Papers

Matter-wave Bell interferometers provide a sensitive probe of mass-dependent decoherence in entangled quantum systems. The degree of entanglement is obtained from the Bell-correlation amplitude of this interferometer. For observing potential mass-dependent decoherence, a reliable interpretation of any observed reduction in the Bell correlation amplitude is required, which depends on three factors: geometric dephasing, environmental decoherence, and technical dilution from source and detection statistics. In this work, we present a framework based on the Schwinger SU(2) mapping to separate these contributions into local unitaries or dissipative channels. We show that by evaluating the Bell correlation at zero interferometer path difference, it is possible to extract a source-distribution-independent Bell correlation amplitude reduction. When this framework is extended to involve atoms of different mass, we show that the known differential decoherence channels are negligible at current sensitivity. This yields a concrete bound at which a dual-species Bell interferometer would begin to signal differential decoherence beyond the known systematics, opening the way for such systems to probe new physics, such as mass-dependent decoherence mechanisms.

Epitaxial Y$_3$Fe$_5$O$_{12}$ (YIG) and Gd$_3$Fe$_5$O$_{12}$ (GdIG) thin films, along with their bilayer heterostructures, were grown on Gd$_3$Ga$_5$O$_{12}$(GGG)(111) substrates using pulsed laser deposition. Structural properties were investigated using X-ray diffraction, reciprocal space mapping, and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. The results confirm high crystalline quality and coherent epitaxial growth, with RSM revealing a coexistence of strained and partially relaxed regions governed by layer sequence. TEM analysis shows sharp interfaces, columnar microstructures, and antiphase boundaries that facilitate strain relaxation. A comparative study indicates that the GGG/YIG/GdIG stacking sequence exhibits improved structural quality with reduced defect density, attributed to the superior epitaxial growth of YIG on the substrate. These findings highlight the critical role of growth sequence in controlling strain and interfacial structure in garnet heterostructures.

Collective migration of epithelial layers underlies processes ranging from wound healing to cancer invasion. A defining yet challenging feature is the emergence of distinct cell morphologies within a single migrating confluent sheet, with larger, elongated cells at the active boundary and smaller, hexatically ordered cells in the bulk. Here, we develop a stochastic particle-Voronoi framework that captures this hexanematic organization without prescribing target geometries and distinct cell types. We show that boundary-driven collective motion generates an outward velocity gradient. This gradient, coupled to a density and velocity-dependent division rule, produces peripheral cells that are larger, more elongated, and more defect-prone, while bulk cells remain smaller, isotropic, and hexagonally packed. These results show how minimal, non-equilibrium mechanical interactions give rise to emergent, self-organized tissue-scale patterning during collective migration.

Understanding how stacking controls the nonlinear optical response of two-dimensional materials is key to designing van der Waals heterostructures with tailored functionalities. Here, we establish a comprehensive symmetry-based framework mapping the structural configuration of MoS2 bilayers across four point groups (D3h, D3d, C3v, C3) to their second-order susceptibility tensor chi^(2). Using group-theory arguments benchmarked against first-principles response-function calculations, we demonstrate how symmetry breaking controls the activation and suppression of individual tensor elements in these systems. We show that the emergence of the in-plane component chi_xxx in twisted configurations (C3 group) induces a rigid azimuthal rotation of the second-harmonic generation polar lobes, which remains frequency-independent across the entire optical spectrum, locking to half of the structural twist angle. Our findings establish a direct, wavelength-independent optical route for twist-angle determination and provide a clear roadmap for engineering nonlinear optical responses in two-dimensional materials.

