https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Unconventional superconductors can host unusual electronic states, but understanding what drives their superconductivity becomes difficult when different forms of order coexist. The kagome metal CsV3Sb5 has become a particularly debated example. https://phys.org/news/2026-10-quantum-material-superconducting-states-conflicting.html Condensed Matter Wed, 07 Oct 2026 13:00:09 EDT news710593381 Researchers at The University of Manchester have developed a new computational approach to help identify two-dimensional materials that may host unusual quantum behavior. The work, published in Science Advances, focuses on materials with "flat bands," electronic states where electrons have very little kinetic energy. In these materials, interactions between electrons can become much more important, creating conditions linked to phenomena such as magnetism, unconventional superconductivity and topological electronic behavior. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-physics-based-machine-method-2d.html Condensed Matter Thu, 09 Jul 2026 15:10:02 EDT news702822058 Quantum materials, materials exhibiting physical behavior governed by the laws of quantum mechanics, have proved promising for the development of numerous advanced technologies, including quantum technologies, memory devices and solar panels. In some of these materials, electrons can collectively arrange themselves in unusual patterns, giving rise to states that cannot be explained by classical physics theories. https://phys.org/news/2026-07-spontaneous-current-loops-kagome-metal.html Condensed Matter Thu, 02 Jul 2026 15:20:07 EDT news702218355 An international team of quantum researchers has shown how machine learning can be used to filter a practically infinite number of possible material combinations to identify candidates for superconductivity. Thanks to the breakthrough, new superconductors can now be found much faster, says Aalto University Professor Päivi Törmä, who leads the SuperC consortium behind the research. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-superconductors-yield-thousands.html Condensed Matter Mon, 29 Jun 2026 15:20:09 EDT news701954709 Physicists have long suspected that a peculiar quantum state lurks inside a class of materials known as kagome metals, but proving its existence has been elusive. Now, a team led by Yeongkwan Kim at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology has performed experiments on a kagome metal that provide the strongest evidence yet for this exotic state. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-broken-reversal-symmetry-phase-kagome.html Superconductivity Mon, 22 Jun 2026 13:40:10 EDT news701352617 Two-dimensional (2D) materials, which are significantly thinner than a single sheet of paper, have long drawn attention for their exceptional performance. However, they have faced a critical limitation: Their performance degrades significantly when multiple layers are stacked. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-stacking-2d-conductor-layer-bulk.html Nanophysics Mon, 08 Jun 2026 15:50:02 EDT news700151762 Insulators are materials in which electrons cannot move freely. Past theoretical studies predicted the existence of an unusual insulating state dubbed obstructed atomic insulator (OAI), in which electrons are localized inside a crystal, while their centers of charge lie in empty spaces between atoms, rather than on the atoms themselves. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-atomic-bands-transition-metal-dichalcogenides.html Condensed Matter Wed, 13 May 2026 06:40:02 EDT news697807903 A research team led by Prof. Hao Ning of the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Anhui University and the University of Science and Technology of China, has identified two distinct types of unusual low-energy quasiparticle states in the kagome superconductor CsV3Sb5 using single-atom impurities as local "quantum probes" combined with scanning tunneling spectroscopy. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-exotic-quasiparticle-states-kagome-superconductor.html Superconductivity Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:00:03 EDT news696681301 A quantum spin liquid is a phase of matter in which the magnetic moments in a material do not align or freeze, even at temperatures close to absolute zero (i.e., at 0 K). The experimental realization of this highly dynamic state could have important implications for the development of quantum computers and other technologies that operate leveraging quantum mechanical effects. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-pressure-tuned-quantum-liquid-behavior.html Condensed Matter Tue, 21 Apr 2026 08:00:02 EDT news695910243 Physicists have directly visualized the fundamental electronic building blocks of flat-band quantum materials, a class of systems in which electron motion is effectively quenched and strong interactions give rise to emergent phases of matter. In a study published in Nature Physics, Qimiao Si's group at Rice University, in collaboration with researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science, identified compact molecular orbitals that act as the key electronic agents governing the exotic behavior of these materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-physicists-electronic-agents-flat-band.html Quantum Physics Sat, 21 Mar 2026 07:20:05 EDT news693281683 Electron movement and structures described in quantum physics allow researchers to better understand how and why materials like superconductors behave as they do. Rice University researchers Jianwei Huang and Ming Yi have developed a new capability, magnetoARPES, building on angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) that allows researchers to study quantum behaviors they have been unable to resolve using ARPES alone. The work has been published in Nature Physics. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-quantum-behavior-action-magnetoarpes-reveals.html Superconductivity Wed, 11 Mar 2026 06:00:03 EDT news692367301 Rydberg atoms are atoms with one or more outer electrons excited to very high energy levels, which interact very strongly with each other. These atoms are widely used to run quantum simulations and develop quantum technologies, as they can give rise to exotic and rare phases of matter. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-superradiant-clock-phase-emerges-rydberg.html Optics & Photonics Fri, 06 Mar 2026 08:00:01 EST news691926084 Leiden physicists Daniela Kraft and Julio Melio have created soft structures that can take on different shapes without any external drive in their lab. They present their research on microscale metamaterials in Nature—a breakthrough that opens the door to smart, reconfigurable materials and microscopic robots. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-world-microscopic-scale-metamaterials.html General Physics Wed, 25 Feb 2026 17:40:01 EST news691247370 A team of researchers at Monash University has uncovered a powerful new way to engineer exotic quantum states, revealing a robust and tunable three-dimensional flat electronic band in an ultrathin kagome metal, an achievement long thought to be nearly impossible. The study, "3D Flat Band in Ultra-Thin Kagome Metal Mn₃Sn Film," by M. Zhao, J. Blyth, T. Yu and collaborators appears in Advanced Materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-ultrathin-kagome-metal-hosts-robust.html Condensed Matter Wed, 28 Jan 2026 10:10:06 EST news688817116 A new framework for understanding the nonmonotonic temperature dependence and sign reversal of the chirality-related anomalous Hall effect in highly conductive metals has been developed by scientists at Science Tokyo. This framework provides a clear picture of the unusual temperature dependence of chirality-driven transport phenomena, forming a foundation for the rational design of next-generation spintronic devices and magnetic quantum materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-unusual-chirality-driven-anomalous-hall.html Condensed Matter Fri, 16 Jan 2026 07:49:43 EST news687772141 Quantum spin liquids are exotic states of matter in which spins (i.e., the intrinsic angular momentum of electrons) do not settle into an ordered pattern and continue to fluctuate, even at extremely low temperatures. This state is characterized by high entanglement, a quantum effect that causes particles to become linked so that the state of one affects the others' states, even over long distances. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-evidence-quantum-liquid-ground-state.html Condensed Matter Sat, 27 Dec 2025 10:00:01 EST news685719883 Tohoku University and Fujitsu Limited have successfully used AI to derive new insights into the superconductivity mechanism of a new superconducting material. https://phys.org/news/2025-12-superconducting-material-ai.html Condensed Matter Tue, 23 Dec 2025 08:55:28 EST news685702501 Chemists at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a methodology to enable coupling reactions for the growth of crystalline porous covalent organic frameworks, unlocking a new class of semiconducting magnets. The work is published in the journal Nature Synthesis. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-covalent-frameworks-grown-coupling-reactions.html Polymers Tue, 25 Nov 2025 13:15:03 EST news683298901 Physicists at the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter (MPSD) in Hamburg have discovered a striking new form of quantum behavior. In star-shaped Kagome crystals—named after a traditional Japanese bamboo-basket woven pattern—electrons that usually act like a noisy crowd suddenly synchronize, forming a collective "song" that evolves with the crystal's shape. The study, published in Nature, reveals that geometry itself can tune quantum coherence, opening new possibilities to develop materials where form defines function. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-electrons-synchronize-kagome-crystals-revealing.html Condensed Matter Thu, 30 Oct 2025 10:35:03 EDT news681039301 In science and engineering, it's unusual for innovation to come in one fell swoop. It's more often a painstaking plod through which the extraordinary gradually becomes ordinary. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-3d-metamaterials-harness-complex-geometry.html General Physics Tue, 14 Oct 2025 16:23:29 EDT news679677803 Superconductors (materials that conduct electricity without resistance) have fascinated physicists for more than a century. While conventional superconductors are well understood, a new class of materials known as topological superconductors has attracted intense interest in recent years. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-superconductivity-distorts-crystal-lattice-topological.html Condensed Matter Thu, 09 Oct 2025 11:32:03 EDT news679228321 Quantum metals are metals where quantum effects—behaviors that normally only matter at atomic scales—become powerful enough to control the metal's macroscopic electrical properties. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-physicists-mystery-loop-current-kagome.html Condensed Matter Tue, 30 Sep 2025 13:00:02 EDT news678455531 The artificial intelligence models that turn text into images are also useful for generating new materials. Over the last few years, generative materials models from companies like Google, Microsoft, and Meta have drawn on their training data to help researchers design tens of millions of new materials. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-tool-ai-materials-exotic-quantum.html Condensed Matter Mon, 22 Sep 2025 12:35:05 EDT news677763302 Researchers at Rice University and collaborating institutions have discovered direct evidence of active flat electronic bands in a kagome superconductor. This breakthrough could pave the way for new methods to design quantum materials—including superconductors, topological insulators and spin-based electronics—that could power future electronics and computing technologies. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-scientists-quantum-behavior-unusual-superconducting.html Quantum Physics Sat, 16 Aug 2025 03:16:23 EDT news674532955 A joint research team from Japan has observed "heavy fermions," electrons with dramatically enhanced mass, exhibiting quantum entanglement governed by the Planckian time—the fundamental unit of time in quantum mechanics. This discovery opens up exciting possibilities for harnessing this phenomenon in solid-state materials to develop a new type of quantum computer. The findings are published in npj Quantum Materials. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-heavy-fermions-entangled-discovery-planckian.html Condensed Matter Tue, 05 Aug 2025 10:25:03 EDT news673608301 Researchers are creating new moiré materials at the nanometer scale using advanced DNA nanotechnology. DNA moiré superlattices form when two periodic DNA lattices are overlaid with a slight rotational twist or positional offset. This creates a new, larger interference pattern with completely different physical properties. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-programmable-dna-moir-superlattices-material.html Nanophysics Thu, 17 Jul 2025 11:52:25 EDT news671971940 Twisted materials—known as moiré structures—have revolutionized modern physics, emerging as today's "alchemy" by creating entirely new phases of matter through simple geometric manipulation. The term "moiré" may sound familiar—it describes the strange rippling patterns you sometimes see when photographing striped shirts or screens; in physics, the same underlying principle applies at the atomic scale. Imagine taking two atomically thin sheets of either the same or different materials, stacking them up together, and rotating one layer slightly relative to the other. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-axis-platform-path-quantum-simulation.html Nanophysics Wed, 09 Jul 2025 12:49:15 EDT news671284150 Electricity can be easily converted into heat—every electric cooker does it. But is the opposite also possible? Can heat be converted into electricity—directly, without a steam turbine or similar detours? https://phys.org/news/2025-06-thermoelectrics-scientists-harness-traffic-electrons.html Condensed Matter Wed, 18 Jun 2025 15:46:03 EDT news669480361 An international team led by Innsbruck quantum physicist Peter Zoller, together with the US company QuEra Computing, has directly observed a gauge field theory similar to models from particle physics in a two-dimensional analog quantum simulator for the first time. The study, published in Nature, opens up new possibilities for research into fundamental physical phenomena. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-2d-quantum-simulator.html Quantum Physics Wed, 04 Jun 2025 13:14:49 EDT news668261686 A joint research team has successfully developed a two-dimensional (2D) quantum material platform through the superposition of moiré lattices. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-overlapping-moir-lattices-2d-materials.html Nanophysics Tue, 03 Jun 2025 11:39:05 EDT news668169541