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Physics Condensed Matter

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Tuesday 22 September

Statistical Mechanics

Thermodynamic efficiency of communication channels

We identify a broad class of communication channels that captures common physical constraints in both artificial and natural systems and derive bounds on their thermodynamic cost. We find that the entropy production per channel use is bounded from below by the input-output mutual information, and their ratio -mutual information divided by entropy production- defines the thermodynamic efficiency. Unlike previous studies of energy-constrained communication channels, our analysis shows that thermodynamic costs must be assigned not only to the input symbols themselves, but also to transitions between successive symbols. As a result, maximizing thermodynamic efficiency favors a biased input that switches only rarely, rather than the capacity-achieving input. For the binary symmetric channel, this preference emerges through a pitchfork bifurcation that spontaneously breaks the symmetry of the channel. A minimal model of cellular sensing exhibits the same phenomenon.
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Strongly Correlated Electrons

Fractional Quantum Geometry in Topological Mott Regime

Inspired by recent interests in quantum geometry in electronic bands, we consider a two-dimensional topological Mott insulator, i.e. chiral spin liquid, whose spinon bands develop nontrivial band topological and quantum geometry. The virtual polarization of the gapped charge sector transfers the electromagnetic drive to the charge-neutral spinons through the emergent U(1) gauge field, producing a tensor Ioffe-Larkin response and enabling two complementary optical protocols for measurements. In the off-shell (low-frequency) regime, a self-calibrated ratio of the physical longitudinal and Hall conductivities yields the spinon Chern number without the microscopic knowledge of the charge response. In the on-shell (resonant) regime, combining the inverse Ioffe-Larkin response with the Kramers-Kronig relation enables reconstruction of the quantum-metric and Berry-curvature spectral densities. Our approach directly applies to the triangular lattice Hofstadter-Hubbard model in Moiré systems, can be well adapted to other triangular lattice antiferromagnets such as Nb$_3$Br$_8$ with appropriate modifications. We establish a unified framework for quantitatively probing the quantum geometry of fractionalized quasiparticles in topological Mott regime.
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Materials Science

Time-reversal-odd Transport in Odd-Parity Magnets

Unconventional magnets combining vanishing net magnetization with spin-split electronic structures and anomalous transport have attracted considerable attention. Using spin-group symmetry analysis, we derive general conditions for odd-parity spin splitting in two- and three-dimensional coplanar noncollinear antiferromagnets. We identify a key spin-group symmetry whose relativistic counterpart forbids time-reversal-odd transport and show that breaking it allows such transport in the presence of spin-orbit coupling. Tight-binding calculations validate these symmetry arguments and demonstrate an anomalous Hall effect in a fully compensated odd-parity magnetic state without an external field. By screening a three-dimensional magnetic materials database and constructing two-dimensional heterostructures, we further identify realistic platforms exhibiting pronounced spin-orientation-dependent anomalous Hall and magneto-optical effects. Our results establish a general symmetry framework for time-reversal-odd responses in odd-parity magnets and highlight fully compensated odd-parity magnets as a promising platform for controlling anomalous transport.
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All authors Ling Bai, Si Li, Libor Šmejkal, Yugui Yao, Wanxiang Feng

Superconductivity

Different reconstruction pathways toward superconductivity in TaRhTe4 and TaIrTe4 Weyl semimetals

Pressure can drive Weyl semimetals toward superconductivity through qualitatively distinct reconstructions of their lattices and normal-state electronic structures. Here, we report the first observation of superconductivity in compressed TaRhTe4. This finding enables a direct comparison of the distinct reconstruction pathways leading to superconductivity in TaRhTe4 and the previously studied TaIrTe4, both of which belong to the TaXTe4 (X = Rh, Ir) family of type-II Weyl semimetals. For TaRhTe4, high-pressure electrical-resistance, Hall effect, and magnetoresistance measurements, together with synchrotron X-ray diffraction and first-principles calculations, reveal a superconducting transition that emerges near 20 GPa, with onset Tc increasing to approximately 2.6 K at 65.2 GPa and zero resistance achieved above 63 GPa. The onset of superconductivity coincides with a progressive lattice distortion, a strong suppression of the positive magnetoresistance, and a continuous decrease of the Hall coefficient toward zero. Calculations further show that additional electron-like bands cross the Fermi level (EF) and that N(EF) increases upon compression. This evolution contrasts with TaIrTe4, where the Hall coefficient initially increases before reversing its pressure dependence near the superconducting threshold, while the structural anomaly is confined to a narrower pressure interval. This comparison indicates that superconductivity in the TaXTe4 family is not tied to a unique critical pressure or a single Fermi-surface reconstruction, but can emerge through distinct material-specific pathways once pressure sufficiently reconstructs the low-carrier Weyl-semimetal-derived state into a multiband metallic regime.
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All authors Jinyu Zhao, Yang Fu, Congcong Le, Shuaihang Sun, Shu Cai, Yang Ding, Qi Wu, Hechang Lei, Jiangping Hu, Lili Zhang, Cedomir Petrovic, Liling Sun