We revisit the elastic energy formulation of the Landau-de Gennes model for nematic liquid crystals, focusing on quantitative reductions of the multi-constant elastic energy. Building on the generalized optimal scaling procedure (GOS) introduced by Rusconi et al. in 2025, we identify explicit parameter regimes in which the three-constant model $(L_1,L_2,L_3)$ can be reduced to $(L_1,L_2,0)$ and how the two-constant model $(L_1,L_2,0)$ can be reduced to the commonly used one-constant configuration $(L_1,0,0)$. The analytical scaling predictions are tested numerically using the openQmin simulation framework, confirming that below a critical threshold for $L_3$ or $L_2$, given by GOS, the deviation from the reduced model remains of the same order of magnitude as predicted by the scaling theory. These results provide a quantitative criterion for the validity of reduced elastic models and establish a direct connection between optimal scaling arguments and numerical observations within the Landau-de Gennes framework.

Within the scattering matrix ($S$-matrix) framework adapted to the high-frequency Floquet–Magnus formalism based on the length gauge, we investigate spin-dependent quantum transport in a 1D quantum ring with an asymmetric ($\pi/2$) configuration of quantum point contacts. We demonstrate the realization of a contactless electromagnetic analog of the Datta–Das spin field-effect transistor with ferromagnetic leads operating at zero static magnetic field. It is shown that an off-resonance terahertz (THz) field enables high-precision switching between spin channels without altering the static parameters of the nanostructure. Driven by an electronic Vernier effect, the quantum interference in the asymmetric geometry yields a selective spin phase rotator alongside an ultra-high-contrast current-suppression regime (“optical shutter”). The proposed architecture is fundamentally robust against multiphoton leakage sidebands, offering a thermally immune, high-speed alternative to conventional semiconductor static spin transistors.

Aurivillius layered oxides are important candidates for high-temperature ferroelectric and piezoelectric application. In this work, we combine group theoretic analysis with first-principles calculations to systematically investigate the origin of ferroelectric phase transition, polarization, piezoelectric response, and intrinsic electrical insulation of the two-layer Aurivillius ferroelectrics CaBi$_{2}$B$_{2}$O$_{9}$ (B = Ta, Nb). The results show that the \textit{A2$_1$am} ferroelectric phase arises from the cooperative condensation of a polar mode and nonpolar oxygen octahedral rotation/tilting modes, whose the $\Gamma_5^-$X$_2^+$X$_3^-$ trilinear coupling substantially lowers the total energy and deepens the ferroelectric potential well. The spontaneous polarization and anisotropic piezoelectric response are governed primarily by the cooperative displacements of the Bi$_{2}$O$_{2}$ layers and Ta/NbO$_{6}$ octahedra, with Bi ions providing an indispensable contribution to both responses. More importantly, the polar distortion can be traced to the relative in-plane displacement between adjacent the Bi$_{2}$O$_{2}$ layer and the perovskite-like block. Because this displacement is intrinsic to the alternating Bi$_{2}$O$_{2}$/perovskite-block stacking topology and is independent of the number of perovskite layers, we identify interlayer sliding as a general, layer-number-independent structural mechanism for ferroelectricity in Aurivillius oxides. Our findings establish a unified microscopic picture linking structural distortions, ferroelectric polarization, piezoelectric response, and electronic insulation in CaBi$_{2}$B$_{2}$O$_{9}$ (B = Ta, Nb), and provide theoretical guidance for designing layered ferroelectric oxides with high Curie temperatures and robust insulating behavior.

We numerically investigate the effects of a density-dependent gauge potential which induces nonlinear rotation on a Bose-Einstein condensate confined in a toroidal trapping geometry. By focusing on the resulting vortex lattice configurations, we demonstrate that increasing the strength of the nonlinear rotation leads to a structural transition from a ring-shaped vortex lattice to a giant vortex state. The quantum circulation associated with the giant vortex is found to be highly sensitive to the strength of the nonlinear rotation and the giant vortex appears in the regime of negative chemical potential. Additionally, we identify the parameter regime in which the Thomas-Fermi density profile remains valid by mapping the solution space based on the strength of the nonlinear rotation and the radius of the confining potential. Based on the Bogoliubov de Gennes analysis, we investigate the impact of nonlinear rotation on the collective excitation spectrum. Our results reveal a violation of the Kohn theorem, accompanied by changes in the breathing mode frequency that indicate radial deformation of the condensate. Our findings are further substantiated through a comprehensive hydrodynamic analysis. Finally, we analyze the stability of multiply quantized vortices under nonlinear rotation. Our findings indicate that while nonlinear rotation can enhance the global stability of these states, it does not necessarily ensure their local stability.

