As an essential concept to understand the world, whether the real values (or physical realities) of observables are suitable to physical systems beyond the classic has been debated for many decades. Although standard no-go results based on Bell inequalities have ruled out the joint reality of incompatible quantum observables, the possibility of giving simple yet strong arguments to rule out joint reality in any physical system (not necessarily quantum) with weaker assumptions and less observables has been explored and proposed recently. Here, we perform a device-independent experiment on a two-qubit superconducting system to show that the joint reality of two observables is incompatible with locality under the weaker assumption of the reality of observables in a single space-time region (or single qubit). Our results clearly show the violation of certain inequalities derived from both linear and nonlinear criteria. In addition, we study the robustness of the linear and nonlinear criterion against the effect of systematic decoherence. Our demonstration opens up the possibility of delineating classical and non-classical boundaries with simpler nontrivial quantum system.

Quantum excitation is usually regarded as a transient process occurring instantaneously, leaving the underlying physics shrouded in mystery. Recent research shows that Rydberg-state excitation with ultrashort laser pulses can be investigated and manipulated with state-of-the-art few-cycle pulses. We theoretically find that the efficiency of Rydberg state excitation can be enhanced with a short laser pulse and modulated by varying the laser intensities. We also uncover new facets of the excitation dynamics, including the launching of an electron wave packet through strong-field ionization, the re-entry of the electron into the atomic potential and the crucial step where the electron makes a U-turn, resulting in twin captures into Rydberg orbitals. By tuning the laser intensity, we show that the excitation of the Rydberg state can be coherently controlled on a sub-optical-cycle timescale. Our work paves the way toward ultrafast control and coherent manipulation of Rydberg states, thus benefiting Rydberg-state-based quantum technology.

Based on the numerical solution of the time-dependent Dirac equation, we propose a method to observe in real time the ac Stark shift of a vacuum driven by an ultra-intense laser field. By overlapping the ultra-intense pump pulse with another zeptosecond probe pulse whose photon energy is smaller than $2mc^2$, electron–positron pair creation can be controlled by tuning the time delay between the pump and probe pulses. Since the pair creation rate depends sensitively on the instantaneous vacuum potential, one can reconstruct the ac Stark shift of the vacuum potential according to the time-delay-dependent pair creation rate.

A D-shaped fiber is coated with a new two-dimensional nanomaterial, violet phosphorus (VP), to create a saturable absorber (SA) with a modulation depth of 3.68%. Subsequently, the SA is inserted into a fiber laser, enabling successful generation of dark solitons and bright–dark soliton pairs through adjustment of the polarization state within the cavity. Through further study, mode-locked pulses are achieved, proving the existence of polarization-locked vector solitons. The results indicate that VP can be used as a polarization-independent SA.

A quasi-phase-matched technique is introduced for soliton transmission in a quadratic $[\chi^{(2)}]$ nonlinear crystal to realize the stable transmission of dipole solitons in a one-dimensional space under three-wave mixing. We report four types of solitons as dipole solitons with distances between their bimodal peaks that can be laid out in different stripes. We study three cases of these solitons: spaced three stripes apart, one stripe apart, and confined to the same stripe. For the case of three stripes apart, all four types have stable results, but for the case of one stripe apart, stable solutions can only be found at $\omega_{1}=\omega_{2}$, and for the condition of dipole solitons confined to one stripe, stable solutions exist only for Type1 and Type3 at $\omega_{1}=\omega_{2}$. The stability of the soliton solution is solved and verified using the imaginary time propagation method and real-time transfer propagation, and soliton solutions are shown to exist in the multistability case. In addition, the relations of the transportation characteristics of the dipole soliton and the modulation parameters are numerically investigated. Finally, possible approaches for the experimental realization of the solitons are outlined.