Disordered Systems and Neural Networks

Measure-zero delocalization in the complex plane: exact mobility arcs in a non-Hermitian off-diagonal quasiperiodic lattice

We investigate Anderson localization in a one-dimensional lattice with non-Hermitian off-diagonal quasiperiodic disorder, extending a recently studied Hermitian mosaic model to the non-Hermitian regime. Using Avila's global theory, we derive the exact Lyapunov exponent and the complete phase diagram in the complex energy plane. This work contains two central findings. First, we discover mobility arcs—open curved segments in the complex plane—as a new class of mobility edges and the generic form of open mobility edges, which coexist with closed mobility rings in a complementary parameter regime. These arcs share the same localization physics as the previously reported mobility lines: eigenstates are delocalized if and only if their energies lie exactly on these sets; any deviation yields localized states. This constitutes a striking measure-zero delocalization phenomenon: delocalized states occupy only zero-measure sets (arcs or lines) in the complex plane, in sharp contrast to the mobility rings, which enclose a finite-area region of delocalized states. Second, we reveal that mobility rings, arcs, and lines all share a common mathematical origin in the generalized Joukowski transformation $P(E) = \frac{1}{2}(u - w^2/u)$, rooted in the algebraic structure of the underlying polynomial: the preimage of the boundary of an elliptical region under the polynomial map $P(E)$ gives the rings, while the branch cut inside this ellipse gives rise to the mobility arcs and lines in the complementary parameter regime.
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Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics

Cryogenic Voltage Control of Magnetism in Silicon-Integrated \newline SrTiO$_3$/Fe Heterostructures

Cryogenic electronics forms a rapidly emerging research domain for high-performance and power-efficient computing applications. Incorporating nanomagnetic components in cryogenic circuitry adds highly valuable functionality, facilitating downscaling, reducing energy consumption and introducing time-reversal symmetry breaking. Furthermore, low-temperature environments enhance magnetic stability and switching efficiency at nanoscale dimensions, reinforcing the potential of cryogenic nanomagnets. To fully leverage these opportunities, magnetic control schemes require alternative options to current-based writing, which is the main bottleneck regarding power consumption and downscaling. In this regard, voltage-based gating of the magnetic state could drastically enhance operational efficiency and integration density. In this work, we investigate cryogenic Voltage Control of Magnetism (VCM) in epitaxial SrTiO$_3$/Fe thin film heterostructures on a CMOS compatible Si substrate. We demonstrate and quantify voltage-controlled modifications of the magnetic domain structure, consistent with electric field-controlled magnetic anisotropy at the Fe/SrTiO$_3$ interface. These findings provide a viable material system for the development of next-generation magnetic domain-based devices for classical and quantum computing.
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All authors Stijn Reniers, Emile Fourneau, Andries Boelen, Xing-Jian Liu, Ekaterina Gorokh, Lukas Nulens, Vivek Kumar, Luca Ceccon, Christian Haffner, Clement Merckling, Jun-Yi Ge, Bertrand Dupé, Alejandro V. Silhanek, Kristiaan Temst, Joris Van de Vondel

Strongly Correlated Electrons

Nullspace-guided Adaptive Bootstrap of Quantum Many-body Systems

We introduce a nullspace-guided adaptive (NGA) bootstrap method that improves the energy lower bounds of quantum many-body ground states by refining the bootstrap basis in a dynamic and incremental way. At each iteration, the optimized moment matrix reveals a nullspace of saturated positivity directions, which is intuitively interpreted as annihilators of the approximate ground-state subspace. The NGA bootstrap then prunes operators with small nullspace leverage and grows the basis along descendants of these null directions. By applying the NGA bootstrap to the transverse-field Ising chain, we obtain nearly exact energy lower bounds because the algorithm automatically discovers the eigenoperator structure in terms of Jordan-Wigner fermions from a minimal local bootstrap basis. For the Hubbard chain, it improves upon state-of-the-art energy lower bounds by up to two orders of magnitude, reaching errors ranging from $10^{-3}$ down to $10^{-5}$ in the strongly correlated regimes. We further show that the NGA framework can be used to improve the certified two-sided bounds on general observables. In addition, the bootstrap error decreases approximately as a power law with increasing computational resources. These results suggest that our method provides a practical and scalable route toward accurate bootstrap of general quantum many-body systems.
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Strongly Correlated Electrons

Strong coupling polarons in cavity quantum materials: limits of cavity-induced electron mass renormalization

