Ayres NJ, Ban G, Bison G
… +54 more, Bodek K, Bondar V, Bouillaud T, Bowles D, Caratsch GL, Chanel E, Chen W, Chiu PJ, Crawford CB, Czamler V, Daum M, Doorenbos CB, Ferry M, Fertl M, Fratangelo A, Galbinski D, Griffith WC, Grujic ZD, Kirch K, Kletzl V, Lauss B, Lefort T, Lejuez A, Li R, Michielsen K, Micko J, Mullan P, Mullins A, Naviliat-Cuncic O, Pais D, Piegsa FM, Pignol G, Pistillo C, Rebreyend D, Rienäcker I, Ries D, Roccia S, Rozpedzik D, Saenz-Arevalo W, Sanchez-Real Zielniewicz L, Schmidt-Wellenburg P, Segarra EP, Segner L, Severijns N, Svirina K, Tanaka KS, Thorne J, Vankeirsbilck J, von Schickh N, Yazdandoost N, Zejma J, Ziehl N, Zsigmond G, nEDM Collaboration at PSI
Phys Rev Lett
· 2026 Jun · PMID 42330453
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We present a novel method for extracting the energy spectrum of ultracold neutrons from magnetically induced spin depolarization measurements using the n2EDM apparatus. This method is also used to exploit sensitivity to...We present a novel method for extracting the energy spectrum of ultracold neutrons from magnetically induced spin depolarization measurements using the n2EDM apparatus. This method is also used to exploit sensitivity to the storage properties of the materials used to trap ultracold neutrons, specifically, whether collisions are specular or diffuse. To do so, we utilize tomat simulation to map storage properties to correlation times of the ultracold neutrons to induced magnetic nonuniformities. We highlight the sensitivity of this new technique by comparing the two different storage chambers of the n2EDM experiment, which host different ultracold neutron energy spectra. This method should prove to be invaluable to assess systematic effects in experiments utilizing spin-polarized systems with precise magnetic control and long spin-spin coherence time relative to the observation time, such as neutron electric dipole moment and neutron lifetime experiments worldwide.
Phys Rev Lett
· 2026 Jun · PMID 42330452
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For a quantum field of arbitrary mass and spin in the static patch of de Sitter spacetime, the Euclidean partition function receives contributions from edge modes localized on the horizon, expressible in terms of the Har...For a quantum field of arbitrary mass and spin in the static patch of de Sitter spacetime, the Euclidean partition function receives contributions from edge modes localized on the horizon, expressible in terms of the Harish-Chandra character of the de Sitter group. Considering the flat limit and summing over all string fields, we obtain the partition function of edge modes in string theory near the Minkowski-Rindler horizon. Application of the Kronecker limit formula naturally yields a modular invariant one-loop partition function. The resulting expression generalizes the edge contribution of a massive vector boson in a spontaneously broken gauge theory to the infinite tower in string theory. It is naturally ultraviolet finite and amenable to a state-counting interpretation.
Ji J, Thomas JG, Xi Z
… +7 more, Jin L, Briggs DP, Kravchenko II, Pour AG, Zhu L, Zhu Y, Shao L
Phys Rev Lett
· 2026 Jun · PMID 42330451
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Mechanical systems are pivotal in quantum technologies because of their long coherent time and versatile coupling to qubit systems. So far, the coherent and dynamic control of gigahertz-frequency mechanical modes mostly...Mechanical systems are pivotal in quantum technologies because of their long coherent time and versatile coupling to qubit systems. So far, the coherent and dynamic control of gigahertz-frequency mechanical modes mostly relies on optomechanical coupling and piezoelectric coupling to superconducting qubits. Here, we demonstrate on-chip cavity electroacoustic dynamics using our microwave-frequency electrically modulated phononic crystal resonators on lithium niobate. Leveraging the high dispersion of phononic crystal, our acoustic modes space unevenly in the frequency spectrum, emulating atomic energy levels. Atomiclike transitions between different acoustic modes are selectively achieved by applying electrical fields to modulate acoustic modes via the nonlinear piezoelectricity of lithium niobate. Among two modes, we demonstrate Autler-Townes splitting, ac Stark shift, and Rabi oscillation with a maximum cooperativity of 4.18. Extending to three modes, we achieve nonreciprocal frequency conversions with an isolation up to 20 dB. Nonreciprocity can be tuned by the time delay between the two modulating pulses. Our cavity electroacoustic platform could find broad applications in sensing, microwave signal processing, acoustic computing, and quantum acoustics.