By numerically solving the two-dimensional semiconductor Bloch equation, we study the high-order harmonic emission of a monolayer ZnO under the driving of co-rotating two-color circularly polarized laser pulses. By changing the relative phase between the fundamental frequency field and the second one, it is found that the harmonic intensity in the platform region can be significantly modulated. In the higher order, the harmonic intensity can be increased by about one order of magnitude. Through time-frequency analysis, it is demonstrated that the emission trajectory of monolayer ZnO can be controlled by the relative phase, and the harmonic enhancement is caused by the second quantum trajectory with the higher emission probability. In addition, near-circularly polarized harmonics can be generated in the co-rotating two-color circularly polarized fields. With the change of the relative phase, the harmonics in the platform region can be altered from left-handed near-circularly polarization to right-handed one. Our results can obtain high-intensity harmonic radiation with an adjustable ellipticity, which provides an opportunity for syntheses of circularly polarized attosecond pulses.

We experimentally and theoretically present a paradigm for the accurate bilayer design of gradient metasurfaces for wave beam manipulation, producing an extremely asymmetric splitting effect by simply tailoring the interlayer size. This concept arises from anomalous diffraction in phase gradient metasurfaces and the precise combination of the phase gradient in bilayer metasurfaces. Ensured by different diffraction routes in momentum space for incident beams from opposite directions, extremely asymmetric acoustic beam splitting can be generated in a robust way, as demonstrated in experiments through a designed bilayer system. Our work provides a novel approach and feasible platform for designing tunable devices to control wave propagation.

We estimate the thermal properties of unsmooth Si nanowires, considering key factors such as size (diameter), surface texture (roughness) and quantum size effects (phonon states) at different temperatures. For nanowires with a diameter of less than 20 nm, we highlight the importance of quantum size effects in heat capacity calculations, using dispersion relations derived from the modified frequency equation for the elasticity of a rod. The thermal conductivities of nanowires with diameters of 37, 56, and 115 nm are predicted using the Fuchs–Sondheimer model and Soffer's specular parameter. Notably, the roughness parameters are chosen to reflect the technological characteristics of the real surfaces. Our findings reveal that surface texture plays a significant role in thermal conductivity, particularly in the realm of ballistic heat transfer within nanowires. This study provides practical recommendations for developing new thermal management materials.

Molecular dynamics simulation is used to calculate the interfacial thermal resistance of a graphene/carbon nanotubes/hexagonal boron nitride (Gr/CNTs/hBN) sandwiched heterostructure, in which vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) arrays are covalently bonded to graphene and hexagonal boron nitride layers. We find that the interfacial thermal resistance (ITR) of the Gr/VACNT/hBN sandwiched heterostructure is one to two orders of magnitude smaller than the ITR of a Gr/hBN van der Waals heterostructure with the same plane size. It is observed that covalent bonding effectively enhances the phonon coupling between Gr and hBN layers, resulting in an increase in the overlap factor of phonon density of states between Gr and hBN, thus reducing the ITR of Gr and hBN. In addition, the chirality, size (diameter and length), and packing density of sandwich-layer VACNTs have an important influence on the ITR of the heterostructure. Under the same CNT diameter and length, the ITR of the sandwiched heterostructure with armchair-shaped VACNTs is higher than that of the sandwiched heterostructure with zigzag-shaped VACNTs due to the different chemical bonding of chiral CNTs with Gr and hBN. When the armchair-shaped CNT diameter increases or the length decreases, the ITR of the sandwiched heterostructure tends to decrease. Moreover, the increase in the VACNT packing density also leads to a continuous decrease in the ITR of the sandwiched heterostructure, attributed to the extremely high intrinsic thermal conductivity of CNTs and the increase of out-of-plane heat transfer channels. This work may be helpful for understanding the mechanism for ITR in multilayer vertical heterostructures, and provides theoretical guidance for a new strategy to regulate the interlayer thermal resistance of heterostructures by optimizing the design of sandwich layer thermal interface materials.

Magnetic topological semimetals have been at the forefront of condensed matter physics due to their ability to exhibit exotic transport phenomena. Investigating the interplay between magnetic and topological orders in systems with broken time-reversal symmetry is crucial for realizing non-trivial quantum effects. We delve into the electronic structure of the rare-earth-based antiferromagnetic Dirac semimetal EuMg$_2$Bi$_2$ using first-principles calculations and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Our calculations reveal that the spin–orbit coupling (SOC) in EuMg$_2$Bi$_2$ prompts an insulator to topological semimetal transition, with the Dirac bands protected by crystal symmetries. The linearly dispersive states near the Fermi level, primarily originating from Bi 6$p$ orbitals, are observed on both the (001) and (100) surfaces, confirming that EuMg$_2$Bi$_2$ is a three-dimensional topological Dirac semimetal. This research offers pivotal insights into the interplay between magnetism, SOC and topological phase transitions in spintronics applications.