Cavity-induced electron mass renormalization is an important ingredient of many proposals to control material properties through vacuum field modification. What is its ultimate limit? Here this question is answered by (i) noting that this mass renormalization is essentially due to the field-mediated interaction between the electron and the polarizable degrees of freedom in the cavity mirrors, and (ii) directly evaluating the corresponding Feynman path integral for a 2D electron by numerically exact quantum Monte Carlo. The sought upper limit is provided by the Landau-Pekar polaron in the planar geometry. The presented calculation bridges the gap between cavity control and dielectric engineering of material properties.
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Strongly Correlated Electrons · Cross-listed from math.AC

Poincaré Duality and Quadratic Refinements over Laurent Rings

We develop a Poincaré duality theory for defects of nondegenerate sesquilinear pairings over Laurent polynomial rings. A key ingredient is a novel flat resolution of the character module, constructed from a triangulation of the sphere at infinity associated with a fan. The cup product on this resolution turns Poincaré duality on the sphere into canonical pairings between the resulting defect modules. In middle degrees, we construct distinguished quadratic refinements using equivariant cohomology of the sphere with the antipodal action. The effective replacement of the sphere with a projective space provides a geometric substitute for division by two. Applied to translation-invariant Pauli stabilizer codes, our results establish the nondegeneracy of higher-dimensional braiding pairings. They extend the two-dimensional T-junction formula for topological spin to higher dimensions, while giving it a geometric interpretation.
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Superconductivity

Analysis of Josephson junctions switching time distributions for the detection of single microwave photons

We investigate an optimal scheme for the detection of single microwave photons by a Josephson junction through the analysis of its switching times distribution. The proposed analysis is of support for the decision about the existence of the photon field, which is important in the case of rare events. We assume that the cavity and the transmission line are ideal (each photon absorbed to the cavity gives a current pulse as the output of the transmission line) and the photon source is periodic. The employed methodology consists in comparing the switching probabilities of a Josephson junction exposed to a train of current pulses, simulating a weak photon field, with that of the same device in absence of pulses. In both cases, thermal noise can induce thermal activated switchings. The investigation of the unbalance in the number of switching events in the two cases, gives an estimate of the efficiency of the detection. Furthermore, in the assumption of escapes described by Kramers model, it is possible to provide a relationship between the properties of the photons field, the quantum efficiency of the detection process, and the Josephson junctions switching features at finite temperatures.
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All authors A. S. Piedjou Komnang, C. Guarcello, C. Barone, C. Gatti, S. Pagano, Vincenzo Pierro, A. Rettaroli, G. Filatrella

Materials Science

Realization of quantum spin Hall insulator superlattice with emergent multigap-like helical edge states

The functional quantum spin Hall insulators (QSHI), protected by time-reversal symmetry against single-particle backscattering, hold great promise for dissipationless quantum electronics. Realization of QSHI with gapped helical edge states, which would enable deterministic on/off switching of the edge-channel conductance, is a key requirement for programmable topological circuits. Here, we report realization of superlattice-modulated QSHI HfTe5 hosting emergent multigap-like helical edge states. Using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, we identify a reconstruction-induced periodic superlattice modulation in epitaxial monolayer HfTe5 and directly observe multiple gap-like features in the edge channel, accompanied by a series of sharp peaks in the density of states. Combined with theoretical modelling, we attribute the observed edge gap to the finite-width coupling between the two edges significantly enhanced by the superlattice modulation, whereas the sharp peaks are the manifestations of mini-gaps opening at the reduced Brillouin zone boundaries by the periodic modulation of spin-orbit coupling. Notably, these sharp peaks exhibit clear Zeeman splitting under magnetic fields, consistent with the helical nature of the topological edge states. Our results establish a viable route to engineering gapped helical edge states in QSHI and provide a promising platform for topological devices with desired on/off switchability.
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All authors Hui Guo, Xianghe Han, Fang Qin, Xiaoshuai Fu, Hao Peng, Hongqin Xiao, Hengxin Tan, Chen Liu, Zihao Huang, Jiayi Wang, Qian Fang, Rui Chen, Haitao Yang, Wang Yao, Li Huang, Hai-Zhou Lu, Hui Chen, Hong-Jun Gao

Soft Condensed Matter · Cross-listed from physics.bio-ph

How do incorrect ligands help detect a correct ligand?