Manchon A, Sun C, Ning X
… +3 more, Sato T, Kato T, Rappoport TG
Phys Rev Lett
· 2026 Jun · PMID 42330450
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Using a nonperturbative approach, the relaxation rate of orbital dipolar and quadrupolar moments is computed analytically for the t_{2g} states. In the presence of short-range impurities and in the absence of spin-orbit...Using a nonperturbative approach, the relaxation rate of orbital dipolar and quadrupolar moments is computed analytically for the t_{2g} states. In the presence of short-range impurities and in the absence of spin-orbit coupling, the orbital relaxation emerges from the competition between momentum scattering and the effect of the crystal field. In the case of weak disorder, the orbital relaxation time is proportional to the momentum scattering time: each scattering event contributes to destroying the orbital moment. In the case of strong disorder, the effect of the crystal field is averaged out, and the orbital relaxation time is inversely proportional to the momentum scattering. We finally find that the dipolar and quadrupolar orbital moments are coupled by the crystal field, resulting in a complex dynamical behavior upon orbital injection.
Phys Rev Lett
· 2026 Jun · PMID 42330449
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Conventional one-dimensional (1D) Brownian motion on surfaces relies on physical tracks such as prefabricated channels or grooves. Here, we demonstrate through molecular dynamics simulations that a monolayer polymeric C_...Conventional one-dimensional (1D) Brownian motion on surfaces relies on physical tracks such as prefabricated channels or grooves. Here, we demonstrate through molecular dynamics simulations that a monolayer polymeric C_{60} nanoflake can undergo persistent 1D Brownian motion on unpatterned, atomically flat crystalline surfaces including graphene, hexagonal boron nitride, and molybdenum disulfide. Initially placed at an arbitrary angle, the flake spontaneously rotates into a low-energy stacking configuration with the substrate and then slides along a specific crystallographic axis. This directional behavior stems from a symmetry-broken interfacial potential featuring groovelike energy minima, which act as intrinsic, energetic tracks. Moreover, the sliding direction can be deliberately switched by rotating the nanoflake at predetermined locations, enabling programmable, angstrom-precision transport of adsorbed nanoscale cargos.
Fu Z, Zhang Y, Wang Q
… +6 more, He H, Deng W, Lu J, Ye L, Ke M, Liu Z
Phys Rev Lett
· 2026 Jun · PMID 42330448
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Topological physics in classical systems, such as photonic and acoustic systems, is fast becoming an exciting field in fundamental and applied research. However, almost all existing topological acoustic materials are res...Topological physics in classical systems, such as photonic and acoustic systems, is fast becoming an exciting field in fundamental and applied research. However, almost all existing topological acoustic materials are restricted to systems with conventional lattices and specific time-space symmetries. Here, we present a unique design of topological phononic crystals with moiré superlattice that are constructed by simply sliding a layer of moiré phononic crystals. Assisted by the sliding degree of freedom, sliding moiré phononic crystals exhibit nontrivial topology characterized by a dynamical Chern number, leading to topological pumping of special topological moiré edge states that are completely insensitive to the edge geometry. More interestingly, moiré phononic crystals possess one-dimensional moiré flat bulk bands, giving rise to one-dimensional localized states in the bulk that result in an array of compact and nearly independent one-dimensional signal channels. Various applications such as acoustic communications and isolations in integrated devices can be anticipated from the intriguing acoustic one-dimensional localized bulk states and topological moiré edge states enriched by the sliding modulation.