The non-perturbative evaluation of multipolar cross sections is essential for probing atomic and molecular responses to spatially inhomogeneous electric fields characteristic of nanoscale environments where the conventional dipole approximation breaks down. Taking the hydrogen atom as an analytical and numerical benchmark, we map in real time quadrupole interactions driven by instantaneous electric field gradients. Our study explores two distinct interaction regimes. Under a uniform field, quadrupolar responses are activated by multi-step dipole transitions, responsible for sub-1~eV excited-state absorption. Conversely, under pure spatial gradients, the weak-field response is dominated by the single-photon $1s \to 3d$ quadrupole resonance at 12.1~eV, while strong gradients induce low-energy stimulated emission via transiently driven coherent populations. This dynamical analysis is complemented by a rigorous evaluation of the symmetry aspects of the quadrupole response and the applied electric field. This methodology establishes the theoretical and computational foundation for future non-perturbative multipole simulations of molecules and nanostructures in the near-field regime.

We investigate how structural chirality is converted into electronic chirality in a two-dimensional cluster model consisting of a triangular-lattice core and three rod-like extensions under a surface-induced polar field. By evaluating the electric toroidal monopole (ETM) and the Edelstein effect, we show that both quantities exhibit antisymmetric and nonmonotonic dependence on the structural parameter controlling the cluster geometry. While the total density of states is almost unaffected by the structural deformation, the ETM-resolved spectrum changes significantly, indicating that chirality is encoded in the symmetry character of the electronic states rather than in the overall electronic spectrum. Real-space analysis reveals that the induced ETM is concentrated near the vertices and rods, whereas the Edelstein response extends more broadly into the core region. Furthermore, a parameter-decomposition analysis identifies spin-orbit coupling, surface-induced parity mixing, and structural chirality as the essential ingredients for both phenomena. Our results clarify the microscopic connection between structural chirality, electronic chirality, and chiral transport responses in artificial surface nanostructures.

Spatially dispersive second-harmonic generation (SHG) provides a powerful probe of centrosymmetric multipolar states beyond the electric-dipole approximation. We develop a gauge-consistent microscopic theory of spatially dispersive SHG that treats electric-quadrupole (EQ) and magnetic-dipole (MD) processes on equal footing. Applying the formulation to a minimal triangular cluster model with ferroaxial order, which is closely related to an electric toroidal dipole, we show that the nonlinear optical response directly reflects the ferroaxial order parameter. The agreement between length- and velocity-gauge calculations confirms the gauge consistency of the formulation. We further demonstrate that the EQ and MD contributions exhibit different spectral weights despite sharing the same resonance energies. In particular, the MD channel can dominate over the EQ channel at selected resonances, indicating that it is not merely a perturbative correction. Our results establish that both EQ and MD processes are essential for a quantitative description of spatially dispersive SHG in ferroaxial materials and provide a microscopic basis for interpreting nonlinear optical signatures of centrosymmetric multipolar order.

Ciliary and flagellar beating often occurs in viscoelastic fluids. The surrounding fluid strongly influences the beating dynamics. Viscoelastic effects on beating dynamics, however, remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate the stochastic dynamics of experimentally realized colloidal models in a Jeffreys fluid. We find that back-and-forth beating transiently aligns the driving and polymeric forces, leading to a rapid increase in the beating frequency once the fluid memory becomes comparable to the stroke duration. The crossover is marked by a maximum in beating-period fluctuations. For unidirectional rotational motion, however, beating slows down with increasing fluid memory. Our results identify back-and-forth beating as a generic mechanism for exploiting fluid memory in active oscillators, providing a possible explanation for enhanced flagellar beating in polymeric fluids.