Intrigued by the response of T cell receptors to the presence of a few agonist ligands, we propose a minimal model that can achieve similar performance. The model consists of a small cluster of immobile receptors that bind reversibly to two types (correct/incorrect) of ligands in the environment, with slightly weaker binding strength for the incorrect one. It features binding-state coupling between nearest-neighbor receptors, and receptors in the bound/free states are activated/deactivated by specific enzymes, with rates that allow kinetic proofreading. It is found that, for a range of binding-state coupling strength, incorrect ligands alone cannot activate the receptors, but the binding of merely one correct ligand to a receptor is sufficient to promote the activation of other receptors via induced binding to incorrect ligands. Both response time and signal amplification increase as the receptor binding-state coupling strength increases until it reaches an optimal range to achieve the most rapid and sensitive response. These results suggest a possible mechanism for a speedy and specific response of receptors to very few correct ligands in biological and artificial systems at the subcellular scale.
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Materials Science · Cross-listed from cs.CV

Real-Time Atomic-Resolution Electron Phase Imaging without Probe Calibration via Ptychography-Supervised Learning

Atomic-scale phase imaging is central to resolving defects, interfaces, and weakly scattering atoms that govern the behavior of nanoscale materials. Electron ptychography delivers sub-ångström phase sensitivity but remains an offline technique, because its iterative reconstruction is computationally expensive and sensitive to experimental calibration, preventing live use during data acquisition. Here, a ptychography-supervised local inference framework is presented that converts four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) into an acquisition-compatible phase-imaging workflow. Physics-constrained reference phase maps reconstructed from a single experimental AuPd dataset serve as teacher labels for a compact model that predicts local phase patches directly from diffraction measurements, without explicit probe input or online iterative optimization. Full-field images are assembled by deterministic overlap stitching. The workflow reaches an online latency of about 0.27 ms per probe position and a throughput of about 20,000 positions per second, an approximately 1,000-fold speed-up over GPU-accelerated ePIE, while preserving atomic-scale lattice contrast and reciprocal-space fidelity. Without fine-tuning, the same model transfers across materials (WS2), defocus conditions (high-entropy alloy nanoparticles), and instruments (hBN at 300 kV). The approach amortizes ptychographic redundancy into a fast, generalizable workflow that enables real-time atomic-scale phase imaging for materials microscopy.
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All authors H. Yue, C.-C. Chen, C.-N. Hsiao, J. Cheng, Y. Liu, X.Z. Liao, Steve F. Shu

Disordered Systems and Neural Networks · Cross-listed from cs.LG

An Exploratory Replica-Overlap Probe of the Grokking Transition

We trained 64 independently seeded networks in four configurations, continuing each to sustained convergence or a 40,000-epoch ceiling. We then asked whether an RSB-inspired distribution of pairwise weight overlaps changes across the grokking transition. It is the alignment step, not the overlap statistic, that determines what this registered probe can report. The registered implementation permutes hidden units without the corresponding bias and head-internal permutations and therefore does not preserve the network function. Every q_wt value computed through this alignment inherits the defect; q_fn does not, because it is computed from predictions of the unpermuted models. The numerical-precision requirement also failed, and an audit found protocol deviations. Consequently, the pre-registered rule gives no verdict: registered outcome UNDETERMINED (reason code C0_INSTRUMENT_INVALID). These data provide neither a confirmatory null nor a validated reading of the Parisi order parameter. Only frac40 cleared the 12/16 checkpoint-completeness requirement. For this configuration, a post-hoc criterion applied to the same data gave a Hartigan-dip interval containing zero (95% CI for Delta dip = [-0.017, 0.034]), whereas the overlap standard deviation increased by a factor of about 5.6. A post-hoc calibration assigns the dip test zero power at the simulated separations; the interval is therefore uninformative, not evidence of no change. The standard-deviation ratio is the only statistic here with power at the observed effect. Ensemble loss was near-flat only under the pre-specified 1% threshold. Finally, grokking rates of 0/16, 11/16 and 16/16 remain descriptive because train fraction is confounded with split identity.
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2609.25634 · 22 Sep · 13 pages, 5 figures. Pre-registered study; the registered decision rule returns UNDETERMINED (reason code C0_INSTRUMENT_INVALID) because the registered alignment implementation is not function-preserving. Reported as an honest negative/instrument-invalid result

Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics

Scaling behavior of eigenspectrum for entanglement from correlation matrices

We study the scaling behavior of the eigenvalues of correlation matrices, which characterize the entanglement of a subsystem with its complement part of a total pure state. A most distinguishing feature of entanglement entropy is its logarithmic dependence on the subsystem size for the groundstate of one-dimensional critical systems. Despite its robust universal character and relevance to a wide range of topics, a thorough understanding of this result requires sophisticated mathematical physics techniques or conformal field theory. The aim of our work is to shed light on this from the underlying eigenvalue distribution perspective. The central object is the correlation matrix, which takes the form of Toeplitz or block-Toeplitz matrix. We develop a circulant matrix approximation in the large matrix dimension limit, thus allowing for the individual eigenvalues behavior to be analysed analytically. We find that for both free lattice fermions and transverse field Ising chain, eigenvalues in the bulk of the eigenspectrum scales as $1/L_A$ with the subsystem size. Together with the extensivity of the entropy function, it explains the robust $\log_2 L_A$ scaling of entanglement at criticality. Perturbing from the entanglement-free limit of the Ising chain, we find a smooth crossover behavior to `non-critical' scaling that is characterized by a very slow logarithmic dependence rendering it seemingly a constant entanglement value expected of non-critical systems.
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Strongly Correlated Electrons

