channels naturally decompose into a series of convex unitary evolutions, which can then be efficiently sampled and run as independent circuits. The method does not require deep ancilla frameworks and thus can be implemented with lower noise costs. We implement simulations of open quantum systems up to dozens of qubits and with large channel ranks.