We investigate the structural evolution in jammed amorphous solids by analyzing the eigenmodes of a generalized Hessian matrix that incorporates spatial modulation via wave numbers. Unlike the conventional Hessian, this generalized formulation captures linearly unstable modes through a Fourier-based extension of the Hessian matrix, enabling us to study responses beyond the mechanically stable regime. We demonstrate that the excitation of unstable eigenmodes leads to structural rearrangements independent of the initial perturbation by the simulation. Furthermore, we derive a weakly nonlinear amplitude equation to describe the growth and saturation of these unstable modes, analogous to the Landau equation. Our framework provides a pathway to understand instability-driven configuration changes in disordered solids.

In this paper, we examine the dynamical charge-Kondo-breakdown scenario proposed for cuprate superconductors within the perspective of renormalization group (RG) topology. By analyzing the coupled RG flow equations governing the effective low-energy theory, we determine the fixed-point structure, stability properties, and global organization of the flow. We find that the putative finite-coupling interacting fixed point is unstable against perturbations transverse to an invariant critical manifold. As a result, generic RG trajectories exhibit runaway behavior. To elucidate the global structure of the theory, we combine analytical solutions of the flow equations with numerical phase portraits and Poincaré compactification. This analysis reveals that the interacting fixed point exhibits a marginally relevant instability, generating an exponentially large but finite crossover scale. The resulting flow topology closely resembles anisotropy-driven runaway flows encountered in fluctuation-induced weakly first-order transitions. Within this framework, the apparent quantum-critical regime can be understood as an extended crossover controlled by a near-critical fixed point, rather than by asymptotic scale invariance. The results obtained indicate that the existence of extended scaling behavior does not, by itself, imply the presence of a stable interacting quantum critical state. More generally, our analysis demonstrates how RG topology can provide a powerful diagnostic for distinguishing genuine criticality from pseudo-critical behavior in theories of strongly correlated quantum matter.

Lead-free chalcogenide perovskites offer a nontoxic and thermally robust path beyond Pb-based perovskite solar cells (PSCs), but their device-level behavior in realistic three-dimensional geometries remains insufficiently characterized. In this work, we investigate ZnSe/MgXS3(X = Ti, Zr, Hf)/Sb2S3 solar cell architecture where MgXS3 absorbers from the II-IV-VI chalcogenide perovskite family is employed as the absorber layer. The device is analyzed using 3D finite-element simulations in COMSOL Multiphysics that self-consistently couple optical generation, drift-diffusion carrier transport, and heat transfer under AM 1.5G 1-sun illumination, following a fully coupled opto-electro-thermal framework. For each absorber composition, the impacts of absorber thickness, doping, and defect density are systematically investigated, and the contribution of an Sb2S3 back-surface-field (BSF) layer to carrier collection and spectral response is quantified. Under optimized conditions, MgZrS3, MgTiS3, MgHfS3-based devices achieves a simulated power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 28.18%, 26.72%, and 28.16%, respectively. The corresponding open-circuit voltage (VOC) values are 0.94 V, 0.74 V, and, 1.07 V while the short-circuit current density (JSC) values are 34.46 mA/cm2, 42.69 mA/cm2, and 29.89 mA/cm2, with fill factor (FF) values of 86.99%, 84.58%, and 88.02%, respectively. Coupled electro-thermal simulations further reveal a small spatially non-uniform steady-state temperature rise across the ultrathin cell stack, mainly governed by non-radiative recombination and Joule dissipation within the active layers. Overall, these results confirm MgXS3(X = Ti, Zr, Hf) chalcogenide perovskites as promising lead-free absorber materials and offer practical design guidance for achieving high-efficiency, thermally stable three-dimensional device architectures.