Phys Rev Lett
· 2026 Jun · PMID 42330447
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We develop an effective field theory characterizing the impact of decoherence on states with Abelian topological order and on their capacity to protect quantum information. The decoherence appears as a temporal defect in...We develop an effective field theory characterizing the impact of decoherence on states with Abelian topological order and on their capacity to protect quantum information. The decoherence appears as a temporal defect in the double topological quantum field theory that describes the pure density matrix of the uncorrupted state, and it drives a boundary phase transition involving anyon condensation at a critical coupling strength. The ensuing decoherence-induced phases and the loss of quantum information are classified by the Lagrangian subgroups of the double topological order. Our framework generalizes the error recovery transitions, previously derived for certain stabilizer codes, to generic topologically ordered states and shows that they stem from phase transitions in the intrinsic topological order characterizing the mixed state.
Zhong S, Tian D, Yang SA
… +3 more, Chen L, Wei SH, Lu Y
Phys Rev Lett
· 2026 Jun · PMID 42330446
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Multiferroic materials, which simultaneously exhibit ferroelectric and magnetic orders, offer tremendous potential for next-generation electronic and spintronic devices. Here, we propose a novel design strategy toward a...Multiferroic materials, which simultaneously exhibit ferroelectric and magnetic orders, offer tremendous potential for next-generation electronic and spintronic devices. Here, we propose a novel design strategy toward a new type of multiferroics: the interlayer self-doping multiferroics. We show that, due to the different band filling preferences of antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic orderings, homobilayer systems with intermediate band filling exhibit an intrinsic instability toward interlayer self-doping. This results in an antiferromagnetic order in one layer and ferromagnetic order in the other, accompanied by out-of-plane ferroelectricity. Distinct from conventional type-I and type-II multiferroics, the ferroelectric and magnetic orders in interlayer self-doping multiferroics are intrinsically coupled yet not relying on spin-orbit coupling, enabling potential persistence at elevated temperatures. Using first-principles calculations, we validate this mechanism in two concrete systems: bilayer CrTe_{2} and bilayer FeTe. Notably, the multiferroicity in bilayer CrTe_{2} is predicted to operate robustly at room temperature. Our Letter unveils a new type of multiferroics, and it opens a new route for designing 2D ultrathin multiferroics with high transition temperature and robust magnetoelectric response.
Baker-Rasooli M, Aladjidi T, Ferreira TD
… +4 more, Bramati A, Albert M, Larré PÉ, Glorieux Q
Phys Rev Lett
· 2026 Jun · PMID 42330445
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A superfluid flows without friction below a critical velocity, exhibiting zero drag force on impurities. Above this threshold, superfluidity breaks down, and the internal energy is redistributed into incoherent excitatio...A superfluid flows without friction below a critical velocity, exhibiting zero drag force on impurities. Above this threshold, superfluidity breaks down, and the internal energy is redistributed into incoherent excitations such as vortices. We demonstrate that a mobile, finite-mass impurity immersed in a flowing two-dimensional paraxial superfluid of light can swim against the superfluid current when the critical velocity is exceeded. This self-propulsion is achieved by the periodic emission of vortex-antivortex pairs downstream, which impart an upstream recoil momentum that results in a net propulsive force. Analogous to biological systems that minimize effort by exploiting wake turbulence, the impurity harnesses this vortex backreaction as a passive mechanism of locomotion. Based on a simple theoretical model, we quantitatively describe how this mechanism depends on the impurity geometry and the surrounding flow velocity. Our findings establish a fundamental link between internal-energy dissipation in quantum fluids and concepts of self-propulsion in active-matter systems and open new possibilities for exploiting quantum vortices for controlled transport at the microscale.
Phys Rev Lett
· 2026 Jun · PMID 42330444
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Altermagnetism, a recently discovered collinear magnetic order with net zero magnetization but exhibiting spin-splitting band structure, has attracted much research interest due to the rich fundamental physics and possib...Altermagnetism, a recently discovered collinear magnetic order with net zero magnetization but exhibiting spin-splitting band structure, has attracted much research interest due to the rich fundamental physics and possible applications. In this Letter, we investigate the optomagnetic response of d-wave altermagnets, focusing on the inverse Cotton-Mouton effect-the induction of static magnetization via linearly polarized light. We find that the direction of the induced magnetization is determined by the Néel vector. Moreover, its magnitude exhibits a periodic dependence on the polarization angle of the incident light, a hallmark of the system's symmetry. Our findings demonstrate that the inverse Cotton-Mouton effect offers a direct method both for detecting d-wave altermagnets and for probing their intrinsic properties.
