https://phys.org/physics-news/materials/ en-us The latest news on Physics, Materials, Science and Technology An international research team led by Alexander Kuznetsov at the Paul Drude Institute for Solid State Electronics (PDI) in Berlin has demonstrated a fundamentally new way to control the condensation of hybrid light-matter particles. Using coherent acoustic driving to dynamically reshape the energy landscape of a semiconductor microcavity, the researchers achieved deterministic steering of a macroscopic quantum state into its lowest energy configuration. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-acoustic-enables-condensation-chip.html Condensed Matter Wed, 11 Mar 2026 12:40:01 EDT news692443561 To unlock materials of the future, including better photocatalysts or light-switchable superconductors, researchers need to understand how the valence electrons within materials respond to light at the atomic scale. Materials are made of atoms, and an atom's outer electrons, or valence electrons, are responsible for chemical bonding as well as a material's thermal, magnetic, and electronic properties. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-rays-optical-track-speedy-electrons.html Condensed Matter Wed, 11 Mar 2026 09:20:01 EDT news692437561 Researchers from the Department of Physics and the University Institute of Materials at the University of Alicante (UA) and the Low Temperature and High Magnetic Field Laboratory at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) have succeeded in measuring, for the first time, the electrical conductance of gold and silver atomic contacts subjected to extreme magnetic fields of up to 20 teslas, an intensity equivalent to 400,000 times Earth's magnetic field. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-unexpected-magnetic-response-gold-silver.html Condensed Matter Tue, 10 Mar 2026 17:10:08 EDT news692376661 By controlling magnetic fields using light, a team of researchers led by NTU scientists has solved a long-standing challenge to precisely direct electric currents produced by quantum materials. Their findings unlock new avenues for controlling the flow of electricity through such materials and could herald the age of energy-efficient quantum computing devices. The research is published in Nature in January. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-scientists-free-electric-currents.html Condensed Matter Tue, 10 Mar 2026 15:40:01 EDT news692363762 A new University of Mississippi study shows that some sound waves don't just move forward—they also move slightly to the side. Understanding this movement could help researchers develop more precise acoustic tools. Likun Zhang, associate professor of physics and astronomy and senior scientist at the National Center for Physical Acoustics, published his team's study on the behavior of spiral sound waves in Physical Review Letters. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-spiral-shift-sideways.html General Physics Tue, 10 Mar 2026 10:20:07 EDT news692351881 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 occurs, have proved to be highly advantageous for the development of various technologies, including medical imaging devices, particle accelerators and quantum computers. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-superconducting-dome-hints-high-temperature.html Condensed Matter Sat, 07 Mar 2026 12:10:01 EST news691940206 Magnetic materials in a quantum spin liquid phase are of great interest in the pursuit of exotic state of matter and quantum computation. But in the quantum realm, things are not always what they seem. A study, published in Science Advances and co-led by Rice University's Pengcheng Dai, found that the material cerium magnesium hexalluminate (CeMgAl11O19) was not actually in a quantum spin liquid phase despite evidence suggesting it was. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-material-previously-thought-quantum-state.html Condensed Matter Fri, 06 Mar 2026 14:00:03 EST news692017786 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 a step closer to real devices. The team found that growing a widely used magnetic alloy, permalloy, on ultra‑thin MoS₂ alters the film's internal crystal structure, changing how and where energy is lost as magnetic spins move. By separating energy losses that occur at the surface of the film from those arising within its internal structure, the researchers provide new design insights for devices that use two‑dimensional (2D) materials to control magnetism more efficiently. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-large-area-mos-energy-loss.html Condensed Matter Fri, 06 Mar 2026 13:20:06 EST news692024250 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 Stanford University debut a promising approach to using a well-studied semiconductor to improve infrared light-emitting diodes and sensors. They say the approach could lead to smaller, sleeker, and less expensive infrared technologies for environmental, medical, and industrial uses. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-infrared-devices-century-materials.html Condensed Matter Thu, 05 Mar 2026 19:20:01 EST news691948681 Lightning formation and the conditions triggering it have long been shrouded in a cloud of mystery, but new research led by Penn State scientists is lifting the fog. Using mathematical calculations, the researchers have discovered that lightning-like discharge doesn't require a storm cloud—it could be made inside everyday material on a lab bench. The study is published in the journal Physical Review Letters. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-mini-lightning-block-plastic.html Condensed Matter Thu, 05 Mar 2026 18:10:06 EST news691951741 An international team of scientists from IBM, The University of Manchester, Oxford University, ETH Zurich, EPFL and the University of Regensburg have created and characterized a molecule unlike any previously known—one whose electrons travel through its structure in a corkscrew-like pattern that fundamentally alters its chemical behavior. The work appears in Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-molecule-exotic-nature-quantum.html Condensed Matter Thu, 05 Mar 2026 17:50:05 EST news691951501 New research from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in collaboration with The Ohio State University and Amphenol Corporation, challenges conventional understanding about controlling heat flow in solid materials. The study, published in PRX Energy, shows that applying an electric field to a ceramic material changes how phonons (tiny vibrations that carry heat) behave. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-electric-field-tunes-vibrations-ease.html Condensed Matter Thu, 05 Mar 2026 16:30:01 EST news691949581 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 linked to chiral phonons in a ferrimagnetic material, revealing a previously elusive relationship between lattice vibrations and magnetic excitations. Reported in Physical Review Letters, the results could help researchers better understand how heat, sound and spin interact in quantum materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-neutrons-reveal-magnetic-signatures-chiral.html Condensed Matter Thu, 05 Mar 2026 09:20:02 EST news691923626 Electrons can be "kicked across" solar materials at almost the fastest speed nature allows, scientists have discovered, challenging long-held theories about how solar energy systems work. The finding could help researchers design more efficient ways of harvesting sunlight and converting it into electricity. The research is published in Nature Communications. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-molecular-catapult-electrons-limits-physics.html General Physics Thu, 05 Mar 2026 05:00:04 EST news691864861 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, which exhibit permanent magnetization and therefore strongly attract each other. Their opposite, called antiferromagnetic materials, exhibit no net magnetization at all. Despite a net zero magnetic field, they offer appealing properties that would solve the challenges of current magnetic technologies, like stray magnetic field generation or slow operation. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-liquid-crystal-phase-antiferromagnets-electrically.html Condensed Matter Tue, 03 Mar 2026 14:20:01 EST news691760161 A new computational method allows modern atomic models to learn from experimental thermodynamic data, according to a University of Michigan Engineering and Université Paris-Saclay study published in Nature Communications. Leveraging a machine learning technique called score matching, the method expresses the thermodynamic free energy of atomic systems as a function of the underlying atomic interaction model, unlike standard schemes where the interaction model is fixed. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-atomic-simulations-phase-diagrams.html General Physics Tue, 03 Mar 2026 13:40:06 EST news691758831 A study from the Research Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA) has uncovered a theoretical mechanism showing how the electronic band structures of strongly correlated insulators can be reshaped by spin and charge perturbations, opening up new possibilities for electronics with tunable band structures. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-mott-kondo-insulators-external-stimuli.html Condensed Matter Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:50:01 EST news691688401 Conventional crystals are materials in which atoms arrange themselves in repeating spatial patterns. Time crystals, on the other hand, are phases of matter characterized by repeating motions over time without constantly heating up, breaking a physical rule known as time-translation symmetry. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-superfluids-emerge-2d-moir-crystal.html Condensed Matter Mon, 02 Mar 2026 07:40:01 EST news691418869 Some solid materials can cool down or heat up when pressure is applied or released. This behavior enables cooling and heating technologies that do not rely on climate-damaging refrigerant gases. In practice, however, a major obstacle remains: many materials behave differently during heating and cooling, which makes their response difficult to use reliably in real devices. In a study published in the journal Communications Materials, researchers investigate a solid material known for its exceptionally large cooling/heating response (thermal response) under pressure and ask a simple question: can this response be made more reliable? They show that a very small change in composition leads to a clear improvement and use neutron experiments to explain why this improvement occurs. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-cooling-gases-molecular-solid-state.html Condensed Matter Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:50:02 EST news691423501 Quantum technologies are anticipated to transform computing, communication, and sensing by harnessing the unusual behavior of matter at the atomic scale. Translating quantum's promise into practical devices will require physical systems that have desirable quantum properties and can be easily manufactured. Silicon, the material behind today's computer chips, is highly attractive as a platform because it plays to the strengths of the trillion-dollar semiconductor industry that has already been built. Identifying quantum building blocks—qubits—in silicon is, therefore, an important frontier research area. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-robust-telecom-qubit-silicon.html Condensed Matter Wed, 25 Feb 2026 17:00:03 EST news691244281 When you toss a coin, you put it into a higher-energy state until it falls back down again. It can then end up in one of two possible states: heads or tails. No matter which state the coin was in before, after the toss both outcomes are equally likely. A team at TU Wien has analyzed a quantum system that also has two equivalent ground states. By supplying energy through ion bombardment, this state can be changed. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-ion-bombardment-triggers-reliable-quantum.html Condensed Matter Wed, 25 Feb 2026 14:40:04 EST news691241101 A new study has revealed how tiny imperfections and vibrations inside a promising quantum material could be used to control an unusual quantum effect, opening new possibilities for smaller, faster, and more efficient energy-harvesting devices. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-quantum-effect-power-generation-battery.html Condensed Matter Tue, 24 Feb 2026 19:10:05 EST news691174801 Conventional electronics process information leveraging the electrical charge of electrons. Over the past few decades, some electronics engineers have been exploring the potential of a different type of device that instead processes and stores data exploiting the intrinsic magnetic moment (i.e., spin) of electrons. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-electrical-magnetism-2d-materials-advance.html Condensed Matter Tue, 24 Feb 2026 07:50:01 EST news690816565 Scientists have observed a new microscopic mechanism enabling precise control of the magneto-optical properties of excitons in alloys of two-dimensional semiconductors. This discovery opens up tangible prospects for technological applications in devices exploiting valleytronics. The research findings were published in the journal Physical Review Letters. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-alloy-valleytronics-microscopic-mechanism-scientists.html Condensed Matter Mon, 23 Feb 2026 18:00:03 EST news691078141 At Rice University, a research lab's signature keepsake has helped perfect a method for growing patterned diamond surfaces that could help decrease operating temperatures in electronics by 23 degrees Celsius. The paper is published in the journal Applied Physics Letters. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-diamond-owl-swoops-method-electronics.html Condensed Matter Mon, 23 Feb 2026 17:10:01 EST news691084502 Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have identified the true source of a magnetic effect seen in the material ruthenium dioxide (RuO₂), helping resolve an active debate in the rapidly growing field of altermagnetism. The study is published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-neutron-magnetic-behavior-altermagnetic-material.html General Physics Fri, 20 Feb 2026 12:51:37 EST news690814261 Imagine a material cracking—now imagine what happens if there are small inclusions in the material. Do they create an obstacle course for the crack to navigate, slowing it down? Or do they act as weak points, helping the crack spread faster? https://phys.org/news/2026-02-obstacle-imperfections-affect-material-strength.html Condensed Matter Thu, 19 Feb 2026 17:00:01 EST news690736942 A team of physicists from the University of Ottawa, led by Neda Boroumand, have developed a new theoretical model that shines new light on how scientists understand the way lasers interact with dense matter, such as solids and liquids. This could unlock advances in ultrafast physics and next-generation technology. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-strong-field-boson-intense-lasers.html Condensed Matter Tue, 17 Feb 2026 16:34:26 EST news690568441 Researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, working with international partners, have uncovered surprising behavior in a specially engineered crystal. Composed of tantalum, tungsten and selenium—elements often studied for their potential in advanced electronics—the crystal demonstrates an unexpected atomic arrangement that hints at novel applications in spin-based electronics and quantum materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-specially-crystal-reveals-magnetism-quantum.html Condensed Matter Tue, 17 Feb 2026 12:00:09 EST news690546663 When an electron travels through a polar crystalline solid, its negative charge attracts the positively charged atomic cores, causing the surrounding crystal lattice to deform. The electron and lattice distortion then move together through the material—like a single object. Physicists call these quasiparticles polarons. A team led by Professor Jochen Feldmann from LMU has succeeded in tracking the extremely brief formation process of this object for the first time, using an ultrafast imaging method. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-physicists-polaron-formation.html Condensed Matter Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:53:36 EST news690551581