Model Fractional Quantum Hall States on Lattices: Exact Parent Hamiltonians and Routes to Realization

Recent advances in engineered quantum platforms have enabled the realization of bosonic Laughlin states at $\nu=1/2$ and brought non-Abelian topological phases within experimental reach. A central theoretical challenge is to develop a unified framework connecting lattice fractional quantum Hall (FQH) model states, exact parent Hamiltonians, and experimentally accessible interactions. We systematically construct Hermitian parent Hamiltonians for which continuum lowest Landau level (LLL) model states sampled on lattice sites are exact zero modes. Using these model manifolds as quantitative references, we find that, within the projected lattice LLL at the flux densities studied, short-range density interactions stabilize Laughlin ground-state manifolds at $\nu=1/3$ and $1/4$, while two-body onsite repulsion supports a Moore–Read triplet at $\nu=1$. Full multiband calculations reveal a sharp contrast: the Laughlin manifolds remain robust against interband mixing on the studied tori, whereas the Moore–Read triplet becomes less spectrally isolated and eventually undergoes a level crossing with competing states near the interband scale. Our framework provides a theoretical foundation for using lattice model states to guide the search for experimentally accessible Abelian and non-Abelian FQH states.
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Materials Science

5DSTEM of Liquid-Phase Nanocrystal Growth Bridges Ensemble Kinetics and Nanoscale Dynamics

Resolving how ensemble growth kinetics emerge from particle- and grain-level dynamics is essential for predictive control of nanocrystal synthesis. Here, time-resolved four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4DSTEM), extended into five dimensions (5DSTEM) through continuous acquisition, is used to simultaneously resolve morphology, crystallographic orientation, and lattice strain during Au nanocrystal growth in aqueous HAuCl4. Although ensemble growth follows surface-reaction-limited kinetics, individual nanoparticles exhibit distinct pathways, including continuous growth and discrete coalescence through oriented attachment. These pathways display characteristic orientation dynamics, with stable or gradually selected orientations during continuous growth and abrupt reconfiguration followed by alignment during coalescence. At the ensemble level, the out-of-plane orientation distribution is established early and remains stable, whereas in-plane orientations remain broadly distributed without global alignment. Tensile strain develops progressively from particle surfaces and interfaces, directly linking lattice distortion with evolving morphology and crystallographic structure. By connecting ensemble kinetics with particle- and grain-resolved structural evolution, 5DSTEM provides a general framework for uncovering heterogeneous growth mechanisms and for relating synthesis pathways to structure-dependent properties in functional nanomaterials.
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Statistical Mechanics

Kinetic Interference in Translational Control: A Path-Measure Framework for Collision-Triggered Transcript Decay

I connect two literatures developed independently: the path-measure formulation of non-equilibrium statistical mechanics, where a trajectory action decomposes into a time-antisymmetric (entropic) and time-symmetric (frenetic) sector, and the stochastic modelling of ribosomal traffic on messenger RNA. The biological target is a proposed intervention – antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) interference with wobble-uridine (U34) modification of transfer RNA – whose intended effect is not to abolish translation but to perturb its timing, driving ribosome collisions and collision-triggered transcript decay preferentially on high-flux, codon-biased transcripts. Dynamical-activity and large-deviation analyses of generic lattice exclusion models – notably the symmetric and totally asymmetric simple exclusion processes – are well established. To my knowledge their formalization specifically for ribosomal traffic queues, translation elongation, and collision-triggered no-go decay remains unoccupied; this paper addresses that narrower gap, not the general one. Two claims here are load-bearing and untested. First, selectivity: transcripts whose loss is therapeutically desirable are separable, by vulnerable-codon-pair burden, from transcripts whose loss is toxic. Second, non-redundancy: the frenetic decomposition yields predictions, specific to ribosomal queueing and collision-triggered decay, not already obtainable from rate-level exclusion-process models or existing activity/large-deviation analyses of exclusion processes. This paper establishes neither. It specifies both as falsifiable tests with pre-registered decision rules, including outcomes under which the framework should be abandoned or narrowed. It is a research programme proposal, not a result. No new experimental, computational, or bioinformatic results are reported.
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Monday 21 September

Superconductivity

Growth and Interface Engineering of Superconducting TiN on Sapphire by Thermal-Laser Epitaxy