Phys Rev Lett
· 2026 Jun · PMID 42330443
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We propose a fast and general predecision scheme for Metropolis Monte Carlo simulation of d-dimensional long-range interacting lattice models with N constituents. For potentials of the form V(r)=r^{-d-σ}, this reduces th...We propose a fast and general predecision scheme for Metropolis Monte Carlo simulation of d-dimensional long-range interacting lattice models with N constituents. For potentials of the form V(r)=r^{-d-σ}, this reduces the computational complexity from O(N^{2}) to O(N^{2-σ/d}) for σ<d and to O(N) for σ>d, respectively. The algorithm is implemented and tested for several O(n) spin models ranging from the Ising over the XY to the Edwards-Anderson spin-glass model. With the same random-number sequence it produces exactly the same Markov chain as a simulation with explicit summation of all terms in the Hamiltonian. Because of its generality, its simplicity, and its reduced computational complexity it has the potential to find broad application and thus lead to a deeper understanding of the role of long-range interactions in the physics of lattice models, especially in nonequilibrium settings.
Phys Rev Lett
· 2026 Jun · PMID 42330442
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Periodic (Floquet) driving enables Hamiltonian engineering and nonequilibrium phases, but interacting systems eventually heat by absorbing energy from the drive. Disorder can greatly delay this process, yielding long-liv...Periodic (Floquet) driving enables Hamiltonian engineering and nonequilibrium phases, but interacting systems eventually heat by absorbing energy from the drive. Disorder can greatly delay this process, yielding long-lived prethermal plateaus. Here, we show that this protection can fail when pulse-train control introduces a second driving frequency and when the disorder fluctuates. Using a natural-abundance ^{13}C nuclear-spin network in diamond, we observe sharp peaks in the late-time heating rate at the double- and triple-spin-flip resonance conditions predicted by bimodal Floquet interference and track their evolution with drive frequency. A switching-noise model attributes the resonant absorption to stochastic electron-spin dynamics that intermittently tune rare nuclear clusters into multiphoton resonance. Our results reveal a resonance-activated limit for disorder-stabilized Floquet phases and suggest new routes to dc-field quantum sensing based on an abrupt breakdown of prethermalization.
Phys Rev Lett
· 2026 May · PMID 42285088
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We present counterexamples to the lore that symmetries that cannot be gauged or made on site are necessarily anomalous. Specifically, we construct unitary, internal symmetries of two-dimensional lattice models that canno...We present counterexamples to the lore that symmetries that cannot be gauged or made on site are necessarily anomalous. Specifically, we construct unitary, internal symmetries of two-dimensional lattice models that cannot be consistently coupled to background or dynamical gauge fields or disentangled to a tensor product of on-site operators. These symmetries are nevertheless anomaly-free in the sense that they admit symmetric, gapped Hamiltonians with unique, invertible ground states. We show that symmetries of this kind are characterized by an index [ω]∈H^{2}(G,Q_{+}), where Q_{+} is the multiplicative group of positive rational numbers labeling one-dimensional quantum cellular automata.
Sun Y, Ricci G, Monteverde M
… +7 more, Derkach V, Chanelière T, Aldridge E, Casanova D, Beljonne D, Anthony JE, Chepelianskii AD
Phys Rev Lett
· 2026 May · PMID 42285087
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Singlet fission and triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) are spin-dependent phenomena critical to optoelectronics. The dynamics of spin populations during geminate triplet pair separation are crucial for controlling fissio...Singlet fission and triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) are spin-dependent phenomena critical to optoelectronics. The dynamics of spin populations during geminate triplet pair separation are crucial for controlling fission and TTA rates. We show that the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) induces level crossings between spin manifolds, affecting spin populations and TTA rates in crystalline fission semiconductors. By investigating spin-dependent fluorescence in a triplet exciton pair with the magnetic field aligned along the fine structure tensor, we isolate the effect of DMI, as the triplet wave functions remain unaffected by the field. Our results reveal that DMI introduces additional TTA pathways that are forbidden by spin conservation, explaining the observed evolution of optically detected magnetic resonance signals with varying magnetic field. The magnitude of the DMI interactions needed to reproduce the experimental data is further confirmed by highly correlated wave function-based ab initio calculations. This Letter highlights the significant impact of DMI on the optical properties of triplet excitons, advancing our understanding of spin dynamics in these systems.
