In physics, 2-dimensional systems are idealized physical systems whose relevant degrees of freedom are confined to a plane or an effectively two-dimensional manifold, such that dynamics and interactions occur predominantly within two spatial dimensions. They exhibit distinct phenomena compared with three-dimensional counterparts, including modified density of states, altered screening and fluctuation behavior, and dimensionality-dependent phase transitions (e.g., Kosterlitz–Thouless transitions mediated by topological defects). Examples include electrons in quantum wells or at interfaces, ultrathin films, and certain spin or lattice models defined on 2D lattices, which serve as fundamental platforms for studying critical phenomena, topological phases, and low-dimensional quantum many-body effects.
Researchers created an electrically tunable quantum nanoscale corral that traps charged excitons and enables precise electrical control of tiny light sources, including their brightness, color and quantum states, the team, ...
Nanophysics
Aug 5, 2026
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Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) are often described as a "fifth state of matter": a quantum state in which many particles lose their individual identities and behave as one collective object. For more than 60 years, researchers ...
Condensed Matter
Aug 4, 2026
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Researchers at the 4th Physics Institute of the University of Stuttgart and the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) in Milan have demonstrated a new mechanism for directing light in a naturally hyperbolic van der Waals ...
Nanophysics
Aug 4, 2026
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Topological photonics can force propagating light to travel in a single direction—allowing researchers to route optical signals around corners and past defects without any of it scattering backward. So far, however, this ...
Most electronic memory storage devices require the ability to trap large numbers of electrons for each bit of memory. In an ideal world, however, it would take only one electron. This would reduce space requirements and power ...
As materials become thinner—now reaching the thickness of single atoms—it has become increasingly difficult to create sufficiently large sheets and transfer them without cracking them into tiny flakes. Recent work by a broad ...
Nanophysics
Jul 29, 2026
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Spin waves (SWs), or magnons, are collective excitations of magnetization in magnetic materials arising from electron spins. They have attracted considerable attention as information carriers and have shown promise in logic ...
Nanophysics
Jul 28, 2026
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In most everyday materials, such as copper, silver and silicon, the behavior of electrons is relatively predictable. In quantum materials, however, electrons can interact in complex ways, giving rise to collective electronic ...
Condensed Matter
Jul 23, 2026
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Many modern technologies, from optical communications and artificial intelligence (AI) hardware to advanced sensors and medical imaging, depend on photonic and semiconductor devices that precisely control the interaction ...
Quantum Physics
Jul 22, 2026
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Artificial intelligence faces an energy crisis stemming from a physical traffic jam inside modern computer chips. Processors must continually shuffle data, such as the billions of parameters in complex models, between separate ...
Condensed Matter
Jul 21, 2026
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