Nonreciprocal propagation of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) based on the spatial asymmetry of magnon-phonon coupling is demonstrated. This nonreciprocity is enabled by an acoustic wavelength scale thick magnetic layer formed under a thin piezoelectric film. In this configuration, magnon modes activated by dipole-dipole interactions are localized near either the top or bottom interface depending on the propagation direction of the SAW. As a result, the spatial overlap between interfacial magnon and surface phonon modes is expected to become direction dependent, in a manner that leads to distinct unidirectional propagation of SAWs. Notably, the resulting nonreciprocity reaches the highest level among those reported for SAW devices based on a single magnetic layer. This finding will establish a new strategy of nonreciprocal acoustic propagation in a structurally simple magnomechanical device.

Incommensurability and elastic reconstruction do not by themselves define a structurally superlubric phase. We define fully sliding and pinned zero-temperature phases by $\limsup_{A\to\infty}\tau_{\rm dep}^{\max}(A)=0$ and $\liminf_{A\to\infty}\tau_{\rm dep}^{\min}(A)>0$, respectively; $\Lambda_n=|V_n|G_{n,i}[D_{\rm rel}^{-1}(\mathbf q_n)]_{ij}G_{n,j}$ measures only reconstruction susceptibility. Translational covariance then proves that a clean, smooth, infinite moiré continuum can reconstruct without acquiring a bulk sliding barrier. We restore atomic sampling in a two-dimensional discrete model of graphene/hBN and test both a diffusion quantum Monte Carlo first-star potential and a 15-harmonic Leven potential across three rational approximants and five directions. No physical-coupling equilibrium or metastable barrier is resolved. The Leven spectrum raises the largest tested $\Lambda$ from $0.142$ to $0.212$, while artificial scaling through $\Lambda=1$ reaches uncontrolled strain before a size-independent threshold appears. The tested zero-temperature in-plane models are therefore consistent with an elastically relaxed sliding regime; $\Lambda=1$ is a reconstruction scale, not a static phase criterion.

We propose a minimal quantum-optical scheme for generating hybrid entanglement between photon polarization and electronic orbital angular momentum in a semiconductor quantum disk. A spin–orbit structured two-photon state excites two channels in the same disk: a radiatively recombining zero-orbital-angular-momentum channel and a finite-orbital-angular-momentum channel that stores the electronic orbital qubit. An effective coherent mapping prepares a selected two-excitation state, followed by emission of a photon whose polarization is entangled with the residual electronic orbital state. A master-equation analysis shows that the heralded state conditioned on single-photon occupation of the selected output mode approaches the target entangled state in the ideal coherent limit. We also discuss orbital relaxation and perturbative validity conditions for branch-dependent Coulomb shifts, orbital-angular-momentum mixing, and finite-orbital-angular-momentum radiative leakage. This proof-of-principle effective model suggests a route toward structured-light-mediated photon–electron hybrid entanglement in semiconductor nanostructures.

Anisotropy and cone tilt change how Majorana states propagate along an interface and decay away from it. We derive a two-dimensional Majorana surface Hamiltonian from a fully gapped three-dimensional superconductor, with the surface mass generated by the relative phase between triplet and singlet pairing. For a mass domain wall on this surface, we obtain the wave function, propagation velocity, and localization length of the resulting one-dimensional channel for a general invertible velocity tensor and an arbitrary wall orientation. The product of propagation speed and localization length is independent of wall orientation in the anisotropic model. For a smooth closed channel without a vortex, the propagation time around the wall determines the lowest excitation energy. For a tilted surface cone, the normal and parallel components of tilt affect confinement and propagation differently. We also solve a separate three-dimensional Weyl model with uniform singlet pairing and a reversing exchange field. In the regime supporting interface states, its bulk remains gapless. At zero chemical potential, two states confined perpendicular to the wall and propagating within its plane have the same dispersion over a finite momentum interval. Numerical diagonalization confirms the analytical energies and wave functions.

