Crystalline systems are physical systems in which constituent particles (atoms, ions, or molecules) are arranged in a periodic lattice that exhibits long-range translational order. They are characterized by discrete symmetry operations described by space groups, with unit cells repeating periodically in one, two, or three dimensions. This periodicity gives rise to well-defined Brillouin zones, phonon dispersion relations, and electronic band structures, which critically determine mechanical, optical, thermal, and electronic properties. Crystalline systems serve as fundamental models in condensed matter physics for studying phase transitions, defects (dislocations, vacancies), and emergent phenomena such as superconductivity and ferroelectricity.
Superconductivity is a quantum state of matter characterized by an electrical resistance of zero and the expulsion of magnetic fields at low temperatures below a critical point. Superconductors, materials in which this state ...
Scientists at the University of Manchester have discovered that placing magnetic films on atomically thin molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) fundamentally changes how they lose energy, a finding that could bring 2D‑material spintronics ...
Condensed Matter
Mar 6, 2026
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After decades of intense research, surprises in the realm of semiconductors—materials used in microchips to control electrical currents—are few and far between. But with a pair of published papers, materials engineers at ...
Condensed Matter
Mar 5, 2026
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Physicists in China have uncovered new evidence that chiral phonons and magnons can interact strongly inside magnetic crystals. Using neutron spectroscopy, a team led by Song Bao at Nanjing University mapped magnetic signatures ...
For the first time, researchers in France and Israel have observed how an emulsified liquid droplet can transform from a hexagon into a six-pointed star shape in response to rising temperature. Publishing their results in ...
Scientists at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have developed a new way to determine atomic structures from nanocrystals previously considered unusable, a breakthrough that could ...
Nanomaterials
Mar 4, 2026
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In recent years, van der Waals crystals have evolved from scientific curiosities into a versatile platform for exploring novel quantum phases and unconventional nanophotonic phenomena. Their layered nature allows stacking, ...
Nanophysics
Mar 3, 2026
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The best candidate for next-generation magnetic devices—technology that can power, store, sense or transport information—may be, counterintuitively, antiferromagnets. Today, the most widely used magnetic materials are ferromagnets, ...
Condensed Matter
Mar 3, 2026
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Strange things happen to materials when you peel them down, layer by layer, from thick chunks all the way to sheets just an atom thick. Reporting in the journal Nature Materials, a team led by physicists at The University ...
Nanophysics
Mar 2, 2026
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158
Atomically thin semiconductors such as tungsten disulfide (WS2) are promising materials for future photonic technologies. Despite being only a single layer of atoms thick, they host tightly bound excitons—pairs of electrons ...
Nanophysics
Mar 2, 2026
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