Thermal-laser epitaxy (TLE) extends the accessible pressure, temperature, and growth-rate regimes of conventional molecular-beam epitaxy, enabling in situ laser annealing, high-purity buffer-layer growth, and efficient evaporation of refractory elements. These capabilities make TLE a promising platform for engineering low-loss superconducting resonators and Josephson-junction heterostructures. Here, we study the TLE growth of TiN on sapphire and observe improved transport properties with increasing growth temperature up to 1150 C. Unfortunately, we observe that the high ammonia pressure and elevated substrate temperatures required for optimal TiN properties promote reactions at the sapphire surface, resulting in voids at the TiN-substrate interface. These defects increase interfacial surface area, introduce dangling bonds, and could compromise tunnel-barrier heterostructures. We mitigate this degradation using an initial TiN seed layer grown at 850 C. With the seed layer, we achieve a superconducting transition temperature of 5.8 K, a residual resistivity ratio of 12.2, and a resistivity of 1.19 micro-ohm cm at 10 K, which, to our knowledge, is the lowest reported for TiN grown on sapphire.
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All authors Anthony Hyatt, Anand Ithepalli, Eegene Clara Chung, Yorick A. Birkholzer, Brendan Faeth, Huili Grace Xing, David A. Muller, Darrell G. Schlom, Debdeep Jena

Strongly Correlated Electrons

Efficiency of Continuous-Time Quantum Monte Carlo Updates in the Ferromagnetic State of the Doped SU(3) Fermi-Hubbard Model

We investigate the sampling efficiency in a segment-based continuous-time hybridization-expansion quantum Monte Carlo solver within dynamical mean-field theory for the doped SU(3) Fermi-Hubbard model. Focusing on the low-temperature and strong-coupling regime, where a ferromagnetic state appears upon hole doping away from one-third filling, we compare several update schemes. Adding the double-flip update to the basic local update yields the smallest integrated autocorrelation time of the majority-flavor occupation in the ferromagnetic regime, whereas adding the flavor-permutation update is the most effective in the paramagnetic regime. We further clarify the origin of this difference by analyzing the characteristic occupation changes caused by accepted updates.
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Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics

On Energy References when a Magnetic Field is Applied. A Practical Guide to Reference Energies with and without a Magnetic Field

We present a simple analysis of the energy references and of the magnetic-field-dependent and system-dependent features of the Landau energy levels. The energy reference used in describing Landau quantization is usually taken as given, with the Fermi levels of the electron system and the coupled reservoir aligned in thermal equilibrium. Nevertheless, the dependence of the Landau-level spectrum on magnetic field can make the relation between these energy references less transparent. In this work, we show that when a magnetic field is applied and the confined Landau levels $E_n$ are established, both the Fermi level $E_F$ and the bottom energy $E_0$ remain fixed when the magnetic field varies. We show that the bottom energy $E_0$ is independent of $B$, and determined by a system-dependent field $B_1$, defined by the condition that the first Landau level equals the Fermi energy. In contrast, the minimum of the parabolic well depends explicitly on the magnetic field. The resulting picture provides a simple way of displaying the relative motion of the Landau levels and the fixed Fermi level without introducing a magnetic-field-dependent energy zero.
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Strongly Correlated Electrons · Cross-listed from quant-ph

Random Gaussian Augmented Matrix Product States

Strong entanglement limits the reach of tensor-network descriptions of quantum many-body systems. We study Gaussian-augmented matrix product states (GAMPS), formed by applying a free-fermionic (Gaussian) unitary to a matrix product state. To explore the capabilities of this family, we consider random GAMPS}, a minimally structured ensemble obtained by independently sampling random matrix product states and Gaussian unitaries. Exploiting the algebraic structure of Gaussian unitaries, we develop a replica tensor-network method that computes averages over the random GAMPS ensemble for hundreds of qubits. Random GAMPS exhibit nearly maximal volume-law entanglement already at modest bond dimension, while other quantum resource quantifiers rapidly approach Haar-random state values as the bond dimension increases. The entanglement scaling suggests an exponential reduction in the bond dimension needed to approach the volume-law entropy compared with unaugmented matrix product states. We find a state two-design behavior of random GAMPS at fixed accuracy with a bond dimension independent of system size. Our results reveal how Gaussian augmentation expands the expressive power of tensor networks.
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Materials Science

Ultrafast Dissipative Localization of Electronic Energy in AuPt Superlattices

Controlling the spatial distribution of absorbed optical energy is central to nanoscale photothermal chemistry, plasmonics, and ultrafast materials control. Here, we show that a metallic AuPt superlattice concentrates electronic energy in Pt within a few hundred femtoseconds, regardless of the initial energy distribution between the two constituents. Ultrafast X-ray diffraction follows this energy redistribution through the amplitude of a coherent 570 GHz superlattice phonon driven by the stress imbalance at the AuPt interfaces. Despite the nearly homogeneous absorption at 400 nm, the observed lattice motion is identical to that produced by 800 nm excitation, which is absorbed predominantly in Pt. This dissipation driven localization of energy arises from the large electronic heat capacity of Pt and rapid electronic transport through the superlattice, providing a route to femtosecond control of nanoscale energy distributions.
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All authors C. Walz, M. Mattern, J.-E. Pudell, J. Jarecki, L. Mehner, F.-C. Weber, F. Baltrusch, S. P. Zeuschner, M. Herzog, B. Ahn, J. C. Ekström, D. Kroon, A. Jurgilaitis, J. Larsson, M. Kronseder, D. Schick, A. von Reppert, M. Bargheer