We develop an analytical procedure to retrieve fundamental material parameters of monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides from optical and magneto-optical exciton spectra, based on the solvable modified Kratzer model. The proposed retrieval procedure naturally consists of two complementary stages. In the first stage, explicit inversion formulas determine the quasiparticle bandgap, effective screening parameter, and energy scaling factor directly from the experimentally measured energies of the three lowest excitonic states, from which the screening length is subsequently obtained. In the second stage, an analytical expression for the magnetic-field dependence of the exciton energies independently yields the reduced exciton mass, from which the surrounding dielectric constant is then calculated. Once the complete set of material parameters has been retrieved, the framework analytically predicts the diamagnetic coefficients, exciton radii, and complete magnetoexciton spectra without introducing additional fitting parameters or matrix diagonalization. The method is applied to a broad range of experimental samples for WSe$_2$, WS$_2$, MoS$_2$, MoSe$_2$, and MoTe$_2$ monolayers embedded in different dielectric environments. The retrieved material parameters are in good agreement with independent experimental measurements and previous Rytova–Keldysh (RK) calculations, while the predicted excitonic properties accurately reproduce available magneto-optical observations. The proposed analytical theory provides an efficient, physically transparent alternative to conventional numerical fitting procedures and offers an effective tool for the rapid characterization of two-dimensional semiconductors via excitonic spectroscopy.

We propose a general necessary condition for a spinful fermion chain with SU(2) spin-rotation symmetry to be gapped. Specifically, we prove that the expectation value of a properly defined fermionic twisting operator asymptotically approaches unity in any gapped phase with finite ground-state degeneracy, with finite-size corrections bounded by $\mathscr{O}(1/L)$. Consequently, a non-unity value in the thermodynamic limit provides a sufficient criterion for identifying gapless fermion chains. We confirm this criterion using the $s$-wave Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) Hamiltonian and determinant quantum Monte Carlo (DQMC) simulations of interacting Hubbard models. We further extend the twisting-operator approach to SU($N$)-symmetric fermionic systems, where the gapped ground-state sector must be SU($N$)-singlet and $\langle \hat{\mathcal{U}}^M\rangle=1+\mathscr{O}(1/L)$ by a fermionic twisting operator $\hat{\mathcal{U}}$ with a suitably chosen integer $M$.

Nuclear quantum effects are rigorously captured by imaginary-time path integrals, which map the quantum Boltzmann distribution onto a ring polymer of classical replicas. Yet the nuclear masses, the coupling to the environment, and the boundary conditions of the path remain hard-wired in the simulation or the trained model, even though this quantum context enters the path measure only through a quadratic action known in closed form. Here we show that a denoiser trained on classical Boltzmann statistics alone, composed at sampling time with an analytic Gaussian component carrying the entire quantum context, yields the quantum Boltzmann distribution of the nuclei. Such a composition exists and is exact whenever the training noise does not exceed the intrinsic quantum uncertainty of the target ensemble, and it is invariant across all quantum contexts admitted by this bound. We show exact transfer across temperature, isotopic mass, dissipation strength, and the boundary conditions of the path in theory and in numerical experiments, without retraining. The last yields the end-to-end displacement and momentum distributions of a tagged nucleus from open imaginary-time paths. The same invariance extends in principle to the permuted boundary conditions of bosonic exchange, with the identical denoiser. In this view, the noise of generative modeling and the quantum fluctuations of the nuclei are two faces of the same quadratic structure.

Solid-state lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are increasingly recognized for their exceptional energy density and safety. However, their widespread adoption is challenged by persistent issues such as thermal and electrochemical instability, dendrite formation, and limited compatibility with high-voltage cathodes. Sulfide-based solid electrolytes (SEs), particularly iodide argyrodites, offer outstanding ionic conductivity and stability; however, their practical application is constrained by the formation of space-charge layers, slow ion transport, and susceptibility to dendrite penetration. To address these challenges, we synthesized a novel Li6.6Si0.6Sb0.4S5I argyrodite electrolyte via ball milling and heat treatment, achieving a remarkable room-temperature ionic conductivity of 9.9 mS cm^-1. The electrolyte was integrated with a LiNbO3-coated LiNi0.7Co0.1Mn0.2O2 cathode to form an all-solid-state battery, which demonstrated an initial discharge capacity of 171.2 mAh g^-1, retained 84.2% of its capacity after 200 cycles at 0.5C, and maintained stable cycling across a broad temperature range from -20 degrees C to 60 degrees C. Our study shows that tailored electrolyte composition and a composite cathode configuration significantly enhance cycling stability and improve interfacial protection. These findings highlight the potential of Si-doped antimony-type iodide argyrodites for next-generation high-performance all-solid-state batteries, offering durable operation under diverse thermal conditions.