Phys Rev Lett
· 2026 May · PMID 42285086
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We construct a novel effective field theory for a compact body coupled to gravity, whose key feature is that the dynamics of gravitational perturbations is explicitly determined by known solutions in black hole perturbat...We construct a novel effective field theory for a compact body coupled to gravity, whose key feature is that the dynamics of gravitational perturbations is explicitly determined by known solutions in black hole perturbation theory in four dimensions. In this way, the physics of gravitational perturbations in curved space are already encoded in the effective field theory, thus bypassing the need for the higher-order calculations that constitute a major hurdle in standard approaches. Concretely, we model the compact body as a spherical shell, whose finite size regulates short-distance divergences in four dimensions and whose tidal responses are described by higher-dimensional operators. As an application, we consider scalar perturbations and derive new results for scalar Love numbers through O(G^{9}) for Schwarzschild black holes and for generic compact bodies. Finally, our analysis reveals an intriguing structure of the scalar black-hole Love numbers in terms of the Riemann zeta function, which we conjecture to hold to all orders.
Banerjee A, Mukherjee R, Murugan SD
… +2 more, Bhattacharjee S, Ray SS
Phys Rev Lett
· 2026 May · PMID 42285085
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We investigate the Reynolds-number dependence of the maximal Lyapunov exponent in fully developed turbulence, which quantifies the rate of chaotic divergence of nearby velocity fields. Using decorrelators constructed fro...We investigate the Reynolds-number dependence of the maximal Lyapunov exponent in fully developed turbulence, which quantifies the rate of chaotic divergence of nearby velocity fields. Using decorrelators constructed from infinitesimally perturbed flows, we find that the Lyapunov exponent scales with Reynolds number as λ∼Re^{α}, with an exponent α=0.59±0.04 exceeding the classical mean-field prediction. By explicitly separating the nonlinear strain and viscous contributions to decorrelator growth, we show that this departure is associated by intermittent fluctuations of the strain-rate tensor, which dominate the short-time growth of the infinitesimal perturbations over viscous damping. Direct numerical simulations of the Navier-Stokes equations and complementary tests using a reduced shell model yield consistent scaling behavior, indicating robustness within the frameworks considered. Our results show that the dynamical origin of chaotic divergence in turbulence is closely linked to intermittent strain-rate fluctuations.
Haugerud IS, Vuijk HD, Boekhoven J
… +1 more, Weber CA
Phys Rev Lett
· 2026 May · PMID 42285084
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In the field of biomolecular condensates and synthetic systems, it is an open question whether liquid droplets can undergo self-sustained oscillations of formation and dissolution. To unravel the minimal physicochemical...In the field of biomolecular condensates and synthetic systems, it is an open question whether liquid droplets can undergo self-sustained oscillations of formation and dissolution. To unravel the minimal physicochemical prerequisite for such droplet oscillations, we present a simple model composed of only two independent chemical components with their diffusive and chemical fluxes governed by nonequilibrium thermodynamics. There is turnover of fuel that maintains a chemical reaction away from equilibrium, leading to active droplets. We find that a single active droplet undergoes a saddle-node bifurcation in the droplet volume upon increasing the fueling strength. Strikingly, the active droplet becomes excitable upon adding a further chemical reaction. For sufficient fueling, the system undergoes self-sustained oscillations.