Strongly Correlated Electrons

Coherent lattice dynamics distinguish Holstein and Su-Schrieffer-Heeger electron-phonon coupling

Ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy provides a powerful means to investigate electron-phonon (e-ph) interactions in strongly correlated systems. Nevertheless, the question of how different microscopic e-ph coupling mechanisms influence the lattice's nonequilibrium response has not been widely addressed. We perform time-dependent density matrix renormalization group simulations on a pumped one-dimensional Mott insulator coupled to phonons through either Holstein or Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) interactions. The electronic responses of the two models are qualitatively similar in the Mott-insulating regime and are governed by the same excitations and resonance conditions of the Hubbard model. In contrast, the lattice dynamics of the two models differ substantially. While the Hubbard-Holstein model exhibits long-lived coherent phonon oscillations when the pump resonates with the bare phonon frequency, no such oscillations are observed for the Hubbard-SSH model. These contrasting responses remain robust against changes in phonon frequency and pump parameters, suggesting that coherent lattice dynamics can provide a direct nonequilibrium probe of the microscopic form of e-ph coupling.
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All authors Debshikha Banerjee, Jinu Thomas, G. Alvarez, T. P. Devereaux, T. A. Maier, S. Johnston

Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics

Observation of the magnetic spin Hall effect in a ferromagnet

The conventional spin Hall effect generates spin currents whose flow direction, spin polarization, and driving electric field are mutually perpendicular. Magnetic order lifts this symmetry restriction and enables additional time-reversal-symmetry-odd components of the spin-conductivity tensor, giving rise to the magnetic spin Hall effect (MSHE). These components also couple the generated spin polarization to the magnetic order, providing a degree of control absent in the conventional spin Hall effect. Although the MSHE has been observed in antiferromagnets, its experimental identification in conventional ferromagnets has remained elusive. Here, using a non-local lateral spin-valve geometry, we electrically identify the MSHE and its reciprocal effect in a perpendicularly magnetized Co-based multilayer. Reversal of the multilayer magnetization reverses the MSHE and magnetic inverse spin Hall signals, revealing their time-reversal-symmetry-odd character and magnetization control. By contrast, the conventional spin Hall and inverse spin Hall signals measured in the same devices remain unchanged under magnetization reversal, consistent with their time-reversal-symmetry-even character. We obtain a magnetic spin Hall angle of $\theta_{\mathrm{MSH}} = (3.8 \pm 0.6)\%$, comparable in magnitude to the spin Hall angle of heavy metals commonly used in spintronic devices, such as Pt. These results establish the MSHE as a sizable, magnetically switchable spin-charge interconversion mechanism in conventional ferromagnets.
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All authors Nicholas Davey-García, Jone Mencos, Luciano Bravo, Inge Groen, Luis E. Hueso, Andreas Berger, Fèlix Casanova

Soft Condensed Matter

Statistical signatures of microorganism motility under environmental stress

The motility of microorganisms provides a natural framework for studying active matter and its response to environmental perturbations. We experimentally investigate the trajectories of Paramecium caudatum and Artemia salina under controlled conditions. Using video microscopy, we reconstruct individual trajectories over time. Beyond baseline conditions, we analyze stressed environments where P. caudatum are exposed to a toxic agent and A. salina are placed in distilled water. To characterize the motion, we compute trajectory-based metrics, including mean square displacement, velocity distributions, persistence times, tortuosity, and radius of gyration. These observables quantify changes in motility patterns across species and conditions. To interpret the dynamics, we develop coarse-grained stochastic models parameterized directly from experimental data. P. caudatum is described within a run-and-tumble framework, including reversal events under stress. In contrast, A. salina requires a run-and-tumble-like description with persistent orientational noise, accounting for continuous directional fluctuations during runs. The models reproduce the main trajectory-level observables used for comparison, namely tortuosity and radius of gyration. This combined approach provides insight into how environmental stress modifies locomotion statistics. Our results highlight systematic differences in the statistical signatures of motion, suggesting that trajectory metrics may serve as indicators of physiological stress. This work provides an accessible framework for active matter experiments where individual-level statistics can be directly measured and modeled.
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All authors Luiza Treichel Mossi, Nicole Mazzitelli Narvaz, Larissa da Silva Bento, Roger Modena, Bernardo Boatini, Amalia Garcez, Leonardo Gregory Brunnet, Alexandre Arenzon, Carolina Brito