We report polarization-resolved Raman spectroscopy of a van der Waals compound GdGaI that is a candidate for excitonic insulators. By combining the symmetry analysis with density functional theory calculations, we identify six Raman-active phonons. The spectra exhibit only the expected anharmonic hardening down to 4 K: no additional peaks, no soft modes, and no signatures of zone folding are observed. This result indicates that any lattice distortion is below our experimental sensitivity, supporting an electronically driven origin for the band reconstruction reported by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy rather than an electron-phonon-driven mechanism. Moreover, we observe a pronounced circular dichroism of the $A_{1g}$ modes under an out-of-plane magnetic field. Based on symmetry considerations, we attribute this dichroic response to chiral $A_{1g}$ phonons with opposite angular momenta generated by spin-phonon coupling in the time-reversal-broken state. The temperature evolution of the degree of circular polarization further suggests that circularly polarized Raman spectroscopy detects the emergence of short-range antiferromagnetic correlations. Our results highlight GdGaI as a promising platform in which excitonic order, magnetism, and circularly polarized phonons can be intertwined, and demonstrate that circular-polarization Raman provides a sensitive probe of spin-phonon coupling in excitonic systems.

The exploration of energy-efficient and functional spintronics has attracted considerable attention. Orbital transport has opened new pathways for current-induced torque generation beyond the conventional spin transport based on the spin Hall effect. In addition, artificial intelligence computing has been demonstrated using spintronic devices. Further progress of these devices can be anticipated through the development of unique and functional materials beyond the existing heavy metals and topological systems with strong spin-orbit coupling. The nitride materials exhibit unique chemical, magnetic, and structural versatility, including antiferromagnetism, high thermal stability, and compatibility with diverse device architectures. Here, we propose Nitrospinics as a conceptual and functional framework that exploits nitride materials for applications ranging from orbital-torque-based spintronic devices to artificial intelligence hardware. Using Cr2N, a two-dimensional nitride MXene with an atomic layered structure, as a prototype system, we discuss how nitrogen contributes to the structural stability, the orbital torque generation, and the interfacial orbital and spin conversion. We further outline key challenges and opportunities toward establishing nitride-based materials for next-generation computing technologies.

We consider the interactions of hybrid excitons in a two-dimensional semiconductor bilayer, where spatially direct and indirect excitons are hybridized by interlayer charge-carrier tunneling. Starting from a microscopic electron-hole description, we construct realistic pseudopotentials for exciton-exciton interactions and use them as inputs to a coupled-channel scattering integral equation. This enables non-perturbative calculations of hybrid-exciton scattering beyond standard perturbative theories, and highlights the importance of energy-dependent scattering and channel mixing. In particular, we show that the interaction strength of hybrid excitons exhibits a rapid growth with increasing energy, which we find is inherited from their indirect-exciton component. We further demonstrate that dielectric screening affects the direct and indirect channels in distinct ways, leading to markedly different interaction strengths across experimentally relevant dielectric environments. Finally, we show that the hybrid-exciton scattering strength can be electrically tuned via the Stark shift, which controls the direct-indirect detuning and hence the hybridization of the two exciton modes.