Hao ZR, Fan GT, Sun QK
… +21 more, Wang HW, Xu HH, Liu LX, Zhang Y, Chen JW, Yang YX, Jin S, Chen KJ, Wang ZW, Wang XF, Xu MK, Li ZC, Jiao P, Zhou MD, Ye S, Shen YL, Chen YJ, Zhang H, He JJ, Shen WQ, Ma YG
Phys Rev Lett
· 2026 May · PMID 42285083
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The photodisintegration cross sections of the deuteron have been systematically measured over the photon energy range of 2.33-19.65 MeV at the Shanghai Laser Electron Gamma Source. By applying the well-established Baldin...The photodisintegration cross sections of the deuteron have been systematically measured over the photon energy range of 2.33-19.65 MeV at the Shanghai Laser Electron Gamma Source. By applying the well-established Baldin sum rule to the newly obtained data, the sum of the electric and magnetic dipole polarizabilities of the deuteron is extracted for the first time based solely on a dense and continuous experimental dataset, yielding α_{E}+β_{M}=0.719±0.009_{stat}±0.014_{algo}±0.023_{syst} fm^{3}. With theoretical values of the magnetic polarizability β_{M} calculated from the pionless effective field theory, a new value of the electric polarizability is obtained as α_{E}=0.637±0.009_{stat}±0.014_{algo}±0.023_{syst}±0.004_{theo} fm^{3}, which is in excellent agreement with current theoretical predictions. This result resolves the previous discrepancy between experimental measurements from elastic scattering and theory, providing a high-precision benchmark for nuclear interaction models.
Chung KTK, Borla U, Nevidomskyy AH
… +1 more, Moroz S
Phys Rev Lett
· 2026 May · PMID 42285082
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Recent developments have revealed that symmetries need not form a group, but instead can be noninvertible. Here we use analytical arguments and numerical evidence to illuminate how spontaneous symmetry breaking of a noni...Recent developments have revealed that symmetries need not form a group, but instead can be noninvertible. Here we use analytical arguments and numerical evidence to illuminate how spontaneous symmetry breaking of a noninvertible symmetry is similar yet distinct from ordinary, invertible, symmetry breaking. We consider one-dimensional chains of group-valued qudits, whose local Hilbert space is spanned by elements of a finite group G (reducing to ordinary qubits when G=Z_{2}). We construct Ising-type transverse-field Hamiltonians with Rep(G) symmetry whose generators multiply according to the tensor product of irreducible representations (irreps) of the group G. For non-Abelian G, the symmetry is noninvertible. In the symmetry broken phase there is one ground state per irrep on a closed chain. The symmetry breaking can be detected by local order parameters but, unlike the invertible case, different ground states have distinct entanglement patterns. We show that for each irrep of dimension greater than one the corresponding ground state exhibits string order, entanglement spectrum degeneracies, and has gapless edge modes on an open chain-features usually associated with symmetry-protected topological order. Consequently, domain wall excitations behave as one-dimensional non-Abelian anyons with nontrivial internal Hilbert spaces and fusion rules. Our Letter identifies properties of noninvertible symmetry breaking that existing quantum hardware can probe.
Xu Y, Zhou Y, Sun L
… +12 more, Huang H, Chen ZJ, Xiao L, Zhang B, Ma C, Hua Z, Wang W, Xue G, Yu H, Cai W, Zou CL, Sun L
Phys Rev Lett
· 2026 May · PMID 42285081
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High-fidelity two-logical-qubit gates are essential for realizing fault-tolerant quantum computation with bosonic codes, yet experimentally reported fidelities have rarely exceeded 90%. Here, we propose a geometric phase...High-fidelity two-logical-qubit gates are essential for realizing fault-tolerant quantum computation with bosonic codes, yet experimentally reported fidelities have rarely exceeded 90%. Here, we propose a geometric phase engineering approach for implementing controlled-phase gates for binomially encoded logical qubits. This method leverages the structural simplicity of geometric drives to reduce the numerical optimization dimensionality while fully incorporating system nonlinearities, enabling fast and high-fidelity logical operations. As an example, we experimentally demonstrate a process fidelity of 97.4±0.8% with postselection to exclude leakage (94.9±0.7% without post selection) for a controlled-Z gate between two lowest-order binomial codes, surpassing all previously reported two-logical-qubit gates in bosonic codes. This Letter demonstrates that geometric phase engineering provides an effective and experimentally feasible route to fast, high-fidelity logical operations in bosonic quantum processors.