Soft Condensed Matter

Self-limited stacking of non-Euclidean colloidal shells: From saddles to caps

The presence of geometric frustration in self-assemblies, stemming from a shape misfit between identical subunits, can lead to the spontaneous formation of finite-sized structures known as self-limitation. Recently proposed models of curved, colloidal shells, dubbed "curvamers", that form one-dimensional stacks have shown curvature-induced frustration to be a promising class of particle designs for engineering self-limiting assembly. However, existing models of curvamer assembly considered only cylindrically curved shells where elastic costs are derived purely from bending. Here, we study the self-limiting behavior of a more general class of curvature-frustrated colloidal shells, extending shapes to include non-Euclidean geometries such as spherical caps and saddles whose deformations can also incur stretching costs. We introduce continuum mechanical and discrete, coarse-grained models of shell stacks to study how qualitatively different intra-assembly strain gradients required for each geometry affect the buildup of super-extensive elastic costs. We find the accumulation of elastic energies in non-Euclidean shell stacks is sensitive to shell thickness via a dimensionless quantity related to the Foppl-von Karman number that characterizes the relative strength of stretching to bending. In particular, thin shells penalize stretching more causing faster elastic energy growth resulting in the suppression of self-limitation with sizes generally largest for cylindrical shells, smallest for spherical caps and intermediate for saddles. We additionally find that while thin spherical caps experience the strongest elastic penalties, the rapidly increasing rate of elastic penalties in stacks of saddles lead to a robust size-selection as inter-particle binding strength grows as well as relatively smaller dispersity in self-limiting stack size in comparison to cylindrical and spherical curvamers.
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Strongly Correlated Electrons

Lattice in Line: Optimized DMRG ordering for complex lattice geometries

The density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) is a one-dimensional tensor-network technique, but it is not limited to one-dimensional systems: it can be applied to periodic 2D and 3D clusters and molecules, provided their sites are first enumerated along a line; a step one may call "lattice compilation". This paper discusses three proxy loss functions for finding this optimal enumeration: the graph bandwidth $B$ (maximum interaction range), the cutwidth $C$ (maximum number of bonds crossing a cut), and the average interaction range $R$. Constructing the Hamiltonian MPO (matrix-product operator) for a large set of clusters that are of interest in frustrated magnetism, I find that $C$ determines the peak SU(2) Heisenberg MPO bond dimension and $R$ the average one. Targeting $(C,R)$ lexicographically yields the best energies. Targeting $B$ indirectly reduces $C$, but not as efficiently as targeting $C$ directly. Otherwise, the value of $B$ itself is largely irrelevant in the sense that good DMRG energies can have large $B$. To perform the optimization, classic heuristics (e.g. reverse Cuthill–McKee) prove unreliable even for small clusters, and I find that a QUBO formulation improves them only marginally. Instead I propose a staged optimization built on Boolean satisfiability (SAT) and constraint-programming (CP) solvers, chiefly CP-SAT of Google's OR-Tools, a hybrid of CP propagation and SAT clause learning. This approach yields significantly better orderings together with rigorous bounds. The corresponding Lattice in Line code is available at https://github.com/spinflip/lattice_in_line and was designed with extensive use of the Fable 5 large language model.
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Superconductivity

Comment on "Andreev Reflection to Probe Momentum-Dependent Spin Polarization in Altermagnet CrSb"

Zhang et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 137, 016701 (2026)] report momentum-dependent spin polarization in the altermagnet CrSb from point-contact Andreev reflection along the (0001), (-1-120), and (10-10) directions. We show that the Andreev spin polarization they claim to measure is forbidden by symmetry: it vanishes identically in the diffusive regime for all directions in CrSb, and in the ballistic regime for two of the three orientations measured. It is allowed only along one direction, where the calculated band structure gives ~50%. The large, nearly isotropic values reported follow from an incorrect definition of ballistic Andreev spin polarization that evaluates the spin asymmetry at fixed three-dimensional momentum; the Andreev selection rule is local only in the momentum component parallel to the interface. Moreover, the ballistic regime is not demonstrated, and the fitting procedure is flawed.
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Statistical Mechanics · Cross-listed from math-ph

Comparing the Lee-Yang gap with the mass gap in the sub-critical planar Ising model

We prove that the subcritical mass gap is comparable to the Lee-Yang gap over free-boundary square boxes raised to the power $8/15$. Random-current moment bounds, a correlation inequality and a finite block expansion give the upper bound. The lower bound follows from the Lee-Yang product, the susceptibility and the critical magnetization. We also obtain uniform factorial bounds on the field derivatives of the pressure.
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