This work reports on high-resolution inelastic X-ray scattering experiments revealing a striking renormalization of the phonon spectra of high-T_c cuprates associated with the formation of charge density waves. Their origin is attributed to the hybridization of phonons with dispersive collective excitations of the charge density waves, providing insights in the role of electron-phonon interaction in high temperature superconductors.

Technologies operating in the terahertz (THz) range are essential for advancing high-speed communication, sensing and imaging. Here, the authors demonstrate that a HgTe-based heterostructure with electronic band inversion can efficiently mix and up-convert weak signals into THz frequencies at room temperature, using strong nonlinear effects.

In this work the authors employ neural network wavefunctions to discover correlated electron phases in moiré superlattices. Their approach identifies multiple emergent Wigner phases, including generalized crystals, molecular crystals, and a covalent crystal state.

Network glass fracture is a sudden, complex process lacking clear precursors. Here, the authors develop the local intelligent stress threshold indicator (LISTI), a neural network-based tool that predicts nanoscale crack nucleation by correlating local stress thresholds with structural topology, offering a method to identify fracture-prone zones in network glasses.

Quantum dots are tiny electronic devices that can isolate a fixed number of particles, serving as building blocks for quantum technologies. The authors find that in a chain of four dots, electrons can tunnel directly between the ends without occupying the middle dots, even when the system lacks symmetry, enabling robust long-range transport.

Efficient free-space-to-fiber coupling of cylindrical vector beams (CVBs) is crucial for high-capacity optical communications, yet remains constrained by low coupling efficiency and poor dynamic adaptability in conventional methods. The authors address this issue by introducing a twisted moiré transformation approach that develops ring radius adjustable perfect CVBs using paired meta-devices

Thermalization in quantum many-body systems can unfold across space in surprising ways. The authors reveal nonequilibrium regimes in a driven-dissipative quantum chain, including a spatially emergent prethermal domain and a nonthermal condensate destabilized by quantum fluctuations, with broad implications for driven quantum platforms

Since superconductivity has been observed in bilayer La3Ni2O7 and trilayer La4Ni3O10 under high pressure, there have been efforts to expand the high-Tc nickelate family by synthesising new materials. In this study, the authors stabilised a Sr alternative and co-substituted in YySr3-yNi2-xAlxO7-δ. They found that different dopants significantly affect the physical properties- substituting Sr at Y site greatly enhances conductivity, while substituting Al at the Ni site reduces it.

Kagome materials have become a popular platform to investigate a range of competing quantum phases, such as the interplay between superconductivity and charge density waves (CDW). Here, the authors use x-ray diffraction, scanning tunneling microscopy and resonant elastic x-ray scattering to investigate the evolution of CDW ordering as a function of temperature in canted antiferromagnetic kagome FeGe. They find for post-annealed samples that the long-range CDW orders persist even as the structural modulations are suppressed although observations are highly dependent on the sample growth condition.

Continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) enables secure communication using standard telecom hardware, but losses in fibres and free space severely limit its reach. Here, the authors present an adaptive software filtering protocol which triples key rates and achieves up to a 400-fold boost in satellite scenarios.

The growing computational demands of AI are significantly increasing carbon emissions from the ICT sector, while traditional CMOS-based computing faces scaling and sustainability limits. This perspective explores photonic computing as a promising, energy-efficient alternative for enabling carbon-sustainable next-generation AI hardware.

This study proposes a dual-modulation method for optical lattice clocks that synchronously modulates the lattice laser and probing laser to control atomic motion and light-atom interactions independently. The authors theoretically derive and experimentally verify the laws of micromotion shift, achieving its effective suppression via modulation, providing a key experimental basis for the precision optimization of such Floquet engineering optical lattice clocks.

Controlling how nearby resonators exchange energy is crucial for reducing interference in compact communication and sensing devices. The authors demonstrate a method that cancels different coupling paths, achieving “exceptional coupling” and flat bands, which suppress crosstalk and enable robust signal control in integrated systems.