Critical states in disordered systems, fascinating and subtle eigenstates, have attracted a lot of research interests. However, the nature of critical states is difficult to describe quantitatively, and in general, it cannot predict a system that hosts the critical state. We propose an explicit criterion whereby the Lyapunov exponent of the critical state should be 0 simultaneously in dual spaces, namely the Lyapunov exponent remains invariant under the Fourier transform. With this criterion, we can exactly predict a one-dimensional quasiperiodic model which is not of self-duality, but hosts a large number of critical states. Then, we perform numerical verification of the theoretical prediction and display the self-similarity of the critical state. Due to computational complexity, calculations are not performed for higher dimensional models. However, since the description of extended and localized states by the Lyapunov exponent is universal and dimensionless, utilizing the Lyapunov exponent of dual spaces to describe critical states should also be universal. Finally, we conjecture that some kind of connection exists between the invariance of the Lyapunov exponent and conformal invariance, which can promote the research of critical phenomena.

The discovery of high-temperature superconductivity near 80 K in bilayer nickelate La$_{3}$Ni$_{2}$O$_{7}$ under high pressures has renewed the exploration of superconducting nickelate in bulk materials. The extension of superconductivity in other nickelates in a broader family is also essential. Here, we report the experimental observation of superconducting signature in trilayer nickelate La$_{4}$Ni$_{3}$O$_{10}$ under high pressures. By using a modified sol-gel method and post-annealing treatment under high oxygen pressure, we successfully obtained polycrystalline La$_{4}$Ni$_{3}$O$_{10}$ samples with different transport behaviors at ambient pressure. Then we performed high-pressure electrical resistance measurements on these samples in a diamond-anvil-cell apparatus. Surprisingly, the signature of possible superconducting transition with a maximum transition temperature ($T_{\rm c}$) of about 20 K under high pressures is observed, as evidenced by a clear drop of resistance and the suppression of resistance drops under magnetic fields. Although the resistance drop is sample-dependent and relatively small, it appears in all of our measured samples. We argue that the observed superconducting signal is most likely to originate from the main phase of La$_{4}$Ni$_{3}$O$_{10}$. Our findings will motivate the exploration of superconductivity in a broader family of nickelates and shed light on the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of high-$T_{\rm c}$ superconductivity in nickelates.

Motivated by the recent discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in bilayer La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$ under pressure, we study its electronic properties and superconductivity due to strong electron correlation. Using the inversion symmetry, we decouple the low-energy electronic structure into block-diagonal symmetric and antisymmetric sectors. It is found that the antisymmetric sector can be reduced to a one-band system near half filling, while the symmetric bands occupied by about two electrons are heavily overdoped individually. Using the strong coupling mean field theory, we obtain strong superconducting pairing with $B_{\rm 1g}$ symmetry in the antisymmetric sector. We propose that due to the spin-orbital exchange coupling between the two sectors, $B_{\rm 1g}$ pairing is induced in the symmetric bands, which in turn boosts the pairing gap in the antisymmetric band and enhances the high-temperature superconductivity with a congruent d-wave symmetry in pressurized La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$.

We propose an ansatz without adjustable parameters for the calculation of a dynamical structure factor. The ansatz combines the quasi-particle Green's function, especially the contribution from the renormalization factor, and the exchange-correlation kernel from time-dependent density functional theory together, verified for typical metals and semiconductors from a plasmon excitation regime to the Compton scattering regime. It has the capability to reconcile both small-angle and large-angle inelastic x-ray scattering (IXS) signals with much-improved accuracy, which can be used as the theoretical base model, in inversely inferring electronic structures of condensed matter from IXS experimental signals directly. It may also be used to diagnose thermal parameters, such as temperature and density, of dense plasmas in x-ray Thomson scattering experiments.