The magnetic behavior of the spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the extended Lieb lattice is examined in the presence of an external magnetic field. Using density matrix renormalization group calculations, we determine the zero-temperature magnetization curves and construct the ground-state phase diagram in the magnetic field vs. the interaction ratio plane. Depending on the interaction ratio, the zero-temperature magnetization curves exhibit field-driven quantum phase transitions between the gapped phases manifested as the intermediate plateaus at $1/5$ and $3/5$ of the saturation magnetization and a gapless spin-canted phase, in which the magnetization varies continuously with the applied magnetic field. Quantum Monte Carlo simulations reveal clear finite-temperatures signatures of the field-induced quantum phase transitions and the intermediate magnetization plateaus, while they provide no evidence for either continuous or discontinuous thermal phase transitions.

Quantum spin liquids (QSLs) are magnetic phases that evade long-range order down to the lowest temperatures due to strong quantum fluctuations. Their lack of conventional order parameters, however, makes experimental identification challenging. In this work, we investigate how distinct QSL phases affect phonon dynamics through spinon-phonon coupling. By computing the phonon self-energy, we show that the phonon spectrum remains unrenormalized by spinon interactions, while sound attenuation and phonon thermal conductivity exhibit distinct signatures of the underlying QSL phase. These response functions therefore provide experimentally accessible fingerprints for distinguishing different QSL backgrounds. Remarkably, we find that a chiral QSL coupled to phonons does not generate a phonon thermal Hall effect despite explicitly breaking time-reversal symmetry. Our results establish phonon transport as a potential probe for identifying and characterizing quantum spin liquids.

Determining whether superconducting scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) is uniquely dictated by crystal structure constitutes a fundamental challenge in condensed matter physics. Here, we systematically investigate bulk FeSe single crystals, monolayer FeSe, and $\mathrm{KCa_2Fe_4As_4F_2}$. We resolve one-, two-, and three-order checkerboard quantum-well structures that perfectly match the experimentally observed one, two, and three pairs of superconducting coherence peaks. In bulk FeSe, quantum wells promote real-space Cooper pairing and form degenerate antiferromagnetic checkerboard sublattices, yielding bosonic even-parity STS responses. In monolayer FeSe, mirror symmetry breaking suppresses Cooper pairing and induces nondegenerate ferromagnetic sublattice dichotomy, producing fermionic odd-parity STS spectra. We establish a universal gap scaling law $\Delta(T, \xi) = \eta(T)/\xi^2$, where $\eta(T)$ is a temperature-dependent prefactor and $\xi$ denotes quantum-well depth that governs the number and magnitude of superconducting gaps. For $\mathrm{KCa_2Fe_4As_4F_2}$, our predicted gap pairs of $\pm6.2$ meV, $\pm5.6$ meV, and $\pm4.2$ meV are in excellent agreement with experimental results of $\pm6.2$ meV, $\pm5.4$ meV, and $\pm4.4$ meV. This quantum-well mechanism unifies mirror symmetry breaking, checkerboard sublattice ordering, Cooper pairing, fermion-boson duality, and half-Bogoliubov states for STS interpretation, offering new insights toward a unified high-$T_\text{c}$ superconductivity theory.

Cavity light-matter interaction has recently emerged as a new avenue for manipulating material properties without driving fields. Here, we demonstrate that cavity vacuum fluctuations can induce macroscopic polarization (magnetization), even in materials that lack spontaneous polarization (net magnetization) in free space. Starting from the effective photon-free quantum-electrodynamics Hamiltonian, we identify all crystallographic (magnetic) point groups that allow such cavity-induced responses. We derive the form of the corresponding response tensors based on symmetry analysis, whose elements can be obtained by quantum electrodynamical density functional theory (QEDFT) calculations. As representative examples, we show that the cavity-induced polarization in $\alpha$-quartz can be continuously controlled by rotating the cavity. For antiferromagnetic Mn$_3$Sn, we demonstrate that cavity-induced symmetry breaking generates an out-of-plane magnetization, accompanied by an anomalous Hall conductivity component that is forbidden outside the cavity. Our work establishes symmetry as a guiding principle for cavity materials engineering and provides a route for controlling polarization and magnetization through quantum vacuum fluctuations, i.e., cavity materials engineering.